What I've Become

by Yummytubeowo

Rating: everyone
Tags: Alternate Universe, Human, Adventure, Science Fiction
Length: 8557

A mysterious predator haunts the White Tail Woods... one that is deadly, terrifying, and...nice?

I wasn't always like this, a monster, running through the woods on an alien planet. I was once a man. I had dreams, a girlfriend, and a great job.

Then They came. In the middle of the night, They scooped me from my home, and… changed me.

Now I'm a beast, a demon the like of which the world I've become stranded on has never seen before, scraping by on the fringes of society, hiding from the natives, and doing my best to avoid notice.

After all, who could ever be friends with a monster?

Cover Image done by the very talented PaintSplotch! You can find his FimFic account here.

And here is his DeviantArt Account!

Now 100% approved by Twilight's Library!

Mad props to my prereaders:

ThatPonyWithASword.

Admiral Applejack.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2016-04-26 22:40:05 UTC

Chapter I

I charged headlong through the bushes, my breath sounding harsh in my ears.  Up ahead, I could hear my quarry as it bounded through the underbrush, its frightened squealing causing an uproar through the forest ahead of it.  Honestly, I couldn't blame the poor animal for wanting to put as much distance as possible between the two of us, but I had needs too.

A guy's gotta eat, after all.

I burst out of the underbrush into a clearing, blood pumping in my ears, the beast screaming in my brain.  All that existed right at that moment was me and the two hundred pound sow making a break for the other side of the clearing.  It was fast.  Real fast.

Luckily for me, I was much, much, faster.

With one mighty leap, I landed on the poor animal, spearing it with my long, sharp talons.  Unfortunately, I had missed its heart, so the poor thing was still struggling underneath my powerful, gruesome frame.

I'm no sadist, so I ended its suffering with one swift stroke of my claw to its neck, killing it instantly.

With a simple muscle twitch, I sheathed my foot long claws back into my fingers.  I shivered a bit as the blades moved up my hands and into my forearms, the feeling still unpleasant, even after all this time.  How long has it been?  Months?  Years?  I thought morosely to myself.

My dark thoughts were interrupted as my sharp ears picked up the sound of a snapping twig.  My head quickly turned at the sound, allowing me to see something that made my blood run cold.

Standing just at the tree line of the clearing was one of the natives of this planet.  She was a beige, pony-like creature with a bright orange mane and tail.  On each of her flanks was a tattoo of a bushel of carrots, and on her face was an expression of abject terror.

Oh crapbaskets, I thought to myself, as the orange pony turned and started to run.

* * *

Carrot Top was fuming.  That stallion is so infuriating! she thought as she stomped her way through White Tail Woods.  I can't believe that he would go and forget our anniversary like that! She kicked some of the autumn leaves out of her way, her rage building as she thought of her stallion.  He had just up and gone to work, not a word, not a kiss, nothing!  Did I do something wrong?  Or-

Her musings were interrupted by a loud crashing sound echoing through the woods.  It sounded like some sort of wild pig, yet there was too much sound for it to be just that.  There also seemed to be some kind of skittering sound, probably from whatever predator was chasing the poor thing.  Not wanting to be anywhere near predators on the hunt, Carrot Top started to turn to leave, but froze as two things burst out of the cover of the forest.

The first wasn't all that surprising, considering all the noise she had heard earlier.  It was a rather large sow, probably weighing somewhere around two hundred pounds, and running as if all of Tartarus were on her heels.

The second thing was a nightmare.

It was huge, standing probably five to six feet tall.  It had a faintly gorilla like look to it, except it was bald, gaunt, and sickly looking.  Its pallid flesh had a slimy sheen to it, and it was so thin that she could see its ribcage stand out on its barrel.  Blade-like spikes burst from its back along its spine, giving it a faintly dragon-like appearance.  Each of its long, spindly limbs ended in a five-toed claw, with its fore claws being much longer and sharper-looking.

Before she could comprehend what was happening, the monster reached the poor sow in a single bound, impaling the animal on its foot long talons.  The pig valiantly continued its struggle, trying desperately to get away from the nightmare that had just killed it. The creature was having none of that, however, and impassively ended the pig's struggles with a single swipe of its claw.

At this point, Carrot Top had seen enough.  Slowly, while the monster was distracted by its recent kill, she moved her hooves back.  If I'm really quiet, I can get away while its busy with its-

*snap*

The monster's head whipped around and, for the first time in her life, Carrot Top saw true terror.  Its face, like the rest of its body, faintly reminded her of a gorilla's in its shape and ears.

But that's where the similarities ended.

Its lidless eyes were pools of ebony, through which Carrot Top was sure she could see eternity.  It had no nose, rather just a hole in the center of its face through which it breathed, while its lip-less maw sported two rows of interlocking, inch long fangs.  Drool dripped menacingly from its chin as it regarded her with an expressionless glare, its soulless eyes boring into her.

For a single second the two just stood there, staring at each other.  The creature seemed to almost deflate at the sight of her, which broke whatever spell was holding Carrot Top in place.  In a flash, Carrot Top turned and ran, determined to put as much distance as possible between herself and the nightmare.

Her flight was ended before it even began, however, when she ran headlong into the trunk of the tree that stood directly behind her.  She felt a blinding pain, then remembered no more.

