<><><> Celestia and Luna, Canterlot, Mountain trails <><><>

“You…. Have come a long way ....” Luna took a series of deep breaths, abandoning her attempt to speak in the moment, deciding getting air back into her burning lungs was more important.

Shortly laughing as she too heaved oxygen in and out of her burning lungs and thundering chest Celestia offered a smile, understanding Luna’s pain.

Stopped near the top of Canterlot mountain, at their makeshift finish line both sisters took a moment to get their breath back and wits about them, now very happy the air had the familiar cool bite of fall that aided in lowering their high body temperatures along with the thick layer of sweat that soaked their fur.

“You have made great progress sister.” Luna complimented once she had enough oxygen in her blood once again causing the tunnel vision to quickly subside.

“Thank you.” Celestia smiled, wanting to say more but unable to, still heaving air into her larger but less conditioned lungs.

Happy to stand silently as her sister recovered from their uphill sprint, Luna took the time to admire the environment around them, smiling as she watched squirrels and birds go to and fro, no doubt making preparations for the upcoming winter season. Stashing nuts in various caches and thickening nests.

Canterlot mountain was a truly beautiful place, its natural beauty had been one of the deciding factors, if not the deciding factor for why her sister had chosen it as the location for the new capital of Equestria after her… incident. Luna’s mood soured for a moment before she forced the painful thoughts from her mind.

While the forest, and surrounding nature, was stunning Luna found herself wishing there was more of it and less city. Not that the city was poorly built or hard on the eyes. It was clean and well maintained, there was no lack in public services, overall the city was very impressive. The only issue Luna had with the population center was that it was big. It was busy and very populated, as cities tended to be.

Canterlot was in massive contrast to the…. What would be called a town in modern standards, that surrounded their original castle. Luna wasn’t used to being so surrounded by the volume of ponies she found herself being in the middle of, it was yet another thing she found herself having to acclimate to.

“I’m glad you came with me Lulu. It can get rather boring alone.” Celestia smiled sweetly, her breath finally returned to her.

“O- Oh. Of course.” Luna quickly reciprocated a smile and looked away from where she realized she had been staring. A poor bunny looking right back at her obviously terrified. Apparently her face had been less neutral than she had thought.

Missing her sister’s hiccup in mood, Celestia took in a deep breath, not because she needed to, but to instead take in the scent of the fall air. It was so much fresher than what Canterlot propper could offer. “This is the first time I’ve actually done this circuit in the daylight. I usually do this portion of my exercise under your stars.”

“I knew I had been hearing you fly from your tower at night.” Luna smiled, connecting the dots, “I wondered what exactly you were getting up to,”

“Oh just running myself ragged until I can't breathe.” Celestia dismissed with a wave of her hoof, “Fun things like that.”

Thinking about the other changes she had observed in her sister’s behavior Luna had just one question for her elder sister, really more of a clarification if she were being honest. She just needed to word it in a way that wasn’t too accusational or harsh.

“I have, of course, noticed the dietary changes you made a couple of weeks ago and have continued to follow,” Luna began turning Celestia’s full attention away from the surrounding environment and onto her.
“And I know that you’ve been hard at this as well, but my question is why?”

“You know why Lula.” Celestia answered with a smirk not satisfying Luna in the slightest.

Frowning, Luna looked away for a few moments, “I do hope my jesting wasn’t the cause for all of this.”

“Well…” Celestia hesitated, thinking about how to word her response to avoid hurting her sister’s feeling, “I won’t lie, they were a small reason as to why, but your words didn’t wound me. I enjoy our banter, I always have and always will.”

“If you say so.” Luna sighed, unconvinced.

“I’m being truthful sister. I know you meant no offense, and even if you did I’m not so sensitive.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.” Celestia smiled.

“Well if my quips weren’t the reason what was?”

Sighing the white the alicorn looked up at the sky as a flock of geese flew over, honking all the while, “It was a combination of reasons, I truly hadn’t realized how out of shape I had become until we got into conflict alongside Hank in the forest-”

That was more along the lines of what Luna figured, with the mention of the human, but she still felt like what her sister was telling her wasn’t quite the whole truth.

“I found my performance to be…. Lacking, on multiple fronts that day.”

“We can sympathize with that sentiment.” Luna agreed as both sisters started walking side by side without a single mention, a testament of how in tune with each other both were.

“I felt nearly helpless the entire time. My magic was far weaker than it should’ve been. I was slow, clumsy, and tired. I… I even froze. I’ve never froze!”

Turning to face her sister it was clear by the expression on her face that she was deeply troubled by the last admission. Luna remembered that little event as well, and how Hank had to get her snapped out of it. But she did end up snapping out of it, “Don’t dwell on that too long sister. There are firsts for all of us, even as alicorns. When was the last time you even encountered combat?”

“Over five hundred years ago.” Celestia sighed.

“It is no wonder you locked up.” Luna couldn’t help but laugh, causing her sister to look at her unamused, “Five regular pony lifetimes and you’re surprised that you had an undesirable reaction.”

“You didn’t hesitate. Hank didn’t hesitate. He was up in the action in an instant. And so were you. Then there was me, stuck on the ground like a scared filly.”

Roughly groaning, Celestia turned and looked at her sister. Not expecting that to be her response.

“You must stop comparing yourself to Hank, and even comparing yourself to me.” Luna shook her head, “It is pointless and I’m tired of hearing about it.”

“How can I not?”

“Because you are not me, or him. You are you. Different reactions are to be expected.”

“Still neither of you-”

“I did lock up.” Luna cut Celestia off, meeting her sister's eyes and causing the pair to cease in their slow walk and stand still.

“One jumped out at me when I didn’t expect it, my sword got stuck in its neck and it kept pushing towards me. I was completely stunned and unable to help myself until Hank finished off the wolf and gave me some encouragement.”

Processing what Luna had just laid out to bear, the pair stayed silent as they resumed their relaxed pace up the mountain trail.

“But H-”

“Sister. Stop.” Luna said firmly, “I will entertain no more comparisons.

Shutting her mouth Celestia sighed once more, “I get it, I get it, but please hear me.”

Looking at her sister Luna stayed silent but gave no protest to Celestia’s request.

“He is a mortal, so much younger and inexperienced than either of us, and lacks all forms of magic. Besides the otherworldly weapons he has no advantage over an earth pony besides his large frame and strength.”

“You say that as if his toughness and strength and speed isn’t many magnitudes more than any other creature we have ever seen. For the Gods’ sakes he nearly killed you with one strike. You are glossing over a massive advantage he has. He’s closer to an alicorn than a regular pony in terms of athleticism.” Luna laughed at her sister’s attempted dismissal of the human’s physical prowess as a way to further her self destructive comparison.

“He’s still a mortal and inexperienced compared to us.” Celestia reiterated.

“Tia-” Luna shook her head, “I’m sure you have realized this as well as I, but Hank is… suicidal.” The midnight mare pointed out getting a frown and nod from her sister.

