P A R A N O R M A L

Chapters

Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five

Chapter One

Chapter 1:

The First Strike

“Aw, come on! Cheap shot!”

“Ha! Got ya again, Bee-Dee!” responded another player, his voice slightly distorted by his microphone.

“It was cheap, and you know it!” the pony responded. He reached over with an orange hoof to grab his drink, nearly tipping it over in the process. Unfortunately, some did spill over, the puddle dangerously approaching his keyboard. “Gah! Oh, not again!”

Another voice came over the pony’s headphones, distinctly female and giggling under her breath. “Ol’ Default miss again?”

“Oh shuddup, Queenie,” he groaned, grabbing an old rag from the side of his desk to clean up the puddle. He squinted in the dim light from his computer screen to make sure he got everything. The light switch would have been too far to get to being that it was on the opposite side of the darkened room he was in; and the moonless sky that night was of no help to him either. “It’s times like this I wish Luna would put brighter stars out at night.”

“Quit whining and let’s get back to the game!” Another male voice, but more effeminate than his co-players.

“Calm down, Rear. We can’t have our healer get his keyboard shorted out,” the other male reasoned.

“Nice to know you care so much, Backbone,” Default said with a roll of his eyes. He finished wiping up the spill and took a big gulp of his juice, tossing the can in the nearby trash bin. He wiped away some sweat from his brow and gently pushed away from his computer desk. “Just a sec, gals,” he said over the microphone. “It’s getting super stuffy in here. Gonna open the window.”

“Alright, but hurry up! Next round starts in a few seconds,” Rear was kind enough to remind him.

With a roll of his eyes, he stood from his comfy gaming chair. He stretched his legs, wiggling the stubborn back-right that had fallen asleep, and followed by flexing his wings to loosen them up. Tight wings were not good for pegasi, as it usually led to accidents and a lot of pain. He moved without haste to the window and pushed it wide open, taking a deep breath as the cool night air washed over his face and blowing back his deep brown mane. He released the breath and headed back to his chair.

“Alright, I’m back,” Default said, placing his headset back on. “Let’s get this on!”

“Sure leaving the window open is a good idea, Brave?” Queenie asked.

“Oh please, girl. Ponyville isn’t like Manehattan where your neighbor could break in the moment you forget to close the door all the way. Worst that could happen is a bird flies in; I mean really. Nothing could possibly go wrong.”

“A bee could fly in,” Rear pointed out.

“Very funny,” he replied.

As the stallion focused his attention back on the game at hoof, his words had begun to haunt him already. It had been watching for hours, lying in wait for its prime chance. With its prey’s mind on his entertainment, it moved beyond pony comprehension. There was no sound, no burst of the wind, no anything. It was gone... then was where it needed to be. It had reached the window sill, it’s prey directly in its sight. A hairless, leathery claw grasping the sill. There, it moved for its prey.

Brave pumped his hoof as the explosion went off, taking out the other team on screen. “Yes! Ha ha! Got it that time!”

“I socall haxx!” Rear whined over the speakers.

“Not that time!” Backbone confirmed, his voice defining an obvious smirk.

“Let’s stop for a moment, please? My hooves are starting to ache from all the typing.”

“Sure, Queen. Could use a good break myself. It’s not good to be on these things for so long after all,” Brave said with a nod.

“I’m down for a breather. Let’s switch to video chat.”

“Pulling it up now, Be-be.” His hooves tapped a few of the keys, the game screen shrinking as three little boxes appeared. Each box was marked with a name, matching an image to the voices. Queen appeared to be a jet black unicorn mare with luscious locks of violet hair for a mane, soft green eyes training on Brave. Backbone appeared true to his name sake, being a rather buff silver, earth pony stallion, his blonde mane cut incredibly short and fierce blue eyes. Their last compatriot, Rear, was a slimmer stallion than both males; his sky blue-coated frame similar to Queen’s, along with his long, dark-blue mane draping over his horn and half of his face; anypony who didn’t know him would no doubt have mistaken the stallion for a mare. “So what did you think of Lunawatch?”

“It was amazing!” Queen gushed.

“I had a lot of fun,” Backbone replied with a shrug.

“I think I’ll stick with Team Castle 2. It suits my style and ability better,” Rear replied, running a hoof through his mane.

Brave couldn’t help the eye roll if he tried. “You’re just saying that because you don’t like the colors.”

“So what? Aesthetics of a game are just as important as the gameplay itself.”

Queen coughed, quickly muttering, “Sore loser,” before coughing again.

“I am not!”

Brave chuckled as Queen and Rear continued their back and forth, his eyes slowly falling to Backbone who was staring at him with narrowed eyes. He was content to leave it alone, despite the stallion continuing to stare at him. The question burning in him was about to be spoken before he recognized Rear saying his name. “Huh? What? I miss something?”

“Huh?” Rear said, giving Brave a funny look for a moment. “Oh no, not you, game-boy. The actual game; we were talking about Bravely Defaultfor a moment. Queen and I have been talking about doing a stream of it. Hey! You should be in it!”

The stallion groaned, letting his face fall flat on the desk. “Oh come on,” he groaned out.

Queen tittered on screen. “Oh leave Bravely alone. You know he hates how much ponies nag on him about the name.”

“I had it first!” he declared, lifting his muzzle off the desk. “I should get royalties or something!”

“Uh huh. Suuuure, Brave. That would totally happen.”

“You’re dead to me, Rear,” he responded with a deadpan expression. He glanced at Backbone again and saw he was still staring at him with those eyes. “Okay Be-be, what the tartarus are you staring at? You’ve been giving me that look for the past five minutes!”

“Brave,” Backbone responded slowly, “are you trying cosplay again?”

“Uh, no,” he said with a shake of his head. “You remember what happened last time; why would I want to repeat that? It’s obvious I can’t make a costume worth my life. Why do would you even ask that?”

“You guys see it too, right?” the earth pony said, seemingly ignoring his friend’s questioning. Queen and Rear mirrored Backbone’s expression, looking deeper into the screen.

“Oh yeah, I see it. You don’t have to keep it a secret from us, Default,” Rear said, pulling back to adjust his mane. “It’s not a shame to be so interested in cosplay.”

Brave groaned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about! Queenie, you were there at the convention. Please tell them that there’s no way I’d ever cosplay again.” He expected an immediate response as his friend was prone to do, but she was oddly quiet. “Queen?”

Glancing at her video box, he could see that her muzzle was much paler than normal, her eyes wide as if she was utterly terrified. “B-b-brave? You-you have a doorway right next to your desk, r-right?”

“Uh yea, why?” Brave was starting to wonder what exactly his friends were staring at. He was tempted to turn around, but Queen spoke up quickly after he answered.

“Get up and run. Run fast and run far.”

“Huh? What-why? What are you guys talking about?”

“Oh Queen, stop being so dramat-” Rear tried to say before Queen shouted through screen.

“BRAVE, RUN NOW! GET OUT OF THAT HOUSE!”

He was completely taken off guard by the sudden shout that he screamed in shock and yanked off his headset, causing it to crash onto the desk, Queen’s voice continually screaming at him to run.

“What was that for‽” he screeched, glaring at the screen. Then he stopped, something tickling his ear. Without his headphones on, he could distinctly hear it now. It was soft and low, repeating every moment as the pony’s heartbeat began to accelerate. He recognized the sound as a slower version of what he was doing then: breathing.

Brave now knew why Queen had been telling him to run.

He was no longer alone.

The pegasus’ head slowly began to turn around, the other occupant coming into his view piece by piece. The dim light of the computer barely illuminated enough to be seen, but what Brave could see, caused his breathing to quicken even more. The light had reflected off teeth and claws, fair sharper than should be possible.

Brave was staring at a creature from out of the worst possible nightmare.

Only, this was no nightmare.

It was real.

All too real.

And that realness was proved as its claws swiped down on its prey.

“BRAVE!”

Chapter Two

Chapter 2:

Discovering Yourself

Red and blue lights flashed through the relatively quiet neighborhood. Ponies in uniform combed over the entire area of the simple, wooden building. Medical ponies worked diligently and carefully as they carried a body bag out of the house on their stretcher. Gently, they lifted it into the back the ambulance carriage, the paramedics joining in the back as it sped off for the police station.

