To Build a Worldby Eventual PerceptionChaptersFirst Iteration: Origins, Part 1First Iteration: Cheating and Soft KillsFirst Iteration: Nightmares and CarcassesFirst Iteration: Desires and Bad First ImpressionsSecond Iteration: Origins, Part 2Second Iteration: Conflict ResolutionFirst Iteration: Origins, Part 1They were born too big, and as a result, they both killed their surrogate mothers. The baby slid from the sex of her mother, the adult animal convulsed one last time. He kneeled, and with a scalpel cut the infant from the amniotic sac. The mother’s final breath passed. It didn’t matter to him, not in the slightest. The ends always justified the means, even if public opinion disagreed with him, as they had on more than one occasion. Groups rallied against him, led by that pompous self-centered asshole Malcolm. Especially after the incident in 2015 which wasn’t his even his fault. He wasn’t the one who underestimated his creation. He was almost forced to concede defeat, to give up on his purpose in life, if it weren’t for that woman, whose name he could not remember. He sighed, and looked down at the infant now before him, the younger of two sisters. Like the primary model organism they were based off of, they were capable at birth, eyes open and able to stand within a very short time after emerging from the womb. The older sister was pale, her mane and tail long, silky, seeming to move by their own volition. Her sister was still slick with fluid, her fur dark blue and her eyes blinking open. She looked up at him. He reached down, ran his hands over her body, feeling every inch, making sure. Like her sister, she was perfect. Like her sister, from her head sprouted a horn, and from her back sprouted wings. He picked her up, held her close to him. He felt her heart beating inside of her, the amniotic fluid staining his almost-perfect lab coat. “And you……” his voice trailed off. “I will call you Luna.” The older sister moved forward, looking from the man to her sister to the dead mare on the ground. He looked at the white animal, and he smiled. “Say hello to your sister, Celestia.” When you had an advanced level of understanding in genetics, and the proper technology, it was amazing what you could engineer. The others came easier, designed to be smaller so the mares could produce more than one offspring. He was nothing if not economic. Three kinds were made – winged, horned, and, to satisfy nostalgia for home, a kind only slightly altered from the model organism. All were blessed by him with intelligence, although not as much so as his daughters. Unlike Celestia and Luna, these were not his daughters, and unlike Luna and Celestia, he did not think of them as such. Only the first generations were raised in captivity; after that, they were allowed to breed in the wild. The wild. It was still a weird concept to him. He had discovered this world quite by accident, and it was alive and ready, green plants and blue skies, but totally lacking any animal life at all. He couldn’t explain it, and honestly he didn’t even try. The lack of animal life simply gave him the freedom to create that he always longed for. He made some normal things, sure. Birds, otters, snakes, bats, mammals, lions, donkeys, the like. Dinosaurs, what some would consider to be his trademark. All with varying degrees of intelligence, slightly modified traits as he saw fit. But he also tried his hand at more exotic creations: creatures that seemed almost mythological. In this world, free from the ethical constraints of his homeland, he was free. He was happy. He was god. They aged quickly, at least it seemed so to him. They grew remarkably fast, and matured rapidly, must faster than the ponies he created to be wild. By the age of three, they would have been analogous to teenage horses back home. Unlike the natural ponies he created, he had manipulated the mitochondrial genes in such a way so that his beloved daughters would never succumb to senescence. He was a smart man, and he taught them. One of the traits he had given his daughters, and the ponies and a few other species, was the ability to verbally communicate. The shape of their skulls, the dimensions of their necks gave them a very peculiar, exotic accent. All it required was the addition of, the a tweaking and a turning on, the FOXP2 gene, and it was done. As they had been designed (all of them, not just his daughters), they picked up language very fast. Luna and Celestia were five when he first appeared. After being taken out and shown the “natural” ponies, they could move about them by themselves, unsupervised. He was looking out one of the windows of his study, across the geography of his new home, when he heard a voice behind him. “Honestly, I can’t believe you managed to pull this off,” the voice was familiar. The man had heard it before, even if it had been a very long time. “Getting the buildings, the technology, here… that’s no simple task. I’m sure you had some help from the good doctor. Did you tell him what you were doing over here? Does he know? Hmmmm?” “And what will I be calling you this time?” “Oh, I don’t know,” the voice was amused. “You can call me what you called me last time.” The man turned around to face another man, with curly hair, a little chubby with an amused grin. “I don’t remember what I called you last time.” “Oh! I see! Your brain’s not quite what it once was, is it?” He laughed, and snapped his fingers. He appeared next to the man, put his arm over the man’s shoulders. A trick the human was not used to. “I suppose, if you must call me something, then you can call me Discord.” Discord looked down at his human form. He sighed. “Oh, but this form simply just won’t do! This must be remedied!” Another snap of the finger. Before the man stood an assemblage of animal parts, on a serpentine body. Mixed horns, limbs, eyes, and wings. “There,” Discord said. “This is much more fitting.” “What do you want?” “I just came to check up on you. Oh, don’t look so surprised – I told you I would. The Continuum is very surprised, they didn’t think you could pull this off.” The man chuckled under his breath. Discord continued: “You know, it’s amazing what you can do once you throw your ethics out the window, isn’t it. It’s a wonder they didn’t make you a king back home.” “They are a stupid, ill-informed, petty, shortsighted people.” “Or perhaps they are wise, Henry. You are capable of great things, but your experiences pale in comparison to even the most average of my kind. You don’t even yet know why this place is so much like your own yet slightly different.” “Why is it?” “Oh, tsk tsk, Henry. That’s for you to find out yourself. We have our own set of ethics, something like a Prime Directive, if you like. Observe, but never greatly interfere. But never mind that, you’ll find out soon enough.” They both looked out the window. Neither spoke for a few moments. “Your daughters look very happy, Henry,” Discord said. Henry looked at Discord form the corner of his eyes, tipping his head a little. “I’ve never seen you this somber.” “They are so close to you, and you’re so close to them. And yet even in five years, as they’ve grown, you’ve aged. Not much – genetics have been kind to you, Henry – but you have. I can see it. They can’t, and you can’t, but I can. What will happen when the inevitable happens, Henry? What will happen…. When you die?” Henry looked back out the window. “I will figure something out. I created this. I can prevent death. I did it for them. I can do it for myself.” “We shall see.” And with a snap, Discord disappeared. First Iteration: Cheating and Soft Kills“Thou hast cheated us!” Luna screamed at her sister, her voice loud, reverberating through the halls. “We demand you cease this confidence game at once!” Celestia giggled. “This is not a game! We demand you cease your tiresome charade immediately!” “Oh, Luna, it is a game! That is the point!” Luna gasped. “What? The point is not to cheat!” “That’s not the point, Luna,” Celestia giggled again. “The point is to have fun.” “We cannot have fun is thou doth not observe the rules!” Celestia sighed. “Why do you speak in the Royal voice if we are not in public?” “Why doth thou not use thine Royal Voice when thou is in public?” “Don’t change the subject.” “She can change the subject if she wants,” Henry said, alerting the two sisters to his presence. “And besides, how many times have I told you to avoid board games?” “But father – “ “Celestia is a cheat!” Luna yelled. “A cheat and a harlot!” “Now, is that any way to speak about your sister?” Henry asked. “It is when she is cheating!” “At least she’s speaking normally now, Father.” “Don’t antagonize her. Now calm down, both of you. Have you done your chores?” The two sisters nodded. “Celestia, did you continue your studies? Luna, did you work on your….. what is it that you do?” “Father, it is our job to advise the citizens on issues which are of concern to them,” Luna regained her composure. “Surely thou remembers the assignment thy gives us?” “And? What’s of concern to them?” “A beast has been seen in one of the villages, Father,” Luna said. “A brown beast, with no hair and no eyes, with spindly limbs. We were told it does scare the children.” “Has it caused any other problems?” “A young mare has gone missing, Father.” Henry was quiet for a moment. “When did this happen?” “In the night. The mare went to bed, but was found to be missing from her room.” “That is unfortunate. Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do.” Henry turned to leave. “But we must, Father! We must help thine citizens!” Celestia looked at Luna as she yelled after her father. Such an act was not uncommon for Luna, although this time Celestia noticed her demeanor was much more urgent, more desperate. More determined. “We have royal duties to uphold.” “You can’t help, Luna,” Henry said. “You must not. It’s the way it has to be.” “But why?!” “Because it must!” Henry turned and yelled at his younger daughter. “Have you forgotten your studies? That’s what it means to be a part of the world, to be relevant, to be connected. Predation happens, Luna, and we can’t simply stop it just because we find it tragic!” Luna fell silent. Celestia looked from her sister to her father; she could see the dark blue mare’s face contort with emotional distress. Celestia wanted, dearly, to interject, to stop what she knew would happen, but she could not find the words. She simply sat there. Henry stopped. Without looking back, he spoke. “Luna, your sister has learned this, and you must come to accept it as well. We cannot interfere in such circumstances. That is my one demand of you.” “How can you be such a bastard?!” Silence. It hung around them like the most oppressive of ghosts. Its aura curled around them, invisible choking tendrils. Henry turned, and walked back to Luna. “Father, please – “ It came fast, and to some it would have seemed to come too easy. There was no trace of emotion, no anger or sadness or anything, in Henry’s face as his hand suddenly made contact with Luna’s face. Celestia winced, and Luna could not bring herself to look at her father. Her lips trembled, her eyes closed tightly against the sting. “You will not speak to me in such a manner,” Henry said. “I am to be respected. Is that understood?” Luna did not speak, nor did she look at him. “Look at me, Luna. Is that understood?” Against every fiber of her being, Luna looked at her father. Tears blurred him, made it appear as though every part of his being was attempting to escape his form. “Yes, father. We understand thine demands.” “Good.” Henry turned, and without another word walked away. “Why does he have to hit me?” Luna lay curled on her bed, Celestia sitting beside her, running her hoof through her sister’s hair. The motion calmed her sister slightly, had always made her problems that less of a burden. “Shhhh,” Celestia whispered, “it’s okay. It’ll be okay, you’ll understand.” “No, it won’t, Tia. He doesn’t love me as much as he loves you.” “Luna…..” Celestia could not think of