* * *

I would have winced if I still had the facial structure to do so.  The poor mare had taken one look at my ugly mug and had wisely decided to make a hasty retreat.  Unluckily for her, however, she had failed to notice the tree that had stealthily spent the past seventy to eighty years growing in the exact spot where it could conk some poor soul attempting to flee from an alien monster.  Her face made a loud thunk noise as it struck the evil wood, and instantly she was down.

Carefully, I made my way over to her to check if she was alright.  The bump looked pretty nasty, and I could see a small trickle of blood drip down her forehead.  However, her breathing was strong, so I was sure that the wound was just superficial.  She would wake up in a couple of hours with a blinding headache, but otherwise, she would be fine.

However, I wasn't sure on her chances if left out in the woods.  Animals might think that her body was up for grabs, or she might not wake up in time for sunset.  Plus, her injury was kind of my fault.  Well, mostly it was the tree's fault, but I couldn't exactly force the unmoving wood to pick her up and take her home.

I knew that it was up to me to make sure that she got to safety.

Sighing slightly to myself, I bent down and gently picked up the poor mare.  So help me, if I get chased by an angry mob for this, I'm going to kill you, tree,  I thought vindictively at the offending plant growth.  The tree, unable to hear my vehement oath of vengeance, just continued to stand there, smugly pleased that its seventy year evil plan had finally seen fruition.

Sometimes it really sucks to be the good guy, I thought to myself.

Chapter III

Tired, hungry, and angry at evil foliage in general, I stumbled back into my lair, fully aware of how hard the next couple of weeks were going to be.  Now that the locals were aware of my presence, I wouldn't be able to hunt as openly as I had in the past, if at all.  They will be on the lookout for me, I thought as I curled up on my makeshift bed of cured animal hide.  They might even go as far as to form hunting parties or hire monster killers to come and get me, or even call in the government if they feel like they cannot take me by themselves.  I'm a threat, an alien menace, and I know how I would be treated if this were home.

At least, that's how I would react if I had seen me, I thought bitterly.

As I made myself comfortable, lost in my thoughts as I was, I took a second to look around at the cave that I had claimed for myself.  All in all, I had scored pretty well in terms of places to lay low.  The nearby river provided me with a decent supply of water and fish (when I could catch them), while the cave itself was fairly difficult to reach, seeing as how its entrance sat about fifteen feet up a cliff face.  The tree outside was how I managed to get in and out, so I felt pretty safe from things without opposable thumbs like bears or cougars getting me in my sleep.

Or ponies for that matter.  I figured it would be hard for them to climb trees without any opposable digits, so this was a pretty good place to hide if a mob came looking for me.

...Unless some of the members of the mob were the flying kind, though.  I didn't really have a plan for pegasi.

I'll burn that bridge when I come to it, I thought as I snuggled a bit further into the fur that surrounded me.  However, as I tried to rest, my stomach decided to make itself known at that point, reminding me that some scavenger had grabbed my pig while I had been otherwise occupied.  I grumbled slightly as I got up to take another crack at fishing, fully aware at how quick those little buggers could be.

I just hoped that I would be able to catch something before the sun went down.

* * *

The first thing she became aware of was a beeping noise.

That confused her at first.  It was almost as if it were mocking her, trying to trick her into believing what she knew wasn't true.  I must be haunting a hospital... she thought ruefully to herself.  But why would I be haunting a place like this?  At least give me somewhere entertaining, like a movie theater, or a music hall...

“Hey Script, you holding up alright?” she heard somepony close by say.  The voice was familiar, but she couldn't place who it was for some reason.  However, despite not being able to recognize the voice, what it said brought things into perspective for her.

She wasn't haunting a hospital, she was haunting her husband.

“Yeah, I'm doing alright.  I just wish she'd open her eyes and tell us what happened,” she heard Written Script say listlessly.

She knew that tone.  It was the tone that he always adopted when he was worried sick, but didn't want everypony to know.  He was always cute when he talked like that, with those big sad eyes and that worried frown.  Almost cute enough to make her forget that he had forgotten that their anniversary was today.

Almost.

“So, about tonight...” she heard the other voice trail off.

“No, it's not going to happen.  Can I trust you to take care of everything?” she heard Written ask.

What the heck are you talking about?  Did you plan on going out and partying somewhere on our anniversary? she thought angrily.

“Don't even worry about it.  I'll swing by on my way home and tell them what happened, you just stay here with her.  I'm sure she would have loved the surprise, though,” the other voice said in a false chipper tone.

...Surprise?

“Thanks Caramel, I don't know what I'd do without you,” Written said listlessly.

“...Wait, what surprise?” Carrot Top mumbled, opening her eyes as she spoke.

Upon opening her eyes, several things became apparent almost instantly:

1:  She had a blinding headache.

2:  Her husband was staring at her with a strange mixture of joy and relief.

3:  She was alive.

That last one took her a while to fully process.  Even as Written Script wrapped his gray, furred hooves around her, mumbling incoherently and gently squeezing her, she still couldn't quite believe what was happening.

So many questions chased themselves around in her head, but one bubbled to the top of her list, forcing itself out of her mouth before she could even comprehend the meaning of the words.

