“Twelve. Twelve new cases. Twelve new batches of victims have rolled in just today. That adds up to over thirty recorded casualties within the last week.”

In the skies looming above the surface of Equestria was the cloud-made city of Cloudsdale. Things were unusually quiet and abnormally silent. The inhabitants were in a state of panic and fear based isolation within the confines of their homes. No pony dared to step one single hoof outside with the current events taking place.

An unknown evil had taken the lives of many innocent ponies within two weeks from the current date, and it was not limited to one type. Earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns alike, from all over Equestria, were found dead within the boundaries of the Everfree Forest. The known casualties were only accounted for those who were found dead. Yet still, others have claimed that they have lost someone who had yet to be pronounced dead.

Fear began to erupt within the once peaceful world of Equestria, as evil was thought to be ultimately vanquished with the Princess of Friendship now in power. Even then, the Equestrian Council met to find a way to keep their citizens safe. Princess Twilight Sparkle, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, Prince Shining Armor, Star Swirl the Bearded, and the Canterlot Royal Adviser: Spike, were tasked with finding a way to stop this threat before it spiraled out of control.

Within the Wonderbolt base near the center of Cloudsdale was a fiery haired mare. She was in the confines of her office; her combed mane and dark shades rested upon her stoic face, staring down at the photographs of the fallen ponies. While her expression did not represent the feelings that arose in her soul, she felt sympathy and sadness for those who had lost a loved one.

The mare looked up from her desk and stared at the door across her office. A knock was heard coming from the otherside of the door. She felt good to know that she was about to have company at this time.

“Come in.”

The door was opened.

“Captain Spitfire, ma’am.”

The fiery haired mare looked upon the silhouette of the pony that stood across from her. She nodded to her, motioning for her to step into the light. The sky blue pegasus became visible to the captain.

“Private Dash. You are a sight for sore eyes.” Spitfire looked back down at the pictures of the deceased victims. “This cannot be. What could possibly do this much damage and go unnoticed by even the princess?”

“That is actually why I am here, ma’am.” Rainbow Dash straightened her stance before she continued speaking. “With your permission, I want to go to the Everfree Forest and find the source of these casualties.”

Captain Spitfire was quite shocked to hear such a statement come out of the private’s mouth. She looked up at the prismatic maned pony and shook her head. Her brow furrowed behind the cover of her shades.

“I cannot allow that, Private. I will not risk the possibility of losing one of my best just for the sake of something so small.” The yellow mare turned her head and looked over her shoulder. She pointed her hoof at the Wonderbolt logo. “We are the only source of protection for those in Equestria, besides the Royal Guards. But considering that not even she herself has taken any action makes us the only ones keeping that thing away from the others.”

"That’s exactly why I am choosing to go alone, ma’am. If we were to go in there as a group, you are risking the chance of the whole platoon getting killed off just as much as if I went there by myself and not come back.” Rainbow Dash lowered her head and furrowed her brow. “I want to go there and find the threat. Unless you find it best that I destroy it, I will simply locate the one responsible for these casualties and report back to you once I have the necessary information.”

Spitfire spun a pencil around with her teeth for a moment as she contemplated her final decision. Dash had a point, but was it ultimately worth putting her life on the line?

“Very well. Private Dash, you have my permission. You will go down to the Everfree Forest and only locate the threat. Once done, report back to Wonderbolts HQ and relay all the information you have to your superiors. Understand, soldier?”

“Affirmative, ma’am.”

“Your mission will take place in the Castle of The Two Sisters. That is where all of the attacks have reportedly taken place.”

“Understood, ma’am.”

“Then you may go. I will let the council know of your departure. Take great care out there, as you are the only Private Dash I have.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Rainbow Dash made her way out of the office once the discussion ended. Spitfire looked back at the pictures, staring at each one with disgust. She focused on each one, looking for any details about consistency between each death, but nothing was found. Nothing… except for the fact that each victim was torn apart beyond healing, gutted and all.

On the other side of the door, Rainbow Dash was greeted by Fluttershy. The cream colored pegasus looked at the other with distress in her eyes. Something was not right.

“Fluttershy? What’s wrong?” Rainbow Dash asked. She was hesitant to inquire the mare on her strange behavior, but figured that she was here for a good reason.