anything to say. As much as she loved her sister, they were completely different. Celestia was always more of a daddy’s girl, while Luna loved to spend time with the native ponies outside the walls of their home. To Luna, Celestia knew, the natives were as good as extended family, something she cared for very deeply. “How can you not see it? If he loved me, he wouldn’t let things hurt me, Tia. And yet, he demands I stand by while ponies are in danger, and he surely knows how it hurts me.” “Father knows.” “Then why must he insist we do nothing?” Tears fell down her face. “Father told us,” Celestia said. “It’s the way it has to be.” “According to who? Him?” Luna trembled. She began sobbing again. Celestia couldn’t bear it. She lay down beside her sister, took her in her arms and held her close, draping a wing over them both. “Oh, Lulu, please calm down.” Celestia spoke softly, rubbing her hooves across the blue alicorn’s back. “He loves you, I promise. And I love you. We are a family.” She fell silent as Luna dug her face even further into her chest. The sobs began to die down, began to wane into nothingness. Celestia knew that there was something more to her sobs than simply being struck by her father; she knew that her sister was, in the truest sense of the word, lonely. She was an emotional creature, and such beings desired, almost by their very nature, somebody to share their existence with. Celestia hugged her sister even tighter, began humming a nameless tune. It was, after all, what big sisters were supposed to do. She was hungry. Her mate was hungry, and so were his brothers. And her chicks, they were also hungry. She could hear them calling in the distance as she walked away from the nest, her mate’s two brothers standing guard as the two alphas – one male, one female; one husband, one wife – walked through the forest. Their feet fell silent on dead leaves and trampled grasses, their eyes darting to and from one another. They were a very vocal species, but on hunts, when they were stalking, they were mutes. Their feathers blew slightly in the breeze which brought them scents. Prey had become incredibly scarce, and very recently two. Her family group was used to eating well, and had viciously defended a very productive territory just beyond the limits of Ponyville. Her family group didn’t prey on ponies, they were too well protected –a social species, which was also intelligent, was an equal match against her group, and one of the main points of being a predator was not to take damage if you could prevent it. Especially when you had young offspring to rear. The raptor stopped moving. Hunger pains shot through her stomach. She lifted her snout and inhaled. There was nothing. She looked at her mate. She growled. They kept moving. What must have been two weeks earlier, she had detected a strange scent. New, unsettling, it has smelled dangerous. The eggs were just about to hatch, and she had reasoned it was an egg thief. She had been wrong. Whatever it was, it was quickly consuming prey items faster than the prey could replenish themselves. The raptor group quickly found itself going hungry, competing with something they could smell, and occasionally hear, but could never see nor confront. For an apex predator, it was maddening. Every fiber of her being, every instinct, told her something was wrong. There was something foreign here; something alien and, at least on some level, frightening. But raptors were nothing if not adaptable – if they could not take out the new thing that had so drastically cut down their available quarry, then they would find a new one. If not they would leave. And thus, for the second day in a row, the alpha female and her mate found themselves at the forests edge, looking out towards the crudely constructed buildings. Her stomach turned, her killer claws twitched, dug into the dirt beneath her. They watched, and they waited. It wasn’t long. The two alphas, like most of their kind, were good at predicting the behaviors of their prey. They had not come to this clearing at this time by accident. The day before, they had noticed a gathering of fillies and colts wandering and grazing, some playing together, and a select few, which had caught the attention of the raptor pair, played alone. They had come out after a ringing from one of the buildings. Today was no different. The bell rang through the air, shrill and bright and obnoxious, and the doors of the schoolhouse opened. Out poured a dozen or so small ponies, pegasi and unicorns. Like the day before, they dispersed around the grounds of the schoolhouse. They laughed, all but one. A small colt, frail, alone. Picked on by his peers because, of all the things ponies do, some of them could be considered to be quite human. The colt was bluish-gray, with a mane of white. He pawed at the ground, took a few nibbles of grass. With sad eyes, he looked back at his cohorts, which could have been his friends had circumstances treated him more favorably. The raptors shifted positions, silently. The female looked at the male, gave a slight head twitch. The male blinked, began to silently move away. The plan was set. The females chicks would not go hungry tonight. Three colts and a filly walked up to the lone pony, pompous and full of themselves. They began to speak to him, condescending and angry and mean, making the poor colt want to shrink in upon himself. The raptors did not understand the words, nor the situation – they did not know that, four weeks before, a friend (well, it was a friend at the time) had found the colt doing something only fillies did. His friend had turned on him, told the schoolponies, and everything had gone to shit for the poor colt. He stopped eating, he slept poorly. Most nights, he cried himself to what uncomfortable sleep he could find. “Look, boys, it’s the ugly filly!” one of the colts snarled. “Maybe she’d be prettier if we put a bag on her head,” said another. “You know, he’d still be too ugly to be pretty,” said the filly. The ponies giggled. The frail pony shrunk in upon himself even more, sitting on the ground, looking down. “Please…..” he murmured, “please…. Stop it.” “What’s that? I think it’s talking.” The alpha female shifted position, her starved muscles tensing. She focused on the frail colt. Her stomach rumbled silently, preparing for a minor feast. It was close, but not yet. She could see her lover moving through the brush, getting into position almost silently. Not that it would have mattered, the ponies were far too preoccupied to have noticed. The bell rang again, filling the air with its shrillness. The filly looked back. The alpha female looked at her mate. He was in position. Only a few more moments…. “Come on, let’s go. Ms. Crabapple will be mad if we’re late again,” the tallest colt, Whirlwind, said as he turned towards the school. The others followed suit, even their frail target. The tallest colt looked back. “Hey, who said you could come with us, loser?” “Well, um…..” “Don’t think about coming back with us, even Ms. Crabapple doesn’t want you there!” Whirlwind laughed his insult. The attack came then. The alpha female burst from the trees, her hind limbs propelling her faster, faster. Cheetah speed. She closed in on the young ponies, almost half of the distance before they noticed her. “Go!” Whirlwind shouted. All the ponies raced, screaming. “Help! Ms. Crabapple! Help us!” In the distance, they could see an adult pony come out from the door and look in their direction. She looked concerned, and then shocked before she bolted in their direction. “Hang on, kids! I’m coming!” The alpha shrieked, and the shriek was echoed by her mate, bursting from the foliage to the left of the group. He lunged forward, his jaws open and claws outstretched, snarling. The female was almost on top of the frail pony. The pony looked back, the kept running as fast as he could. “Please! Please don’t leave me! Guys, please! Whirlwind!” His body was stressed, his poor diet and depression having taken their toll. He could feel his legs become wobbly, could feel them start to give out…. The male jumped, claws outstretched, killer claws at the ready. His mate watched, and relished the sight. She had chosen her mate well. She was proud. He landed on the colt, his hind legs kicking into his sides as it fell to the ground beneath him. His front claws tore into the sides as his prey screamed. “No! Don’t! Please! Ms. Crabapple – “ the colt’s voice waivered as the male moved over for his mate, who dug a killing claw into his belly, ripping it open. His innards spilled out, red ribbons and puffed balloons of meat, glistening. The female tore at it a few times with her hind leg, severing chunks of intestine, before picking it up in her jaw and swallowing. It was warm all the way down. “Fanciful! No!” Ms. Crabapple stopped just feet short of the raptors, who greedily shoved their maws into the gaping hold of the colt. “Make it stop!” the colt screamed. “Please!” Crabapple took a step forward. In response, the male mimicked her motion, placing a hindfoot on Fanciful’s head. He squirmed. The male gripped for a better purchase, Fanficul screaming as the killing claw punctured his eyeball. The male screamed at the adult pony, and before long the female joined him. Fanciful squirmed. “Ms. Crabapple! Help! Please help!” His voice was high pitched, ragged, seeping with desperation and pain and despair. “They’re killing me!” From the schoolhouse, Whirlwind watched with his friends. Pits in their stomach began to grow. They were afraid. As angry as Crabapple was, she knew she had made a mistake. The raptors, while powerful, were obviously gaunt. Whatever had been killing of the animals in Everfree had taken their food away, and they were desperate. It was not a situation in which she was happy to find herself. She took a step back, her lips quivering, her heart beating, every instinct telling her to run, every fiber of her heart telling her to save the colt that could clearly not be saved. Fanciful began to calm a little, going into shock. He could see the mare, who was supposed to protect him, backing away. “Ms. Crabapple, don’t leave. You’re… supposed to…..” His voiced stopped as the female stepped on his body, her weight crunching down on the ribs, which in turn pierced his heart and lungs. This was a very good situation for her and her mate. The audacity of the schoolmare had given them not one but two very delicious looking meals. She looked at her mate, and squawked. He squawked back, repositioning himself. He released his grip on the colt’s head, his claw withdrawing from the eye socket, bringing the eyeball with it. They both knew that ponies tasted delicious, and were the only food source available. And, the mare had wandered so close to them anyway….. Crabapple didn’t understand them, but her instincts told her enough – and they told her wrong. She saw the male take a step, the eyeball falling from his claw as the colt’s optical nerve refused to let go. She turned and began to ran, head lowered, her mane and tail flying behind her as she ran as fast as she could. “Run! Get help!” she yelled at her charges. It was all she could do before she felt searing pain in her side and in her neck as the female toppled her. With a kick, every scream she screamed became a gurgle as the blood surged from her gaping neck. The male dug his head into her side. She could feel him grasp the liver in his jaws, rip it out. A searing, almost delicate pain tore through her. As she went into shock, the male provided her with a final sight of bittersweet romance. The liver, you see, is the most vitamin rich organ in the body. Holding it red and dripping in his maw, he moved over to the female and nudged her. She looked at him, and he dropped the liver, nudging it towards her. He purred, his head low. The female took it in her mouth, and swallowed it whole. The last thing Crabapple saw were her killers nuzzling their bloodied jaws together, purring almost romantically. First Iteration: Nightmares