“Why am I not dead?” she asked in disbelief into Written Script's purple mane.

“You don't have to sound so disappointed, Carrot,” Caramel said, sitting down next to the bed with a cocky grin on his face.

“No, you don't understand!  The monster was right there, it should have killed me the instant I started running!” Carrot top said, confusion clear in her voice.

“Don't worry about that, you're safe now and that's all that matters,” she heard Written say as he gently nuzzled her.

“No, I'm not going to stop worrying.  And what do you mean by surprise?” she asked, her stubbornness shining through despite the headache.

Written Script didn't answer at first.  Instead, he squeezed her once more, then gently let her go and leaned back.  “Well, I had a huge surprise planned for this evening for our anniversary, but we're going to have to take a rain check while you recover,” he said after he had settled himself beside the bed.

Carrot Top pouted a bit at this.  “I thought you had forgotten... You didn't even give me a kiss goodbye this morning...” she said in a sullen tone.

Written Script gently laughed at this, then booped her on the nose.  “Just a ruse to make the surprise all the better,” he said.  His smile fell a little, though, and was replaced with a guilty frown.  “I am sorry about that, however.  When I saw you lying there, all I could think about was how your last memory of me was an unhappy one, about how I didn't give you a kiss goodbye this morning, all because of some stupid plan I had...” he said as tears began to form at the corners of his eyes.

She smiled at that.  “You're sweet,” she said, pulling him in for a kiss.  However, as soon as they had finished, she reached behind him and hit him on the back of the head with her hoof.

“Don't do it again,” she said, her tone still sweet, but her eyes as hard as stone.

Written just nodded in stunned silence, despite the chuckling sound coming from the other side of the bed.  “I wouldn't cross this one if I were you Script.  She's feisty,” Caramel said as he stood up.

“And don't you forget it,” Carrot Top said, leaning back as she spoke, a smug smile on her lips.

The smile quickly faded as a thought crossed her mind.  “However, that still doesn't answer my other question,” she said as she rubbed her aching forehead.  “Why didn't that monster kill me?

Her husband just shook his head at this.  “I don't know.  I'm just glad that all it gave you was a concussion...” he said, relief clear on his face.

Carrot top looked a little embarrassed at this.  “Um, Written?  It didn't give me the concussion,” Carrot said sheepishly.

Written Script did a quick double take.  “It didn't?  How did you get it then?” he asked in amazement.

Carrot settled a little more into her blankets, her face a mask of concentration.  “Well, I was busy wandering the forest, trying to collect my thoughts after what happened this morning, when the creature burst out of the woods chasing a wild pig! It-”  Carrot Top shuddered at the unpleasant memory for a second, but smiled when Written placed a hoof on her shoulder.  “Well, after it...finished...the pig, I started to back away, but it heard me.  It turned and saw me, so I started to run,” she smiled ruefully at that point.  “I saw the tree an instant before I hit it.  I vaguely remember seeing the monster look down at me, but I think I blacked out at that point.”

The other two exchanged a confused look that Carrot Top completely missed.  “So, don't leave me hanging! Who was the pony to drive it off and carry me back to town?” she asked excitedly.

Caramel gave Written another look.  This one, however, Carrot caught out of the corner of her eye.  “What?” she asked, confused at their silence.

Written took a deep breath, then looked her in the eye.  “Carrot, nopony came to your rescue in the woods,” he said slowly.

The silence that followed this statement was profound.  All that anyone could hear was the heart monitor, and even that seemed to skip a beat at Written's words.

“I...I don't understand...” she said, not sure that she had heard him correctly.

“I was in town today, getting things ready for tonight, when I heard a roar unlike any I had heard before come from White Tail.  I rushed to see what was happening when I caught a glimpse of something pale, gorilla-like, and covered with spikes make a break for the woods.  I also saw you, lying in the middle of the road, covered in blood,” he said, not quite believing what he was saying.

Carrot just gaped at him.  “So, it carried me back to town?” she asked, the words sounding even more unlikely out loud then in her head.

Written shook his head at this.  “I don't know.  All I know is what I saw.  It must be pretty important, though, because Twilight Sparkle was here earlier, and she wanted to talk to you as soon as you felt well enough.  Something about how the Princesses needed to know or some other fate of Equestria stuff,” he said, a rueful smile on his face.

Carrot Top was about to answer, but her stomach made its presence known first, causing her to blush furiously.  “Um, I think I really need to talk to her, but maybe after we've gotten something to eat?  I don't know about you, but I feel like I haven't eaten in ages,” she said in embarrassment.

Written Script smiled at this.  “Of course.”

* * *

Celestia sat back in disgust, throwing another useless report onto her desk.  It had been six months since the alien craft had crash landed in the mountain range near White Tail, and they were no closer to solving the mysteries it held.

That was unsurprising, however, considering how much damage it had sustained in the crash.  The thing had exploded long before the first ponies had arrived on the scene, leaving behind nothing but twisted metal and questions.

Well, that and the bodies.

Celestia looked at the autopsy report again, well aware of what horrors it contained.  Most of the bodies had been consumed in the explosion, leaving behind nothing but burnt husks.  However, a few appeared to have survived the crash long enough to begin crawling away from the wreckage, only to bleed out a few hundred feet away from the crash site.