“It’s Carter! He was seen going into the Everfree Forest!” Fluttershy replied.

“Why? Doesn’t he know that it’s not safe to go there?”

“Yes, I told him myself. I’m just worried about him.”

“What is he doing?”

“I assume that he is going to find the one responsible. You know how he gets when there is injustice among others. What I don’t get is why he didn’t ask for any other pony’s help.”

Rainbow Dash was left curious. If Carter really went in the forest by himself, then that would lead many to believe that he was the one responsible for all of the murders, considering the fact that said casualties were located in that area. The sky blue pegasus pondered on the thought.

“Fluttershy, make sure you let the others know if he returns. Also, let him know never to go in there again until we have taken care of the matter ourselves, if you are able to speak with him before I do. I am going there to scan the perimeter.”

“Rainbow Dash, do be very careful.”

“You know me, Fluttershy. I can’t promise that.”

~

Carter found himself in the depths of the Everfree Forest, under the lush leaves and vegetation found all around him. He travelled along a dirt path, heading towards the Castle of The Two Sisters. He had heard about the many sightings of an odd creature roaming around the catacombs in the castle interior, under the surface of Equestria. It had gotten to the point where some of the Ponyville citizens had started to converse about the topic.

The first attack came upon a stallion from Manehattan. It was not until recently when inhabitants from neighboring cities reported their losses. One thing was constant throughout each attack; it was always in the Everfree Forest.

Carter was not ordered by anypony to find the threat, but he decided to pursue it nonetheless. His reason to enter the forest was because one of the ponies in Ponyville told everypony else about the creature that they saw that night. It caught his attention when they mentioned that the murderer looked a lot like somepony that lived in Ponyville, though the culprit could not be confirmed. At any rate, Carter knew that he had to find the one responsible for these crimes and make them pay. Though he knew that he was trying to control his emotions, vengeance was just a part of him.

Even then, the rate at which his visions would appear began to increase, presenting itself to Carter every night. With this in mind, and considering the fact that his visions were never wrong, he felt that it was time to take matters into his own hands… or hooves, rather.

The red stallion came upon a split in the path where the dirt merged with polished stones. He knew he was close. He looked up and spotted the destroyed castle way off in the distance. He began running towards his destination with quick haste, determined to find the murderer before any more deaths appeared.

About halfway in his travels, he heard the nearby trees shake. The friction from the leaves gave Carter the idea that he was being followed. He looked over his shoulder with his stoic look and found a familiar creature behind the shrub. It was the same timberwolf he fought while he was with Fluttershy. The scars on its face provided enough evidence to support his claim.

“Do you know the way to the castle catacombs?” Carter inquired, hoping that he was still able to speak with their kind.

“There is a crystalic sculpture within its walls, known as the Treehouse of Harmony. Through the cracks beneath it, you should find what you are looking for.”

“Thank you for the help.” Carter nodded to the timberwolf in appreciation; the creature did the same in return. Carter turned back to continue his journey, but another question entered his mind. He looked back at the timberwolf. “Why are you following me?”

“I was going to warn you about the creature that lurks within the castle’s walls… but I see that you are intentionally searching for the monster.”

“Have you seen it for yourself?”

“No, not personally. I only know it through rumors.”

“Have any of your kind fallen to it?”

“No. It appears to only pursue ponies, such as yourself.”

Carter nodded once more to the timberwolf before advancing towards the decrepit castle. He felt as though he was lacking enough knowledge to feel fully prepared to fight the creature should the need arise, but he continued his way towards the structure, pushing away all the ‘what-if’s.’

Upon arrival, he stared up at the castle entrance. Standing along the top of the entryway was a stone engraving of the two sisters, their horns meeting with each other as their bodies spiraled around one another. Carter noticed the moss growing along the cracks between each stone, giving off an ancient vibe. No one had lived here for a while.

Carter entered through the open gates of the castle walls and looked around for a structure like the one that the timberwolf had described. That didn’t prove to be an issue, as the crystal-made treehouse stood visible above the castle walls.

That is where I start.