“He isn’t concerned about the possibility of death, he welcomes it. The only stipulation is that he is not willing to die by his own hand.”

“I’ve noticed that, yes.” Celestia nodded.

“His mortality isn’t much of a factor when he fights like he’s invincible.” Luna smirked, but felt a pang of sadness the more she thought about the human’s mindset.

“I know.” Celestia sighed, finally ceded to reason, “I still just feel so… worthless!” She spat.

“Sister please.” Luna shook her head, “We both know that is an unacceptable way to speak about yourself.”

Celestia simply huffed in response, her jaw clenching and unclenching repeatedly, a detail of her sister’s anatomy that Luna just realized she noticed for the first time. The elder alicorn really was pushing herself as hard as she possibly could.

“I can’t even fit in my own damn armor.” Celestia cursed, anger clear in her tone, “That’s how fucking fat I have gotten!”

“Gods above sister! Cease! Cease this ridiculous self destructive tirade!” Luna demanded, her own face hardening at her sister’s words.

“I’m simply telling the truth.” Celestia said with a hard exhale from her nose.

“No sister. You are exaggerating the truth to punish yourself for some reason.” The midnight alicorn dismissed, “You gained weight. You were not fat, even if Hank or I joked about it. You must realize this even more so now, your progress is easily observable. How much weight have you lost so far?”

Staying silent for a few moments Celestia took a deep breath, “Fifteen stones, but I am still-”

“Stop that now.” Luna cut off, giving her sister a push causing Celestia to stumble a few paces and stop talking.

“You are comparing yourself to a version of you that knew nothing but conflict and war for two decades. Of course you are not as “in shape” as then. I’m not as “in shape” as I was then either, and that is okay. Should we improve ourselves? Of course. But we need not return to that state. Is that what you are trying to do?”

“Yes.” Celestia confirmed in an instant, “I want our subjects to look at me and see a powerful indomitable figure, not some flabby soft princess.”

It was clear that the human had influenced her sister’s view to some degree along with the events that had recently been through. And while Luna had no issues with her sister returning to a more healthy lifestyle she also knew how Celestia could be obsessive and impulsive when she latched onto something. It was clear that her older sister had latched firmly onto something that Hank had said, or even more worryingly Hank himself. A genius it did not take to recognize the chemistry that was starting between the alicorn and human.

While Luna didn’t at face value have an issue with her sister’s attraction to the man as it was none of her business, she found issue with the finer details of any possible relationship the two could possibly foster.

Obviously it would be a political disaster, whenever the human and her sister interacted it resulted in some scandal it seemed. While a scandal like the last was bad, and raged on for months, putting not only her sister and even herself under the spotlight for the events of the day. It was nothing compared to what could happen if Tia’s and Hank’s possible relationship came to light.

It would be a mess that could threaten to rip apart the very power structure the empire was composed of, leaving room for the nobles to gobble up as much power as possible. Her sister’s decision making and capability to continue ruling had already been called into question after she had teleported from day court suddenly and assaulted somepony before coming back and claiming that she had ‘lost’.

The nobles and the papers they controlled had all printed the same stories and theories questioning Celestia’s ability to rule, some going as far to blame the recently returned and reformed Luna for influencing the gentle, understandable, and motherly Celestia into being more violent and rash.

Feeling her own anger increase as she thought back over the detail, Luna’s face fell a little as well as she kept thinking. If the last round of smears had been bad the next round would be cataclysmic for her sister’s and the crown’s reputation. It was an unfortunate truth that her sister’s last thousand years of rule had resulted in much of the respect the position held bleeding away, and it was because of that loss in respect and loss of power that the both of them could find their rule being questioned and even usurped by the conniving noble class.

And now, all of the sudden, her sister was course correcting to a whiplash inducing degree. And it was no mystery as to who had been the cause of her sudden shift in behavior. Things were coming to a head, Luna could feel it. All it would take is a big enough controversy and the storm of shit would begin.

“Sister.” Luna spoke for the first time in minutes.

“Yes, Lulu?” Celestia turned her head and addressed Luna.

“What made you want to change after a thousand years?” Luna asked, meeting her sister’s eyes for a few seconds before Celestia looked back forward and stopped walking.

Halting as well, Luna looked at her sister quizzically as her horn started to glow before pulsing once causing the glow of her sister’s magic to appear for a split second around her entire form before disappearing from view.

With a relieved sigh Celestia cracked her neck back and forth and shook out each of her limbs, “That’s much better.”

“What was that?” Luna asked, wanting to know what the spell that had been hidden from her completely had been doing.

“Do you remember father's gravity spell he used to cast on us when we would train?” Celestia questioned instead.

“Of course.” Luna nodded, not following, “I couldn’t forget if I wanted.”

Celestia simply gave a small smile and started walking back up the trail again.

Not only surprised but also impressed, it was then the petite alicorn realized just how serious her sister was about “returning to her former glory.”

“Just how many magnitudes are you using?”

“I used two for the first two weeks, but after that I’ve been staying at two and a half.” Celestia happily answered.

Completely shocked, Luna couldn’t help but let her eyes widen, “You performed that sprint at two and a half magnitudes?”

“Yes.”

“That is very impressive Tia.” Luna complimented honestly. Knowing just how much strain the spell caused on the body and also the mana pool.

“Thank you Lulu.” Celestia genuinely smiled back and gave a quick nuzzle.

“I had no idea that you were this motivated.” Luna laughed, but it only makes my question of why that much more interesting.” Luna again pressed, not accepting her sister’s attempt at changing the subject.

“I already told you why sister.” Celestia said with the smallest bit of hesitation that Luna instantly picked up on, “I was very displeased with my physical and magical performance during our expedition into the forest. All this training, father’s spell especially, is helping me rebuild what I have lost.”

“I don't think that is not the truth.” Luna reassured, “I just don’t think it is the whole truth.”

“What do you mean sister?” Celestia asked, her tone shorting.

“You know what it is I refer to Tia. What exactly made you want to change?” Luna pressed, causing her sister's face to shift as she became more defensive. Like she always did.

“I told you before Luna.” The solar alicorn said with a frown and turned to walk away.

Teleporting from her spot beside her older sister to directly in front of her, blocking her path, Luna looked into her sister’s narrowed eyes with a raised eyebrow.

“Perhaps the question we should be asking is Who. Not what.”

With a snort of frustration Celestia ignored her sister’s question and instead teleported herself past her sister, reappearing with a loud crack, signaling her frustration as the excess magic she used to cast her spell dissipated with a small sonic boom.

Frowning, Luna bit her tongue, so that’s how it was going to be.

Teleporting again Luna blocked Celestia’s path once more, “Answer the question sister.”

Rolling her magenta eyes Celestia decided to just push her way past her smaller sister but was stopped by a dark blue magical field strapping around her, stopping her forward trajectory.

“Sister. There is no need to be cagey, just talk to me.” Luna said with a dismissive smile.

Frowning at her sister’s words and usage of magic, Celestia huffed, “What’s the point when it already seems you know the answer.”