She flipped through the pictures, her lips pursed as she studied each one.  Most of the strange creatures appeared to be the same species:  They appeared to be strong, quadrupedal insectoids with two sets of arms that ended in claw-like appendages.  Their heads looked small for their bodies, but that was probably because of the large set of mandibles that each one bore.  Each one wore a uniform of some kind, while several wore body armor made from a strange, yet strong material.

However, as monstrous as these creatures appeared, they were nothing compared to the ape-like abominations that had crawled out of the ship alongside the other aliens.  What was even worse, however, was that several of the insectoids had wounds that appeared to have been inflicted by the razor-sharp talons that the ape-like creatures bore.  The apes themselves hadn't come out unscathed either, each of them bearing not only injuries sustained in the crash, but burns that appeared to have been inflicted by dragonfire.  Other than the collars that each one wore, they were all naked.

The apes were not natural either.  During the autopsy, her ponies had found a number of complex devices implanted into each one.  One of the devices in particular had filled her with absolute horror.  It was located in the brain, and exited out of the back of the subject's skull to connect to the collar that each one wore.

What was implied by this was terrifying.

Celestia had been able to piece together very little from the evidence that she had.  Clearly there had been a battle of some kind, but neither side had survived to tell the tale.  This left the Sun Princess with nothing but questions.  Questions that she highly doubted would be answered during even her lengthy lifespan.

As Celestia brooded over the evidence on her desk, she was interrupted by a steady knock on her office door.  “Come in Luna,” she said, not even bothering to look up to see if she was right.  She had already made it clear to her staff that she was not to be disturbed, so that had left only one pony who would visit her.

As expected, the Lunar Princess entered, a worried expression on her face.  “Tia, it is time to lower the sun,” she said, concern clear in her voice.

Celestia quickly shot a look at the clock, shock running through her mind.  How in Tartarus did it get that late? she thought to herself.  “I'm sorry Luna, I lost track of time.”

“It is alright, but I think you should take a break.  You've been poring over those reports for months now, you barely sleep anymore, and it's starting to show,” Luna said, her voice stern and reprimanding.

Celestia rubbed her eyes in exhaustion.  “You're right, but I cannot afford to take a break now.  The crashed vessel may have just been an accident, but what if it is a precursor to something much larger?  I have to-”

“Celestia, if we are attacked by aliens tomorrow, but you haven't had the rest necessary to plan our defenses, wouldn't that place Equestria at an even greater risk than if you took a break from all of this?” Luna interrupted, her voice unyielding.  “Besides, it is my duty to guard the night.  Equestria will still be standing if you take the time to get a good night sleep tonight, I promise.”

Celestia opened her mouth to argue, but was interrupted when a wisp of smoke entered the room through the open window and, in a flash of green fire, resolved itself into a scroll.  Celestia attempted to make a grab for the scroll, but her sister was too quick for her.  “Your student can wait, Tia, but the sun cannot,” she said, a roguish glint in her eye

The Sun Princess sighed at this, knowing that she had been defeated.  “You're not going to bend on this, are you Lulu?” she asked, exhaustion creeping into her voice.

“No, I am not.  I will not read your letter, but I will send word to your student, to let her know that the letter has been received.  Now go lower the sun and get some sleep,” Luna ordered, her voice brooking no argument.

Celestia grumbled something about little sisters, but did as she was told.

As soon as her sister had left the room, Luna gently set the still unread letter on Celestia's desk.  She then retrieved a blank sheet of paper and quill, then carefully wrote a response to her sister's student.  As soon as she was finished, she incinerated the note, sending it on its way.

Satisfied that things were taken care of, Luna turned to leave, but was interrupted when another scroll appeared in front of her. This one was addressed to her.

Intrigued, Luna opened the letter.  It was short, and appeared to have been written in haste.

Dear Princess Luna,

I understand that Celestia is otherwise preoccupied, but this is a matter of the utmost importance.  It involves the object that crashed into the White Tail mountain range six months ago.  Please take the time to read the letter I sent her.

Awaiting your quick response,

-Twilight Sparkle.

Wondering what possibly could be so important, Luna reluctantly opened the letter addressed to her sister.

Minutes later, Luna burst out of her sister's office, eyes wide and frantic.  Her gaze locked onto one of the Solar Guard that stood at attention next to Celestia's office.  “Private, I need you to send word to Captain Dark Seeker as quickly as you can.  Tell him to meet me in the throne room in one hour, and that he needs to be prepared to deploy,” she said, sweeping past the startled stallion.

He wasn't fazed for long, however, and quickly snapped a salute.  “Yes your Highness,” he said, taking off down the hallway in search of the Captain of the Night Sentinels.

Luna nodded in satisfaction.  She was sure that Celestia would want to know about this, but she could wait until morning.  Action had to be taken now, and Luna was confident in her ability to handle this.

Hopefully the trail hadn't gone cold by the time she reached White Tail.

Chapter IV

Finally! I thought as I hefted my prize.  It had taken me the better part of three hours, but I had finally caught one of those slippery little buggers.  It was a beauty, too.  Three feet long, and probably somewhere around thirty pounds.  Man, I was going to eat well tonight.  And tomorrow night.  And the night after that.

I love salmon.