One officer watched the carriage go before turning to look at the stallion shivering from underneath a police blanket just outside his own home. In all her years of service, Quiet Patrol had never experienced a case like this. Whatever that… thing was that the paramedics dragged off, it had nearly killed a pony on her watch. She wasn’t going to let something like that happen twice. Adjusting the brim of her cap, the unicorn walked over to the victim, noting he was on his haunches and using his forelegs to keep the blanket covering most of him.

‘He’s still a kid, Quiet. Go easy on him,’ she thought to herself as she stopped next to him and took a seat there on the cold ground, the evening dew soaking into her fur. “Some night, huh?” she said simply, glancing at the stallion before watching her officers do their jobs around them. The vic only nodded, adjusting the blanket slightly. “What’s your name?”

The pegasus let out a shuddered breath. “B-bravely. Bravely Default.”

“Neat name, kid. I’m Detective Patrol, call me Quiet.” Brave nodded as the officer looked at him. “Can you tell me what happened? If we’re going to do all that we can, every bit of information helps.”

“W-well…” he stammered a bit before swallowing hard. “I, I was just having an late night gaming session with some friends-”

“Was it one of those friends that called the PPD?” she interrupted.

Brave nodded. “Y-yeah, I think it was Queenie. If-if it hadn’t been for her, I think I’d be a goner. She told me to run…” he mirthlessly laughed, shaking his head. “I should have listened instead of questioning it.”

“So she told you to run, but you didn’t,” Quiet summed up, “What happened next?”

“When she screamed at me, I yanked my headphones off and almost immediately I could hear someone, something breathing. I turned around and… dear Celestia it was hideous! It had no fur and its skin was all pale and wrinkly. B-but it had these long forearms with claws sharper than anything I’ve ever seen, except for its teeth. They looked sharp enough to cut a knife to pieces. And then…” he trailed off, shuddering.

“Then it attacked,” she filled in, getting a nod out of Brave. “Tell me, what happened when it struck at you? Did you run; attack it? Because, if I’m being honest, you should be the one we carried out of that house.”

“I… I don’t know,” he admitted, looking at the ground as slowly shook his head.

“You don’t know?”

“It’s all a blur. It was about to eat me one moment-”

“How did you know it was going to eat you?”

“I could just… feel it, I guess? I know that doesn’t make much sense, but it didn’t feel like it was just there to kill me; it saw me as food. Like I was gonna say, one moment it was gonna eat me and then the next its at my hooves, completely unmoving. I really don’t know what happened, I swear.”

Quiet nodded, getting back on all fours. “That’s all I need for now. We’ll be in touch if we need anything else. Do you have some place you can stay until we’ve finished examining the crime scene?”

Brave was in the process of shaking his head when a feminine gasp could be heard moving towards them. He looked over and blinked at the pale yellow, earth pony mare coming over to him. Even in the dim light of the night, he could clearly make out the swirly, cobalt-blue and fuschia maned pony. “Ms. Bon Bon?”

“She a friend of yours?” Quiet asked.

“Seasonal employer,” Bon Bon answered for him. “Bravely helps in my candy shop during some of the busier holidays.” She leaned to look at the house before back at the pair. “What happened here?”

“Monster attack,” the detective answered simply.

Bon Bon gasped, putting a hoof to her mouth. “Oh my Celestia, Bravely are you ok?”

He nodded, though Quiet was the one to speak. “He’s got a few bruises and probably good shock to his psyche, but the medics said he’ll recover. Can’t say the same for the creature, though; thing’s deader than a doorknob.”

Brave noted that Bon Bon seemed more surprised than she should have, but figured it was simply due to the extraordinary situation. “What kind of a monster? And how did it die?”

“We’re not entirely sure, but it’s not pretty to look at it. Paramedics said it’s neck was snapped entirely in two. Was probably gone before even hit the ground. Whatever did it though, I’d put on the force in a heartbeat. Anyway, you wouldn’t happen to know someone who could put up the kid here, would you?”

“I’m twenty-four, you know,” Brave muttered under his breath with a slight deadpan.

“Oh certainly. I have a spare room at my apartment that we could put him up for a nights.”

“Um, how many nights are we talking here, exactly?” Brave asked, looking between the two mares that were deciding his life for him.

“Only a couple days. Just need to collect a few bits of evidence to see if we can piece together what happened. After that, you should be able to return to your home with full confidence.”

“Oh thank the princesses,” he muttered.

Bon Bon pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at Bravely. “I don’t have to hire you this season, you know.” Brave gulped as Bon Bon’s expression softened upon looking at the detective. “I’ll make sure he gets settled in until you’ve completed your investigation officer,” she turned around, motioning with her head for Brave to stand. “Come on. Let’s get you out of the cold and you can sleep this night away.”

“Um,” Bravely looked between Bon Bon, Quiet, and his own home before sighing and standing up. Using his wings, he shifted the blanket off and hoofed it off to the detective. “Thanks, officer.” Falling in step behind his new landmare, they trotted off into the night.

Quiet chuckled silently as she walked back to the front of the house, looking at it with a wary eye. She stopped in her tracks, however, as a question began to nag at her brain. “Now, just what was she doing out here this late?” she asked the open air, her fellow officers continuing to tape off the area.

* * * * * * * * * *

“Woah-ho! That’s incredible!”

Brave had to cover his ear from the high pitched shout of the mare across from him. After the sleepless night from before, it wasn’t welcome for Bon Bon’s roommate/best friend to be screeching at him so early. He glanced back at the mint green, unicorn mare staring at him with those wide, golden eyes. He’d always known Lyra Heartstrings to be rather energetic, but even this early was too much for him.

“That’s not quite the word I’d use for it,” he drolly replied.

“He’s right, Lyra,” Bon Bon scolded, waggling the spoon of her cereal at her best friend. “Bravely could have been killed.”

“Oh,” she said, her silvery, green mane drooping with her emotions as she put that puzzle piece into place. “Yeah, I guess that’s isn’t something to be so ecstatic over. Sorry.” She rubbed the back of her head with a forehoof, looking sheepish over her former outburst.

Bravely shrugged, taking another bite of his oats and raisins cereal. He swallowed before saying, “It’s no big deal, I guess. At least I survived, right? I’m kind of worried over what could be said about the others that creature met before last night.”

“Oooh, you think that could have caused those missing ponies over the past month?” Lyra asked, not bothering to swallow her bite before speaking.

“I wouldn’t go jumping to conclusions just yet,” Bon Bon warned. “Let’s let the police do their job; I’m sure they’ll release a statement once this hits the news.”

“Oh Celestia,” Brave groaned, holding a hoof to his head. “I’d completely forgotten about possible press coverage. I don’t wanna be in the news for almost being eaten!”

“Better than being in the paper for being eaten.”

“Thank you, Lyra,” Bon Bon deadpanned.

Lyra chuckled sheepishly, quickly resuming her breakfast like the others. The remainder of the meal lay in silence until Lyra finished and started cleaning the dishes. Bon Bon finished almost a moment afterwards, looking at Brave as he ate. Her eyes wandered all over him when he wasn’t looking, taking in every little detail. She noted the bedhead he never bothered to fix, his mane almost always unkempt like his short tail. He’d asked him some time ago why he kept his mane longer and his tail shorter, only to get a reply that it “felt natural” to him. She glanced at his wings, seeing how little they were used as Bravely had always been considered more comfortable on the ground, though he always seemed to be hiding something when he was asking about it. She focused on his hooves the most, her eyes narrowing as she noticed something… off about them.

Bon Bon opened her mouth to say something, but another decided to speak first.

“Oh shoot!” Lyra grumbled loudly, looking in the refrigerator. “We’re all out of milk and eggs.” She sighed, closing the door. “I was gonna make egg salad for lunch today.”

Taking the opportunity, Bon Bon spoke, “Well, why don’t you make a quick run to the market, Lyra? I’m not gonna open the shop until later today anyway.”

“You sure?”