Before Luna could respond Celesita broke through Luna’s weak telekinesis spell and once again teleported further up the trail.

Sighing, Luna turned around and watched her sister near the end of the trail and the peak of the small mountain. Celestia’s refusal to answer the question that she was very aware Luna knew the answer to was the exact reason why Luna was worried.

If she had simply answered the question it wouldn’t have been cause for alarm, but she hadn’t. Instead the elder alicorn did everything in her power to deflect and outright run from the admission. Luna didn’t know why her sister refused to simply answer the question but the fact that she wouldn’t meant that something more was happening inside the solar diarchs mind.

Resuming her walk, Luna took her time reaching the top of the path, thinking about what she was going to say and hoping that the time alone would allow her sister to calm down and be more open to conversation.

The lunar princess had not seen her sister in such a state in a long time even before her banishment. The last time she had been anywhere this moody and irritable had been over Eseric.

Frowning harder at the thought Luna groaned. Her sister didn’t just like Hank a little, she was full on falling for the violent human. Just like she did Eseric all those years ago. Why couldn’t her sister like regular stallions and not the aggressive brutes that always brought controversy.

Soon enough Luna reached the top of the hill and saw her sister sitting at the edge of the cliff, looking out over the landscape the vantage point provided. Wordlessly Luna walked beside her sister and took a seat on the ground herself, enjoying the same view that overlooked a verdant valley, with the Whitetail Woods and Everfree far in the background.

About to open her mouth and ask again, Luna was cut off as Celestia beat her to the punch, seemingly sensing exactly when Luna was going to speak.

“It’s Hank. Obviously.” Celestia sighed, not taking her eyes off the land before her, “But you already knew that didn’t you?”

“Yes.” Luna confirmed with a slight nod.

“Then why be so insistent in asking?”

“To see how you would react.”

With a loud exhale from her nose Celestia turned to look at her sister, “Was my reaction up to your standards?”

“Unfortunately it is what I expected.” Luna shared a look with her sister, “Why were you so reluctant to tell the truth.”

“I… Don’t know.” Celestia deflated a little with the answer, or lack of answer.

A few more moments of peaceful silence passed between the two before Celestia spoke again, “I’m sorry for being difficult Lulu, I don’t mean to be, I've just had a lot on my mind as of late.”

Chuckling Luna wrapped her wing around her sister, “We can tell, especially after the events of the last dinner we had with the nobles.”

Celestia tilted her head back and groaned up into the sky as she remembered that night with embarrassment. “Maker, don’t remind me.”

Laughing at her sister’s embarrassment, Luna nudged Celestia’s side, “Just what got you so excited anyhow?”

Only offering a “really?” look in response Luna laughed harder as the smallest tinge of red showed on Celestia’s cheeks.

“My goodness Tia, you really do have a thing for him don’t you?” Luna snickered.

“I don’t….. I think I do.” Celestia finally relented, a strange somber tone in her words.

“Why say it like that?” Luna asked, surprised by the tired tone in her sister’s voice.

“Because I don't want to.” Celestia answered, “I know the issues any kind of relations, even just professional, could bring and I don’t want to risk any more instability than I already have.”

While she was upset to hear about her sister’s inner turmoil, Luna was actually happy to hear that her sister was torn and realized the issues that could arise. Maybe her older sister’s more impulsive side wouldn't have as much control this time.

“You must think of him a lot though.” Luna added.

“Too much.” Celestia admitted, “There’s just something about him that makes me want to know more, he’s so strange, so weird, so foreign, yet so familiar. It’s driving me mad sister.”

“Well, don’t let it consume you Tia. A clear mind is -”

“Key to perfect performance.” Celestia finished with a sigh and smile, “I know Lulu, I know.”

“Then act like it.” Luna said with a smile and bumped into her sister’s side with her shoulder.

Immediately Luna’s words brought Celestia back to being face to face with the man in the Everfree as he scolded her like a filly. Shaking the thought from her mind Celestia cleared her throat.

“I know it’s strange but what I find myself doing most, especially during day court, is thinking about what he’s up to. Just what is he busying himself with on a beautiful day like today.

<><><> What Hank is Busying Himself With on a Beautiful Day Like Today<><><>

Gritting his teeth and squinting as the black mass beneath him violently thrashed against his hold the man spit out some of the water that had made it into his mouth from the wild kicking and clawing of the beast.

Grunting as another one of its paws hit him in the face the man growled and put even more pressure on the neck of the Shuck, holding it under the water with all this might.

“Mother- “ The man was interrupted by another strike to the mouth that made his teeth clack.

“Fucking bitch.” He cursed, spitting out a red tinted ball of spit and started moving one of his hands from the fur on its neck and to his belt where his knife sat, waiting for its call of duty.

Trying as he might to keep the Shuck under the water, the beastly wolf fought with all the intensity of a mother protecting her pups and without a second hand holding it under the mother Shuck was able to generate enough force not to break the vice like grip of the human but rip the fur he was using to hold her down with away from her own hide.

With a kick to the ribs the Shuck shot from the water with a gagging, hacking growl, as it fought to get air back into its nearly depleted lungs and looked right at the human with his arm still halfway pulled back exposing his neck and torso.

With all the anger a Shuck possessed the wolf lunged forward toward the human aiming for the nearest target, the face.

Tucking his head since he didn’t have enough time to get his arms back in front of him Hank used all the force his abs would muster and head butted the wolf with his helmeted head right in the nose.

Thoroughly stunned from such a sensitive organ being so violently stuck the Shuck pulled off her attack, blood from its own nose running over her teeth.

Ignoring the pain, the Shuck coughed once more and blinked hard, trying to clear the tears from her eyes. She had to win, she had to get the invader away from her offspring and the offspring of the others. She couldn’t lose.

Reinvigorated, the mother wolf opened her eyes and started to open her mouth for another attack only for all her aggressive intentions to disappear when a left hook caught her on the side of the head sending her back into the water with a loud splash. She wasn’t fast enough.

Getting halfway back up to her paws she was only able to give a weak whimpering growl as the beast grabbed her by the fur and hoisted her onto her rear legs as she rasped. Suddenly at its eyes level as it held onto her she only had a fraction of a second to look at its scarred face and bloody mouth before her rear legs were kicked out from under her at the same time as it threw her back into the water.

With a growl Hank set back upon his target with all the brutality they offered him landing a heavy hammer fist with his right hand right on its snout before gripping it harder than ever by the throat and pushing with his whole weight into the bed of the pool.

Completely enraged at the wolf Hank’s face was contorted into pure anger as the wolf started blindly striking at him again.

“You better fuckin’ hope I can find my rifle under the water and that it aint broken!” Hank yelled at the wolf, anger clouding his mind, causing him to forget about the level of stealth he was trying to maintain.

Another slash from the beast’s claws catching the man under the right eye Hank blew the strike off with a grunt and only pressed harder against the throat of the Shuck, nearly putting his entire weight onto its neck as he kneeled on its torso, “Cause if I can’t I’m gonna bring you back to life and make you watch as I pull your kids’s guts outta their GODDAMNED THROATS!”

