Stone Vault

Twilight Sparkle and her friends were galloping frantically toward the edge of the Everfree Forest. The Cutie Mark Crusaders had apparently been playing near the edge of the woods when they heard something screaming deeper inside. Sweetie Belle said it sounded like a stallion in pain, but deeper, louder. Knowing what kind of dangers lurk in the those woods, the three fillies quickly went to go find their older sisters.

"What d' think it is Twilight?" Applejack called as she prepared her hog-tying rope.

"If it's somepony hurt, he have to help as soon as possible. Other than that, we don't have a whole lot to go on." she called back, "So everypony be careful, we don't know if it's a trap or not!"

"Puleeese Twilight, like anything out there can take all six of us on!" Rainbow shouted back, making punching motions in the air.

"I hope we're not too late..." Fluttershy murmured from the rear. As the girls broke through the outer layer of the woods, they heard a loud, guttural roar filled with pain and rage.

"That didn't sound like no stallion Ah've ever heard..." Applejack said, her voice tinged with apprehension. Running in the direction of the noise, the Elements of Harmony came to a small clearing.

"Oh... my" Fluttershy squeaked, on the verge of tears. In the clearing sat the dismembered bodies of no less that six timber wolves. They were hard to pick out amongst the various twigs and dead falls littering the area, but the smashed skulls gave them away.

"Stay close girls, whatever did this can't be too far away." Twilight commanded, apprehensive. As they slowly scanned the clearing for clues, Rarity stepped in something wet. Cringing, she lifted her hoof to see what sort of foul  muck dared to ruin her hooficure.

Blood.

It was blood.

Rarity let out an ear piercing shriek, startling everypony else.

"Gross gross gross!" She cried out, wiping her hoof frantically on the grass. Her micro panic attack having passed, she turned to address her stunned friends. "We have to hurry, somepony is seriously hurt out here!"

"Girrrrrls..." Pinkie Pie called from the other side of an old log, "I think I found it..." her voice uncharacteristically soft. Bounding over to her, Twilight noticed the almost imperceptible trail of blood leading up and over the log.

"Pinkie! How bad..." Twilight's words died in her throat as she slowly skidded to a stop. The rest of her friends slowly gathered around, each in a similar state of shock.

"What... what the hay is that?" Dash shook her head in disbelief.

"Oh my goodness!" Being the first to shake off her initial shock, Fluttershy quickly rushed over to tend to the injured creature. Laying on the ground in front of them, covered in cuts and bleeding heavily, was something they had never seen before.

It was very large, almost twice as long as they were tall. It had four limbs, the front two of wh[spoiler][/spoiler]ich ended in grasping appendages, similar to Spike's claws or a raccoon's paws. Oddest of all, it was wearing clothes. Shirt, pants, shoes on it's awkwardly shaped rear hooves, and a strangely reflective yellow vest. It was also mostly hairless, the only noticeable  patch growing in on the top of it's head.

"We have to get him back to my cottage, he's really hurt!" Fluttershy pleaded with the others, having finished applying several bandages.

"Him?" Twilight thought to herself, but decided not to question Fluttershy's expertise with animals. Lifting the unconscious beast in her magic, Twilight and the girls began to retreat back towards town. As they were leaving the clearing, Applejack turned back toward the trampled bodies of the timber wolves.

"Did that... thing do all this?" She shook her head, observing the carnage once more.

"C'mon slowpoke!" Dash shouted, punching Applejack on the shoulder. "You don't wanna be out here alone and in the dark!" AJ shot Rainbow a dirty look, to which she responded by giggling and hovering just out of reach.

Sweating under the oppressive heat of the noonday sun, Walter stabbed his shovel into the earth once again.

"Hurry up ladies!" The foreman yelled, "Unlike those cushy government jobs, I'm not paying you by the hour!" Walter grumbled to himself, he was fairly certain that was illegal, but since he was getting payed under the table anyway, it's not like he had room to complain. "Vault!" The foreman pointed one fat finger at Walter, "I see you daydreaming over there! Put your back into it, or I'm docking your pay!" Walter clenched his teeth, doing his best to not let his frustration show. He once again started digging.

Walter Stoneman, or 'Vault' to most people, an artefact of better days. Vault was an old nickname from high-school, but that was a story for another day. Right now, he just wanted to get the job over with and go home. At least the old couple they were working for were pleasant folks. Almost as if on cue, the couple came outside with refreshments for everyone. Waving to them, Vault accepted their offer of fresh ice tea. "Stone!" The foreman yells out again, "Did I say it was break time yet?"

Gritting his teeth again, "No sir, you didn't." Walter responds. He hated when the foreman shortened his last name, a reminder that the cheap asshole couldn't be bothered to get his whole name on his name tag. It read, 'Stone, Vault' like a listing in the phone book.

Or a prisoner dossier.

"I'm docking your pay for today." Vault could almost hear the smug grin adorning his pig like face. "Alright ladies, fifteen minutes!" It was going to be a very long day.

Walking home after a long day's work was never any fun, but Walter lived close enough to the labor pool that it was just more economical to walk. Two and a half miles just wasn't worth bus fare. Like he promised, the fat bastard had docked Walter's daily pay. By half the normal amount. It wasn't all bad, the elderly couple slipped him twenty dollars, having felt guilty for getting Vault in trouble. So today hadn't been a total loss, he had almost broken even thanks to their kindness.

"How did it ever come to this?" Walter sighed. He knew exactly why his life was in the toilet, but that didn’t make it an easier pill to swallow. Lost in his own thoughts, Vault didn't see the semi-truck blow through the red light. As he was walking across the street, Walter's head shot up only when the driver started jamming on the horn. Right before the metal missile impacted with his body, Walter only had time to utter a single word.

"Fuck."

And everything was blackness.