The earth pony nodded. “Bravely and I will be fine for an hour without your happy company.” She gave her roommate a playful smirk, her eyes closed. “Can’t go without your egg salad after all.”

Lyra rolled her eyes, levitating her purse over to her with her golden magic and draping it over her neck. “Oh really? Is that why you’re always putting hot sauce on it?”

“Oh come on! I just like it hotter is all.”

Lyra giggled as she trotted out the door. “Be back soon~,” she singsonged before closing the door and walking off into town, leaving Bravely and Bon Bon home alone.

Bravely tapped his hooves on the table for a moment, having finished his breakfast just before Lyra decided to leave. “Sooo…,” he drawled out, “You wouldn’t happen to have a computer, would you? I’d like to let my friends know I’m alright.”

“Oh sure,” she nodded, pointing into the den off to the side of the open living room. “Right in there. Don’t have any of those ‘webcam’ things, though, so you’ll have to do with ‘chat rooms’ or whatever you technogeeks call it.”

Brave rolled his eyes, standing up from the kitchen chair. “Thanks, Ms. Bon Bon.”

“Just Bon Bon, Brave. You don’t have to be formal with me when we’re off the clock.”

“Oh, ok. Thanks Bon,” he cheekily grinned, heading into the den and getting to work on setting up his chat room.

Bon Bon stayed sitting at the kitchen table, sipping at her coffee; black, like always. She sat there for several minutes as the clacking of her computer keyboard became the only sound in the house. After nearly thirty minutes, she finally stood and moved to the kitchen drawers and removed a certain implement.

Without a sound, she crept to the den. Practiced precision kept even the tiniest clop of her hooves from ringing out as she edged ever closer to her target. His back was to her, completely engrossed in the textual talk on her computer. There was no possible way to see her from his position…

Nor the knife she held curled in her fetlock.

She balanced herself on two legs behind Brave, keeping her target blissfully unaware.

Two steps away.

One step.

She was right on top of him. Without a single emotion in her eyes, she swung the knife down towards the top Bravely’s head.

Said head shot up instantly as his body reacted, shoving himself and the chair back from the desk and into Bon Bon. She grunted as the wind was knocked from her and landing on rump.

Bravely spun in the chair just as Bon Bon jumped back to her hooves, gripping the blade before stabbing at her target.

It never reached.

In a sudden, and surprising movement, Bravely’s rear leg shot forward in front flip that kicked the knife out of Bon Bon’s grip and embedded it in the ceiling above them. He landed deftly on his rear legs before catching a jab from Bon Bon’s forehoof.

With quick skill, she wrenched her hoof out of his grip as she spun to strike him with the other hoof. Bravely moved his own hoof horizontally in front of his face, blocking the blow.

Bon Bon was far from finished, however. She spun again in the opposite direction, her hooves flying in a flurry of movements, each one just barely blocked by Bravely. Only for a quick jab to his barrel to push him back against the desk and his rear drop to the floor.

His attacker leapt high into the air, grabbing the knife and using it to pull herself to be standing on the ceiling. With a shove of her rear legs, she wrenched the knife out of the ceiling and once again brought it down on Bravely…

Who clapped both hooves to the blade, keeping it from taking from his life.

Bon Bon pressed down, her emotionless eyes looking down at Brave’s empty grey eyes. She saw no emotion in them, only action and resolve. She smirked before letting up and pulling back from Bravely, putting a good distance between the two as she watched him. She noted his body panting hard as light and emotion returned to normal, staring back at her in shock and fear.

“B-bon Bon,” he breathed. “Wh-what did I do wrong‽”

She took a deep breath, steadying her own heartbeat which had risen substantially from the brawl. She chucked the knife away, letting it clatter to the floor. “Had to confirm a suspicion.” She smiled cheekily at him. “You’ve got skills, rookie; more so than any beginning agent I’ve ever seen. I think you’re going to make a good addition to the agency.”

Bravely stared back at her, with only one word on his mind,

“WHAT‽”

Chapter Three

Chapter 3:

Welcome to the First Day

Of the Rest of Your Life

Silence reigned as Brave and Bon Bon sat at the kitchen table again. The mare took another healthy sip of her coffee as the stallion glared at the pony who just tried to stab him only minutes earlier.

“So,” she finally spoke up, opening her eyes to look at the young stallion, “I take it you have some questions?”

“Uh, yeah,” he said bitterly. “Let’s start with, ‘why in tartarus did you try to kill me’‽ Because I’m pretty sure that ranks pretty high on the list of ‘what the buckery’ is going on in my life right now!”

Bon Bon didn’t seemed phased in slightest by his outburst; or if she was, she did a good job of hiding it. “It was a test.”

“A test? A test‽ You call trying to kill me a test‽ What is wrong with you, mare‽”

“Nothing; and everything.” Brave groaned as she smirked at him. “Okay, listen, what I’m about to tell you is never to be repeated to another pony. No matter who they are or what they mean to you, you can never repeated what I’m about to tell you. And you have to promise it to me.”

“After you just tried to finish the monster’s job, I’m supposed to just suddenly make an oath or some crap to you? What kind of game are you playing here?”

Bon Bon’s gaze hardened at him, getting a slight shiver out of the stallion. “A dangerous one that has the lives of every pony you know and don’t at risk.”

Bravely blinked at her before his eyes widened. “Holy Luna, you’re not joking around.”

“No, I’m not. Now swear upon the River Styx you will never reveal what I’m about to tell you unless instructed otherwise.”

He gulped. Swearing on the River Styx was the only thing more powerful than a Pinkie Promise in Ponyville. The legendary river of the damned that ran through Tartarus itself and carried the souls of the living to the land of the dead; an oath on such ancient power carried a weight unlike any other. Swearing to the river was, in the most literal sense, betting your life on your ability to keep a secret.

With a shuddered breath, he rose his left hoof. “I swear...on the River Styx, that I shall never repeat what you will tell me to another pony.”

Bon Bon nodded, accepting his oath. She took another sip of her coffee as she laid back in her chair. “This isn’t going to be easy for you to understand, but bear with me here. Are you aware of particular urban legends?”

“You mean like ghost stories or creepypastas? What about them?”

Bon Bon looked to the ceiling as she spoke her next words. “They’re far more than stories. Each and every one of those legends are true; to some extent anyway.”

Brave blinked. Then blinked again. Then rubbed his eyes and ears. “I’m sorry, what? You’re telling me that the stories I’ve heard around the bonfire since I was foal… they’re all true? What kind of rotten candy are you trying to sell me here?”

“All stories have a basis in reality, Bravely. Even the ones that keep you up at night or make you fear what lies in the dark. That creature you experienced last night? That was one of them.”

“Wait, what‽ That thing was one of those ghost stories‽”

Bon Bon nodded, looking directly at him. “And you should be praying to the princesses that you’re even alive. That thing you killed? That was the Rake.”

“The Rake? Wait, hold up! I killed‽” Brave nearly shouted, the very idea sounding ridiculous.

“And just how else would that creature’s neck have been broken, hm? You were the only one else in that house.”

“W-well, uh, there could have been… no, um… uh…” He continued to try and think of something, anything that could fill in the blank better before he slumped back in his chair. “I killed it…”

“That you did, kid,” Bon Bon affirmed, taking another sip. “And it’s an amazing feat you did. The Rake is a creature even I never thought could be taken down. Yet, you did.”

“How do you know that’s what that was?”

“Simple, once you were asleep, I paid a little visit over to the police morgue and confirmed it myself. What’s odd, however, is that the Rake usually doesn’t attack out of the blue. There’s usually a lot of stalking before it goes after it’s prey.”

“Stalking? I never felt followed.”

“Oh, no,” Bon Bon waved off, chuckling a bit. “The Rake doesn’t stalk like a normal predator. No, they go far worse and haunt your dreams before finally revealing itself and, well, I can assume you know what happens.”

A lump formed in Brave’s through. “H-haunt my dreams?”

Bon Bon’s brow quirked up slightly. “Something you need to tell me?”

“W-well… for about the past week, I’ve been waking up in a cold sweat in the dead of the night. B-but not once could I remember what it was that kept waking me.”

