She sniffed the ground. The smell had suddenly, and without cause, changed. The trees around the Beta retained their shape. The jungle vines, the grass... It all remained the same visually. Yet the smell had changed. The smells of the Alpha's kind were no where to found. It made the Beta uneasy. She gave a bark... No response. Another bark... Nothing. She sniffed the ground again, nothing changed. She tried a different tactic and sniffed the air. Still nothing. The Beta hissed in frustration.
She knew not where her pack mates were. The last she had seen or smelled them was fighting the mutant... At least two of them. She had not seen the one since the mutant stole the Alpha's place. She hissed again and darted into the brush. There was no noise. No whisper of her passing. She was a hunter. Nothing like the noisy Alpha and his stone cold... Thing...
She smelled a small scent... Hardly enough to be a filling meal, but food was important... And she hungered again. She slowed, smelling her way to the prey...
There it was, a small hairy thing not dissimilar to the dead things Alpha threw her. It had not even heard her approach... And she was down-wind... She lunged and shrieked, catching the pitiful thing by surprise. It soon disappeared down her throat. The Beta gave a few chirps of victory... But it wasn't something to be overly proud of.
She sniffed the air again... Which hadn't changed since the last time she checked. She gave a final bark... Nothing replied. The Beta hissed again. One of the pack-mates had to be nearby... Surely the mutant hadn't killed them both? But the mutant was able to hold off the terrible king by itself... Maybe she was now alone? The Alpha had dismissed her from the pack... It stood that she was alone...
She gave a lonely chirp.
~~~
"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh..." Twilight Sparkle pranced in place as she examined her instruments. "Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh..." she continued as she re-re-reviewed the results. "SPIKE!" she called. "Stop turning the toaster on and off!"
"WHY WOULD I BE TURNING THAT THING ON AND OFF?!" came the squeaky reply of the baby dragon.
"Just making sure!" Twilight replied as she re-re-re-reviewed her results. A monstrous spike stood in clear detail on the scrolling pages of her thaumoscope. The clacking of claws on wood announced Spike coming up the stairs.
"What has gotten into you suddenly?" the baby dragon asked as he entered the room. Twilight turned towards the baby dragon, an insane spark gracing her eyes.
"The thaumoscope finally got a massive reading!" she exclaimed.
"And... That's bad?" Spike asked hesitantly.
"Of course not!" Twilight grinned a grin that could give Pinkie Pie a run for her money.
"... Then why..." Spike began.
"Ever since I've moved here from Canterlot, I've kept a thaumoscope pointing at the Everfree in hopes of picking up the source of what makes the Everfree so wild!" Twilight grinned.
"... That sounds bad." Spike said after a moment of going over the information in his head.
"But it isn't! If we could locate, and disable the source of wild magic, then Ponies could colonize the Everfree Forest in saftey! Not to mention prevent all the monster attacks that come with being so close to it's borders..." Twilight explained. Spike looked over Twilight's shoulder at the energy spike on the paper.
"That looks like an anomaly..." Spike stated.
"Well... Yes... But there isn't any other source that I'm aware of that could cause such a reading!" Twilight explained.
"But you don't know what is causing it?" Spike asked.
"What else could it be Spike? Nothing is supposed to be out there that's supposed to cause such a reading! But since you are technically correct, and I was going to do it anyway..." Twilight trailed off as she trotted towards an equipment closet. Spike bounced off the Alicorn's back and stood behind Twilight as she dug through equipment.
"Now where was.... Oh! I've been looking for that!" A rubber duck bounced by Spike as Twilight threw it behind her. "That isn't supposed to be in this closet... Oh well! No time to organize it now! ... What is... Oh... OH! Keeping that in the back heheheh..." she chuckled weakly. Spike tilted back and forth on his claws as he waited for his surrogate sister to find what she was looking for. "Aha!" Twilight exclaimed as she pulled out a massive saddlebag.
"What's that" Spike groaned.
"This!" Twilight said as she put the bag down in front of Spike with a rather loud thud and clank. "Is my mobile thaumoscope!"