and CarcassesLuna woke, her body overheated and her eyes teary. She raised herself up on her forehooves, shaking the nightmare out of her head. Her room was caste in shadows from the pulled curtains, which blocked out almost all light. “Are you alright?” Henry’s voice pierced the silence of her room, coming from the doorway. Luna jumped a little, looking towards the sound of her father’s voice. “I could hear you from my room,” he said. “I’m…. We’re fine, father. We simply had a nightmare.” Henry turned on the light, the room lightening instantly, a brightness against which Luna squinted her eyes. “Father, thine presence is not necessary at this time.” Henry smiled. “Not necessary, or so you say. A father always makes time for a trouble child.” He sat down on the edge of her bed. “What was it about?” “Thy did not love us,” Luna looked down, then up at her father. “Thy kicked us out of thine house, as thee were ashamed of us.” She looked down again. “We were scared we would never see our family again.” Henry reached out, touched Luna’s face with his hand. She recoiled slightly, before letting his hand rest on her face. “My dear Luna,” he said softly, “I could never not love you. You are most precious to me. You know that…” he lifted her chin to look into her eyes. “Don’t you?” “We know, father,” she whispered. “Now, what was your nightmare really about?” It saw the world through the eyes of a bat; sound echoing off of its environment. It was an active predator, something which didn’t have a name. It had never existed before its creator created it, and it escaped before it could be named. It lacked eyes, having a bulbous, brain-like growth on its head. Its skin was pale, lightish grey, and bumpy. Its lipless jaws clicked together, its teeth long, drool falling from its mouth. Its two fingered hands clung to the branches above the raptor nest. It watched the two brothers. They were good protectors, but they were bored. The predator could see that quite plane. It repositioned itself in the trees, its stumpy tail wagging between its legs. It knew what to do; it had done it a dozen times as it moved throughout Everfree. There were many of them now. Its creator had created only one, but in a rare case for a mammal, it was parthenogenetic. Asexual. In its wake, it left naught but death and little predators who could fend for themselves at birth. All it had to do was distract the brothers long enough to get a meal. It moved swiftly through the trees until it was about three quarters of a mile away. It stopped, turned back toward the nest, and let out a roar. Its echolocation picked up the brothers looking in its direction, picking up one of them taking a step toward it. It roared again. And again. It shook branches and rattled trees. It roared again. It could see the brothers look at each other, then start at a swift jog toward its location. The hatchlings were unguarded. It swiftly swung through the trees until it was right above the nest, then dropped down. The hatchlings – there were four of them – squealed as it landed in the nest, landed on top of one of them. It gave a whimper as it died. The predator used its massive claws to crush the heads of two of the hatchlings, and lunged forward toward the third. It grabbed the neck of the small animal with its toothy grin, shaking it back and forth. It would hear, and see, the brothers racing back towards the nest. It shook the hatchling violently, cracking its neck, before picking up the other three in a spindly arm and racing away. On three legs, its gait was awkward yet surprisingly swift. It could hear the raptors coming up behind it as it escaped up a tree. Celestia could feel the sun against her face as she flew, her wings still as she rose up on the thermals. A smile graced her face as she closed her eyes, her mane and tail billowing behind her. She circled around, her legs tucked in beneath her. She opened her eyes and looked down on the small village. None of the towns had any names, so her and Luna had named them. This one was small and welcoming. They had named it Ponyville. She looked at the town, at its squat buildings. She looked more intently. All of their trips into the Ponyville had seen the natives out and about, busy and happy as usual. Today, however, Ponyville was deserted. She couldn’t see anypony. The looked around the town some more, her eyes coming to rest on the school, where her smile disappeared. She could see, from her great height, a gathering of ponies on the grounds of the schoolhouse. She could see two forms a distance away, laying in the grass – a colt and a mare, from the looks of it. “Oh, dear,” Celestia said as she pulled in her wings and dove toward the ground. She pulled out just soon enough to glide down into the pasture where the ponies had gathered themselves, chatting in an excited yet dismal manner. “Did you see it?” asked one adult mare. “Yes,” said Whirlwind. “It came from the trees. There were two of them.” An older pony, with green skin, white hair and an apple on her flank, squinted out into the pasture. “Looks like they ain’t nothing but bones, now. They must’ve eaten every bite of them.” Celestia spoke in a bold, commanding tone. “What has happened here?” The ponies all went silent as they turned to look at her. Nobody spoke as she stared at them. “Well?” Celestia asked. The colt, Whirlwind, spoke. “Something attacked us. I don’t know what they were called, but they attacked us. They ate Fanficul and Ms. Crabapple.” “It was raptors, by the sound of it,” said the old mare. “Raptors?” Celestia asked. “Yep, raptors. We’ve known they’ve been in Everfree forest for a while now, but they’ve never done anything like this. First that young mare goes missing, and then this happens. Something’s going on, Princess.” “They looked kind of skinny,” said one of the schoolfillies. “And what’s your name, my little pony?” “Rose, Princess Celestia.” “Rose, were you there when they attacked?” “Yes, Princess.” “Why would they be skinny?” And old stallion spoke up. “My Princess, something’s been driving the animals out of the forest. We haven’t seen anything in there like we usually do. It’s usually so full of life, but now it seems so empty, so dead inside.” “I see,” Celestia said. “Stay here, my little ponies.” She began to trot out to where the two bodies lay. She could see them as they came up – the mare who taught the young foals, and behind her a short distance was a young colt. Their body cavities were empty, not a trace of organ, their limbs stripped of muscle. The eye dangled from one of Fanciful’s sockets. Celestia grimaced. “My poor ponies,” she whispered. She hung her head. The air smelled of copper, with a twinge of feces. Her ears moved back and forth as she listened intently. The sounds were faint, but she could here it - something in Everfree, deep inside from the sound of it, was fighting. Snarls and shrieks and howls and hisses. She took a tentative step forward, still listening intently. Then another. "What is it, princess?" A pony shouted from behind her. She didn't answer, only looking deep into Everfree as she took another step. The male knew better than to get in the way of his mate. While he has felt pangs of pity and grief - as much as any raptor could - at the empty nest, it had affected his mate far worse. She had been driven into a fit of rage, and was taking it out on his brothers, who cowered close to the ground, their heads down. The female had slashed both of them with her foreclaws, drawing blood and removing feathers. She had also severely bitten each of them on the backs of their necks. The male was afraid, as much as he could be said to be afraid, his mate would kill his kin. Nevertheless, decidedly content at his being ignored, he sat on his haunches and watched. The female screamed, lunging toward the brothers with her mouth open and arms flailing, kicking up dirt as she bounced up and down erratically. She stared at the males, snarling and snapping her teeth while they tried harder and harder to become one with the dirt. The female calmed, and went over to the nest where until recently her young had been safe, and lowered her head. She could still smell her chicks, her maternal instincts registering the loss. Unlike other dinosaurs before her, her brain did not consist solely of a switch between REPRODUCTION and FEEDING; no, raptors were intelligent, complex, capable of at the very least primitive emotions. She let out a sigh. The male stood up, and slowly walked over to his mate, who had laid down in the nest, her head on the rim. He laid down beside her, pushed his body into hers, nuzzled and playfully nipped her neck. She did not respond. The two brothers remained content to attempt to become one with the dirt. First Iteration: Desires and Bad First ImpressionsHenry reached out, touched Luna’s face with his hand. She recoiled slightly, before letting his hand rest on her face. “My dear Luna,” he said softly, “I could never not love you. You are most precious to me. You know that…” he lifted her chin to look into her eyes. “Don’t you?” “We know, father,” she whispered. “Now, what was your nightmare really about?” The night enveloped them as they lay beneath the sheets. Luna looked into a face she couldn't quite make out as her body quivered, and the warmth inside her chest grew more intense. She placed a hoof against his chest, testing, making sure he was there, with her, in that moment. She smiled, and a tear welled in her eye. The man whose face she could not see reached out with his hand and caressed her cheek. Luna could feel her face flush as he leaned in and kissed her lips, gently at first, then growing in intensity until, finally, he pulled her as close as they could physically be. Luna closed her eyes, wrapped her legs around him, her wings enveloping them both. She could feel the desire in his kiss, and she was sure he could feel the desire radiating from every fiber of her being. The man ran his hand from her face down her neck, across her torso and abdomen, stopping only when he came to the beginning of her legs. She moved for him, making it easier for him to reach her pulsing marehood with his fingers. He massaged her a little bit, kissing her neck while she moaned softly. She pulled him closer with her hooves and wings, and as she did so he slipped two fingers inside of her. Luna gasped. She couldn't see it, but she could feel the man was smiling. He reached in, deeper and deeper, rubbing the inside of Luna's vagina until she could feel herself on the brink. She forced the man to pull his fingers out, brought them to her lips and sucked her juices off, staring at his face. "Luna?" She looked in her father's direction, but did not look at him. "Are you alright, Luna?" "We..... we are fine, Father." Luna kissed the man's chest, working her way down his body until she was at his waist. She looked up at him, smiled, and began to pull his underwear down with her hooves, until the member practically smacked her in the face. She stared at it, her marehood swollen and throbbing, and then kissed the tip. She could feel the man's reaction. She kissed it, up and down, lightly, before she began to lick it. She loved his taste, not quite salty but not entirely clean tasting, either. 