However, I had not gone through the ordeal unscathed.  I had broken the fishing spear that I had made earlier this month, and was forced to resort to the old-fashioned approach.  Bare hands.

Now, catching a fish with your bare hands is usually a pretty impossible feat for a normal human.  But seeing as how I not only had claws now, but also faster reflexes and muscle speed, it wasn't too hard.

...Still would have been easier if I hadn't broken my spear on that first strike, though.  I wouldn't be quite so wet, either.  Say what you wanted about claws, tools are where it's at.

Speaking of wet, I was starting to feel pretty cold now.  The moon had already risen, and it was in the middle of autumn.  Because of these two factors, the temperature was actually dropping pretty fast.

I had to get back to my cave soon.  When I had said that I had scored when it came to living spaces, I wasn't lying.  The cave actually ran much deeper than it looked, with the back of the cave playing host to a hot spring.  I might be cold and wet now, but in a few short minutes I was going to be nice and toasty, munching on fish, and well on my way to a delightful night's slumber.

As I approached my cave, though, I stopped short when I heard voices up ahead.  The words were unintelligible to me, but that didn't stop me from straining my ears to listen.

There seemed to be a lot of them, and by the sound of the jingling, they had a lot of metal with them.  Now, I wasn't an expert in these sorts of things, but when you have a large group of people that jingle, that can usually mean only one thing.

They might not have found my lair, though, I thought as I slowly started to make my way towards my cave.  I might not be able to cook my dinner, but I can still warm and dry myself.

Deep down inside, however, I knew that Murphy and his freaking law was at work here.

I was certain that this was going to be a long, cold, fish-less night.

* * *

“Sir, the trail ends here.  At least, I think it ends here,”  Sergeant Fleet Foot said in a confused tone of voice, saluting sharply.

“Hmm... where did you go...” Captain Dark Seeker said as he rubbed a hoof underneath his chin.

The tracks they had been following were quite strange.  They were elongated, five toed tracks with the heel forming a neat little circle behind the rest of the foot.  The toes also clearly had claws, though judging by their length they were mainly used to help the creature find traction.  The uniqueness of the tracks, coupled with how heavy the creature seemed to be, meant that they were relatively easy to follow.

However, they had hit a slight snag.  The tracks led right up to a cliff face with a gnarled old tree growing on its side.  From here, however, the tracks became impossible to follow because of all the other similar tracks that crisscrossed through the area.

“Sergeant, what do you make of all of this?” Captain Seeker asked in a thoughtful tone of voice.

“Well sir, I can only see two viable options here.  One, there are many of these things in these woods, and they all like to gather to this spot for some bizarre reason.  This is highly unlikely, seeing as how most of the tracks here are all older than these three sets here,”  Sergeant Fleet Foot said as he pointed the three tracks out with his hoof.  One of the sets was the one they were following, while another looked like it led east, while the third seemed to lead to the nearby river.  “My guess is that the creature has set up a den somewhere close by, probably at the top of the cliff, and uses the tree to get in and out.”

“Thank you sergeant,” Captain Seeker said as his eyes scanned the cliff face.

“Do you think, perhaps, that that cave might be where the creature is hiding?” he heard Princess Luna ask behind him.  He didn't need to look to know where the Lunar Princess was pointing at, seeing as how he had spotted the cave only seconds before she had pointed it out.

“I would assume so, Your Highness.  I really wish you would stay at the entrance of the forest, though.  It's dangerous out here,” he said, his voice filled with concern.

“I will manage just fine, captain.  I have seen combat before, but I do not think that it will come to that,” the Lunar Princess said as she gently unfolded her wings.  "Do you think it is home?"

"I don't think so, Your Highness,"  Sergeant Fleet Foot answered.  "The set of tracks that lead to the river are much more recent than any of the others.  It probably left to catch itself something to eat."

"Thank you sergeant," Luna said as she readied herself for takeoff.  Before she left, however, Captain Seeker held out a single hoof.  “With all due respect, Your Highness, I would really feel much better if you let us go first.  The creature is most likely not at home, but I'd rather not bet your life on it,” he said respectfully.

She considered him for a moment, then pouted slightly.  “You like to suck the fun out of everything, don't you?” she asked him, her voice dripping with disappointment.

Captain Seeker wasn't fazed by this, however, and just continued to give the Lunar Diarch a flat look.  Finally, after what seemed like hours, the Moon Princess relented.  “Fine, but remember, if the creature is home, do not engage unless necessary.  I want to try to communicate with it.  If you find that you must fight, I want you to do your best to capture it,” she said, her eyes quickly sweeping over the assembled soldiers.

After each one in turn had saluted to the Lunar Princess, Luna finally took a step back to allow her soldiers to do their jobs.

“Alright, Private Heart, I want you to carry Lieutenant Burst up there while Sergeant Weather and I secure the cave.  The rest of you will patrol this area in case the creature isn't home,” Captain Seeker ordered, his tone very business-like.  “I want you each in groups of three.  If you see it, send one of the members of your patrol for reinforcements while the other two attempt to keep the creature in the area.  Do not engage it by yourselves.  If it flees, attempt to herd it back towards this cave.  If it attacks, fall back and attempt to lead it here.  The creature is assumed to be intelligent, but unable to speak Equestrian, so while communication is possible, it is not advised.  Lethal force is only authorized if a pony's life is in danger.  Any questions?” he asked, his eyes sweeping over his troops.