Looking over to the shore where four pups watched, whining and crying all the while, Hank’s gaze only hardened as memories from his old world came thundering back. Memories of what he had done, who he had done it to, how old they had been, how old he had been. Memories that cut him the deepest, made him regret the most, memories of actions that turned him into the meanest, most violent, evil version of himself.

As the kicking and thrashing grew weaker, and the ripples in the water grew smaller Hank grit his teeth harder as he felt the life leaving the Shuck beneath him,

“And I’m gonna like it.” He growled, finally able to reach for his knife.

Pulling it free Hank gave a quick glance to the soon to be orphans before plunging the blade downward again and again into its chest as he continued to hold it down under the water.

Hank continued to stab the wolf long after she had stopped moving or protesting and only started to slow when his arm grew tired. Breathing heavily as blood tinted water dripped from the brim of his helmet and from his lips and nose the human looked up from his kill and scanned the area with the cold, hard eyes of a predator, looking for any other challengers.

Pulling his knife free Hank swished it through the water calmly, rising most of the blood off before resheathing it and standing to his full height allowing the body of the shuck he had just killed to bob to the surface.

Walking over to where he had thought he saw his rifle disappear under the water when the wolf had ambushed him and tackled him into the stream knocking his sling loose Hank drug his feet feeling for anything that felt hard enough to be a drowned rifle.

While it did take a few minutes Hank finally located the lost weapon and pulled it free from the mud on the bottom of the stream. Brushing as much mud and moss off the AR as possible Hank did all his usual checks and verified it was still in working order to the best of his knowledge.

Opening the bolt partially and holding it muzzle up Hank shook it a few times to convince any stubborn water to vacate as he walked back to shore where four pups stayed whimpering and yipping at their mother who for some reason wouldn’t wake up and come back to them.

No emotion on his face as he approached the pups, Hank stared at them as they stared back up at him, too naive to run and too young to be scared.

Listening to the water lapping at the woodland shore and the gentle, innocent, whines of the pups as they tentatively got closer to him Hank continued to stare down at them blankly as their tails went between wagging and not.

Where empathy should have been felt there was nothing in Hank’s mind and without provocation he raised his boot and brought it down again again until there were no more wagging tails and no more innocent whimpers, just the sound of water on soil.

“Say ‘hi’ to your mom for me.” The human said coldly, stepping over the four small bodies, while closing the dust cover on his AR and continuing on his way.

<><><> Celestia and Luna, Beautiful Day Like Today <><><>

“- Mostly I think it's because he lives a life that we used to so long ago.” Celestia concluded.

Thinking over her sister’s explanation behind why she had been so focused on the man as of late Luna was starting to get the picture, “It is a rather simple existence. When Hank allows it to be that is.” She finished with a laugh.

Laughing as well Celestia hummed, “He does have a certain skill for finding trouble.”

“That is an understatement, he actively inserts himself into it like it's his favorite hobby.”

“I think it very well may be Lulu. I know that I wasn’t… conscious for most of the fight but at the beginning it was almost like he was eager to start fighting.” Celestia remembered back to that keystone moment in her life once more, “There was absolutely no hesitation in anything I saw him do. I haven’t seen that level of aggression and commitment from anypony that wasn’t ourselves or a member of my Praetorian guard or your Varangian,”

Having had more interaction with the human that day, and having witnessed just the kind’ve deeds he had done that day Luna couldn’t nod her head hard enough in agreement, “How he held that pass by his lonesome with no magic and nothing but hoof tools I will never know, it’s just as I told him that day: He is easily one of the most skilled hoof to hoof combatants we have ever encountered. He even used your sword with surprising knowledge.”

“That I did see. Or the aftermath at least.” Celestia mused, “I wonder where he learned swordplay? I’ve never seen him wield one before, let alone a longsword.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if it were intuition instead of prior knowledge.” Luna pointed out, “He has a certain… What is the term, knack?”

Looking at her sister for confirmation Luna continued when Celestia nodded, “Yes, anyways, he has an undeniable knack for violence.”

“I wonder if that is a trait unique to him or his species in general?” Celestia said, ruffling her feathers slightly.

“I have found myself wondering the same. Considering the advanced weaponry and gear he has to facilitate the use of said weaponry I wouldn’t be surprised if his kind have an above average capacity of violence though.” Luna said, tapping her chin with a hoof.

“Good point sister.” Celestia nodded, “That’s something that I would like to talk about with the stallion. His past actions and experiences interest me greatly.”

With a small smirk on her face Luna turned to her sister, “You like that don’t you?”

“Like what?” Celestia cocked her brow.

“How violent he is.” Luna said, smiling wider as her sister looked away with a small blush.

“No.” Celestia denied, “I simply like a capable stallion that can take care of himself.”

“Oh please!” Luna scoffed, “There are numerous “capable stallions” Tia. We’ve been surrounded by them most of our lives and yet you always go for the roughest, most hot - headed stallions around.”

“F-fine, sue me alight!” Celestia shouted, causing Luna to loudly laugh.

“Why is that anyways” Luna pressed further.

“Maker, Luna…” Celestia groaned, “I don’t know. Why do you always seem to go for the socially awkward, frail, bookworms?”

Now it was Luna’s turn to be on the defensive after her sister’s callout, “None of that is true and you know it!”

Snickering at Luna as she thrust her hoof toward her, Celestia shook her head, “It’s exactly true, and you know it.

“Nuh Uh!” Luna sneered.

“Yeah Huh!” Celestia responded in kind.

“Nuh Uh!”

“Yeah Huh!”

Grumbling to herself, Luna crossed her hooves and looked away from her still giggling older sister, “I do not like them frail.” She muttered.

“That’s what I would call it.”

“I like them lean. Lean, sister. Not frail.” Luna clarified, “And of course you’d think they’re frail.”

“OH?! And what’s that supposed to mean?” Celestia raised her brow.

“Every stallion you’ve been with has been a hulking broad meathead.” Luna quipped.

“Damn right.” Celestia confirmed proudly, “Not my fault I like real stallions.”

“Stupid stallions.” Luna interjected, making Celestia huff.

“Brave stallions.” Celestia corrected.

“Mmmmm. No.” Luna shook her head, “The real reason is a little more unsavory than that. What was it that attracted you to Eseric again?

Scoffing, Celestia looked away for a few seconds knowing that Luna had caught her, “I saw him beat one griffon to death with another griffon he was holding in his mouth and using as a mace.”

“Violent meatheads.” Luna poked her sister in the side causing Celestia to bat the offending hoof away.

“Still very brave. You cannot deny that he was a brave stallion.” Celestia said, still defending the long dead stallion’s honor over a thousand years later.

“I cannot and shall not.” Luna conceded, not willing to insult a warrior’s honor, “The line between bravery and stupidity is overlapping though sister.”

“Perhaps. Perhaps.” Celestia slowly nodded before smirking, “Still better than those little things you go after that look like they are one strong breeze from crumpling.”