"... Since when did you have a mobile thaumoscope?" Spike asked with a small amount of confusion. Twilight gave the small dragon a deadpanned look.
"... We've had this since we moved to Ponyville Spike..." she deadpanned.
"Really? ... Huh..." Spike hummed. "Who knew?" he asked himself as he walked back towards the stairs.
"Spike? Where are you going Spike?" Twilight asked, annoyance tainting her voice.
"We're obviously going on a trip... I'm going to go pack." Spike deadpanned as he hopped down the stairs, leaving the Alicorn alone.
~~~
"So... You're saying you... YOU... A pony... A high born UNICORN pony... Wants to go on a hunting expedition in the Everfree?" A hunter Griffon selling exotic furs in Canterlot asked. The figure of Prince Blueblood sat across from him.
"Well of course!" Blueblood stated with an obviously noble born accent. "I've heard it's all the rage in the Minotaur and Griffon Kingdoms... I want to experience it first before anypony else in Canterlot gets the idea!" The brown Griffon raised a crested eyebrow at the noble unicorn. "Is it so wrong that I... Prince Blueblood, wish to experience everything life has to offer?" The Griffon shook his head and looked down at a sheet of parchment.
"It so happens you're in luck Bluebl..."
"It's Prince." Blueblood interuppted.
"... Prince Blueblood..." the Griffon amended. "We're leaving tomarrow for the Everfree for some manticore pelts... The Minotaurs love them..."
"Excellent... I'll arrange a payment of... Shall we say five thousand bits?" the Prince offered.
"Six thousand... I have a friend who's taken a Zebra royal on a safari... She kept complaining the entire time."
"I ensure you, I won't be complaining... But I see your point. Six thousand then." Blueblood agreed with a smirk. The Griffon held out a claw and the Unicorn Prince shook it.
"Our airship leaves at 7 tomorrow at dock 4... Don't be late." the Griffon informed.
"I'll be there." the Prince promised. "I'll bring a royal cert as payment in the morning."
"I'll make sure a cabin is prepared." the Griffon nodded as he got up from the pub's booth and made for the door. Blueblood smirked and took a sip of his drink, a 200 year old white wine. He glanced around the pub... Not normally his usual fare, but he was here on business... But now that his business was concluded... A trio of lovely mares caught his eye... He picked up his drink and trotted confidently towards the mares table.
"Hello ladies..." He greeted in his most salutary voice. "I happen to have an unopened bottle of 300 year old Celestia's Vinyard at home... It would be a shame to drink it alone... Would any of you care to join me?"
The three mares shared a giggle.
"Um... No thanks... We're just here for girls night out..." the forest green earth pony mare responded with a giggle.
"Oh come on Pastures! Where's your sense of fun and excitement?" asked a white pegasus.
"... I think it would be a divine experience to sample this Celestia's Vinyard..." the light blue unicorn smiled, the come-hither look easily evident.
"I'll make it worth your while..." Blueblood encouraged Pastures. She thought it over for a moment.
"Oh alright... What could possibly happen?" she asked. Blueblood let a devilish smirk escape. He would not be alone tonight.
The beta sniffed the under growth again. The smell was obviously different from the surrounding plants... But it was nothing she had ever smelled before... It was obviously big, judging by the area that was infested with the smell... But it smelt like hair... Which made no sense... The source of the smell was obviously bigger than the Beta, but nothing she knew was both hairy and bigger than one of the pack... The Beta crawled on all fours, following the scent.
A rustle ahead brought the Beta's head up from its investigating. She gave a small curious chirp. A low growl met her ears, and a hairy head pushed itself from cover. The things mouth gave a grimace as it growled at the Beta again.
Stay far
The Beta gave a challenging hiss in return.
Or what prey thing?
The furry head pulled the rest of it's body out of its cover, revealing a massive hairy beast with small leathery wings and an eight-legged death bug tail, it let loose a low rumble.
Silent, scale lizard!
The Beta gave an amused hiss.
Prey thing thinks it strong?
The hairy death tail gave a roar and pounced at the Beta. But the Beta had ducked back into the underbrush and was gone without a whisper before the hairy death tail began to fall. The death tail let loose another roar as it landed.