Rubbing a hoof on her chin, Bon Bon hummed in thought. “Now that’s peculiar. The Rake always makes sure the prey know it exists before going for it. Never an exception.”

Brave wasn’t sure what to say to that, fiddling with his hooves a bit as Bon Bon got lost in thought. His own brain was running a kilometer a second, trying wrap his mind around what had occurred in less than twenty four hours. At least he could finally understand why Queen had told him to run; she recognized the creature. She’d always been one of those weirdos (at least to him) that enjoyed scaring themselves with urban legends and internet lores. Now, he was kicking himself for not paying her much mind when she went off on the newest creepypasta she found.

“I’ll have to report this to the higher ups,” Bon Bon said, bringing Brave out of his own musings.

“Higher ups?” he asked with a tilt of his head.

She nodded, swirling the remains of her coffee. “I mentioned an agency, no?” She didn’t wait for him to answer. “I’m a part of an organization that finds and eliminates these ‘creepypastas’ before they can harm too many innocent lives. And you have just been initiated.”

“Wait, what‽” He quickly figured that he’d be saying that a lot that day.

“That little test shows that you have the abilities needed to be in the agency. You were able to predict and counter my attack without even knowing I was going to attack. What do you remember?”

Brave blinked, thinking back to that moment. He’d been chatting with his friends, having let them know he was fine and that the creature was dead. Queen had been trying to grill him for what information he could recall when he felt a chill through the air. His senses suddenly told him to move or he’d be dead. The rest was all a blur until he was on the floor, out of breath and staring at his occasional employer holding a knife with a look of death. He recalled all this to Bon Bon who nodded in satisfaction.

“That blur you experienced? That was Hunter’s Instinct.”

“Hunter’s Instinct?”

“Mhm,” she said with a nod. “Hunter’s Instinct is a heightened form of your flight-or-fight response that allows your body to enter a state where it can respond and react to the danger at hoof. In both instances with the Rake and myself, you not only defended but also countered. You were able to knock away not only my knife but my strikes and it led to you doing the impossible in killing the Rake. I was actually quite impressed with the skill your beginner instincts allotted you.”

“Beginner?”

Bon Bon snorted, shaking her head. “Look kid, if I explain everything now, then it’s gonna be less impressive when I take you to HQ.”

“Oh… wait, what‽”

“You still have to learn the ropes, Bravely. Killing the Rake makes for a good resumé, but it’s not going to let you skip the training process.”

“Training?” he said, swallowing hard.

“Yup, and that’s only the tip of the iceberg-” Bon Bon stopped as her ear perked up. She heard the familiar sound of her front door downstairs opening. “Looks like Lyra is coming back. Remember your oath, kid.”

Bravely nodded feverishly and, just as Bon Bon said, Lyra came in through the apartment door, carrying a shopping bag in her magic. “I’m home~,” she singsonged again.

“Welcome back,” Bon Bon said with a smile, watching as Brave was looking fairly stoic now. She hid a smirk of approval. “Find everything you need?”

“Yeah, though sorry I was gone longer than I’d hoped,” Lyra said, putting away the groceries in the fridge. “The market was bustling today.”

“It’s buckball day,” Brave spoke up, getting both mares to look at him funny. “Ponyville’s buckball team is playing Manehattan today.”

“How do you know that?” Lyra asked.

“Just because I’m gaming nerd doesn’t mean I don’t keep up with sports. I like buckball just as much as the next gal.”

“Uh huh,” Lyra said sarcastically.

“It’s true!”

Bon Bon chuckled at the back-and-forth between the two, figuring she should stop it before it got too far. “Alright you two, that’s enough. Lyra, I’m going to be taking Bravely out for a bit.”

“Oooh, got a hot date,” she giggled while wiggling her eyebrows. “Didn’t know you were into the younger stallions.”

Both Bravely and Bon Bon’s faces turned a deep shade of red. “That’s is not what I meant in the slightest!” she screeched at Lyra who fell to the floor in a laughing fit. Bon Bon groaned as her roommate laughed herself silly, calming her own embarrassment. “As I was saying, we’re going down to the police station to see if there’s any new information on the attack last night.”

Lyra was finally able to calm her laughter and stand, still holding back a few chuckles. “Okay, just don’t stay out too late. I’ll be waiting up~”

Bon Bon grumbled as Lyra’s chortling renewed, Bravely still being the most embarrassed in the room. “Come on, kid. We got work to do.” She stood up with Bravely following out of the house, leaving Lyra to her own devices… and laughter.

Once they exited the house, Bravely noticed that Bon Bon almost immediately turned away from the direction of the police station and walked back behind her shop with him on her metaphorical heels. In back, he saw her go to a locked cellar door, though instead of unlocking it, she pulled on the left side and slid the entire door off and revealing a marble stairwell down into the ground.

“Come on, and pull it shut behind you,” she whispered, trotting on down.

Bravely debated for less than a moment before rushing after her, pulling the faux wood door back into place and hearing it seal shut. He gulped before trotting after Bon Bon, catching up to her rather quickly. In silence they walked down the electrically lighted stairwell, lasting for several moments before finding themselves in a far more peculiar place:

An underground train station.

“What in Equestria‽” he shouted, the sound echoing through the tunnel that extended into darkness.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” Bon Bon smirked. Screeching wheels echoed through the tunnel as a small, two mare car rolled into place on the tracks in front of them. Bravely stared at it for a moment as Bon Bon climbed in. “Get in, kid. We’re going for a ride.”

For what felt like the hundredth time that day, Bravely gulped as he got in the seat next to Bon Bon. He noticed a little bar in front of him and noted that Bon Bon had pulled the one in front of her down on her. Shrugging he did the same before it clicked in his brain what this reminded him of.

“Oh crud.”

Those were the only words he could utter as the car took off faster than it had arrived. Bravely screamed as they sped off into unknown darkness, Bon Bon unable to hold in her chuckle at the stallion’s foalish screeching.

The track twisted and turned in the darkness, and Bravely would swear for the rest of his life that there was at least one corkscrew in the track. On and on they sped forward until finally the car began to slow into another, identical station.

Bon Bon looked over and nearly burst into tears at seeing Brave’s main completely pulled back and his face stretched into a look of terror. “Alright newbie, shake it off!” She shoved him out of the car when the bars raised, causing him to land on his face and let her climb out as well. “You gonna get up?”

“Can’t I just stay here and pretend I’m dead?” he nearly pleaded.

“Huh unh. Not a chance.”

“Darn.” He pried his face off the flooring and shook his face to get his mane back in order before following Bon Bon up down yet another staircase. The rest of the walk was marred with silence, neither saying a single word before they came to plain, grey, steel door.

Bon Bon stopped in front of it and looked at Brave. “Here it is, kid.”

“Here’s what?” he asked, looking between her and the door.

She grinned. “The start of the rest of your life,” she opened the door, revealing the innards that blinded Bravely with the sudden light.

* * * * * * * * * *

Deep in the Ponyville Police Department, lay the relatively quiet morgue, run by the equally quiet Mortuary Science. The elder unicorn stallion’s job was rarely in use most days, considering the friendlier nature of Ponyville. Not that he ever enjoyed have to see a pony he no doubt had encountered on the streets of the town being pushed in and on to his autopsy table.

He wasn’t too proud to admit more than once he’d shed a tear over the corpses that had been through his laboratory.

Not on this day, however.

Oh no, not today.

He was ecstatic to be in his profession on a day like this. The officers had wheeled in a creature unlike any ever seen before for ponykind. The autopsy reports of such a being could have made his name known worldwide in the scientific community. Unfortunately, there was always paperwork; always keeping him from the more important aspects of his career.

After all night of tilling the endless stacks of paper, he finally found himself free to examine a new discovery. With a small skip in his middle-aged step, he moved over to the morgue lockers, tracking down which one the officers had placed the body in. He smiled upon finding the number and grabbed the handle to the drawer. With a magical pull, he opened the locker.

Mortuary would regret that decision for last few seconds of his life.