Tisking, Luna rolled her eyes at her sister, “A little less muscle only makes them all the more capable.”

“Easy to break.” The white alicorn said with a smirk.

“Perhaps at your size.”

“It’s not the size. It’s the intensity. Not that you'd know, those little colts you romp with couldn’t hurt a fly.”

“We do not wish to be hurt or hurt them.” Luna shook her head, “It is a practice in pleasure, not pain.”

Blowing a raspberry, Celestia waved her sister off with her hoof, “A little hitting and biting never hurt anypony.”

Eyes wide and jaw slack Luna looked at her sister in disbelief as the large alicorn looked on at the nature in front of her completely unfazed by what she had just said.

“I don’t believe domestic violence is healthy, sister.”

“It’s not domestic violence.” Celestia laughed heartily, “It’s passion.”

“Whatever you say.” Luna shook her head as the conversation between the two sisters went silent.

Not a word shared between them both alicorns as they sat side by side listening to the sounds of birdsong on the breeze a few seconds passed by before Luna giggled, followed quickly up by Celestia’s own short laugh.

As the hilarity of their conversation built both sisters took turns laughing a little here or there before both suddenly broke out laughing so hard it was hard to breathe. As birds flew away from the sudden outburst of noise, the sisters continued to laugh, hitting each other on the back as they did.

Choking on her own laugh, her midsection stinging from the contractions, Celestia used her magic to wipe away the moisture around her eyes as both she and Luna calmed down.

Doing the same, Luna took a few deep breaths to return her composure and cease the burning in her stomach. It had been a long time since she had laughed so hard and felt so carefree, the walk along the trail was a very pleasant reminder of times past, allowing Luna’s mind to decompress some from the constant barrage of new and different she was met with everyday.

As the two kept walking down the trail enjoying the quiet and privacy the deserted trail afforded them Luna suddenly realized she hadn’t seen a single other pony on the path, or anywhere the entire time she and her sister had been on the mountain.

“Tia?” Luna called out in a questioning tone.

“Yes?” Celestia responded, turning her head to look at Luna.

“We have not seen another soul on this mountain all day. Isn’t this path always busy with tourists and the like?”

“It’s one of the most popular and frequented spots by ponies near and far.” Celestia confirmed with a nod.

Figuring as much Luna nodded along with her sister but found herself pausing, “Then why are there no ponies here today?”

“Closed for maintenance.” Celestia offered.

“Ah.” Luna accepted with a smile.

Walking a dozen or so more yards down the trail Luna felt her smile falling and her eyes narrowing. The entire path and facilities were in perfect shape, nary even a root or rock breached the well trodden path of the trail, “Why are they performing maintenance on such a well maintained path?”

If her sister heard her words she didn’t acknowledge them, instead continuing to look forward with a small smile on her face.

Looking at her sister with a raised brow Luna scoffed, “You didn’t.”

Smile growing almost imperceptibly larger Luna’s eyes widened, “You didn’t!”

“What?!” Celestia rolled her eyes, “There have to be some perks to this job.”

“Sister…” Luna admonished, a small smile on her face now as well, “This is the definition of government corruption.”

Waving her sister off with a hoof Celestia snorted, “I gave the park a generous donation for the trouble, one day of lost revenue won’t hurt them.”

“Corruption and bribery.” Luna added, getting a larger smile from her sister.

“I simply treasure our nature reservations.” The white alicorn corrected in her propper, formal Canterlot tone before taking a deep breath and closing her eyes.

Enjoying the fresh mountain air Celestia opened her eyes and looked at Luna who was looking back at her with a raised brow, knowing that something was coming.

“Last one down is worst princess!” Celestia rapidly said, giving Luna a hard push to the shoulder before taking off.

Laughing as she stumbled, Luna regained her balance and quickly took off after her sister, “You have not a chance, fatty!”

<><><><><><>

Breathing heavily, Hank fumbled with the zippo in his left hand and the pipe bomb in his right as he sprinted away from the enraged horde that tore through the boot high water after him.

Every direction he turned his head, there were more and more of the beasts getting up from behind rocks and logs, looking over their shoulders as he suddenly sprinted past them before joining the tide that slowly but surely closed in on him from three sides.

He had really done it this time, a wrong turn and rushed shot had resulted in an entire town’s worth of the shits chasing him right through the middle of where they had been bedding down for what looked like months.

Flicking the striker on the lighter repeatedly, cursing the wet wick all the while, Hank felt a small relief when he heard the faint hiss of the fuse finally igniting.

Stowing away the lighter Hank looked over his right shoulder for where to best throw the explosive and raised his right arm to discard the ticking time bomb just as something impacted his left foot stopping his stride instantly.

Instantly all three hundred pounds of human, weapons, and gear were pitched forward and were thrown face first into the six inch deep water with a loud splash.

Coughing Hank pushed himself as fast as he possibly could, the feeling of hundreds of hate filled eyes boring into the base of his neck motivating him further.

Up on his feet in a flash the human just barely caught the hissing tubular bomb disappearing below the surface of the water not ten feet in front of him. Looking behind him at the even larger horde rampaging through the water after him, Hank grit his teeth and started back into his sprint directly toward the direction where the bomb had ended up.

His entire body tensed in anticipation of the explosion as he passed the spot where it had landed Hank’s thought that maybe he had gotten lucky for once was thoroughly interrupted by a deafening explosion.

“Ah! F- Shit!” Hank cried out in pain as his back tensed tightly making him arch his back while still running, the result of the unmistakable feeling of shrapnel embedding itself into his back. Worried about just how badly he was possibly hit, the man’s spirits were somewhat returned by the sounds of death behind him which caused him to reach for yet another bomb and his lighter knowing that even the greatly misplaced ordinance had a positive effect.

Ignoring the concerningly warm feeling that was spreading across his back Hank focused on getting the next bomb lit and thankfully didn’t have to struggle as much with the fuze as the second he touched it to the flame of the lighter it took off in angry smokey hiss.

Looking over his shoulder again in a much faster glance than before Hank took note of how concerningly close they had gotten and switched his focus to the fuse of the bomb as it burned down toward the mixture of gunpowder and ball bearings he had so meticulously measured out and placed.

As the fuze burned ever shorter Hank finally dropped it at his feet when around three inches of external fuze remained, giving the bomb around ten seconds before detonation giving time for enough Shucks to get between the bomb and the man to shield him from the shrapnel unlike the first time.

Counting in his head as he continued to rush toward the gray cliff face he had seen, the man hoped the passage he had thought he saw in it was real and not just a shadow. If he could just get to the rocky passage he might be able to slip away, or at the very least use the area as an effective standoff point to gain some distance. But he had to get there first.

6…
7…
8…
9.. BOOM

Hank stopped counting as the explosion sounded off quickly followed by a cacophony of pained howls and shrieks

Not chancing a look back, no matter how hard he wanted to look back at the carnage he had caused the man was granted a small glimpse when a black furred leg came falling from the sky and landed in the now only few inches deep water with a splash twenty feet in front of the man.