'This must be the taste of love,' she thought. She lowered her head, began to lick at his balls. Luna had never been so happy as the man moaned with her actions. She smiled, mostly to herself. She raised her head and licked up the member until her mouth was at the tip. She opened her mouth, saliva dripping down the shaft as she positioned herself on her bed. She lowered her head, and took him in. Luna swallowed, looking away from her father. She moaned into her pillow as the man, who now sat behind her, licked her marehood as he grabbed her ass. He moved up, began licking her asshole, and Luna moaned even louder. Somehow, she managed to look back at him and control herself long enough to mutter simple directions. "Go in," Luna said to the man. "I need you in me. Now." The man got up to his knees, pulled Luna closer to him. She let her mouth fall agape and her eyes lose focus as she felt the tip of his head begin to slip inside...... Henry looked at his daughter. Concern began to cross his face. However, Henry was nothing if not patient. He waited. The man thrust inside of her, harder and harder. "Both holes," she moaned. The man obliged, shoving three fingers into her ass. She could feel herself tighten up, could feel the sensation of his fingers inside her anal cavity, thrusting in and out. She pumped, likewise, against him, the two of them in perfect unison. Luna panted as they went harder and faster and stronger. She virtually yelled when she came, her marehood squirting juices all over the man's member, which she could feel hardening even more inside of her. She knew what was going to happen. She didn't know how, but she knew. She pulled him out of her and sat on the floor, her face just below the man's member. She put her mouth on the tip as he rubbed it back and forth, growing in veracity until Luna felt the hot liquid squirt into her mouth. She moved her head up and down the top of his shaft, moving his hands away and using her hooves to stroke his penis, greedily milking every last drop. When no more drops came out, she sighed, finally full with love. They lay against each other, both smiling, both content, both full of each other and full of happiness. Luna kissed the man's chest. "I love you," she told the man. She closed her eyes. When she opened them, the man was gone. She was alone again. The lust that had just been satisfied was now once again within her at full force, begging to be satiated. Luna could feel a pit grow in her stomach, an emptiness beginning to form in her heart. She sat up. "No, no, no, no," she said. "No. No. No no no no no!" She flung the covers from her bed, looking around the room. "You cannot leave. You cannot do this to me again. We need you." She lowered her head. Despair grew hard and heavy, flowing through her veins like amorphous tentacles. "Don't go....." she whispered. "We need thee." Luna looked at her father. Her eyes focused. "Luna, what was your nightmare?" "We had a dream thou died," she lied. Henry held her close. "Shhhh, dear Luna. I will never leave you. That, I promise." Celestia could no longer hear the noise which had drawn her into Everfree forest, but she did not buy her initial thought that the raptors had left the area. No; she may have not had much experience with such animals, but she was a very studious pony, and spent many hours in her father's lab and library, pouring over book after book after book, diagram after diagram, after he had taught her how to read. There was not a book she had no read on ethology, and she was convinced that the raptors were now simply being quiet. If they had left, surely she would have noticed some telltale sign, some cracking stick or rustle of leaves, of their retreat. No, Celestia told herself, they're still there. They're just not making sounds. As quietly as she could, she continued to step forward, careful footstep after careful footstep. The female lay with her eyes closed, her head still resting on the lip of the nest. The forest was relatively quiet around them, the native animals still too uncomfortable to break the silence that lingered after their scuffle. The male opened his eyes and looked around. His bothers were nowhere to be found, driven away by his mate. He closed his eyes and lowered his head next to her. He was attached to his kin, but his attachment to his chosen mate was stronger. Celestia walked slowly, deliberately. Her eyes widened slightly when they first saw them, laying in their nest together wit their eyes closed. They certainly didn't look like predators to Celestia, but then again, she had never exactly seen a raptor before. Hmm, maybe they don't usually look like that, she thought to herself. They do look like of funny..... Both animals were covered in feathers, course and almost flight worthy on their forelimbs, from what Celestia could tell. The smaller of the two was the more colorful, the red streak on its featherless face far more intense than the streak on the other. Celestia figured that was the female; after all, mares were generally smaller and more colorful than the stallions in the towns she'd seen. The smaller of the two sniffed, opened its eyes and raised its head up, looking in her direction. Celestia didn't lose a second on anything other than productivity. "Hello, I am Princess Celesti -" She was cut off wit the intense hiss which emanated from the animal's mouth as it stood up, its form going from funny to intimidating. She could see the claws on its forelegs, the more terrifying claws on its hind legs. The other animal was suddenly up along side it, hissing as well. They began to walk away from each other, beginning to encircle the equestrian princess as they hissed, their arms outstretched and their heads bobbing. Without much thought on her part, Celestia's wings extended and her feathers ruffled. Her hair seemed, as it always did, to somehow manage to move on its own as she eyed the two animals. She began to feel very uncomfortable about the entire situation. The raptors continued to encircle her. Second Iteration: Origins, Part 2Celestia always loved it when Henry read to her. It was true that Luna loved it as well, but Luna loved to hear fairy tales; Celestia, for her part, was much more like Henry in that regard. She loved to hear real life stories, mostly about animals and how the world worked. Maybe it was the pictures, Henry thought to himself on more than one occasion. Every physical book he owned was, essentially, some sort of a science book. Most of the fairy tales Luna heard were recited from memory, or invented on the fly from the top of Henry's head, but the books Celestia loved for him to read to her has visual aids, even if they weren't intended towards younger readers. "That's enough, time for bed," Henry said one night, putting down a somewhat technical yet easy to read volume. "Off you go." He stood up as Celestia, who was laying her head on the arm of his chair, looked up at him. "No! No bedtime!" Celestia whined. "I want more! Read some more!" Henry looked at her, then back at the volume in his hands. He sighed. "Alright, I guess another page or two couldn't help. Do you want something with more picture?" "Yes!" He walked to the shelf and put the volume in his hand back. "Well," he said thoughtfully, "if you want pictures, there's really only one type of book you can look at. Now, where did I put it....." "Find it, please." "We can't read it if I can't find it. Ah, yes, here it is!" He pulled out the only fiction book in his entire library, a keepsake from a Christmas when somebody tried to get him to read something more normal. "Barlowe's Guide to Extraterrestrials," Henry read aloud. He walked over to the chair, and sat down. Celestia looked at the small book in his hand. "It doesn't look very big," she said, sounding more than a little disappointed. "It is like the other books?" "No, Celestia, this one isn't real." "Why not?" He smiled, looked at Celestia and ruffled her main around her horn. "Because your grandmother doesn't know me at all." He opened the book, read the title. "Alright, then, one page." Second Iteration: Conflict ResolutionThey encircled the intruder, talking slow deliberate steps as they moved to either side of her. The female kept an eye on her mate as well, both of them reacting in unison to intimidate this new threat. The female was confused. Yes, in their lives in Everfree forest they had seen wild things - horses with horns, horses with wings, a strange lion-like creature, and of course far larger creatures - but never had they encountered a horse with a horn and wings. Certainly never one whose hair seemed to move on its own volition, without any wind. The intruder looked at her, then at her mate, her eyes wary and her body still, wings extended and ruffled. Her size intimidated the female, who snarled at her, claws outstretched and mouth wide open. The male did the same. Suddenly, with a great flap of the wings and seemingly unreasonable speeds, the intruder was off the ground. The raptors quickly followed Celestia with their eyes as she landed away from them. Celestia had spent many hours with her father in the library, reading up on animal behavior. She knew that when an animal was stuck between two predators, the outcome was likely a very unpleasant death. "Stand down, please," Celestia said as calm as she could. "I mean you no harm." The female raptor looked at her mate. Both of them re-positioned themselves in front of the nest, still snarling at Celestia. Drool dripped from the open jaws of the male as he lifted one leg, then the other, moving his arms erratically so that the feathers caught the glint of the sun and reflected it. The female began to do the same, snapping her jaws. Celestia was torn. She wanted to flee, to run back to Ponyville and be away from such aggressive creatures; she wanted to stay, to fix this, to find out what had caused such uncharacteristic behaviors in these animals. She spoke again, louder: "Stand down." The raptors took another step, jaws snapping still. The female, suddenly, lunged at the princess, snapping at her legs. The teeth caught the hair just above Celestia's hoof as she pulled it away, taking a few steps back. Perhaps it's time I try a more.... direct approach, Celestia thought. "You will cease this behavior at once!" Celestia was never fond of speaking loudly. It was a sound which was intense, ear-pounding and terrible; her sister used it, often with her royal voice, but Celestia never had much use for it. The female raptor took a step back, shaking its head at the noise. her mate scrapped the side of his head with his wrist, eyes clenched shut; his body began to sway unsteadily as he searched for his footing in his confusion. The female moved closer, supported his body with hers, eyeing the intruder viciously. The male quickly regained his steadiness, at which point..... Beside Rose stood a green pony with braided yellow hair, an apple pie adorning her flank. They were talking excitedly. "Do you think she'll find them. Granny Smith?" Rose asked. "I reckon she might, though I ain't heard anything," Granny smith replied. "Maybe they're gone," Rose whispered more to herself than to Granny Smith. "Maybe they left." From Everfree came a voice - loud and determined. "You will cease this behavior at once!" Silence for a second, before the sound was pierced with the fiercest cry Granny Smith had ever heard. It was terrible. "I ain't so sure about that," she answered Rose. She had to shake the male off of her side, her body rocking vigorously as the male fell away. Even though she'd moved swiftly, the male had been able to land when he jumped at her. As pain shot through her side, her mind rational even in its panic, Celestia jumped into the air as the female lunged forward. The male looked up at her from the ground. Celestia had never had reason to flap her wings so hard before, and he muscles ached as the raptors regained their feet, their bodies lowered as they looked at each other in alarm. They snarled and snapped their jaws, shifting on their feet. Their feathers stood ruffled, arms wide, tails swaying. The female did not like this. This was not a creature with which she and her mate could defeat in a direct confrontation. Perhaps if she had not run away her mates brother's they could have taken the mare, but now..... Now, the female knew they could not win. They would have to retreat, but the female knew they would not give up on the area. Not yet. The female looked at her mate, and yipped. The male yipped back. Celestia watched as the raptors turned and fled into the forest, leaving only the sound of footsteps in their wake. Celestia winced at the pain in her side. The wounds were not deep; her actions had saved her. She knew they would be back. They had tasted equine flesh, they would be back. And Celestia knew the perfect compromise. She turned and began to walk toward Ponyville, her blood trickling down her leg.