Chapter Four

Chapter 4:

Under the Moon’s Light

Brave stared in awe at all that was around him. Once the light had faded, he and Bon Bon had found themselves in an absolutely enormous office complex that seemed to have been combined with a laboratory of sorts. Ponies were bustling around, all wearing lab coats or suits, and were doing things Brave had only believed happened in video games. He saw ponies tinkering with machines and different sorts of weaponry; others that were poking and prodding strange substances, one of which tried to attack the scientist examining it; and even more were typing away at keyboards in front of a large map of Equestria with different points of light all over it.

“What is this place?” Bravely breathed, taking it all in as his head swiveling from side to side the whole time.

“Welcome to the E.P.P.I,” Bon Bon declared, though nowhere near loud enough to disturb the ponies at work. “The Equestrian Paranormal Protection Initiative. From here, we protect ponies all over the country, and even the world, from all of those creatures that go bump in the night.”

“This is, just… wow.”

Bon Bon chuckled as Brave continued to stare at every little thing that moved. She bumped him with her side and started walking further into the complex. “Come on, kid. Let’s get you introduced around here.”

Wordlessly, the pegasus stallion followed, overwhelmed by the sights. As they walked, the first question came to his mind. “Hey, um, Bon? Where even are we exactly?”

“Canterlot. The base of Canterlot Mountain to be exact.”

“Seriously‽” Bravely exclaimed, getting a few dirty looks shot at him from the workers. He lowered his head in embarrassment and rushed forward to catch up with Bon Bon. They continued walking down the halls, questions burning inside of his mind as they strolled. One especially focusing on the practically all-white paint job of the agency. Sure there was some bits of black like in the computer area, but practically everything else was white without a single spec of other color. He hoped he’d get a chance to ask.

Before Bravely could take his next step, something suddenly burned in the back of his head. He felt the blur before it even happened, there was a shout of his name nearby, but his wing reacted before anything else; it snapped out, causing to break and splinter as part of the projectile continued on. Using the momentum of his wing, Bravely spun his body onto his rear legs his left foreleg shot out and up, deflecting the projectile into the ceiling above.

Bravely blinked a few times as his senses realigned, looking down at himself to see he was standing like a biped, as well as the splintered remains of an arrow. He blinked at them before dropping back on to his hooves and looking up to see the arrow head glinting in the light of the bulb it was embedded next to. Looking down, his eyes landed on the technician holding a crossbow that had been inadvertently pointed at him. In a normal situation, Brave would have begun laying into the mare for nearly killing him, but the sheer surprise in his system overloaded his anger to the point he just stood there dumbly in the hallway.

A few moments dragged on in complete silence, prompting the stallion to look around to see nearly everypony staring at him, a few with their jaws slack. His head swiveled to look at Bon Bon who was looking between him and the pieces of the arrow. He cleared his throat a little and started to walk again.

“S-so… where we going again?”

Bon Bon shook herself out of her self-imposed stupor, regaining her aura of authority. “R-right, this way.” She turned back around, but stopped to look back at him with a deathly whisper, “don’t make eye contact with anyone.”

Bravely gulped, but didn’t disobey, quickly following after her. Keeping his eyes straight, he began to wonder why everypony seemed so surprised. After all, Bon had told him that anyone in the agency needed that Hunter’s Instinct, right? So why in Equestria would they be so surprised to see it action? There was also a feeling of familiarity that time with the blur of instinct. But for the life of him, he couldn’t pin it down to exactly what.

Nor could he shake the feeling of being watched, besides those of the workers around him.

Hearing a door open, Bravely refocused his mind on the task at hand, seeing Bon Bon walking into a room at the far end of the complex. She gestured for him to follow, complying in a matter of seconds. Inside was a typical employers’ office, complete with fancy, dark-wood desk, a set of three plush chairs in front of the desk, and a big, comfy, office chair on the other side of the desk. Even had a large bay window behind the chair. Though, that had Bravely pause; if they were underground then what could the window be for…

“Bravely!”

He winced as his ear was assaulted by Bon Bon’s shout, rubbing it while he once again focused on the present. “Ow, sorry, sorry. What did you say, Bon?”

The sound of chuckling caught his attention, looking over as the office chair swiveled around, revealing the last pony Bravely ever would have expected: Princess Luna.

The Princess Luna.

“Holy Luna,” he gasped-whispered, taking a small step back. “It’s Princess Luna”

“Perceptive for a new recruit,” her highness chuckled, her mirthful expression never once faltering. She turned to Bon Bon with the same look. “Welcome back, Agent Sweetie Drops. Your report from last night was quite the read across the agency. Even my sister sends her regards for the results.”

“Thank you, Luna. Of course, it all goes to his bucko here,” Bon said while motioning to Bravely, who was looking around. “What’s up, kid?”

He looked at her with questioning eyes. “Who’s Agent Sweetie Drops?”

Luna snorted, getting a deadpan glance from Bon Bon before looking back at him. “That would be me, Bravely. My real name is Sweetie Drops; Bon Bon is only a cover name.”

Bravely blinked a few times before dropping on to his haunches. “Everything I know is wrong!”

The princess broke out into giggles while Bon, er, Sweetie Drops slapped her forehoof to her face.

“I think I’m going to like this recruit,” Luna said through her chuckles. “Tell me, what is your name?”

“U-um, Bravely, your highness. Bravely Default.”

“Oh I just love that game!” Luna clapped with a big grin.

Bravely dropped his face to the floor with a loud groan. Next he spoke, his voice muffled by the white carpeting. “Even the princess! Come on!”

The princess of the night burst in roaring laughter, leaning back far in her chair with her mirth. Even Sweetie couldn’t hold in her chuckles. “Okay, kid. At attention. We may not be military, but respect for the princesses is still expected.”

Bravely sighed, lifting his head back up, though only so far as to bow before the princess. Luna smirked, nodding at him. “Rise, my little pony.” He did as asked, looking up at her. She could see much in those grey orbs of his; endless questions, a fiery soul, and… something more. Something Luna had thought she would not see in any pony that would pass through these walls. A small smile was hidden on her muzzle as she locked eyes on him. “All that you’ve seen today is only the beginning of a brand new life for you, Bravely Default. The road before you is dangerous, treacherous, and will fill you with pain and dread. But it will also bring light to the darkness that most ponies don’t even know is practically on top of them. You will be a protector hidden in the shadows that will keep everypony safe. What do you have to say?”

“I get a choice?” he asked, being the first time he was hearing of this.

Luna nodded. “Of course; this is not a position that should be forced on anypony, regardless of their skills. You are free to return to your life as before, of course all memory of this day will be wiped; we cannot risk this agency’s secrets after all. There’s plenty good you could do here; your instinct being very powerful from what I saw in the hall a few minutes ago. But, the choice is yours.”

‘The choice is mine’.

That thought continued to run constantly through his mind. Possibility after possibility clashed within his brain, many scenarios of horrible death from the claws of whatever other monsters were out there. He saw himself mutilated, scarred, eviscerated, mauled, and many, many other ways. Then the visions changed; he no longer saw himself in those positions. No, he saw other ponies. Ponies he knew, ponies he loved, ponies he sometimes only ever saw walking through Ponyville. His stomach churned more and more as he thought of the what-ifs and what-could-bes. He couldn’t tell which was worse…

Then he realized that he could.

Luna watched with her smile coming to vision as she saw the change come over Bravely. Those eyes that had been filled with fear had begun to harden, replacing all trepidation with determination. She already knew his answer before he spoke.

“If you’ll have me, your highness, I’d like to stay.”

“I had a feeling that’s what you would say,” Luna said with a visible grin. “Your training will begin shortly. For the moment, I must speak with Agent Drops in private. If you would excuse us, please?”

With a bow of his head, Brave exited out the door they’d entered previously, closing it shut behind him. Sweetie Drops turned to Luna, mirroring his smile. “Kid’s got heart, have to give him that.”

“Indeed he does. The kind of heart I just know I’ve seen before.” Luna glanced over at the earth mare and winked. “Same amount of skill, too.”

“I take it that’s what you wanted to speak to me about?”

Luna nodded. “Yes. His skill is… surprising.” Slowly, she stood from her chair on all fours, turning to the window where Sweetie eventually joined her. “His Hunter Instinct is more refined than any other we’ve ever encountered. Even yours needed much refining to get to this stage. His’ however, it’s almost…” She trailed off, looking out the window.