Despite his heavy breathing Hank was able to bark out a few laughs as he ran, quickly passing the rear leg that had been separated and lofted by the explosion.

“They’re gonna have to glue you back together!” Hank mocked over his shoulder reaching for yet another bomb as the ground started to pitch up in one of the many washboard like hills that were scattered around the landscape.

“IN HELL!” He finished getting a loud combined howl from the Shucks still chasing him in response. They were not happy with him.

Charging up the hill, commanding every ounce of power he had left in his legs to propel him forward Hank lit the next of his bombs as he crested the hill and was immediately faced with another hundred Shucks and their pups looking in his direction.

Looking at the rock face and what was definitely a passage, motivation filled the man’s mind and he pushed the seed of doubt out of his mind and filled the spot it had left with aggression just how he had done for half a decade.

Narrowing his eyes, his mouth formed a split lip snarl as he abandoned his plan to drop the bomb behind him as he instead cocked his arm and threw it as close to the middle of the group before him.

Pulling up his rifle as the bomb still soared through the air Hank rushed down the hill as fast as he could and still keep his footing while locking the rifle into his shoulder, sprinting directly at the hundred shucks that were separating him from escape and survival. Separating him from thousands of teeth and an agonizing death of being eaten alive, and completing his mission.

The thought of teeth biting into his flesh, ripping chunks free as he fought and screamed made every scar he had gotten from just that tingle in phantom pain and, strangely enough, made his kidneys hurt as his well used and abused adrenal glands went into full meltdown and dumped everything they had into his bloodstream as his body revolted at the collective memories of the pain and trauma in a panic response.

As the most potent performance enhancing drug known to man crashed through his body Hank felt every ounce of pain in his back, every bit of soreness in his knees, every hint of fatigue leave him in an instant as he closed on the enemy roaring all the while.

Point shooting down the side of the carbine in his grasp the human saw in slow motion as the Shuck’s mouths opened and their legs tensed as they prepared to counter charge, the seventy seven grain .223 zipping through and dropping only a few of the large road block.

But not for a second did the human second guess or falter in his charge. If anything he picked up speed.

There are certain things people are just good at. Some people are naturally good at math, some at understanding mechanics, some at conversing in a compelling manner. Hank was no different in this aspect and there was one singular thing he was better at than anything else. What did that happen to be?

Blind, unwavering, aggression.

Not only did he have the genetic predisposition to be hot tempered by both sides of his family, the man had been given five years to exercise his aggression on whatever or whoever he saw fit, with no repercussions other than personal harm to dissuade him.

He had used that side of his brain so much that over time his entire psyche had been rewired to instantly enrage the human whenever he felt threatened or scared, and that was exactly what was being tapped into as he sprinted full speed at the group of Shuck families that separated him from salvation.

Just as his carbine ran dry and the Shucks started to lurch forward the blast from the pipebomb stalled their charge instantly as the wolves closest were nearly vaporized and those further away were thrown to the ground by the mix of shockwave and hot shrapnel that whistled through the air.

While the Shuck’s furthest away may have been physically unaffected besides their hearing the blast was a big enough upset to switch their focus from the drugged up bald primate charging at them to what it was that eviscerated a large number of their kin in their rear line.

As yards became feet Hank set his eyes on the Shuck that had paused its advance on him to look behind it and rammed the butt of his carbine across the side of its head just as it was turning back around.

Passing the downed wolf in a flash Hank was now directly in the middle of the group, his legs mixed with the huge adrenaline dump propelling him forwards like a Peterbilt 359 with a full load through the still staggering and injured Shucks that acted like cyclists in his way.

Dropping his empty carbine, letting the sling take up the weight Hank instead let his arms pump alongside with his legs as he closed on the rocky crag that was only a few hundred yards away at most.

Doing what he did best, going through those in his way, Hank handed out stiff arms and bone rattling knee strikes to any that dared try and stop him. But with every Shuck that was sent to the ground with broken bones another was there to try its luck.

Catching the movement out of the corner of his left eye, Hank reared back his left arm and drove his fist down on the Shuck spinning its head around and causing it to tumble head over ass into the ground. Just as he turned head back to front the human barely had time to bring his arms up intercepting another that used its body as a missile and spearheaded into his chest.

The strong abdominal muscles, the only thing that kept the man from being folded over backwards, Hank plowed through the Shuck throwing it to the ground with a hard thud at the expense of most of his speed and momentum.

Having slowed a great deal, Hank grunted with every hard kick of his legs as he attempted to accelerate once again, his eyes locked firmly on the entrance into the canyon. He could almost see himself escaping the horde that was still nipping at his heels, but there was still a couple hundred yards left between him and salvation and he couldn’t stop now.

Pushing ever harder, even as the adrenaline started to fade Hank pushed, punched, elbowed, and straight up shoulder charged through a very Shuck that tried to stop him or couldn’t get out of his way. The young and old, male and female, all got an equal serving of the man as he crashed through them.

Try as he might to maintain his dead sprint, with every impact a little more air was pushed from his lungs and a little more speed lost. With his heart rate well over two hundred and fifty the man risked a quick glance over his shoulder and felt a pang of fear hit the base of his skull causing the man to instantly scream out in anger on reflex.

The hundreds of Shucks that had been following him was now thousands. As far as his fully contracted pin prick eyes could see was nothing but Shucks. They poured over every ridge, burst forth from every dip and holler in the landscape.

Flowing around every tree and rock in their path like water it was at that moment that Hank started to think he was in over even his hard head. More so it reinforced that these things were not natural, and were not regular members of the planet’s ecosystem. There was something responsible for all the death and terror, and Hank knew just what two legged K9 fuck he was going to pay it all back to.

His gas tank running far past empty Hank’s body kept pushing only because it hadn’t realized it was done yet, but even if the man kept going out of sheer will and grit he knew he needed to make something drastic happen or it wouldn’t matter how angry he was.

Thankfully for the man as he looked up at the entrance to the canyon and many tons of rocks overhead Hank’s frantic mind was still able to devise a plan that was crazy enough that it might just work.

Within fifty yards of the entrance the man was surprised at how much larger it was close up compared to a mile away. The formation was at least a football field across in width and two hundred feet tall, with a massive naturally formed arch suspending many hundred tons high overhead.

The beautiful marvel of nature had to have formed over hundreds of thousands of years to now stand before him like a massive entrance into an ancient cathedral, it made Hank wonder who the last intelligent creature was to have seen the formation was and when that had been. Maybe he was the first being to have ever seen the natural archway, he was definitely the first and only human to have ever seen it.

Reaching for the zippo he hoped was still in his pocket, after a second of heart sinking worry Hank’s shaking hand finally grasped the lighter and pulled it free. As the distance closed Hank pulled the outer casing off the zippo and with the faintest moments of hesitation dropped it to the ground to be swallowed up by the horde behind him.