First Iteration: Origins, Part 1They were born too big, and as a result, they both killed their surrogate mothers. The baby slid from the sex of her mother, the adult animal convulsed one last time. He kneeled, and with a scalpel cut the infant from the amniotic sac. The mother’s final breath passed. It didn’t matter to him, not in the slightest. The ends always justified the means, even if public opinion disagreed with him, as they had on more than one occasion. Groups rallied against him, led by that pompous self-centered asshole Malcolm. Especially after the incident in 2015 which wasn’t his even his fault. He wasn’t the one who underestimated his creation. He was almost forced to concede defeat, to give up on his purpose in life, if it weren’t for that woman, whose name he could not remember. He sighed, and looked down at the infant now before him, the younger of two sisters. Like the primary model organism they were based off of, they were capable at birth, eyes open and able to stand within a very short time after emerging from the womb. The older sister was pale, her mane and tail long, silky, seeming to move by their own volition. Her sister was still slick with fluid, her fur dark blue and her eyes blinking open. She looked up at him. He reached down, ran his hands over her body, feeling every inch, making sure. Like her sister, she was perfect. Like her sister, from her head sprouted a horn, and from her back sprouted wings. He picked her up, held her close to him. He felt her heart beating inside of her, the amniotic fluid staining his almost-perfect lab coat. “And you……” his voice trailed off. “I will call you Luna.” The older sister moved forward, looking from the man to her sister to the dead mare on the ground. He looked at the white animal, and he smiled. “Say hello to your sister, Celestia.” When you had an advanced level of understanding in genetics, and the proper technology, it was amazing what you could engineer. The others came easier, designed to be smaller so the mares could produce more than one offspring. He was nothing if not economic. Three kinds were made – winged, horned, and, to satisfy nostalgia for home, a kind only slightly altered from the model organism. All were blessed by him with intelligence, although not as much so as his daughters. Unlike Celestia and Luna, these were not his daughters, and unlike Luna and Celestia, he did not think of them as such. Only the first generations were raised in captivity; after that, they were allowed to breed in the wild. The wild. It was still a weird concept to him. He had discovered this world quite by accident, and it was alive and ready, green plants and blue skies, but totally lacking any animal life at all. He couldn’t explain it, and honestly he didn’t even try. The lack of animal life simply gave him the freedom to create that he always longed for. He made some normal things, sure. Birds, otters, snakes, bats, mammals, lions, donkeys, the like. Dinosaurs, what some would consider to be his trademark. All with varying degrees of intelligence, slightly modified traits as he saw fit. But he also tried his hand at more exotic creations: creatures that seemed almost mythological. In this world, free from the ethical constraints of his homeland, he was free. He was happy. He was god. They aged quickly, at least it seemed so to him. They grew remarkably fast, and matured rapidly, must faster than the ponies he created to be wild. By the age of three, they would have been analogous to teenage horses back home. Unlike the natural ponies he created, he had manipulated the mitochondrial genes in such a way so that his beloved daughters would never succumb to senescence. He was a smart man, and he taught them. One of the traits he had given his daughters, and the ponies and a few other species, was the ability to verbally communicate. The shape of their skulls, the dimensions of their necks gave them a very peculiar, exotic accent. All it required was the addition of, the a tweaking and a turning on, the FOXP2 gene, and it was done. As they had been designed (all of them, not just his daughters), they picked up language very fast. Luna and Celestia were five when he first appeared. After being taken out and shown the “natural” ponies, they could move about them by themselves, unsupervised. He was looking out one of the windows of his study, across the geography of his new home, when he heard a voice behind him. “Honestly, I can’t believe you managed to pull this off,” the voice was familiar. The man had heard it before, even if it had been a very long time. “Getting the buildings, the technology, here… that’s no simple task. I’m sure you had some help from the good doctor. Did you tell him what you were doing over here? Does he know? Hmmmm?” “And what will I be calling you this time?” “Oh, I don’t know,” the voice was amused. “You can call me what you called me last time.” The man turned around to face another man, with curly hair, a little chubby with an amused grin. “I don’t remember what I called you last time.” “Oh! I see! Your brain’s not quite what it once was, is it?” He laughed, and snapped his fingers. He appeared next to the man, put his arm over the man’s shoulders. A trick the human was not used to. “I suppose, if you must call me something, then you can call me Discord.” Discord looked down at his human form. He sighed. “Oh, but this form simply just won’t do! This must be remedied!” Another snap of the finger. Before the man stood an assemblage of animal parts, on a serpentine body. Mixed horns, limbs, eyes, and wings. “There,” Discord said. “This is much more fitting.” “What do you want?” “I just came to check up on you. Oh, don’t look so surprised – I told you I would. The Continuum is very surprised, they didn’t think you could pull this off.” The man chuckled under his breath. Discord continued: “You know, it’s amazing what you can do once you throw your ethics out the window, isn’t it. It’s a wonder they didn’t make you a king back home.” “They are a stupid, ill-informed, petty, shortsighted people.” “Or perhaps they are wise, Henry. You are capable of great things, but your experiences pale in comparison to even the most average of my kind. You don’t even yet know why this place is so much like your own yet slightly different.” “Why is it?” “Oh, tsk tsk, Henry. That’s for you to find out yourself. We have our own set of ethics, something like a Prime Directive, if you like. Observe, but never greatly interfere. But never mind that, you’ll find out soon enough.” They both looked out the window. Neither spoke for a few moments. “Your daughters look very happy, Henry,” Discord said. Henry looked at Discord form the corner of his eyes, tipping his head a little. “I’ve never seen you this somber.” “They are so close to you, and you’re so close to them. And yet even in five years, as they’ve grown, you’ve aged. Not much – genetics have been kind to you, Henry – but you have. I can see it. They can’t, and you can’t, but I can. What will happen when the inevitable happens, Henry? What will happen…. When you die?” Henry looked back out the window. “I will figure something out. I created this. I can prevent death. I did it for them. I can do it for myself.” “We shall see.” And with a snap, Discord disappeared.
First Iteration: Cheating and Soft Kills“Thou hast cheated us!” Luna screamed at her sister, her voice loud, reverberating through the halls. “We demand you cease this confidence game at once!” Celestia giggled. “This is not a game! We demand you cease your tiresome charade immediately!” “Oh, Luna, it is a game! That is the point!” Luna gasped. “What? The point is not to cheat!” “That’s not the point, Luna,” Celestia giggled again. “The point is to have fun.” “We cannot have fun is thou doth not observe the rules!” Celestia sighed. “Why do you speak in the Royal voice if we are not in public?” “Why doth thou not use thine Royal Voice when thou is in public?” “Don’t change the subject.” “She can change the subject if she wants,” Henry said, alerting the two sisters to his presence. “And besides, how many times have I told you to avoid board games?” “But father – “ “Celestia is a cheat!” Luna yelled. “A cheat and a harlot!” “Now, is that any way to speak about your sister?” Henry asked. “It is when she is cheating!” “At least she’s speaking normally now, Father.” “Don’t antagonize her. Now calm down, both of you. Have you done your chores?” The two sisters nodded. “Celestia, did you continue your studies? Luna, did you work on your….. what is it that you do?” “Father, it is our job to advise the citizens on issues which are of concern to them,” Luna regained her composure. “Surely thou remembers the assignment thy gives us?” “And? What’s of concern to them?” “A beast has been seen in one of the villages, Father,” Luna said. “A brown beast, with no hair and no eyes, with spindly limbs. We were told it does scare the children.” “Has it caused any other problems?” “A young mare has gone missing, Father.” Henry was quiet for a moment. “When did this happen?” “In the night. The mare went to bed, but was found to be missing from her room.” “That is unfortunate. Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do.” Henry turned to leave. “But we must, Father! We must help thine citizens!” Celestia looked at Luna as she yelled after her father. Such an act was not uncommon for Luna, although this time Celestia noticed her demeanor was much more urgent, more desperate. More determined. “We have royal duties to uphold.” “You can’t help, Luna,” Henry said. “You must not. It’s the way it has to be.” “But why?!” “Because it must!” Henry turned and yelled at his younger daughter. “Have you forgotten your studies? That’s what it means to be a part of the world, to be relevant, to be connected. Predation happens, Luna, and we can’t simply stop it just because we find it tragic!” Luna fell silent. Celestia looked from her sister to her father; she could see the dark blue mare’s face contort with emotional distress. Celestia wanted, dearly, to interject, to stop what she knew would happen, but she could not find the words. She simply sat there. Henry stopped. Without looking back, he spoke. “Luna, your sister has learned this, and you must come to accept it as well. We cannot interfere in such circumstances. That is my one demand of you.” “How can you be such a bastard?!” Silence. It hung around them like the most oppressive of ghosts. Its aura curled around them, invisible choking tendrils. Henry turned, and walked back to Luna. “Father, please – “ It came fast, and to some it would have seemed to come too easy. There was no trace of emotion, no anger or sadness or anything, in Henry’s face as his hand suddenly made contact with Luna’s face. Celestia winced, and Luna could not bring herself to look at her father. Her lips trembled, her eyes closed tightly against the sting. “You will not speak to me in such a manner,” Henry said. “I am to be respected. Is that understood?” Luna did not speak, nor did she look at him. “Look at me, Luna. Is that understood?” Against every fiber of her being, Luna looked at her father. Tears blurred him, made it appear as though every part of his being was attempting to escape his form. “Yes, father. We understand thine demands.” “Good.” Henry turned, and without another word walked away. “Why does he have to hit me?” Luna lay curled on her bed, Celestia sitting beside her, running her hoof through her sister’s hair. The motion calmed her sister slightly, had always made her problems that less of a burden. “Shhhh,” Celestia whispered, “it’s okay. It’ll be okay, you’ll understand.” “No, it won’t, Tia. He doesn’t love me as much as he loves you.” “Luna…..” Celestia could not think of anything to say. As much as she loved her sister, they were completely different. Celestia was always more of a daddy’s girl, while Luna