“I know what you’re thinking, your highness, but it’s just not possible. The Hunter is just a fable; a legend to inspire the troops.”

“You should know by now, Ms. Drops. Not all legends stay legends forever. Keep an eye on him; we may be in for a surprise from that young stallion.”

Sweetie Drops bowed to Luna. “Yes, your highness. I’d better get to it now before he gets another arrow shot at him.” The friends shared a good chuckle before the mare headed for the exit, stopping just before opening the door. “If, by chance, you’re right… what would it mean?”

Luna stood silent for a moment, looking into the glass before her. “Darker days are approaching, regardless if I’m right. If I am, then perhaps it means there’s a chance for light to shine through that darkness.”

A mirthless chuckle escaped from Sweetie. “Always cryptic, you and your sister really are alike.”

“Don’t let Celestia hear you say that. She’d never let me live it down.” Luna heard the agent bark out a small laugh before the door opened and closed, leaving her alone with her thoughts. “Let’s hope I am right. Then, we may just have a chance.”

Silence carried on, Luna simply gazing into the lake of molten earth outside her window.

* * * * * * * * * *

“Alright, rookie, let’s get you a basic run of the weapons available to you here at EPPI.” After their meeting with Princess Luna, Sweetie Drops led Bravely deeper into the complex to the training area. To Brave’s eyes, it appeared to be a much more simplistic school gymnasium, replacing all colors with a tiled, matte black from floor to ceiling. What amazed him even more was when Bon walked to the far wall and pressed in one of the tiles. A section of the wall suddenly popped out with a mechanical whir before sliding away to reveal several white shelves of different weapons.

“Woah,” Brave breathed, glancing over each selection, not knowing what to do with any of it. “That’s, um, that’s a lot.”

Sweetie grinned at him. “Don’t worry, kid. You don’t need to be great with everything. Ever agent has hers or his specialty, though a basic knowhow of each one doesn’t hurt for emergencies.”

“W-well, if you’re sure, Bon, er, I mean Sweetie, er, Drops, Agent, um…” Bravely stammered out, continuously trying speak, but failing to do so.

“Don’t worry, kid,” she rolled her eyes. “When it’s just us, you can call me Bon as always.”

“Oh thank Luna,” Brave sighed, letting out taking in a breath from constantly talking. “So, what’s first?”

“Most underrated weapon ever,” she replied, tossing a pair of polished, wooden sticks at him, strung together by a metal chain. Brave yelped, taking the nunchucks to his face and falling on to his back. Bon had a strained expression on her muzzle, staring at the stallion getting tangled up in nunchucks of all things. “This might take longer than I thought.”

Over the next few minutes, Bon had Brave run through several different weapons. Once he’d been untangled from the nunchucks, he was quick into keeping the rhythm of the weapon. However, he wasn’t quite able to keep it lasting for more than a few seconds at a time, often hitting his own head if he kept the sticks moving too fast.

The next to try was a long, wooden staff with grip wrappings around center of the shaft. Bon called it a bo staff and was quite skilled with the weapon before hoofing it over to Brave. In an attempt to mirror his trainer’s techniques with the weapon, he ended up tripping his own hooves with the weapon and falling flat on his face. He’d grumbled a bit and took to the air, showing a little more skill while performing without the worry of falling. What he did find that was while aerial allowed for better technique, it was limited as he had to worry about not striking his own wings while using the weapon.

They tried a couple variations on the staff, trying to discover if shorter versions worked better for Brave; sadly, none panned out well. They tried other weapons, including clubs, maces, and escrimas. Not a one seemed to fit Brave well enough for him to be completely comfortable with them. Though, he did happen upon a pattern with all the weapons.

“Hey Bon? Why is all of these weapons seem to be rather, well, merciful? There’s not blades or sharp edges on any of these; not a single sword or spear. Why is that?”

“You’ve got good eyes,” she remarked, putting back their most recent attempt. “A long time ago, swords, spears, and other blades were the norm for monster hunting. However, it turned out to be a metaphorical and literal double-edge sword. The monsters we face are strong, stronger than most earth ponies; as such, in a fight, the could easily overpower a weapon like a blade due the focus being solely on the blade not breaking against another blade back then. Some would even break the blades cleanly off or even inadvertently get a pony to be harmed from her own weapon. As such, the princess had made it that our weapons are initially non-lethal. A good hunter, though, can easily make one of these kill. Care for a demonstration?” she said with an evil-looking grin.

Bravely quickly waved his hooves. “No no no no, that’s not necessary!”

Bon burst out laughing in response to his vehement refusal. “Just kidding around a bit, kid. Lighten up a little, eh? We’ve got plenty of time to figure out what you’re comfortable with. Nothing’s going to interrupt us-”

“Agent Drops!” a pink pegasus mare dressed in a black tuxedo shouted upon bursting into the training area. “You’re needed at Operations!”

“I’m kind of in the middle of something right now, Bloom. Is it important?”

Bloom nodded feverishly. “We just got word from Ponyville. There’s been an attack at the police station you reported the Rake was delivered to.”

“What‽” she and Bravely exclaimed at the same time.

“I’m afraid so,” the agent nodded. “We don’t have any confirmation, but we think the Rake didn’t fully die and attacked when it regained consciousness.”

“Tell Ops I’ll be right there.” Order in hoof, Bloom saluted and ran back out the way she came in. Bon turned to Bravely with a grim look. “Kid, you couldn’t have known.”

“But I-”

“Don’t even start thinking down that path. Trust me, it will just eat you inside and that’s the last thing we need right now. I’ll get another agent to continue your training, but for now-”

“No,” he interrupted her this time, getting a surprised look in return. “I’m going with you.”

“You’re not ready-”

“I don’t care! This started with me and it’s going to end with me.”

Bon looked at Brave’s eyes, seeing that determination that Luna had witnessed earlier, caving in only moments later. “Alright. Just grab what feels right in your grasp from the shelf and let’s get up there for briefing.”

“Thanks, Bon. I’ll be right behind you.” Bon nodded, rushing ahead while Bravely quickly rushed over to the weapon shelves, glancing over each one as fast as he could. Everywhere he looked, nothing seemed right. Sweat poured from his brow as he felt the stress rising to quickly follow his superior. He clamped his eyes shut and just grabbed at the first thing he felt, stowing it on his back before rushing after Bon Bon.

‘I’m still not entirely sure what I’m getting into,’ he thought to himself as he ran. ‘For all I know this may be the stupidest decision of my life. But what was it Backbone always said? “Bravery and stupidity are the same thing; it’s the outcome that determines your label”. Let’s hope I can live up to that stupid name of mine.’

Chapter Five

Chapter 5:

An Unsettling Development

As Bon Bon and Bravely walked towards the Ponyville police station, they were not prepared for the sight they came across at their destination. The entire front entrance of the building had been blocked off by police tape, many ponies gathering around to catch a look.

Though, those that did regretted it instantly.

Bravely had to hold dearly on to his lunch at seeing the blood splattered steps, bits and pieces of flesh tossed about in abandon. He was thankful that the actual bodies had been bagged away already, paramedics loading them into the ambulance carriage. Bon Bon looked back at her trainee and nudged him softly. When he looked back at her, she motioned for him to follow, which he eagerly did to get away from the grisly scene.

The two ponies walked around the crowd at a fast pace, but kept low to avoid being noticed by any curious passersby. Cautiously, the entered the police station through a side door, closing the door gently behind them.

“How were you able to open that?” Bravely whispered as they moved through the halls. “The door had to be locked.”

Bon stopped at an intersection, looking around for any police walking about. She held up a little, silver key with a skull engraved on the end. “Skeleton key. The original, actually. Tracked it down years ago; it’s enchanted to unlock any door.”

“That has to be illegal.”

“Maybe,” she said, smirking back at him. “But not like anypony would believe it even existed.”

Bravely stopped, considering those words before nodding with a slightly scrunched face. “Yeah, point there.”