Flipping the zippo over as lighter fluid soaked over the entire thing and his fingers Hank grit his teeth for the soon to be searing pain and flicked the striker igniting the entirety of the zippo and his fingers in a ball of fire. Resisting the urge to flinch and drop the source of the burning pain, Hank held open the satchel of remaining pipe bombs, numbering about six if his math was right, and dropped the zippo inside before doing his best to put out his hand.

Hank didn’t know if he was the first person to ever see the marvel of nature, but he knew damn well that he was going to be the last.

Pulling hard on the strap of the satchel around his neck the tired green strap broke with a pop as the human transferred both straps into his right hand as he pitched himself right toward the wall of the cayon and what looked like the weakest side of the arch.

Giving the now igniting material of the satchel a rough smack causing the two sides of the strap to twist around each other, sealing the top of the bag closed, Hank held the ignited makeshift satchel charge tight to his side, ignoring the fact that at any second it could go off and blow him into a thousand small pieces.

Lungs on fire, much like the fabric of the oil and gasoline soaked satchel that had accompanied the human on many an extermination mission for all those years he had been in the shit, the human ignored his sentimental side and did his best to heave air into his rapidly weakening body.

Gasping and wheezing as he finally reached the arch Hank stumbled into the rocky opening of the canyon and gave one of the best companions he had ever had a rough toss toward the cracked spire that was holding up the mountain’s worth of gray and brown stone overhead.

Giving the satchel and father’s zippo inside a long enough gaze just to see them wedge right inbetween where the spire was separating from the rest of canyon Hank would have laughed at the great luck if he had any air to spare but instead gave a short wheeze as a form of goodbye before turning his head and doing his best to get away from the overdue explosion.

His own throat threatening to close as he hyperventilated Hank gave in to the urge to look behind him again despite the little amount of his better judgment that remained and turned his head looking over the spot where the satchel charge lay smoking and focused on the wave of Shucks that had been slowed but still but now pushed into the mouth of the canyon, their combined howls and screams combined into a hellish noise not dissimilar to water crashing at the bottom of a waterfall

Piling over each other just as he had seen the infected do in New York over the television as they broadcasted the last of the military getting overrun in Yonkers Hank’s reminiscence was cut short when the improvised satchel charge finally gave up the ghost and finished its tour of duty.

Instantly blind from the dust the explosion had created and deaf from the extraordinary loud blast that reverberated off the walls of the canyon, he worn down human stumbled forward coughing on weak legs, waving his hand in front of his face trying to clear the air.

Pushing himself into a slow jog Hank started to feel the ground around him shake and rumble, Hank knew the arch was coming down and desperately didn’t want to be under it when it did.

As his hearing started to return as nothing more than muffled sounds accompanied by a loud ringing Hank could hear, but more so feel, the huge stones falling to the Earth behind him.

Still stumbling forward, becoming less and less like Hellen Keller with every step Hank could now hear the sounds of hundreds of Shuck’s crying in agony as they lay mangled by the huge explosion and got crushed by the falling stones.

Simply too much of a temptation to ignore Hank clumsily turned around to gaze upon his handiwork. Squinting hard to see through the still floating dust Hank couldn’t make out anything other than that a large section of the spire had been blown away from the rest of the canyon.

He could hear though, and what he heard through the extreme tinnitus was the panicked and terrified shrieks of hundreds of Shuck’s dying in puddles of their own blood. Feeling good about himself for a moment the human was quickly punished for his hubris as the ground around him lurched as a loud *THUM* echoed from overhead.

Slowly looking up Hank saw the entire roof of the canyon crack and lurch downward with him still under it. It seemed the arch was the keystone holding up a lot more than Hank even realized was there.

“Shit…. Shit! SHIT!” Hank cried out, turning and doing his best to run, but only getting an awkward limping gait from his burned out legs.

Pushing his rapidly weakening body further than he ever had before Hank watched in despair as the roof above him continued to crack and splinter off large chunks at a concerningly quickening rate.

He was going to end up dropping a literal mountain on his head. Hank thought in a panic, trying but failing to quicken his pace as his back tightened up like a rock from the shrapnel still stuck in the muscle.

Nearing where he could see the end of the few hundred yard long overhang Hank was spurred forward as he heard the enraged howls of the Shucks remustering once more.

“DUIN DO GHOB, GORACH PIOS DE CAC!” He cried out in defiance as he kept limping onwards, ignoring the even louder combined screech that came from the mouth of the canyon behind him in response to his words.

Focusing on getting out from under the slab of stone that was soon to be reunited with the earth Hank flinched when he saw the section in front of him drop a full foot as the cries of terror behind him resumed and a rumbling so loud he could feel it shaking his organs around started around him.

Just when he didn't think it could get any louder the first massive thud came from behind him, followed by a second, then a third, then a sixth. Before he knew it all that could be heard was a crashing roar of falling rock that put the Shuck’s screams to shame, and all that could be felt was the impacts so hard and massive they knocked him from his feet repeatedly as he fought to the exit.

Yelling and cursing as he was thrown around like a rag doll Hank gave up on trying to stand and instead started half crawling, half jumping forward as the canyon fell apart under its own weight due to the damage he had caused.

He was almost there, just twenty more feet of getting pelted by rocks and stone away from being clear. So close he could see the rays of sunlight illuminating the individual particles of dust and smoke that swirled around him, Hank’s entire body was sent into the air as the main event arrived with a crescendo like no other

With a roar so loud the only thing it could be compared to was a tsunami, the multiple hundred thousand tons of stone cut loose and fell the two hundred feet in a rolling cascade that started at the now disintegrated arch and rapidly rushed towards the other end of the chasm and by extension Hank.

Rolling like an inverted wave the action of the falling stone was so violent and massive it created a draft that not only pushed the thousands of pounds of dust into the air but also picked up and threw Hank completely free of the collapsing mass of stone.

Completely blind in the dark dust cloud and deaf from the sound of the mountain falling in on itself Hank was simply along for the ride as he was propelled across the hard rocky ground,like a leaf in a thunderstorm.

He was so blind, deaf, and disoriented as a matter of fact he didn’t even notice the ground beneath him disappear until he had fallen enough to escape the massive dust cloud. Tumbling through the open air the dust that covered him was knocked loose as he fell creating a trail tracing his path as he plummeted to the real bottom of the canyon.

Eyes wide in surprise and shock as he fell through the air Hank could only catch glimpses of the bottom of the ravine as he tumbled through the air, his arms and legs flailing as he tried his best to right himself in the air.

Too terrified to even speak, the human’s brain was paralyzed with fear when he finally saw the outline of the large river that got closer by the second as went from looking at the ground to looking at the dust polluted sky above.

In that exact moment, Hank’s brain realized there was a chance at survival and kicked into overdrive regaining control of his nervous system and sending forth a plan of action.

Twisting himself around Hank fought to point his heels downward while fighting to grab his carbine that floated around in the wind above him, still holding on by its ever reliable sling. Pawing at the weapon the man was finally able to grab ahold of it and rapidly pulled it into his torso hugging it tighter than anything he had ever held before.