When no questions came, he turned back towards the cave and unfurled his wings.  “Good.  Sergeant Fleet Foot, I'll leave it up to you to organize patrols.  Sergeant Fair Weather, let's do this.”

The entrance to the cave was only about fifteen feet up, so it only took Captain Seeker a single beat of his wings to get him to the cave.  The opening was fairly small, probably only three feet in diameter, leaving them very little room to maneuver if things got dicey.  Captain Seeker wasn't an idiot, however, so he first pulled a lightstone from his combat saddlebags before entering.

Yeah... entering a pitch black alien monster's lair before throwing one of these?  I'd have to be some moron from a cheap comic book to try that one, he thought as he hurled the stone into the cave.

As soon as the lightstone hit the hard surface of the inside of the cave, the enchantments on the stone took effect.  Instantly, the whole cave was filled with a warm, white light, illuminating every corner of the cave with its glow.

As soon as the darkness in the cave was lifted, Captain Seeker and Sergeant Weather dove in, fully prepared to meet the horrifying beast head on.

It was actually pretty anticlimactic when absolutely nothing jumped out at them and ate their brains.  Captain Seeker almost felt cheated, almost like fate had purposely skipped out on a perfect opportunity to shank him and his team.

The cave was actually pretty large, the center of the room being dominated by a shallow pit.  Inside the pit was the clear remains of a fire, still somewhat fresh, probably from this morning or late last night.  Scattered around the pit were a few bones which were picked clean long ago by whatever creature called this place home, while to the side of the pit was a large pile of what appeared to be animal hides.

“Sweet mother of Celestia...” Captain Seeker heard Private Heart gasped in horror behind him.  Captain Seeker turned to see that Private Heart had entered with Lieutenant Burst.  However, as soon as the private had laid eyes upon the animal hides, he had frozen in his tracks.

“I know we were told this was a carnivore, but why would it keep the skins of its victims?  That's just grotesque!” he said in disgust.

It took him a couple of seconds, however, to realize that his disgust wasn't shared by the rest of the team.  Instead, everypony present was giving him a flat 'are you serious?' look.  “What?  It's disturbing and-” he started to say, but was cut off when Lieutenant Burst smacked him on the back of the head.

“You've never served on the griffin borders, have you soldier?” she asked in a flat, level tone.  When he didn't respond immediately, she rolled her eyes in exasperation.  “Private, most sapient omnivores and carnivores have a tendency to keep parts of the animals that they kill.  We're exceptions to this of course, but most other species either use them as tools, or they keep them as trophies.  Get invited into a griffin's home sometime if you really want something 'grotesque' to complain about,” she said, striding quickly past the confused private.

“You're telling me that we're allies with monsters?” he asked in shock.

Even Captain Seeker rolled his eyes at this.  “Private, unless you have something non-racist to say, I suggest you keep your pie-hole shut for the remainder of the mission.  Otherwise, if I hear one more peep from you, I will personally ensure that you are put on latrine duty for the rest of your career.  Do I make myself clear?” he ordered, his tone unmistakable.

Private Stout Heart wisely realized his folly at that point and chose to shut his mouth.

“Sir, as offensive as Private Heart's words were, he still makes a very interesting point.  Why would the creature collect just the skins of its meals?  And why so many?” Sergeant Weather asked, his face a mask of confusion.  “Also, why haven't they rotted by now?  Some of these look like they've been here for a while...” he said as he slowly started to shift a few around with his hoof.

“At a guess?  I'd say it was using them as bedding,”  Captain Seeker said, not taking his eyes off of the back of the cave.  He could faintly make out the entrance to a deeper complex, but was unsure of what it contained.

“Lieutenant, you and Heart go and scout out that passage in the back and call if it's clear.  I want to get the Princess up here as soon as possible, and we can't do that until we clear this cave,” Captain Seeker said as he gestured towards the back of the cave with his hoof.  “Sergeant, you stay here and help me look to see what clues we can find in this area.  Let's see what we can learn about our carnivorous friend.”

As they started to dig around, a few more questions they had were answered, while other new questions were brought up.  For example, they found that the creature had somehow cured the hides in a fashion that neither Captain Seeker or Sergeant Weather were familiar with.  However, since neither of them were in the practice of curing animal hides, this was hardly surprising.  A griffin taxidermist would probably recognize this... Seeker thought to himself.

Before they could start searching the rest of the cave, however, Burst and Heart came back, giving the other two the all clear sign.

With a little trepidation, Captain Seeker stuck his head out the cave entrance and quickly located Princess Luna.  “It's all clear, Your Highness.  The creature doesn't appear to be home,” he called out, waving a hoof at the Night Princess.

As soon as he gave the signal, Princess Luna gave a single flap of her wings, bringing her level with the cave entrance.  It was a slightly tighter squeeze for the Moon Princess, but she still managed it just fine.  “What have you discovered, captain?” she asked after a cursory glance around the room.