Silently, they continued through station, stopping any time they heard movement and waiting for the ponies to pass on by. After a few minutes, and overhearing a passing pair of officers, they found themselves entering the autopsy lab after the technicians had left. Though, even Bon had to fight to keep her stomach from churning at seeing the carnage.

Blood was everywhere in the morgue, densely concentrated around the spot where the body most likely had been. Pieces of flesh had been torn asunder to the sides, splattering the walls and even the ceiling.

“Oh Celestia,” Bravely whispered, trying not to gag. Even he could recognize some pieces of the pony that had been scattered, including the brain matter he nearly stepped on. “That… thing did this‽”

“Keep it down, kid; your voice and your lunch. And yes, it did.” Bon started looking around, searching for patterns in the splatters or anything else she could find useful.

“H-how?” he asked, unable to take his eyes off the central pool. “I thought they said its neck was broken.”

“I should have known better to think it would be that easy to kill the Rake,” Bon said with a shake of her head. “We wouldn’t have had such an issue with it if it could be killed by a beginner. Must have simply been in a healing state until it could get free again.” She took a general glance around the morgue. “Had we known, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.”

“You know,” spoke another voice, catching both of their attentions, “somehow, I knew I would see you two again.” Sergeant Quiet closed the door to the morgue behind her, looking at both intruders with broken gaze.

“Officer Patrol,” Bravely started, “we, uh, we can explain…”

She held up a hoof, looking far more tired than she had the night before. “Don’t. I don’t care who you really are or what you’re doing for. Just listening the past few minutes, I gathered plenty. And if you’re going after that foal of a bitch, then you’re not leaving me out.”

“Sergeant, this isn’t some rogue creature. It’s a monster of discordian proportions,” Bon tried to reason.

“I understand,” Quiet said, glancing at the gore before refocusing on Bon Bon. “But that thing killed my own ponies. I’m not going to sit back and let it kill again. So whether you like or not, you have my help.”

Bon Bon looked at the officer for several intense moments, her eyes looking into Quiet’s orbs. There was pain reflecting back, just as well as a fire that was burning hotter than the star above them in the heavens. She let out a hesitant sigh and nodded. “Alright, you’re in. But once the Rake is down, this is done and you won’t speak of it with anypony.”

Quiet nodded, her eyes practically glowing with determination. “So that’s what we’re dealing with? It’s called ‘the Rake’? Not the most inventive name.”

“That’s what it calls itself. It’s been loose for centuries, but we’ve never been able to catch it. Today, that changes,” Bon informed her. “Debrief time, officer. We need to know everything that happened here.”

The sergeant quickly went into an explanation. She went into detail on the medical examiner that had been the first victim, his screams drawing the attention of the entire station. The creature burst out of the morgue and went on a rampage, killing any officer that got in its direct path. Its razor claws had shredded each one, seeing them as nothing more than a nuisance. It broke through the police line at the front door and escaped towards the Everfree forest, leaving twenty officers dead with several more in critical condition.

“Dear Celestia,” Bravely breathed, trembling slightly. “This thing is absolutely brutal.”

“You have no idea, kid,” Bon Bon sighed, wiping away a small tear. “Since we know where it went, it means that’s exactly where we’re going after it.”

“Are you sure that’s the best idea?” Bravely asked. “The Rake will be in its element out there.”

“Kid has a point,” Quiet agreed. “There has to be someway we can draw it back out of the forest.”

Bon rubbed a hoof on her chin. “Maybe, but let’s get out of this place.” She glanced at the stained walls and floor. “This is place is starting to get too depressing.”

The other two agreed and made their way out of the morgue, heading down the halls of the police station again, taking a more direct route for the front. As they walked, Quiet started to list off possible ways to draw the Rake to them.

“... Normally I would suggest bait for a creature, but we can’t put anymore ponies at risk with this thing. Maybe we could use a fake prop at night to see if the Rake will go for it.”

Bon shook her head. “The Rake isn’t an animal; it’s intelligent and stalks it prey to make sure for a clean kill. Bravely is one of the few lucky ones.”

Once they left the building, Quiet stopped. “We should continue tonight. I can’t leave while an investigation is ongoing. They’ll need me on staff.”

Bon nodded in understanding. “Alright. We’ll meet up at my shop. There we can discuss what we’ll do nex-”

“BON! BON!” came the cry of a familiar minty unicorn who pushed her way through the crowd in front of the station. Before Bon could even react, Lyra tackled her to the ground, nearly shoving Bravely over as she rushed past.

“Lyra‽” Bon Bon said out of shock. “What’s wrong‽”

“What’s wrong?” she asked, pulling back and looking down at her roommate, showing tear streaks in her fur with puffy red eyes above them. “What’s wrong‽ I thought something had happened to you, that’s what’s wrong!”

Bravely blinked, gathering his wits back as he looked at the two friends. “Oh right, we were heading for the station earlier.”

“What the buck is that supposed to mean‽” Lyra screamed, instantly in Bravely’s now nervous face.

With him stammering, Bon Bon got back to her hooves and quickly came up with an answer. “Sorry for worrying you, Lyra. Really. But we decided to go out to lunch before coming here and got sidetracked. We only got here a little bit ago after everything happened. Sorry.”

Lyra sniffed, searching Bon Bon’s face, seeing only assurance. “Okay. I thought you had gone after that thing.” She pulled her friend into a hug again, Bon Bon returning it.

‘She knows‽’ Bravely screamed in his own mind, looking incredulously at Bon. He caught her gaze and she shook her head. “Wh-why would she go after that thing?” he asked, noting Quiet had stepped off to the side to talk with the paramedics, no doubt wondering what’s going on her with coworkers.

“O-oh, n-nothing!” Lyra quickly replied chuckling nervously. “Just an inside joke. So, hey! We should get out of here and back home. I think the police might be a little too busy to let you back into your house, Bravely, so we should properly set up the guest bedroom for an extended stay.” A smile on her face again, Lyra started walking back down the steps on the station, Bon Bon moving up next to Bravely.

She whispered into his ear, “She only knows I fight monsters. We can’t tell her anything more than that. It would put her in danger.”

Bravely made an ‘o’ with his mouth before nodding. “I get you, Bon. I make sure to keep stealthy.”

“That’s good. We don’t want to put anypony at risk-”

For the second time in less than ten minutes, Bon Bon as interrupted, but this time caused her pupils to shrink to pinpricks. An ear-shatter shriek that chilled everypony to the bone tore through the sky, all eyes turning to the roof of the station where a hideous beast crouched, gazing down at them.

A mare screamed at the top of her lungs as the rest of the ponies took off running. Bravely couldn’t take his eyes off of the monster, keeping him in place. It was terrifying to see it in his own room the night prior, but to now see it in the light of day, made it all the more horrifying. Its skin was grey and decayed looking, barely stretched over the bones of its bipedal form. It had no eyes, only twin black voids that one could stare into and see their worst nightmares come to life before them. Long, spindly arms stretched to elongated fingers that were more claw than skin, looking as long as a pony was tall.

Its maw opened wide, dripping with drool as the sunlight reflected deadly off monstrous, razor sharp teeth. With the crouched stance, it allowed sight for parts of its own spine to be seen protruding from its back, looking like they could skewer any unfortunate soul that tried to sneak up on the beast.

All this was made far more horrifying by the blood splattered along its teeth, claws, and skin.

The Rake had returned to Ponyville. And it looked hungry.

Bon Bon was the first to react, shouting at the officers, “Don’t just stand there! Get in the station and block the doors!”

The other ponies were hesitant, but Quiet understood and repeated the orders and urged her fellows back into the station. Though, once they were, she cast a lock spell on the doors, while she was still outside.

“I said to get in there!” Bon urged, not taking her eyes off the monster leering down at them.

“And I said I’m going to make that thing pay for what he did to my mares.” She moved next to Bon, standing at ready with her horn lit with green aura.

Bon groaned, pulling out a pair of brass shoes and placing them on her forehooves. “Fine, but keep to my word.” She turned to Lyra, her gaze showing no arguments, “Get out of here and take the kid with you.”

Lyra wanted to say otherwise, but she knew it would be pointless, grabbing Bravely’s left hoof with her golden magic and dragging him with her as she raced off down a nearby alley.

