Chapter 4: Ogre of the Everfree

[Everfree Forest.]

The voice. That sweet and caring voice. It was behind them. Heavy stomps nearly blocked out the child's voice as they seemed to walk past the huge crowd of ponies. A vicious growl soon made its presence know after the child asked...whatever was making the stomping. Twilight felt a lump in her throat form as she looked at the corner of her eye, seeing a large, reptilian looking form with a abnormally large head. Twilights eyes slowly looked at two bone pillars on the creatures shoulders. It was as if it dislocated both its arms. Both of the long appendages were bent at its side with large hands with spear shaped claws. Its chest was nothing but skin and bone. It looks as though it was...starving. Twilight felt the frozen stance of her body break and she shot around and let out a shout toward the creature.

"Hey! Let my daughter go!" she ordered.

The shadow covered creature stopped and the little voice spoke up again.

"Mommy? Is that you?" Dawn called.

The rest of the ponies felt their bodies nerves return to them and faced the shadow creature. Behind the monsters head, a pair of little sapphire eyes. While the guards raised their weapons in battle stances, Twilight stepped toward the shadows. Her friends following close behind her. Twilight saw two, small, blank eyes looking down at her. She slowly lifted her head and noticed how tall the creature was. It was at least a head taller than Celestia. She smelled the breathe of the monster, the smell of sulfur and rotting flesh. Twilight packed away slightly, the smell of the monsters breathe nearly making her toss her breakfast. The feeling of the emotionless eyes didn't help either. The creature scoffed and turned away from the crowd. Dawn looking back on the creatures back. A couple of the guards ran after the monster, their weapons held tight in their hands.

"Bring the princess back!" one shouted.

"Your done for freak!" another barked.

The creature narrowed its eyes. These ponies are becoming a nuisance. Now they were after his summoner! Unacceptable. The creature grabbed Dawn from its back and placed her on a high up tree trunk. It then turned toward the guards behind it. Twirling its body around, the creature swung its massive reptilian leg around and knocked the three guards off their feet. Sending them flying back a good few feet. One of the guards kicked up to his hooves and vastly ran after the creature. Now he was really annoyed. The monster braced itself as the armored pony swung a massive axe down and imbedded it in the creatures shoulder. Just barely missing one of the pillars. The armored pony looked up at the creature. The monster looked down at the pony and gave a sickish grin. Upon further attention, the guard looked down at the weapon and noticed he had only scratched the skin. The creature roared a mighty voice at the guard and swatted him with its spear-like claws. The guard flew back, straight into a tree right next to the two other ponies. A disgusting sound of flesh hitting wood made the other two guards look in horror. Their comrades face was lost of any emotion of pain. He looked down and saw a sharp tree branch sticking out of his stomach. The creature stomped toward the guard. Without a sense of remorse, the creature grabbed the guards head and bent it at a horrifying angle.

The ponies watched in horror at the brutality of the creature. Dawn, thankfully, couldn't see anything beyond the bush of leaves on front of her face. Cold white eyes looked at the remaining ponies. It roared again and leaned its body forward in a running stance. The creature used the ground as leverage as it bounced off the ground; disappearing into the tree tops. The sounds of tree branches breaking above their heads and falling of leaves made the ponies on the ground feel helpless to know where the creature had gone. A sense of panic washed over one of the guards. His face drained of bravery and righteousness. Now, he had a look of true horror. His legs began to shake.

"Oh man, oh man-were fucked- were fucked! I'm getting' outta here...oh shit!"

The guard dashed past the rest of the group and back the way they came. The other guard tried to stop him but he didn't hear her call. The others almost went after him but were stopped when hearing the sound of a horrifying growl and the guard screaming bloody murder. Behind a group of trees, the ponies could see blood flowing from the darkness painting the brown trees a dark red. The sounds of the guards gurgling, his flesh being torn apart, and his blood splattering across the ground made the whole group froze to fear. The guards cries eventually stopped. The sound of what was left of his body falling to the ground made everyone flinch. Twilight looked behind her and saw the despair and anxiety on her friends face. Fluttershy was on the verge of having a panic attack; Rainbow Dash and Rarity were holding on to her as she slowly fell to her knees. The remaining guard just stood there, starring at the blood soaked trees and grass. Twilight saw the looks of fear on Pinkie Pie and Apple Jacks faces. She has never seen them so scared in her life. Even she was afraid to move. Wondering if she moved the wrong way the creature will jump out and kill her. She then remembered her mission, Dawn.

Fighting away the feeling of stone in her muscles, Twilight turned and walked back toward the tree where the creature placed her daughter. She looked up and saw Dawn playing with the leaves. She didn't heard the screaming? Twilight signed heavily and spoke softly. Not wanting to catch the attention of the monster. It was still watching them, she could feel it.

"Dawn." Twilight said. Her daughter looking down from the branch. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Dawn gave a warm smile toward her mother. Twilight shared her own.

"Yep! I'm having fun!" she exclaimed.

Twilight put a finger to her lips and shooshed her daughter. Dawn's ears dropped down and she gave a sorry expression.

"That's great honey, but we need to leave okay?" Twilight used her magic and slowly lifted Dawn from the branch and into her arms. For a second, the child could hear the sobs of her mother above her head. She looked up and saw tears running down her mothers smile. Dawn wiped her mothers tears away, earning a small laugh from her.

"Why are you crying mommy?" she asked.

Twilight wiped her eyed. "I'm just so happy your safe dear, that's all." The mother-daughter moment didn't last forever went a spine chilling roar echoed from above the leaves. The remaining ponies huddled together and watched as leaves fell from the sky and the sound of branches breaking came closer.

"We need to move now!" the guard barked.

The ponies had no arguments as they raced with each other back the way they came. They didn't dare look at the mangled remains of what was a guard behind the blood stained trees. A sense of joy came over them as they realized the sounds of the branches breaking was becoming far more distant. They were actually out running the monster. Thinking they had lost it, Rainbow Dash turned her back to the group, still keeping pace with them, and looked and saw nothing coming. She signed and was about to turn back around when she noticed out the corner of her eye. Her eyes went as wide as saucers as she saw the form of a fast running creature in the shade of the trees. It wasn't giving up. She quickly turned back and around and shouted to her friends.

"That things gaining on us!"

Twilight looked and saw the creature leaning closer to the group as it was gaining distance between them. An idea then came to her mind. Twilight looked down at her daughter. She was holding onto her for dear life as she ran. Narrowing her eyes, Twilight looked at the creature and unleashed from her horn a stream of magic toward it. The blast hit the creature and it lurched, hitting a tree head first. Her friends cheered in joy as they made their escape and headed back into Ponyville. The creature straightened itself out, rubbing its bruised cranium. It watched as they ponies disappeared from sight, with his summoner in their hands. It snarled and cracked its neck. He would have to hunt down the ponies that took his summoner and kill them. One by one is the plan. Vengeance will be sweet. After all, no one can escape Pumpkinhead.

Author's Note

Comment if you saw the video game reference