“A great deal, actually.  The creature seems to collect and cure the hides of its previous meals and use them as bedding, though why it needs so many we are still unsure,” Captain Seeker said as he gestured towards the pile of skins.  “It also does not appear to hunt anything it recognizes as sapient, judging solely on the types of hides that are gathered here.  We were about to do a more thorough investigation of this room when Private Heart and Lieutenant Burst returned from clearing the back of the cave.”

“Very good captain.  Continue your search of the cave and alert me if you have found any interesting developments,” she said as she swept passed the still saluting soldier.

Captain Seeker nodded, then turned to the ponies under his command.  “You heard the Princess, spread out and search.  I want everything in this cave examined thoroughly and brought to my attention.  I don't care how insignificant it may seem, it's evidence,” the captain ordered in a commanding tone of voice.

Princess Luna didn't hear a word of this, however, nor did she hear any part of the conversation that followed her captain's orders.  She was too busy concentrating on the aetheric energies that surrounded the recent resting place of the alien visitor.

Every creature that slept also dreamed, and dreams were the special domain of the Lunar Princess.  Usually it was difficult, if not downright impossible, for her to sense and enter the dreams of anyone other than her subjects.  This restriction could be circumvented, however.

If she managed to get a hold of an object that held great importance to the person she was attempting to contact, or if she managed to find the location where that person usually rested its head at night, she could pick up the subtle aetheric imprint left behind.  Once she had that imprint she could find anyone and enter their dreams once they were asleep, pony or not.

Getting the imprint took some time, however.  She had to attune herself to the imprint that the creature left behind, and that could take awhile if its emotions were too dissimilar from those of a po-.

Please no! The pain... why would you do this?

Luna's eyes shot open.  The words, while in a different language entirely, were easily translated through the aetheric plane.  The voice sounded like that of a stallion, probably in its mid twenties, though she couldn't really be sure since she had no references for the alien species' gender or age.  The words themselves carried a potent cocktail of emotions with them as well.  Pain, sadness, loss, homesickness, anger, regret, guilt.

There was so much guilt here.  The creature clearly blamed himself for something, and regretted it deeply.  The emotions were strong here, stronger than anything she had felt before in the dreamscape.

There was only one reason why she could hear the creature's thoughts, though.  This was the site of some pretty potent nightmares.  Also, judging by the sheer strength of the emotions attached to the imprint, she wouldn't have been surprised if it had had one every night it had been asleep.

However, as unpleasant as it was, she closed her eyes once again and started to delve into the imprint left behind by the creature.

Please no! I don't want to do this!

Please, whoever you were, please forgive me! I didn't want to do it!

Why are you making me do this?  Why would you turn me into a monster?

Please, I just want to go home, to see Valerie again, to hug her, and hear her say it's going to be okay...

She wouldn't even look at me though, not after she sees me.  She'd probably scream and run, wouldn't even recognize the monster that used to be her boyfriend...

Why can't I wake up from this living nightmare?

I just want to go home... I don't want to hurt anyone...

Princess Luna opened her eyes, gasping for breath.  She had the imprint, though what she had learned from it had been far more important than the imprint itself.

There was no doubt in her mind that this creature was sapient and highly intelligent.  She was also sure that the creature would never hurt another sapient if he could have helped it.

However, she was also sure that the creature hadn't always been given a choice in the matter.

“Captain, are you ready?” Luna asked as she rose from her seat.

“Yes, Your Highness,” Captain Seeker replied, saluting sharply.

“Then meet me outside and gather your troops, we have a lost soul to find,” she said grimly.

Chapter II

Written Script pranced a little as he came out of the restaurant, humming to himself as he did so.  That went a lot smoother then I expected! he thought as he briskly trotted down the road.  Now all I have to do is get flowers delivered, and I'll be set for tonight!

Script honestly wanted this evening to be as special as the mare he had married.  It had been two years now, but he still felt like a newlywed, especially whenever he saw her smiling face.

As that thought crossed his mind, others soon followed.  Memories of her working in her garden, of how her mane seemed to glow in Celestia's sunlight, when they first met, all swirling in the happy stallion's brain.  That's why he wanted today to be special, surprising even!

It's also why he had pretended to forget their special day.

Written Script had the whole day planned out to the smallest detail:  He would pretend to forget about today, let her think he was a forgetful plothole, while in the meantime, he got everything prepared for their big night.  (After all, how is it a surprise if she knew it was coming?)   After she had had some time to stew over his (apparent) lack of brains, he would have his best friend Caramel deliver the roses along with the note, surprising her in the process.  If everything went as he expected it to, she would have the best night of her li-

Written Script's plotting was interrupted, however, when he heard a sound that made his blood run cold.  It was a long, drawn out howl that was louder and more terrifying than anything he had ever heard before.  It sounded similar to a wolf's, but only if this wolf was capable of making a screeching, ear shattering scream that overlapped its usual howl.

The direction of the howl, however, was a bit odd.  Instead of coming from the Everfree Forest like he expected it to, it instead seemed to be coming from the direction of White Tail Woods, a place that everypony knew was completely safe.

Written Script's heart just about stopped at that point.  He knew that Carrot Top liked to roam those woods when she was feeling upset or needed to think something through, and he had left her very, very upset this morning.  Even as the ponies around him started screaming and running away, his brain instantly jumped to the worst-case scenario, and he started to run in the direction of White Tail, hoping against hope that he was wrong about what had happened...