“H-hey wait! Don’t I get a say in this!” he shouted, unable to break free of the magic pulling him along.

“We have to leave it to Bon Bon! She knows what she’s doing!” Lyra urged, running as fast as her hooves could carry her.

The screech of the Rake echoed through the air again, causing Bravely to look back at where they had come from.

He wished he hadn’t.

Racing across the roofs after the pair was the Rake itself, its eyeless gaze boring into Bravely’s soul. It leaped from building to building like a decayed gorilla; using its claws to grab and leap to each roof with momentum building each time.

It would be on them in no time if Bravely didn’t do anything.

“Lyra! Let go of me!”

“Are you nuts‽” she shouted back, noticing the monster following them.

“We need to split off! It’ll throw the creature off!” he reasoned.

“But that means it’ll just go after one of us!”

“Take through the houses! It’ll throw the creature off and give us time to regroup!”

“W-well… alright!” Lyra finally agreed, releasing her magic to which Bravely instantly took to running, though nearly stumbled.

“On three, we split.” Lyra nodded and Bravely counted down. “Now!” she shouted as they hit an intersection, Lyra heading deeper into town while Bravely headed for the outskirts.

As he ran, Bravely kept an eye on the roofs, seeing if the Rake was following. He didn’t see hide nor claw of the creature on the rooftops. But not for the reason he had been hoping for.

The creature was now following directly behind him, fulfilling its duty as a predator after its prey.

The pegasus picked up his speed exponentially at that point, his fight-or-flight instinct telling him to ‘flight’ and fast. He contemplated taking to the air, but he had a feeling the beast wouldn’t let him, possibly even making his wings a larger target for those ever-approaching claws. Bravely wracked his mind for anything he could come up with, before remembering he had taken weapons with him!

With a smile on his face, he used his wings to pull one of the weapons out of his mane and held it in front of him.

That smile dropped instantly.

“A boomerang‽ I grabbed a freaking boomerang‽” Indeed, the angular shaped piece of wood in his wind was a simple looking boomerang. Nothing seemed special about it the slightest, other than the rather nice artwork of blowing wind along it. Bravely groaned, using his other wing to grab the second thing he had snagged, only to groan louder, pulling out a similar weapon, though with one that seemed to have rocks along its surface. “Another freaking boomerang‽ Seriously‽ Buck my life right now!”

“Bravely!” His head shot up and saw Bon Bon out in front of him near the end of the street leading to open fields. She was in a defensive stance, facing him and the oncoming Rake with a determined look. “When I say ‘move’, you get out of the way!”

Bravely nodded dumbly, picking up his pace as he neared her, the Rake nearing him in return. Moments flew by longer than reality should have been, Bravely writing his last will and testament in his own mind.

Then he heard the call.

“MOVE!”

Bravely dove to the side, the Rake none the wiser as it slammed into Bon Bon. Specifically slamming its face into her brass covered hoof. The Rake’s momentum caused it to hit the ground from the strike and slide on its back passed Bon, skidding through the dirt until it stopped.

Not even a second later, the Rake sprang to a sitting position and pushed itself out of the ground to gaze at Bon Bon then its head looked to Bravely who was panting as he kept himself against the last building in the street.

“Hey ugly!” Quiet shouted, getting the beast’s attention as it was blasted by a laser of magic. “That was for my sisters and brothers, you ugly bucker!”

The Rake only staggered slightly from the attack, screeching in response at Quiet and lunging for her. Bon Bon stepped in just in time, nailing her hoof into its lower jaw and pushing it back. It simply bent its head back to its proper position, ready to continue for its prey.

“Well, now we know how it got back up snapping its neck,” Quiet commented.

“Yeah, just mean we need to hit it hard enough that there’s no bones to fix.”

Bravely watched on as Bon Bon and Quiet fought against the Rake. He could see it from the start; the Rake was just toying with them. He was certain they knew that, but they wouldn’t give up. They’d put their lives on the line to keep that monster from hurting anypony else.

‘And what am I doing?’

Those words repeated themselves over and over again in his mind. When he agreed to working for the agency, he thought it would great to be able to protect ponies, but now in a life-or-death situation, he could barely move his legs he was so scared.

That’s what he was doing: standing there like a frightened foal. He was scared, not brave. He knew his name was a lie, but it continued to burn at him. He wanted to do something, anything to stop the Rake. He didn’t want all those police officers, that doctor, and every other pony the creature had ever killed to be for naught. The Rake needed to be stopped, but how could a scared colt like him be able to do something nopony ever could‽

A memory suddenly flashed through Brave’s mind. The moment when he received his cutie mark years ago. On his flank, the black question mark-shaped bolt of lightning began to slightly glow. The moment he rose to defend his friends against a group of bullies; they’d called him stupid for doing it, but his parents. They called him, brave. Because no matter what, he wouldn’t let others suffer when he could stop it. Something called to him and now it was time to answer.

His eyes filled with determination and he moved. Each step of his hoof carried him closer to the battle against the Rake; a likely suicide mission. In his mind, Bravely was screaming at himself that it was stupid. It was stupid! IT WAS STUPID!

“BUT IT NEEDS TO BE DONE!” he screamed, jumping into the air, clutching the boomerang with winds on it in his wing.

Bon Bon, Quiet, and even the Rake were stunned by his sudden charge and shout, Bon’s eyes widening as she saw his weapon beginning to hum and glow with a soft, green aura. Bravely shouted again, throwing the boomerang with all his might. The weapon wrapped with magical energy as soon as it left his hoof, humming loudly as razor sharp winds gathered around it, transforming the boomerang into a sawblade the shot at the Rake.

Only for the beast to move out of the way, the boomerang flying off into the distance. The Rake watched it for a moment before turning back to Bravely, only to have the pegasus’ hoof hit it right in nonexistent nose.

The Rake staggered back, and Bravely was quick to move, jumping to the ground before pushing off and slamming his own body into the Rake’s gut. Bon Bon was quick to follow up, leaping over Bravely thanks to Quiet’s quick use of a levitation spell, and striking the monster once again in the face The monster went flying heel over head before landing a few feet away.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t down for long.

It jumped back to its feet and was near instantly on Bravely before any of them could move. It screeched at him as it swiped its claws down on the pony.

A snap echoed through the fields as claw shards flew from the Rake, making it screech again, holding its now declawed hand. It looked at Bravely, holding his other boomerang above him in a defensive position, the weapon glowing with a soft copper color.

“Guess it wasn’t useless after all,” Bravely commented, his voice uncharacteristically cool and collected. “Fun fact about the boomerang, monster.” He smirked, hearing the approaching hum. “They always come back.”

In that instant, the wind boomerang returned, slicing direct through the Rake at angle through its torso. Blood splattered out from the wound just as Bravely caught the weapon from the air, returning it to its normal appearance.

The Rake was eerily silent as the top half of the creature slid from the body, minus its left arm and most of its left side. The best collapsed to the ground in two separate pieces, black blood pooling beneath the corpse.

“So… that’s what it bleeds,” Quiet commented, looking at the corpse.

Bon Bon, however, was staring at Bravely, noting his demeanor. “Kid, we’re gonna need a serious talk when we get back,” she said. Strangely, her voice wasn’t that of a superior, but more one of shock and befuddlement.

“I don’t think I mind, as long as I get to sit down,” Bravely said, falling back on his haunches as he dropped his boomerangs. “Maybe then you can explain to me what just happened.”

“Death.”

Bravely screeched as he backed away suddenly from the Rake. “It talked!”

The Rake’s head turned to look at the ponies, its body bleeding out profusely. It tried to reach for Bravely, trying to make one last attempt for his life. “Death is what has happened, mortal. You have angered us. Your kind has lived in the light too long. Light-dwellers will bath in darkness, blood, and death. You.. all.. will… perish… the world… will belong… to the Rake...kind!”

The Rake moved no more.

“Did… did it just say the Rake-kind?” Bravely blinked, his eyes wide as he stared at Bon Bon who was gaping at the corpse.

“ I think… I think we just stumbled on something far bigger than a simply creep,” she said, looking between Bravely and Quiet. “And I fear what it means for Equestria. And the world.”