Carter advanced toward the large structure, taking a few moments to admire its unique design. The style of its construction wasn’t like anything he had seen. It looked rather… natural. Carter moved his focus back on the mission, looking for the cracks in the ground that the roots created. Upon further inspection, he found them, but they had seemed to be filled in by dirt. Carter found this to be very abnormal, as the dirt looked to be placed in its current spot, and not naturally moved. The other odd detail that sparked concern was that the dirt was still wet. It was moved by somepony, and it was moved there recently. With no way of accessing the underground portion of the castle interior from there, Carter was forced to find other means of reaching the catacombs.

The stallion turned to look at the crystalic treehouse. He noticed that the front door was wide open. His mind changed from curious to cautious. He leaned his head closer to the ground and proceeded inside of the treehouse. He looked around the vicinity in search of any potential threats, but could not spot any other forms of life. For now, (at least in his mind) he was alone.

Carter’s attention was snatched from him when he spotted a picture frame. It did not look nearly as old as the rest of the castle, and this raised some concerns. He walked closer to examine the picture in its frame. It was a snapshot of six creatures, each different from the rest. There was a signature that was located near the bottom right of the image that read, “Friends Forever.”

This picture alone made Carter realize that this treehouse, along with the contents inside of it, coincided with the fall of the castle. This was all quite recent. Carter thought that perhaps the princess would have the answers he was looking for. With that all thought out, Carter knew that those questions of his would have to wait for a different time. There was still a murderer nearby, and he needed to find it.

A sudden thought appeared in his mind. With all of the talk and commotion arising across Equestria, he thought that maybe the killer would've switched locations by now, which would mean that his current attempts to bring justice would be all for nothing. He wondered if it was worth continuing his mission.

The sound of a snapping root echoed throughout the treehouse. Carter held his breath and focused his hearing underneath him. There were hoofsteps coming from below. They echoed from the underground, as if a giant cave system loomed just beneath him. His initial reaction was to try and break through the floor and find the one responsible for the sounds, but many things prohibited that. He was mainly concerned with the thought that perhaps this creature knew that it was being followed, or perhaps it was armed. Maybe it was just a rat or something. Carter stayed quiet as he waited for the hoofsteps to fade into nothing.

Silence fell over the area. Nothing but an occasional gust of wind was audible to the red stallion. He stared down at the ground, making sure that the creature was far enough from him so that he could move once more without bringing attention to his current position. He took a small step and gently placed his forehoof on the crystal ground. The sound that emitted was barely audible, so he knew that he was safe for now.

Carter searched for an alternate route to reach the catacombs, looking for anything that would lead him even a few feet lower. There was a wooden hatch found in the far corner of the bottom floor. He ran over to it and lifted it up with his teeth. Dust flung up into his face, some even making its way into his lungs. A couple strugglesome coughs came out of the stallion before he looked down upon the entrance of the hatch. He was not expecting the things he saw.

The hatch led to a large cave illuminated by pre-lit torches lined up along the right side of the walls. This placed an eerie feeling in Carter’s conscience. He was not the only one here. Something or someone else had been here way before him. The appearance of the cave itself was to give him the chills. He now knew that the killer was down there, and he needed to find out who.

Whatever this thing is, it does not want to be seen.

Carter heard a gasp come from behind him. He spun around on his hooves in haste, expecting to find the culprit. To his luck, he found only a familiar uniform clad pegasus. The mare lifted her goggles and stared at Carter with a stern look.

“What are you doing here?” The tone of her voice came across as angry, as if she was trying to interrogate Carter.

“I am looking for the killer.” Carter returned the look and tone of the pegasus pony, staring her down with the same stern expression. “I take it that you are doing the same?”

“I am only here to find the threat and report my findings to Captain Spitfire.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and looked away from the stallion. “Though I take it that you are looking to eliminate the threat right now.”

“If the situation calls for it.” The two ponies loosened their stern composers and switched to a more calmer alternative, now knowing that the other didn’t pose a threat.

“Fluttershy told me that you came alone. Why?”

“I can’t risk their lives for this. No pony, not even you, has nearly as much experience in combat as I do. No offense, but I figure that I may be enough to take on this threat.”

“Why not bring Twilight or something?” Rainbow Dash was confused. She understood Carter’s reasoning to go alone, and she did the same. Yet, the latter half of his explanation didn’t make sense.

“That is suicide. Even if she could muster enough power to overcome this evil, you are putting the princess’ life at stake of all ponies. That is not something I would even consider.”