loved to spend time with the native ponies outside the walls of their home. To Luna, Celestia knew, the natives were as good as extended family, something she cared for very deeply. “How can you not see it? If he loved me, he wouldn’t let things hurt me, Tia. And yet, he demands I stand by while ponies are in danger, and he surely knows how it hurts me.” “Father knows.” “Then why must he insist we do nothing?” Tears fell down her face. “Father told us,” Celestia said. “It’s the way it has to be.” “According to who? Him?” Luna trembled. She began sobbing again. Celestia couldn’t bear it. She lay down beside her sister, took her in her arms and held her close, draping a wing over them both. “Oh, Lulu, please calm down.” Celestia spoke softly, rubbing her hooves across the blue alicorn’s back. “He loves you, I promise. And I love you. We are a family.” She fell silent as Luna dug her face even further into her chest. The sobs began to die down, began to wane into nothingness. Celestia knew that there was something more to her sobs than simply being struck by her father; she knew that her sister was, in the truest sense of the word, lonely. She was an emotional creature, and such beings desired, almost by their very nature, somebody to share their existence with. Celestia hugged her sister even tighter, began humming a nameless tune. It was, after all, what big sisters were supposed to do. She was hungry. Her mate was hungry, and so were his brothers. And her chicks, they were also hungry. She could hear them calling in the distance as she walked away from the nest, her mate’s two brothers standing guard as the two alphas – one male, one female; one husband, one wife – walked through the forest. Their feet fell silent on dead leaves and trampled grasses, their eyes darting to and from one another. They were a very vocal species, but on hunts, when they were stalking, they were mutes. Their feathers blew slightly in the breeze which brought them scents. Prey had become incredibly scarce, and very recently two. Her family group was used to eating well, and had viciously defended a very productive territory just beyond the limits of Ponyville. Her family group didn’t prey on ponies, they were too well protected –a social species, which was also intelligent, was an equal match against her group, and one of the main points of being a predator was not to take damage if you could prevent it. Especially when you had young offspring to rear. The raptor stopped moving. Hunger pains shot through her stomach. She lifted her snout and inhaled. There was nothing. She looked at her mate. She growled. They kept moving. What must have been two weeks earlier, she had detected a strange scent. New, unsettling, it has smelled dangerous. The eggs were just about to hatch, and she had reasoned it was an egg thief. She had been wrong. Whatever it was, it was quickly consuming prey items faster than the prey could replenish themselves. The raptor group quickly found itself going hungry, competing with something they could smell, and occasionally hear, but could never see nor confront. For an apex predator, it was maddening. Every fiber of her being, every instinct, told her something was wrong. There was something foreign here; something alien and, at least on some level, frightening. But raptors were nothing if not adaptable – if they could not take out the new thing that had so drastically cut down their available quarry, then they would find a new one. If not they would leave. And thus, for the second day in a row, the alpha female and her mate found themselves at the forests edge, looking out towards the crudely constructed buildings. Her stomach turned, her killer claws twitched, dug into the dirt beneath her. They watched, and they waited. It wasn’t long. The two alphas, like most of their kind, were good at predicting the behaviors of their prey. They had not come to this clearing at this time by accident. The day before, they had noticed a gathering of fillies and colts wandering and grazing, some playing together, and a select few, which had caught the attention of the raptor pair, played alone. They had come out after a ringing from one of the buildings. Today was no different. The bell rang through the air, shrill and bright and obnoxious, and the doors of the schoolhouse opened. Out poured a dozen or so small ponies, pegasi and unicorns. Like the day before, they dispersed around the grounds of the schoolhouse. They laughed, all but one. A small colt, frail, alone. Picked on by his peers because, of all the things ponies do, some of them could be considered to be quite human. The colt was bluish-gray, with a mane of white. He pawed at the ground, took a few nibbles of grass. With sad eyes, he looked back at his cohorts, which could have been his friends had circumstances treated him more favorably. The raptors shifted positions, silently. The female looked at the male, gave a slight head twitch. The male blinked, began to silently move away. The plan was set. The females chicks would not go hungry tonight. Three colts and a filly walked up to the lone pony, pompous and full of themselves. They began to speak to him, condescending and angry and mean, making the poor colt want to shrink in upon himself. The raptors did not understand the words, nor the situation – they did not know that, four weeks before, a friend (well, it was a friend at the time) had found the colt doing something only fillies did. His friend had turned on him, told the schoolponies, and everything had gone to shit for the poor colt. He stopped eating, he slept poorly. Most nights, he cried himself to what uncomfortable sleep he could find. “Look, boys, it’s the ugly filly!” one of the colts snarled. “Maybe she’d be prettier if we put a bag on her head,” said another. “You know, he’d still be too ugly to be pretty,” said the filly. The ponies giggled. The frail pony shrunk in upon himself even more, sitting on the ground, looking down. “Please…..” he murmured, “please…. Stop it.” “What’s that? I think it’s talking.” The alpha female shifted position, her starved muscles tensing. She focused on the frail colt. Her stomach rumbled silently, preparing for a minor feast. It was close, but not yet. She could see her lover moving through the brush, getting into position almost silently. Not that it would have mattered, the ponies were far too preoccupied to have noticed. The bell rang again, filling the air with its shrillness. The filly looked back. The alpha female looked at her mate. He was in position. Only a few more moments…. “Come on, let’s go. Ms. Crabapple will be mad if we’re late again,” the tallest colt, Whirlwind, said as he turned towards the school. The others followed suit, even their frail target. The tallest colt looked back. “Hey, who said you could come with us, loser?” “Well, um…..” “Don’t think about coming back with us, even Ms. Crabapple doesn’t want you there!” Whirlwind laughed his insult. The attack came then. The alpha female burst from the trees, her hind limbs propelling her faster, faster. Cheetah speed. She closed in on the young ponies, almost half of the distance before they noticed her. “Go!” Whirlwind shouted. All the ponies raced, screaming. “Help! Ms. Crabapple! Help us!” In the distance, they could see an adult pony come out from the door and look in their direction. She looked concerned, and then shocked before she bolted in their direction. “Hang on, kids! I’m coming!” The alpha shrieked, and the shriek was echoed by her mate, bursting from the foliage to the left of the group. He lunged forward, his jaws open and claws outstretched, snarling. The female was almost on top of the frail pony. The pony looked back, the kept running as fast as he could. “Please! Please don’t leave me! Guys, please! Whirlwind!” His body was stressed, his poor diet and depression having taken their toll. He could feel his legs become wobbly, could feel them start to give out…. The male jumped, claws outstretched, killer claws at the ready. His mate watched, and relished the sight. She had chosen her mate well. She was proud. He landed on the colt, his hind legs kicking into his sides as it fell to the ground beneath him. His front claws tore into the sides as his prey screamed. “No! Don’t! Please! Ms. Crabapple – “ the colt’s voice waivered as the male moved over for his mate, who dug a killing claw into his belly, ripping it open. His innards spilled out, red ribbons and puffed balloons of meat, glistening. The female tore at it a few times with her hind leg, severing chunks of intestine, before picking it up in her jaw and swallowing. It was warm all the way down. “Fanciful! No!” Ms. Crabapple stopped just feet short of the raptors, who greedily shoved their maws into the gaping hold of the colt. “Make it stop!” the colt screamed. “Please!” Crabapple took a step forward. In response, the male mimicked her motion, placing a hindfoot on Fanciful’s head. He squirmed. The male gripped for a better purchase, Fanficul screaming as the killing claw punctured his eyeball. The male screamed at the adult pony, and before long the female joined him. Fanciful squirmed. “Ms. Crabapple! Help! Please help!” His voice was high pitched, ragged, seeping with desperation and pain and despair. “They’re killing me!” From the schoolhouse, Whirlwind watched with his friends. Pits in their stomach began to grow. They were afraid. As angry as Crabapple was, she knew she had made a mistake. The raptors, while powerful, were obviously gaunt. Whatever had been killing of the animals in Everfree had taken their food away, and they were desperate. It was not a situation in which she was happy to find herself. She took a step back, her lips quivering, her heart beating, every instinct telling her to run, every fiber of her heart telling her to save the colt that could clearly not be saved. Fanciful began to calm a little, going into shock. He could see the mare, who was supposed to protect him, backing away. “Ms. Crabapple, don’t leave. You’re… supposed to…..” His voiced stopped as the female stepped on his body, her weight crunching down on the ribs, which in turn pierced his heart and lungs. This was a very good situation for her and her mate. The audacity of the schoolmare had given them not one but two very delicious looking meals. She looked at her mate, and squawked. He squawked back, repositioning himself. He released his grip on the colt’s head, his claw withdrawing from the eye socket, bringing the eyeball with it. They both knew that ponies tasted delicious, and were the only food source available. And, the mare had wandered so close to them anyway….. Crabapple didn’t understand them, but her instincts told her enough – and they told her wrong. She saw the male take a step, the eyeball falling from his claw as the colt’s optical nerve refused to let go. She turned and began to ran, head lowered, her mane and tail flying behind her as she ran as fast as she could. “Run! Get help!” she yelled at her charges. It was all she could do before she felt searing pain in her side and in her neck as the female toppled her. With a kick, every scream she screamed became a gurgle as the blood surged from her gaping neck. The male dug his head into her side. She could feel him grasp the liver in his jaws, rip it out. A searing, almost delicate pain tore through her. As she went into shock, the male provided her with a final sight of bittersweet romance. The liver, you see, is the most vitamin rich organ in the body. Holding it red and dripping in his maw, he moved over to the female and nudged her. She looked at him, and he dropped the liver, nudging it towards her. He purred, his head low. The female took it in her mouth, and swallowed it whole. The last thing Crabapple saw were her killers nuzzling their bloodied jaws together, purring almost romantically.