Show scale lizard! Face lion hunter!
The Beta, only hiding a length away let an amused pur escape. Finally a challenging prey!
The death tail flailed in the underbrush, trying to find the Beta and rip her apart... It was no where even close. The Beta gave a happy shriek and jumped towards the death tail. It let loose a cry of terror as she landed on it's back, front claws gripping its sides while her back stab claws impaled themselves in the hairy death tail. It gave a cry of pain as the Beta began biting the back of it's neck. She gave a confident hiss... But then the death tail's tail struck the Beta from behind. It glanced off her skin and sent her flying off the death tail. She gave another hiss.
Worthless death tail... You fight like stab tail...
The Beta gave a bark and jumped back onto the death tail's back, making sure to keep an eye on the sting tail.
And stab tail...
The Beta hissed as the sting began it's descent again. She gave a hissing shriek and dodged the sting, making it impact the death tail's neck... Causing the death to confuse itself.
Fight's poorly.
The Beta gave a victorious bark she ripped into the death tails neck, sending chunks of still bleeding flesh flying with every jerk of her head... Finally the death tail fell down and lay still under the Beta. She gave a prideful shriek and bark.
Beta is Victorious!
But nothing replied to the Beta's victory cry. She gave a lonely chirp again. Was she truly alone? Did she kill the death tail for nothing but herself? She sniffed the dead death tail. She gave an angry hiss at it and broke what remained of it's neck with a powerful bite and twist. But she was just killing the dead water horn and the brief display of anger did nothing but break the dead things neck. She hopped around the corpse in thought, wondering what to do with such a large food source and how she would start...
After finally finding claw wound on it's haunch that would be an excellent place to avoid the hairy skin and get the insides, she gave a few warning barks to anything in the area and began to feast.
~~~
"Sooo... Let me get this straight..." Rainbow Dash began. "You, Twilight, have picked up... something coming from the Everfree, so you, Twilight and Spike, want us, Pinkie, Rares, Aj, Flutters, and myself, to come with you, Twilight, find whatever it is you, Twilight, are looking for so we, ponies, can eventually tame the Everfree so we, Pinkie, Rares, Aj, Flutters, you - Twilight, and myself, don't have to fight monsters like the bug bear every other week?" Rainbow clarified.
"I thought you didn't read the copy of 'Labels, Labeling, and Long Script' I gave you!" Twilight protested.
"It was a reeeeeally boring day..." Rainbow admitted. Twilight put a lavender hoof to her face.
"As much as I disagree with what you just said... Yes, you basically summed up my whole plan." Twilight sighed.
"Now hold on a cotton pickin' minute..." Aj complained. "Ya can't just plow over the Everfree! If ya'll did that then our Zap apple harvests would stop!" Twilight thought it over.
"... Maybe we could transplant it and control it so the zap apples aren't affected..." Twilight reasoned. The group had been gathered in Sugar Cube Corner, sans Pinkie who was currently dealing with other customers... But knowing her she probably already knew what Twilight was going to do even if Twilight didn't yet.
"But darling..." Rarity began. "Do we really have to go into that ICKY place to stop whatever is causing such an icky place in the first place?"
"Rarity..." Twilight deadpanned. "If we can prevent the Everfree from being monster infested, you won't have to clean mud out of your in-progress dresses every other moon..."
"Tell me what to do and it shall be done!" Rarity stated with utmost seriousness. The rest of the group didn't really have anything to refute Twilight's idea...
"Hey you guys!" Pinkie exclaimed cheerfully, suddenly in between Aj and Rarity, both of whom were sitting against the wall.
"Land sakes Pinkie!"
"Pinkie darling!"
"Eep!"
"Augh!"
"... Did anyone see how she got there?" Rainbow asked.
"I just sat down Rainbow... What's weird about that?" Pinkie asked, waving a hoof offhandedly.
"But..." Rainbow began.
"Just don't Rainbow... Trust me..." Twilight said, rubbing her forehead with a hoof.