With white knuckles and clenched teeth Hank tightened every muscle in his body as hard as he could, and pencil dove toward the rushing water below. Running on pure primal instinct Hank started to scream as he continued to fall, feeling real fear and dread for the first time in many years.

Screaming like the panicked animal he was in that instant the man clenched his eyes ever tighter and wondered when it would all be over. With the wind rushing past his ears and the sound of the mountain still crumbling above Hank’s body threatened to shut down from the stress just before…

Impact.

<><><> Royal sisters, lowever trail overlook, Canterlot, 85 miles away <><><>

Looking towards the Everfree, through the vantage in the valley the sisters watched with their much superior eyesight as a large dust cloud started to slowly expand upwards and outwards.

Both sisters had stopped their impromptu race when they heard the dull but thunderous far away boom that echoed through the trees. Quickly they had rushed to the vantage point where they watched the large black and brown cloud expand from deep in the Everfree.

Sharing a concerned look, Luna nodded up with her head and spread her wings before taking off into the sky, followed close behind by her sister. Flying straight up for a better vantage point, the entire landscape was soon laid out before her eyes as she hovered three hundred feet in the air.

Not a moment later Luna was joined by her sister who’s much larger wings beat at half the speed of her own creating a not insignificant air current Luna had to fight against as she hovered.

“What do you think that was?” Celestia asked as she looked at the exact same thing Luna was.

While the sight itself was simply too far away to see in any clarity even if it wasn’t obscured by the rolling nature of the Everfree’s topography the still expanding dust cloud was impossible not to see. For an alicorn at least.

“We know not sister.” Luna said with a somewhat worried inflection in her voice, “Whatever it may have been, it is deep within the forest however.”

“Very deep.” Celestia said, as the cloud started to lighten at the edges, finally disspearsing.

“An earthquake perhaps?” Luna offered to turn her head away from the strange spectacle and face her sister.

Humming Celestia eventually gave a series of slow nods, “It’s a possibility, the Everfree is much more geologically active than most other parts of Equus. Though… there hasn’t been a recorded Earthquake of any magnitude in around twenty years.”

“Overdue then.” Luna nodded, feeling satisfied with the answer.

“I suppose that makes sense.” Celestia mused as the pair continued to hover, staring at the cloud as it slowly grew more and more faint.”

“Do you believe the press will have questions?”

“When fucking don’t they?” Celestia groaned, getting a smirk out of her sister as they both turned and started heading back towards Canterlot propper, knowing that their duties awaited.

“There you go using his words again.” Luna pointed out as they lazily glided side by side.

Rolling her eyes the elder alicorn huffed, “Don’t look too much into it Lulu, a new vocabulary is simply fun to explore.”

“Whatever you say.” The smaller alicorn dismissed with smirk.

Shaking her head at her sister’s antics Celestia hummed in thought, getting her sister’s attention once again.

“What is it, Tia?” Luna inquired having heard the hum and seeing the look of thought on her sister’s face.

“Well… it’s nothing.” With a wave of her hoof Celestia dismissed.

“C’mon Tia.” Luna egged.

Giving her sister a quick look Celestia sighed, “Do you think that perhaps… Maybe Hank has something to do with whatever that was.”

Scoffing at the thought Luna shook her head from side to side while laughing, “Please, sister. You’re thinking of him far too much. Do you really think he has the means to cause an event of that magnitude?”

Looking back at Luna with a flat look the smaller alicorn’s face quickly lost the humor it was carrying and was quickly replaced by a tight lipped look of realization.

“Perhaps that isn’t the best point.” Luna admitted getting a huff of amusement from her sister, “But still, that had to have come from over twenty five kilohoofs into the Everfree. There is simply no way he could possibly be that deep into the forest. Even I would not venture that deep, and I can fly!”

“Fair point sister.” Celestia said with a sigh, “He may be crazy but he’s not THAT crazy.”

Both alicorns laughing at the thought as they neared Canterlot castle, the mysterious rumbling and dust cloud was all but dismissed, along with the thought of the lone human being anywhere near twenty Kilohoofs into the forest.

<><><>Hank, Everfree Forest, 23 + 12Kh <><><>

Face down on a black pebble sandbar the body of the human lay motionless, his left hand still clutching onto the carbine for dear life after his multiple hundred foot drop and over ten miles of harsh rapids. Beaten and battered from the multiple danger close explosions and time spent being used as a plaything for the river to beat around wherever it wanted, blood stained water ran from the human’s torn skin and stained BDUs running over the small black pebbles of the sandbar before being swept away by the moderate current.

Waterlogged and broken, the body lay comatose before a loud and sudden inhale came from the human’s chest as it fully inflated.

The horrible raspy sound that suddenly came from the interloper startled away the crows that had landed to investigate, leaving only a few of the bravest avians before they too vacated the premises with a series of loud squawks when one of its arms shot from its limp position beside the strange creature and went above his head.

Bringing his left hand and carbine in front of him as well Hank started to skull drag himself away from the water on autopilot.

Pulling himself just inside the shrubline, coughing and hacking up water and blood all the while the man nestled himself underneath the largest bush near him and placed himself into the recovery position before letting the darkness consume him once again, not that he had a choice in the matter regardless.

Author's Note

No clue how this went from 6k words to 12k. Guess I just got inspired. Had a lot of fun writing this one actually, the only tedious part was all the dialog between the two sisters.

I hate dialog. I'm a man of action not conversation.

This is quite literally hot off the press so there is zero editing done, ZERO. If you guys see a really big glaring issue let me know but otherwise you're just gonna have to live with it.

Once more, I do hope the scenes I have written are easy to picture in your minds, I really love being descriptive and setting a really cool and dynamic scene. I hope the chasm collapse scene was as cinematic in your minds eye as it was in mine.

Initially I wasn't going to have ol hankiepoo get thrown into the river like I did but that is one good thing about never knowing what you're going to do with a scene until get to it. I ended up adding it though because I went cliff jumping over the summer and went off one about seventy feet high into the water and words can describe how intense that is until you do it.

Not to mention I got hella whiplash from the impact cause, like the retard I am, I looked down the entire time and when I hit it forced by head back despite my thick ass neck from all those years of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Gravity don't care about that shit, you have to have good form when you do stuff like that. Then again the fact I did it four times all dumb like that didn't really help.

Listen to Run boy run by Woodkid during the final chase scene, makes it all the better.

The votes are in: Frogs won with 11 at time of posting with toads at 9.

But since this isn't a democracy and I fully embrace being a dictator I give toads two more votes tying the race.

CONGRADUATIONS TO FROGS AND TOADS FOR BOTH WINNING FIRST PLACE IN THE REARDED LITTLE CREATURE CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!!!!

Obligatory frob and tob posting below

frob

tob

Also please comment, that's all that's keeping me going at this point. Once all the people loose interest in this story is when I will stop writing it. Cause right now it feels like I have a whole 10 people still reading this shit, which I am thankful for, but go ahead and sound off in the comments below, post a picture of your favorite frog or toad for all I care. I just want to see that people are still reading this shit I waste so much time on.