First Iteration: Nightmares and CarcassesLuna woke, her body overheated and her eyes teary. She raised herself up on her forehooves, shaking the nightmare out of her head. Her room was caste in shadows from the pulled curtains, which blocked out almost all light. “Are you alright?” Henry’s voice pierced the silence of her room, coming from the doorway. Luna jumped a little, looking towards the sound of her father’s voice. “I could hear you from my room,” he said. “I’m…. We’re fine, father. We simply had a nightmare.” Henry turned on the light, the room lightening instantly, a brightness against which Luna squinted her eyes. “Father, thine presence is not necessary at this time.” Henry smiled. “Not necessary, or so you say. A father always makes time for a trouble child.” He sat down on the edge of her bed. “What was it about?” “Thy did not love us,” Luna looked down, then up at her father. “Thy kicked us out of thine house, as thee were ashamed of us.” She looked down again. “We were scared we would never see our family again.” Henry reached out, touched Luna’s face with his hand. She recoiled slightly, before letting his hand rest on her face. “My dear Luna,” he said softly, “I could never not love you. You are most precious to me. You know that…” he lifted her chin to look into her eyes. “Don’t you?” “We know, father,” she whispered. “Now, what was your nightmare really about?” It saw the world through the eyes of a bat; sound echoing off of its environment. It was an active predator, something which didn’t have a name. It had never existed before its creator created it, and it escaped before it could be named. It lacked eyes, having a bulbous, brain-like growth on its head. Its skin was pale, lightish grey, and bumpy. Its lipless jaws clicked together, its teeth long, drool falling from its mouth. Its two fingered hands clung to the branches above the raptor nest. It watched the two brothers. They were good protectors, but they were bored. The predator could see that quite plane. It repositioned itself in the trees, its stumpy tail wagging between its legs. It knew what to do; it had done it a dozen times as it moved throughout Everfree. There were many of them now. Its creator had created only one, but in a rare case for a mammal, it was parthenogenetic. Asexual. In its wake, it left naught but death and little predators who could fend for themselves at birth. All it had to do was distract the brothers long enough to get a meal. It moved swiftly through the trees until it was about three quarters of a mile away. It stopped, turned back toward the nest, and let out a roar. Its echolocation picked up the brothers looking in its direction, picking up one of them taking a step toward it. It roared again. And again. It shook branches and rattled trees. It roared again. It could see the brothers look at each other, then start at a swift jog toward its location. The hatchlings were unguarded. It swiftly swung through the trees until it was right above the nest, then dropped down. The hatchlings – there were four of them – squealed as it landed in the nest, landed on top of one of them. It gave a whimper as it died. The predator used its massive claws to crush the heads of two of the hatchlings, and lunged forward toward the third. It grabbed the neck of the small animal with its toothy grin, shaking it back and forth. It would hear, and see, the brothers racing back towards the nest. It shook the hatchling violently, cracking its neck, before picking up the other three in a spindly arm and racing away. On three legs, its gait was awkward yet surprisingly swift. It could hear the raptors coming up behind it as it escaped up a tree. Celestia could feel the sun against her face as she flew, her wings still as she rose up on the thermals. A smile graced her face as she closed her eyes, her mane and tail billowing behind her. She circled around, her legs tucked in beneath her. She opened her eyes and looked down on the small village. None of the towns had any names, so her and Luna had named them. This one was small and welcoming. They had named it Ponyville. She looked at the town, at its squat buildings. She looked more intently. All of their trips into the Ponyville had seen the natives out and about, busy and happy as usual. Today, however, Ponyville was deserted. She couldn’t see anypony. The looked around the town some more, her eyes coming to rest on the school, where her smile disappeared. She could see, from her great height, a gathering of ponies on the grounds of the schoolhouse. She could see two forms a distance away, laying in the grass – a colt and a mare, from the looks of it. “Oh, dear,” Celestia said as she pulled in her wings and dove toward the ground. She pulled out just soon enough to glide down into the pasture where the ponies had gathered themselves, chatting in an excited yet dismal manner. “Did you see it?” asked one adult mare. “Yes,” said Whirlwind. “It came from the trees. There were two of them.” An older pony, with green skin, white hair and an apple on her flank, squinted out into the pasture. “Looks like they ain’t nothing but bones, now. They must’ve eaten every bite of them.” Celestia spoke in a bold, commanding tone. “What has happened here?” The ponies all went silent as they turned to look at her. Nobody spoke as she stared at them. “Well?” Celestia asked. The colt, Whirlwind, spoke. “Something attacked us. I don’t know what they were called, but they attacked us. They ate Fanficul and Ms. Crabapple.” “It was raptors, by the sound of it,” said the old mare. “Raptors?” Celestia asked. “Yep, raptors. We’ve known they’ve been in Everfree forest for a while now, but they’ve never done anything like this. First that young mare goes missing, and then this happens. Something’s going on, Princess.” “They looked kind of skinny,” said one of the schoolfillies. “And what’s your name, my little pony?” “Rose, Princess Celestia.” “Rose, were you there when they attacked?” “Yes, Princess.” “Why would they be skinny?” And old stallion spoke up. “My Princess, something’s been driving the animals out of the forest. We haven’t seen anything in there like we usually do. It’s usually so full of life, but now it seems so empty, so dead inside.” “I see,” Celestia said. “Stay here, my little ponies.” She began to trot out to where the two bodies lay. She could see them as they came up – the mare who taught the young foals, and behind her a short distance was a young colt. Their body cavities were empty, not a trace of organ, their limbs stripped of muscle. The eye dangled from one of Fanciful’s sockets. Celestia grimaced. “My poor ponies,” she whispered. She hung her head. The air smelled of copper, with a twinge of feces. Her ears moved back and forth as she listened intently. The sounds were faint, but she could here it - something in Everfree, deep inside from the sound of it, was fighting. Snarls and shrieks and howls and hisses. She took a tentative step forward, still listening intently. Then another. "What is it, princess?" A pony shouted from behind her. She didn't answer, only looking deep into Everfree as she took another step. The male knew better than to get in the way of his mate. While he has felt pangs of pity and grief - as much as any raptor could - at the empty nest, it had affected his mate far worse. She had been driven into a fit of rage, and was taking it out on his brothers, who cowered close to the ground, their heads down. The female had slashed both of them with her foreclaws, drawing blood and removing feathers. She had also severely bitten each of them on the backs of their necks. The male was afraid, as much as he could be said to be afraid, his mate would kill his kin. Nevertheless, decidedly content at his being ignored, he sat on his haunches and watched. The female screamed, lunging toward the brothers with her mouth open and arms flailing, kicking up dirt as she bounced up and down erratically. She stared at the males, snarling and snapping her teeth while they tried harder and harder to become one with the dirt. The female calmed, and went over to the nest where until recently her young had been safe, and lowered her head. She could still smell her chicks, her maternal instincts registering the loss. Unlike other dinosaurs before her, her brain did not consist solely of a switch between REPRODUCTION and FEEDING; no, raptors were intelligent, complex, capable of at the very least primitive emotions. She let out a sigh. The male stood up, and slowly walked over to his mate, who had laid down in the nest, her head on the rim. He laid down beside her, pushed his body into hers, nuzzled and playfully nipped her neck. She did not respond. The two brothers remained content to attempt to become one with the dirt.
First Iteration: Desires and Bad First ImpressionsHenry reached out, touched Luna’s face with his hand. She recoiled slightly, before letting his hand rest on her face. “My dear Luna,” he said softly, “I could never not love you. You are most precious to me. You know that…” he lifted her chin to look into her eyes. “Don’t you?” “We know, father,” she whispered. “Now, what was your nightmare really about?” The night enveloped them as they lay beneath the sheets. Luna looked into a face she couldn't quite make out as her body quivered, and the warmth inside her chest grew more intense. She placed a hoof against his chest, testing, making sure he was there, with her, in that moment. She smiled, and a tear welled in her eye. The man whose face she could not see reached out with his hand and caressed her cheek. Luna could feel her face flush as he leaned in and kissed her lips, gently at first, then growing in intensity until, finally, he pulled her as close as they could physically be. Luna closed her eyes, wrapped her legs around him, her wings enveloping them both. She could feel the desire in his kiss, and she was sure he could feel the desire radiating from every fiber of her being. The man ran his hand from her face down her neck, across her torso and abdomen, stopping only when he came to the beginning of her legs. She moved for him, making it easier for him to reach her pulsing marehood with his fingers. He massaged her a little bit, kissing her neck while she moaned softly. She pulled him closer with her hooves and wings, and as she did so he slipped two fingers inside of her. Luna gasped. She couldn't see it, but she could feel the man was smiling. He reached in, deeper and deeper, rubbing the inside of Luna's vagina until she could feel herself on the brink. She forced the man to pull his fingers out, brought them to her lips and sucked her juices off, staring at his face. "Luna?" She looked in her father's direction, but did not look at him. "Are you alright, Luna?" "We..... we are fine, Father." Luna kissed the man's chest, working her way down his body until she was at his waist. She looked up at him, smiled, and began to pull his underwear down with her hooves, until the member practically smacked her in the face. She stared at it, her marehood swollen and throbbing, and then kissed the tip. She could feel the man's reaction. She kissed it, up and down, lightly, before she began to lick it. She loved his taste, not quite salty but not entirely clean tasting, either. 