The Blighted Hunter

Chapters

Chapter 1: The Land of Equestria
Chapter 2: Into the Unknown
Chapter 3: First Contact
Chapter 4: A Hunter's Nightmare
Chapter 5: Luck of the Claw
Chapter 6: Rethinking
I'm sorry
Prologue

Chapter 1: The Land of Equestria

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 2: Into the Unknown

It was a beautiful afternoon in Ponyville, and all was quiet at the Castle of Friendship. Inside the library section was Spike, who woke up a couple of hours ago, ate breakfast, and started his chores. As he was sweeping the floors of the library, he suddenly felt his stomach grumble, then he let out a burp of green fires. The fires manifested into a letter, which landed on the ground. Spike picked up the letter and saw the seal on it.

"A letter from the Princess? I wonder what's going on," Spike told himself.

Suddenly the doors to the library burst open, and Twilight, along with her friends came rushing in. Twilight noticed the letter with Celestia's seal on it in Spike's hands.

"The Princess sent a letter? She must've felt it too then," said Twilight.

"Felt what?" Spike asked.

"It was a feeling of some kind. Whatever it was, it was dark and powerful, possibly more powerful than Sombra."

"P-possibly more powerful than Sombra?!" Spike asked with a hint of fear.

"Spike, read the letter."

Spike opened the letter and started reading.

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

I'm writing to you because of something urgent. Luna and I felt a strong presence, and it can quite possibly be more powerful than King Sombra. I'm sure you felt it as well. If you did, than you understand why I'm concerned. We can't pinpoint exactly where this darkness originated from or where it currently is, so I ask you and your friends to be on the lookout for anything remotely suspicious. Once you find this dark presence, contain it, for I fear that it will plunge Equestria and its citizens into an era of darkness. I also ask that you don't tell anypony about this as well, for I don't want a mass panic to occur. And be careful Twilight, for we don't know what this darkness is capable of.

Sincerely,
Princess Celestia

After the letter was read, Twilight looked at her friends. Applejack, Rarity, and Spike had worried expressions, Fluttershy was scared, Rainbow had a look of confidence, and Pinkie was smiling as usual.

"Lands sakes. You must be serious about the whole darkness being powerful than Sombra if Celestia herself is worried at its mere presence," Applejack exclaimed.

"Whatever it is, I'd say we start looking for right now and kick its butt. We can take it," Rainbow said.

"OH! You think that if we befriend it, we can have parties with it?! Gasp. ANOTHER REFORMED VILLAIN?! That would be amazing!" Pinkie cheered.

"Pinkie. We don't even know if this is a living creature we're talking about. And even if it is, if it's in possession of dark magic, and is more powerful than the king of shadows, than I'm pretty sure there's no befriending it," Twilight stated.

"I'm afraid Twilight is right darling. If there was no hope in befriending Sombra, then who's to say that this one will?" Rarity asked.

"I-I really hope you're wrong about this. I don't wanna fight something that's darker than Sombra," Fluttershy said.

"Well, until we know for sure, I'd say we be on the lookout. I'll try to see if I can use my magic to pinpoint the location of the darkness. I just hope it doesn't hurt anypony anytime soon, nor does anypony besides us to look for it," Twilight said with worry.

Meanwhile at the entrance of the Everfree Forest

"So Applebloom, tell why we're going into the Everfree Forest again," said an orange pegasus filly with a magenta mane and tail.

"I told ya already Scootaloo. We're going to Zecora's so we can practice potion making," said a yellow earth pony filly with a red mane and tail and a large pink bow.

"Correction. So you can practice potion making," said Sweetie Belle.

"Well, can ya blame me for not wanting to go in alone? Ya'll know how ma sister gets when I go into the Everfree alone," Applebloom said.

"I guess you're right. Besides, there's no way we would let you go in alone," said Scootaloo.

"Yeah, after all, we're..." Sweetie Belle started.

"THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS! YAY!" all three fillies yelled before they went into the forest.

After a few hours of walking through the forest without finding any signs of life besides animals, Kyle started to get both worried and aggravated. He didn't jump through the trees nor use his tendrils to travel in fear of anybody he finds thinking he was a predator of some kind. In a way, he was, but that's besides the point. The point is that it was starting to get on his nerves.

Groan. "Where in the world is civilization? I've been walking for who knows how long. I hate using these powers, but I guess I don't have any other choice," Kyle thought.

Deciding he wasn't getting anywhere, he decided to use something he always hated even since he got them, his beast-like abilities. Calming his mind, he focused all of his senses, especially his senses of smell and hearing to try find civilization. Through his heightened senses, Kyle has been able to find targets that are, at most, 3 miles away. And it worked, about 2-3 miles away was a sound. It was faint, but very noticeable to Kyle. It was the sound of talking. From what he could hear, there were three voices in total, one with a country accent, one a bit raspy, and one squeaky. Judging by how young they sounded, Kyle deduced that these were kids.

"I really hope those kids aren't in this forest. I'm pretty sure this would give anybody the creeps. Anyways, looks there's civilization on this world after all. Thank god. Now I just got to introduce myself."

Getting on all fours, Kyle proceeded to stampede towards the voices. When he was about 1.5 miles away from them, he decided to hop onto the trees and continued jumping. As he was jumping, Kyle thought about how he was gonna introduce himself, and not make him look like a monster, even though he does look like one.