“Very well, I guess that makes sense. Still, never go out on a mission by yourself. There is a reason Twilight tries to teach the importance of friendship to everypony.”

“Right. I promise, Rainbow Dash. I promise that I won’t go solo next time.”

“Alright.” Rainbow Dash nodded to the stallion after she heard what she wanted. “What have you found so far?”

“I’ve been trying to find a way into the catacombs. The only thing I could find to get me even part of the way there is this hatch. It leads to a cave system. I heard the creature walk right underneath me, and the cave has torches that have already been lit.”

“The threat is right underneath the treehouse!” Rainbow Dash shook at the thought. “I hope none of the students got hurt.”

“Students?” Carter was not happy to hear such a word escape her mouth.

“This place belongs to a small group of students that go to Twilight’s school. If they have been here recently, then… I hope they have fled this place.”

“I have faith that they are ok. However, as much as it pains me to say this, we do not have time to think of those who have been hurt. We must prevent any future casualties.”

“You are right, Carter.” The blue pegasus looked over at the open hatch. “I guess that we should begin our search in the caves. We could find the catacombs from there. If what you said about the creature being just beneath us at one point, then I am sure that we will find it sooner than later.”

Carter nodded before leading the way. He was the first one to jump down the hatch and into the caves. He checked his surroundings for any potential threats. Nothing. He waved to Rainbow Dash, who flew down to meet up with him shortly after.

Rainbow Dash followed closely behind Carter as he led them both in the direction of where the creature was last heard heading towards. The rocky walls of the cave merged with stone slabs. The scent of moss and dirt took over their senses as they found the castle hallways in the distance.

“You don’t happen to know a spell that can illuminate the area, do you?” Rainbow Dash was hesitant to continue forward along with Carter, as the caves began to grow ever more dimmer.

“I know of no magic, Dash. We will have to work with what we have. It would be no different if you were here by yourself, as you don’t know any magic that you could pull off.” The pegasus shook her head with a distressed look on her face. “Do not lose that courage that I know you have. Don’t grow cocky, but do not be fearful, either.”

“I know. I am not scared at all.”

“I won’t argue with that. Not now.”

The sound of their hooves coming in contact with the stone floor echoed throughout the cave walls, reverberating the clopping noises all around them. While Dash tried to stay calm, even Carter worried that the volume of their steps would attract some unneeded attention.

They continued down the caves until it was nothing but stone slabs. They knew that they were closer to the catacombs, but just how close they really were was still unknown to the two of them.

Carter spotted some strange writing along the cave walls. While he continued to walk with Rainbow Dash, he examined the strange marks. The writing along the stone architecture seemed to illustrate an event that took place in the early moons of Equestria. There was an illustration of a pale alicorn foal, resembling a young Celestia. The foal was staring at what could only be interpreted as her parents. The eldest of the ponies looked upon a black rock that laid embedded in the ground.

Wait…

Rainbow Dash turned her head as she noticed Carter walking up to the writings. Carter was fascinated by the strange rock found in the illustration. In the image, all the ponies had exaggerated expressions of fear on their faces. The mother held out a hoof in front the foal as a form of protection, while the father simply stared at the rock with curiosity.

To Carter’s surprise, there was a fourth pony across from the former three. He wondered if it was Luna, but the details engraved in the walls pointed to something else. The pony was an alicorn, but colored grey, and its mane was an intense black. The look on its face while staring at the rock did not match the others’. While the other three looked at it with fear, the latter had a malicious expression presented through the writings.

To Carter, it was explaining some historical past event. But it was not the story in itself that grabbed his attention, but rather the illustration of the rock. A dark entity grew inside him, like he was looking back upon a past memory. The rock felt all too familiar to him, but he was left unsure as to why he was having these feelings. He could’ve sworn his vision pulsated with a green tint multiple times while he analyzed the rock drawing.

“Carter, we need to go.” The pegasus grew impatient, ordering for the stallion to continue their mission without any more distractions.

“Right…” Carter walked with Rainbow Dash, looking back at the writings for a moment longer before turning his head back in front of him. They came across a split in the path; the caves lead to two distinct paths. Upon further inspection, there was no way to tell where either of them lead.