* * *

I crept up to the town as silently as I could manage, fully aware of how exposed I was.  I tried to keep a low profile, but it was hard, seeing how there was absolutely no cover between the forest and the town.  It was also in the mid-afternoon, so I didn't exactly have the cover of night to protect me.  Not to mention that I pretty much stood out like a sore thumb in the looks department, or the fact that I was carrying what looked like a dead body.

Other than that, I felt sneaky, all things considered.  Kinda like an alien ninja.

Lucky for me, however, it didn't seem like very many ponies came this way, or even looked in this direction.  That being said, I was able to get fairly close without being seen.  And by fairly close, I mean that I reached the halfway point between the town and the forest that I had called my home for the past six months.  Honestly, I felt like this was a little too close, especially after watching that blue pegasus break the sound barrier everyday.  After making sure no one was around, I carefully laid the poor mare on the road, satisfied with a job well done.  There!  She should be safe here, now all I need to do is... I thought, but trailed off as I saw the fatal flaw in my plan.

She was covered in blood.

Don't look at me like that!  I didn't lay a claw on her!  It just so happened that I had completely forgotten that I had just recently killed a wild pig.  Naturally, as an extension to this boneheaded forgetfulness, I had also forgotten to clean up before I had taken her back to town.  As a consequence to my thoughtless action, she now looked like she had just stepped out of a slaughterhouse.

Now, I wasn't really sure how things went down around here, but back home, when someone showed up in town looking like a mass murderer, it usually meant jail time at the very least.  Sure it was only pig's blood, but I've been watching this town for a while.  Despite the whole magic thing, I was fairly certain that they didn't have the level of technology required to perform a blood analysis, much less a proper forensic analysis.  As I thought about that, memories of history class came to mind where people would get stoned or burned at the stake for simply being different.

Imagine what they would do if they thought you were a murderer.

I wasn't certain that these people would react like my ancestors would, but being this close to town was making me jumpy.  Plus, I was already a fairly paranoid individual even before the alien abduction, so it wasn't too surprising that my mind was jumping to conclusions this quickly.

However, I was still me, despite my paranoid frame of mind, and I had a nasty habit of putting other's needs before my own.  Honestly, I had enough weighing down my conscience, so I didn't need “send an innocent to the hangman's noose” added to the list.  So, being the glutton for punishment that I was, I decided to err on the side of caution.  Caution for her, not me, in case I was unclear about that.

True, this would mean more pain for me, but I was already hosed as it was in the pain department.  No sense in spreading that pain around, if I could help it.

I gulped nervously as I stood up to my full hight, acutely aware of how stupid this idea was.  I then threw my head back, and let out the most blood-curdling shriek I have ever heard in my life.  Seriously, up until this point, I haven't had much of an opportunity to scream all that much.  Usually I would just quietly weep like a pan- I mean, shed manly tears of awesome over an amazing life lost.  Because of this, I ended up scaring the crap outa-I mean, startling myself at how freaking manly my voice was.

Almost immediately, I could hear the shouts and cries of alarm.  I waited a fraction of a second longer, just to ensure that some of the flying ones had seen me, then bolted for the relative safety of the forest.  I just hoped that that blue pony wasn't looking this way, otherwise I would have had zero chance to reach my cave before she caught me.

Hey, I might be fast enough to catch a wild pig, but I had no illusions as to which one of us would win a race.

* * *

Written Script barreled around the corner just in time to see something bizarre turn and bolt towards the forest.  The small amount that he could see from this distance made him think it was some kind of white, tailless dragon.  Most ponies probably would have paused upon seeing something like this, but Written Script's mind was too busy worrying about Carrot Top to even consider the danger to himself.

As he started to accelerate, Written slowly became aware of an orange form lying on the road in front of him.  He faltered for a second, then redoubled his speed.  “no...no, no, no, no, no,” he muttered under his breath as he quickly closed on his fallen wife.

About ten feet before he reached her, he froze in his tracks, unable to comprehend what he was seeing.  There was so much blood... just so much...  Quickly he dashed to her, his worst fears realized.  She's dead!  Some monster has come out of the woods and brutally murdered my wife!  She was-

She was breathing.

She was breathing!  Written Script quickly bent down, examining his wife for injury.  Other then a rather large bruise on the forehead, she seemed to be completely fine.  Sighing in relief, he gently cradled her head, blissfully unaware of all the activity around him.  “Thank Celestia...” he whispered into her blood-covered mane, not even caring that he was getting covered in the sticky substance.

After several seconds of this, he slowly became aware of somepony shaking his shoulder.  He looked up to see the face of the local weather manager, her face a mask of concern.   “Is she...?”

Written shook his head.  “No, she's fine.  Looks like all she got was a bump on the head, but she'll be fine,” he said, his relief palpable.

Rainbow Dash sighed at these words, though her expression was still one of worry.  “We should still probably get her to Ponyville Medical, just to make sure,” she said, letting her hoof fall to the ground.

Written nodded, tears of relief running down his face.  “Yeah...yeah...  What was that thing, anyway?” he asked in alarm as he slowly levitated Carrot Top to his back.

“...I don't know, but I betcha fifty bits Twilight might,” Rainbow said as she looked out towards the suddenly foreboding White Tail Woods.