'This must be the taste of love,' she thought. She lowered her head, began to lick at his balls. Luna had never been so happy as the man moaned with her actions. She smiled, mostly to herself. She raised her head and licked up the member until her mouth was at the tip. She opened her mouth, saliva dripping down the shaft as she positioned herself on her bed. She lowered her head, and took him in. Luna swallowed, looking away from her father. She moaned into her pillow as the man, who now sat behind her, licked her marehood as he grabbed her ass. He moved up, began licking her asshole, and Luna moaned even louder. Somehow, she managed to look back at him and control herself long enough to mutter simple directions. "Go in," Luna said to the man. "I need you in me. Now." The man got up to his knees, pulled Luna closer to him. She let her mouth fall agape and her eyes lose focus as she felt the tip of his head begin to slip inside...... Henry looked at his daughter. Concern began to cross his face. However, Henry was nothing if not patient. He waited. The man thrust inside of her, harder and harder. "Both holes," she moaned. The man obliged, shoving three fingers into her ass. She could feel herself tighten up, could feel the sensation of his fingers inside her anal cavity, thrusting in and out. She pumped, likewise, against him, the two of them in perfect unison. Luna panted as they went harder and faster and stronger. She virtually yelled when she came, her marehood squirting juices all over the man's member, which she could feel hardening even more inside of her. She knew what was going to happen. She didn't know how, but she knew. She pulled him out of her and sat on the floor, her face just below the man's member. She put her mouth on the tip as he rubbed it back and forth, growing in veracity until Luna felt the hot liquid squirt into her mouth. She moved her head up and down the top of his shaft, moving his hands away and using her hooves to stroke his penis, greedily milking every last drop. When no more drops came out, she sighed, finally full with love. They lay against each other, both smiling, both content, both full of each other and full of happiness. Luna kissed the man's chest. "I love you," she told the man. She closed her eyes. When she opened them, the man was gone. She was alone again. The lust that had just been satisfied was now once again within her at full force, begging to be satiated. Luna could feel a pit grow in her stomach, an emptiness beginning to form in her heart. She sat up. "No, no, no, no," she said. "No. No. No no no no no!" She flung the covers from her bed, looking around the room. "You cannot leave. You cannot do this to me again. We need you." She lowered her head. Despair grew hard and heavy, flowing through her veins like amorphous tentacles. "Don't go....." she whispered. "We need thee." Luna looked at her father. Her eyes focused. "Luna, what was your nightmare?" "We had a dream thou died," she lied. Henry held her close. "Shhhh, dear Luna. I will never leave you. That, I promise." Celestia could no longer hear the noise which had drawn her into Everfree forest, but she did not buy her initial thought that the raptors had left the area. No; she may have not had much experience with such animals, but she was a very studious pony, and spent many hours in her father's lab and library, pouring over book after book after book, diagram after diagram, after he had taught her how to read. There was not a book she had no read on ethology, and she was convinced that the raptors were now simply being quiet. If they had left, surely she would have noticed some telltale sign, some cracking stick or rustle of leaves, of their retreat. No, Celestia told herself, they're still there. They're just not making sounds. As quietly as she could, she continued to step forward, careful footstep after careful footstep. The female lay with her eyes closed, her head still resting on the lip of the nest. The forest was relatively quiet around them, the native animals still too uncomfortable to break the silence that lingered after their scuffle. The male opened his eyes and looked around. His bothers were nowhere to be found, driven away by his mate. He closed his eyes and lowered his head next to her. He was attached to his kin, but his attachment to his chosen mate was stronger. Celestia walked slowly, deliberately. Her eyes widened slightly when they first saw them, laying in their nest together wit their eyes closed. They certainly didn't look like predators to Celestia, but then again, she had never exactly seen a raptor before. Hmm, maybe they don't usually look like that, she thought to herself. They do look like of funny..... Both animals were covered in feathers, course and almost flight worthy on their forelimbs, from what Celestia could tell. The smaller of the two was the more colorful, the red streak on its featherless face far more intense than the streak on the other. Celestia figured that was the female; after all, mares were generally smaller and more colorful than the stallions in the towns she'd seen. The smaller of the two sniffed, opened its eyes and raised its head up, looking in her direction. Celestia didn't lose a second on anything other than productivity. "Hello, I am Princess Celesti -" She was cut off wit the intense hiss which emanated from the animal's mouth as it stood up, its form going from funny to intimidating. She could see the claws on its forelegs, the more terrifying claws on its hind legs. The other animal was suddenly up along side it, hissing as well. They began to walk away from each other, beginning to encircle the equestrian princess as they hissed, their arms outstretched and their heads bobbing. Without much thought on her part, Celestia's wings extended and her feathers ruffled. Her hair seemed, as it always did, to somehow manage to move on its own as she eyed the two animals. She began to feel very uncomfortable about the entire situation. The raptors continued to encircle her.
Second Iteration: Origins, Part 2Celestia always loved it when Henry read to her. It was true that Luna loved it as well, but Luna loved to hear fairy tales; Celestia, for her part, was much more like Henry in that regard. She loved to hear real life stories, mostly about animals and how the world worked. Maybe it was the pictures, Henry thought to himself on more than one occasion. Every physical book he owned was, essentially, some sort of a science book. Most of the fairy tales Luna heard were recited from memory, or invented on the fly from the top of Henry's head, but the books Celestia loved for him to read to her has visual aids, even if they weren't intended towards younger readers. "That's enough, time for bed," Henry said one night, putting down a somewhat technical yet easy to read volume. "Off you go." He stood up as Celestia, who was laying her head on the arm of his chair, looked up at him. "No! No bedtime!" Celestia whined. "I want more! Read some more!" Henry looked at her, then back at the volume in his hands. He sighed. "Alright, I guess another page or two couldn't help. Do you want something with more picture?" "Yes!" He walked to the shelf and put the volume in his hand back. "Well," he said thoughtfully, "if you want pictures, there's really only one type of book you can look at. Now, where did I put it....." "Find it, please." "We can't read it if I can't find it. Ah, yes, here it is!" He pulled out the only fiction book in his entire library, a keepsake from a Christmas when somebody tried to get him to read something more normal. "Barlowe's Guide to Extraterrestrials," Henry read aloud. He walked over to the chair, and sat down. Celestia looked at the small book in his hand. "It doesn't look very big," she said, sounding more than a little disappointed. "It is like the other books?" "No, Celestia, this one isn't real." "Why not?" He smiled, looked at Celestia and ruffled her main around her horn. "Because your grandmother doesn't know me at all." He opened the book, read the title. "Alright, then, one page."
Second Iteration: Conflict ResolutionThey encircled the intruder, talking slow deliberate steps as they moved to either side of her. The female kept an eye on her mate as well, both of them reacting in unison to intimidate this new threat. The female was confused. Yes, in their lives in Everfree forest they had seen wild things - horses with horns, horses with wings, a strange lion-like creature, and of course far larger creatures - but never had they encountered a horse with a horn and wings. Certainly never one whose hair seemed to move on its own volition, without any wind. The intruder looked at her, then at her mate, her eyes wary and her body still, wings extended and ruffled. Her size intimidated the female, who snarled at her, claws outstretched and mouth wide open. The male did the same. Suddenly, with a great flap of the wings and seemingly unreasonable speeds, the intruder was off the ground. The raptors quickly followed Celestia with their eyes as she landed away from them. Celestia had spent many hours with her father in the library, reading up on animal behavior. She knew that when an animal was stuck between two predators, the outcome was likely a very unpleasant death. "Stand down, please," Celestia said as calm as she could. "I mean you no harm." The female raptor looked at her mate. Both of them re-positioned themselves in front of the nest, still snarling at Celestia. Drool dripped from the open jaws of the male as he lifted one leg, then the other, moving his arms erratically so that the feathers caught the glint of the sun and reflected it. The female began to do the same, snapping her jaws. Celestia was torn. She wanted to flee, to run back to Ponyville and be away from such aggressive creatures; she wanted to stay, to fix this, to find out what had caused such uncharacteristic behaviors in these animals. She spoke again, louder: "Stand down." The raptors took another step, jaws snapping still. The female, suddenly, lunged at the princess, snapping at her legs. The teeth caught the hair just above Celestia's hoof as she pulled it away, taking a few steps back. Perhaps it's time I try a more.... direct approach, Celestia thought. "You will cease this behavior at once!" Celestia was never fond of speaking loudly. It was a sound which was intense, ear-pounding and terrible; her sister used it, often with her royal voice, but Celestia never had much use for it. The female raptor took a step back, shaking its head at the noise. her mate scrapped the side of his head with his wrist, eyes clenched shut; his body began to sway unsteadily as he searched for his footing in his confusion. The female moved closer, supported his body with hers, eyeing the intruder viciously. The male quickly regained his steadiness, at which point..... Beside Rose stood a green pony with braided yellow hair, an apple pie adorning her flank. They were talking excitedly. "Do you think she'll find them. Granny Smith?" Rose asked. "I reckon she might, though I ain't heard anything," Granny smith replied. "Maybe they're gone," Rose whispered more to herself than to Granny Smith. "Maybe they left." From Everfree came a voice - loud and determined. "You will cease this behavior at once!" Silence for a second, before the sound was pierced with the fiercest cry Granny Smith had ever heard. It was terrible. "I ain't so sure about that," she answered Rose. She had to shake the male off of her side, her body rocking vigorously as the male fell away. Even though she'd moved swiftly, the male had been able to land when he jumped at her. As pain shot through her side, her mind rational even in its panic, Celestia jumped into the air as the female lunged forward. The male looked up at her from the ground. Celestia had never had reason to flap her wings so hard before, and he muscles ached as the raptors regained their feet, their bodies lowered as they looked at each other in alarm. They snarled and snapped their jaws, shifting on their feet. Their feathers stood ruffled, arms wide, tails swaying. The female did not like this. This was not a creature with which she and her mate could defeat in a direct confrontation. Perhaps if she had not run away her mates brother's they could have taken the mare, but now..... Now, the female knew they could not win. They would have to retreat, but the female knew they would not give up on the area. Not yet. The female looked at her mate, and yipped. The male yipped back. Celestia watched as the raptors turned and fled into the forest, leaving only the sound of footsteps in their wake. Celestia winced at the pain in her side. The wounds were not deep; her actions had saved her. She knew they would be back. They had tasted equine flesh, they would be back. And Celestia knew the perfect compromise. She turned and began to walk toward Ponyville, her blood trickling down her leg.