“Which way do we go?” Rainbow Dash asked. She knew that the stallion would not have the answers that she was looking for, but said it nonetheless.

“We will try the left side, first. Get behind me, Dash.” Carter lightly pushed her to his side before proceeding into the hallway. He had a bad feeling about the path he had chosen, feeling as though he should turn back immediately. The sounds of chains caught their attention as Carter looked down at his hooves. He had stepped on a pressure plate.

A trap!

Carter turned around and tried to regroup with Rainbow Dash, but an iron gate fell down from the ceiling, separating the two. The pegasus placed her front hooves against the cold metal, shaking it back and forth to free the stallion. Her attempts were useless, and they both knew it.

“Carter! Are you ok!?” She peered through the gate’s opening, trying to spot him. It was so dark that only her mane could be seen clearly.

“I am ok, Rainbow Dash! Do not fret!” Carter stepped into the limited light that was around him so that the pegasus could see him. Once visible, she let out a sigh of relief.

“How are we gonna get you out of there?”

“I will have to find a way out, myself. I fear that I may have triggered a trap.”

Carter looked around for a switch of some sorts to open the gates, but there was nothing that looked remotely close to it. In an instant, torches sprawled across the nearby area lit up almost magically. Their light revealed to Carter that he was in the middle of some arena. His stomach turned, however, once he looked at the ground.

The surface of the arena was covered in fresh meat and bones from recently deceased ponies of all kinds. The smell of rotting flesh and blood along with other bodily fluids put Carter in a state of distress. He could not have anticipated this, yet it felt almost expected at the same time. Even then, the fact that all of these deaths were recent was something else to fear.

The poor mare behind the cage was able to see everything he was, and she wasn’t taking it in any better. She placed a hoof to her mouth as a bit of vomit escaped her mouth, spilling out onto the stone floor beneath her. Recollecting her sanity somewhat, she continued to look for a way to free Carter.

The two of them turned their heads as they heard the sound of a large door open up. In front of Carter was a large corridor, wide open to him. He anticipated an evil to show itself to him. Carter looked into the dark hall, readying himself in a battle stance. To him and Dash, there was a reason that these ponies were dead. A loud stomp was heard coming from the end of the hall. Then another, this time louder. By the third, the ground shook beneath his hooves.

“Carter!” Rainbow Dash was in a state of panic, frantically trying to come up with ways to break the gate and free him. The sounds of the approaching creature continued to grow. Carter was unaware of what he would be met with face to face, but didn’t lose his readied composure.

Out came a large bear-like monster. Its body seemed to be made of a cosmic mass similar to that of Luna’s mane. It came bursting through the subjectively small corridor that it found itself in beforehand. The monster let out a loud roar in defiance as it stared at Carter with a menacing expression upon its face.

Oh shit!

“Carter, run! It’s an ursa major!”

The creature lifted its paw and swung it at Carter. The stallion barely rolled out of its way before getting back on his hooves and properly analyzing the situation. His heart rate was exponentially higher than normal, and his adrenaline was flowing through him like he just got done chugging a sports drink.

The monster lifted it's foot into the air and struck the ground with enormous force, shaking Carter off of his hooves. Carter had little time to think as it's fist came in pursuit shortly after. The stallion dove to his left, barely escaping a rather messy death.

The size of the beast is too big for me to even have a small chance at damaging it. What to do?

Carter looked over to his right after finding a glimmer of light reflect off of some metal. He spotted a chain that seemed to control the gate that separated him from Rainbow Dash. He figured if he could somehow get it to stay in a position that opens the gate, then he could get out without having to fight the monster.

He ran with haste over to the chain, grabbing onto the cold metal with his front hooves and beginning to tug at it. The chains, though proving to be quite difficult to move due to rust from the castle’s age, were pulled into its coil, slowly opening the gate. The creature caught on to Carter’s plan of escape and threw its paw out at the chain.

The claws from the monster’s paw came in contact with the chain. Pieces of metal flew across the air, forcing Carter to use his hooves to cover his face. The chain jerked away from him violently, but stopped before it could settle back in its original position. It was caught on itself.

Carter looked over at the gate, but the amount of slack that chain had was still not enough to open it. He gritted his teeth in annoyance and mind anger as he looked back at the ursa major. He eyed the chain once more, devising another plan to get himself free of the monster’s grasp.