"Soooo..." Pinkie began cheerfully. "Watcha guys talking about?" she asked with a fluttering of her eyelashes.
"Twilight's relatively inane plan to conquer the Everfree in the name of Ponykind..." Rarity stated as she took a drink of her milkshake.
"Hey!"
"I said inane darling! And as our fiend Pinkie likes to remind us, ponies don't expect silly!" Rarity clarified. But despite the praise of her character, Pinkie was grimacing.
"Are you guys sure you want to do that?" she asked.
"But darling! I thought silly was a thing you liked!" Rarity tried to cover up.
"What?! Nononono... I was talking about the Everfree thing..." Pinkie clarifyed. "... But yes, silly is a good thing..." she whispered rather loudly into Rarity's ear.
"Pinkie... What ya'll talking about?" Applejack asked.
"Pinkie sense!" Pinkie exclaimed, slamming a hoof into her other hoof in a karate chop motion.
"Pinkie darling that doesn't make any sen..."
"Pinkie sense!" Pinkie exclaimed into Rarity's face.
"Would you care to explain what your Pinkie sense felt?" Twilight asked.
"I dunno! I never felt it before! Thigh jerk, eye twitch, wibbly tail, eye twitch, hoof slam!"
"Wibbly?" Twilight asked.
"Hoof slam?" Rainbow looking interested.
"Wibbly is the opposite of wobbly!" Pinkie explained.
"... Isn't that called steady?" Rarity asked.
"And a hoof slam is just that!" Pinkie continued, ignoring the marshmallow unicorn, and demonstrated by hitting the table with her left hoof, sending silverware and plates into the air for several seconds. Fluttershy, who had been quiet the entire time, leaned towards Rarity.
"... She scares me sometimes..." she whispered into Rarity's ear.
"You're not alone..." Rarity reassured the yellow Pegasus as she returned to the conversation.
"But what does eye jerk, thigh twitch, wibbly eye, tail twitch and hoof slam have to do with the Everfree?" Twilight asked.
"Silly Twilight! Not eye jerk, thigh twitch, wibbly eye, tail twitch and hoof slam! It's thigh jerk, eye twitch, wibbly tail, eye twitch, and then hoof slam!"
"But..."
"And I have no idea... But whatever it is, it's bad news..." Pinkie warned.
"So... This is going to be a possibly dangerous mission that'll probably end up with us fighting a monster?" Rainbow asked.
"Knowing our luck absolutely..." Rarity grumbled into her milkshake.
"Then what are we waiting for?!" Rainbow shouted. "Let's go kick flank, take names, and chew bubble gum!"
"You leave my mane out of this!" Pinkie exclaimed, grabbing her poofy mane with both hooves protectively.
"I... What? I didn't mean your..." Rainbow stammered.
"She's gonna eat me!" Pinkie shouted, leaping over the table and running out the store's door.
"Come on girls... We better make sure she doesn't hurt anypony or runs away..." Twilight sighed as she trudged towards the same door. The rest of their friends sighed as well, laid a few bits on the table and followed the Alicorn after Pinkie.
A few minutes later a heavily burdened Spike entered the shop.
"I'm here you guys! Sorry it took me so long! You wouldn't believe how much..." he stopped as he saw Mrs. Cake clearing Twilight's friend's usual table.
"OH COME ON!" he exclaimed.
~~~
Prince Blueblood was up very early. He usually stayed in his own bed long enough to enjoy a few more moments with whatever mare was in his bed from the previous night... But today he had life to attend to... Or rather beating other Canterlot nobles to punch life in the throat. He took a sip of his current favorite wine as he glanced over the breakfast his cook had prepared.
"Hard Boil?" he called. An elderly white unicorn with yellow mane stuck his head out the kitchen door. "What's this?"
"A scrambled egg that was roasted with an essence of hazelnut, and a strawberry creme as a appetizer my Prince..."
"Scrambled eggs?!" Blueblood shouted. "Why would I want THAT commoner fare?!"
"I am sorry my Prince... I didn't know what you prefer for breakfast as you usually stay in bed until noon..." Hard Boil excused.
"No excuses! I expect my servants to know exactly what I require each and every time..."
"But how was I to know..."
"You are relieved from my service Hard Boil... Get out of my mansion..." Blueblood ordered. The disappointed Hard Boil took off an apron and threw it on the ground in front of the Prince. But Blueblood paid no attention to this former cook and cantered away with his wine.
"The nerve of some ponies..." he grumbled as he made his way to his dressing room. Blueblood had the perfect outfit planned... A recent design of his one and only failed conquest, Rarity Bell... Of course she didn't know the Prince had been to her boutique in Ponyville, odds were she would throw him out if she caught him... Thankfully, he had access to several changeling prisoners that enjoyed divulging changeling magic secrets... For a night or two of "noble wrestling"... Those nights, while enjoyable, weren't his proudest of moments.
The outfit itself wasn't too much to look at, a rather plain vest with Rarity's special "camouflage" fabric with a tasteful forest trim. It clashed horribly with his coat and mane but it was worth it for this particular venture.
Blueblood quickly donned his hunting outfit, making sure it fit in his 360 degree mirror.
"Perfect." he stated as he walked away. He quickly gathered his pre-prepared saddle bag and donned it as well. A quick glance at a clock ensured him he wasn't late.... But he was soon out the door.
Dock four was located in the "bad" portion of the docks as far as Blueblood was concerned. To the average citizen of Canterlot however, it was a perfectly safe and acceptable as compared to say... the Manehatten or Fillydelphian docks. But to Blueblood, who was used to first class of first class... It may as well as been build out of mud and dirt.
A slate grey griffon was waiting for Blueblood when he arrived.
"Yer Blueblood?" he asked, an eye crest raising in wonderment.
"It's Prince." Blueblood corrected.
"Roight..." he grunted. "Six kay to join our hunt in the Everfree yes?" Blueblood pulled open his sparse saddlebag and pulled out a royal cert.
"Three thousand now, and the next three thousand when we return... Able to be redeemed at the Royal Treasury here in Canterlot." he said as he gave the griffon they cert. The griffon took the cert in one claw and glanced over it.
"E'erything seems in order." he grunted. "Follow me." he continued with a gesture as he turned towards the hunting schooner that was docked behind him.
The two climbed on board, stepping out of the way of crewmen loading supply crates into the hold.
"Oi! Captain!" the griffon exclaimed, climbing up a set of stairs where he proceeded to knock on a door. Blueblood followed. "Aye got our passenger out 'ere!"
"Send him in." came a silky smooth reply. The griffon stepped aside and gestured towards the door for Blueblood to enter. The unicorn nodded and entered.
The captian's quarters was shrouded in darkness... Only being illuminated by a small candle set in a wall sconce next to the door.
"Prince Blueblood I presume?" came the same smooth voice from the shadows. Two predator green hawk eyes opened, seeming to glow in the sparse firelight.
"The same." Blueblood replied, not showing the least amount of concern or surprise to the shady setting he found himself in. A midnight black griffon lioness's head slithered into the light.
"I trust my quarter master already took your payment?" she asked.
"Three thousand now, three thousand on our return." Blueblood stated. The captain nodded.
"You're smarter than you look Bluey..." she slipped back into the shadows, her green eyes still shining.
"It's Prin-" Blueblood began.
"Rule number one on my ship, don't correct me." The captain snapped. "Rule number two, you will address me only as Captain or Ma'am."
"Yes Captain." Blueblood stated, a little intimidated by the female griffon... Not at all used to the treatment.
"Good," The Captain stated. "We'll be making base camp in the Everfree by sundown, I expect you to not get in the way."
"Yes Captain." Blueblood said again, already planning a way to put this griffon in her place.
"... Go report to my First mate, he'll tell you where to be." the Captain stated.
Author's Note
Finally got off my ass and decided to finish the chapter and get the "beginning" part of the story done as quick as possible. 
Had a lot of fun writing the mane 6 perspective 
Although, one thing I'm noticing about my writing, I'm finding it very hard to write unnecessarily cruel things... 
Gonna have to fix that! 