Carter freed the part of the chain that kept it from recoiling and grabbed it with his teeth. With little planning, Carter ran full throttle at the creature. It let out another defiant roar, lifting its paw once more. He stopped in his tracks and waited for the ursa major to attack. He watched as its arm slowly got closer to him. He waited for the moment just before its claws would strike him.

Now!

Carter jumped into the air, dodging the monster’s attack. He landed on its arm as it retreated and kept himself on by holding tightly onto it by its fur. The ursa major saw him climbing along its arm and used its other paw to try and squish him. Carter saw the telegraphed attack and took a step back, watching the second paw fall down in front of him. He jumped onto the secondary appendage, and with all of his might, leapt towards the creature’s face.

With the chain moved from between his teeth to his hooves, Carter took the chain’s hook and drove it into the ursa major’s right eye. The metal went straight through the fleshy substance without trouble. The creature let out a roar of pain as it shot up onto its feet.

The chain reached its maximum length, snapping with a loud, metallic sound as it prevented the ursa major from moving any farther back. Carter saw that the gate was now open. He hopped onto the chain and slid down its metal parts before touching down on the ground. He ran over to the now open gate and leapt through the entryway, just as the gate fell back down to the ground.

Carter, lacking enough oxygen for his body to catch up, looked back at the ursa major. It placed its paws over its injured eye, roaring in pain as blood ran down the right side of its face. He looked away, thinking only of how lucky he was to escape the creature’s clutches.

“That wasn’t too bad, was it?” Carter looked around for Rainbow Dash, but couldn’t find her anywhere near him. His smile of relief changed into an expression of extreme concern. He continued searching for the pegasus mare, running down the right hallway in hopes that she went there to try and find a way to free him.

“Dash! Dashie! Where are you, Rainbow Dash!” Carter’s yells echoed throughout the halls of the castle caves, but no other voices returned to him. He continued to shout for his friend, hoping that he’d find her standing in front of him around every corner he turned.

He soon found himself in the castle catacombs. While this was the intended place for him to be in, he was determined to find her before he continued pursuing the murderer.

A loud scream came over his ears, echoing throughout the entirety of the cave’s walls. Carter fell to the ground, shaken by the sudden disturbance. His body was filled with fear and trepidation. Though the screams faded to nothing but minor reverberations from the rather elongated echoes, it rang in his ears all the louder. It was the same one from his vision.

Carter lifted his head and sprinted towards the direction of the screams. Another was heard, but it didn’t sound like he was getting any closer. He came across a four-way split in the tunnels. With no time to waste, he chose to continue forward. His heart sank in his gut once he hit a dead end later along the path. He was forced to turn around. This time, he chose the right path. Yet another scream echoed through the tunnel. It was louder this time, which gave Carter a sense of hope.

He turned the corner and stopped dead in his tracks, skidding to a pause. He found it rather difficult to keep his sanity after laying eyes upon a most foul scene.

Across from where he stood, three large vials of green liquids contained the bodies of dead fillies within each of them. Their intestines were ripped from the inside of their bodies, with nothing but incisions along their abdomens revealing the emptiness within their lifeless flesh.

The stallion found it troublesome to stand up, not expecting to ever see something like this. Along the walls of the room hung shelves of varying body parts, capsulated in jars that were filled with the same green fluids, ranging from intestines, to hearts, and even lungs.

Blood splatter was commonly found along the floor, walls and shelving. The smell of dying flesh overwhelmed Carter’s sense of smell, forcing the stallion to cover his nose with his right hoof. He thought that he understood what to expect from a creature that killed ponies repeatedly, but it wasn’t until now when he completely understood the severity of the task at hand.

Carter recollected his thoughts and slowly proceeded forward, shying away from the unsightly horrors that presented itself around him. He felt his hoof rest in the body of a grotesque liquid. He lowered his head and examined the substance for himself.

Blood… it’s new, too. Rainbow Dash!

The blood puddles lead straight into the corridor in front of him. Carter knew by then that he was very close to finding the truth, but time was running thin after another scream erupted through the tunnel. It was time to get down to the bottom of this mystery before a particular pegasus fell victim to the murderer.

Don’t worry, Dash. You will not die. Not today.

Author's Note

Plot thickens!