"I suppose I can act like a docile dog, but that might make me look something that can be tamed and become some kind of pet. So how can I let them know that I'm not an animal, but in fact a sentient being? Hell, how am I gonna let them know I'm even human?" Sigh. "It's times like these that I really wish my transformation didn't take away my ability to speak."

After a few minutes of traversing, Kyle hopped onto the ground and proceeded to jog onwards. With a little less than a mile away from the kids, he slowly started to get worried about how they will react to him at first glance. He knew that he looked like a beast that will kill people without a second thought, but deep down, he was a kind soul that only wishes to be accepted for who he is, not what he looks like. However, that's what he thought. He remembered one time where he got out into that dark forest and looked for other people. He specifically remembered a girl wearing a pink top, runner's pants, and had pigtails. He tried his best to let the girl know he was friendly, but she thought otherwise. She freaked out and ran away after a few seconds of noticing him. He shook his head upon that memory.

"That was different. She was in the Trials, where it's very dark and she died pretty much everyday. She probably thought I was one of the killers. This place is bright and colorful, so there has to be some people willing to accept me for who I am and not what I look like. Right?"

"Applebloom, are you sure we're going the right way?" Sweetie Belle asked with a worry and fear.

"Yeah, cause it looks like we're lost," Scootallo said.

"Of course we're going the right way. We're just...taking a shortcut?" Applebloom lied while sweating.

"Just admit it Applebloom. We're lost. And besides, you're a terrible liar," Scootaloo said.

"Ok alright, we're lost. I think we went the wrong way. And besides, it's not my fault I'm a terrible liar. My sister's the Element of Honesty for lands sake," Applebloom said.

"W-well, d-do you at least know the way back?" Sweetie asked.

"Um..."

Scootaloo facehoofed at this and Sweetie started to get a bit more scared. Obviously, they were lost and had no idea how to get back. They knew the dangers of the Everfree Forest and still decided to enter, but it was all to ensure that a friend doesn't enter alone, so...

All of a sudden, they heard growling nearby. The three fillies looked where the noise came from and saw three pairs of glowing green eyes in the darkness. They stepped away from the eyes, knowing what those eyes belonged to, one of the common dangers of the Everfree. The eyes came closer, and the creatures they belonged revealed themselves in the sunlight. Full of fear, the fillies only had one option that gave them any hope of surviving. They ran.

"AAAAHHHHH!" While screaming. Can you really blame them? The creatures behind them then started to pursue their prey.

In the distance, was Kyle with a worried expression. As he was approaching the kids, he suddenly heard them scream and run away. He also the sounds of growling and running after the kids.

"Shit! Guess those kids were in the forest, and it sounds like some wolves decided to target them for their next meal." Following his heart, he chased after them in hopes that he gets to the kids before the wolves do and feast on them. "Screw introductions. I will not let any other kids die, and this time, I will not fail in saving them. Hang tight kids, I'm coming and I'll protect you."

Hearing the sounds of screaming and running come closer and closer, Kyle got on all fours, ran in a full sprint, and hopped onto the trees. He hopped from tree to tree until he saw something...weird. He saw what looked like three large wolves completely made out of wood, and they were growling and slowly approaching something. Kyle looked at what they were looking at and saw something that he wasn't sure if it was even weirder than the wolves. He saw three small ponies, one yellow, one orange, and one white, hugging each other against the bottom of a cliff. He then noticed that they were shivering in fear.

"SOMEPONY! HELP US!" the white one said. Kyle recognized the voice immediately. It was the squeaky voice, one of the three voices that he was tracking. At the moment, he realized something. These three fillies were the kids who were pursued by the wolves and were in dire need of help. Kyle could've felt many things. Shocked that there's colorful ponies that are sentient and can talk. Saddened that there's a chance there's no humans in this world. He felt neither of them. He felt determined. Determined to protect the fillies. He then got a serious expression on his face as he prepared to jump at the wolves looking to harm the kids.

"Don't worry little ones. I'll protect you," Kyle thought as he lept at the wolves.

Author's Note

So the Main 6 are now on the lookout for the dark presence. And Kyle found out that there's ponies in this world, and three fillies are being cornered by wooden wolves. Will Kyle be able to protect them? Find out next time.

Chapter 3: First Contact

"Promise me one thing Kyle. Promise me that my death won't change who you are. Remain the same kind boy that I raised you to be. Please."

Sniffles. "Okay. I will. I'll take good care of Alice and raise her into a benevolent young women."

"Thank you Kyle. Mommy knows you'll do a great job."

"M-mom? Mom please don't do this. N-NO! P-PLEASE, I DON'T WANT YOU TO GO!"

"Take care sweetie. Always know that I love you..."

"I love you too mom."

Time seemed to move in slow motion as Kyle quickly thought one of his saddest moments, the moment where his mother, the women who made him a kind soul, passed away and had him make a promise. He was able to keep that promise, for the most part, but he made another one that, unfortunately, he was not able to keep, and it troubled him greatly. But he had to quickly forget it. Now was not the time to start thinking about the past. What matters now is there's a trio of kids that need saving a group of wolves made out of wood.

Time seemed to go back to normal as Kyle was brought back to his determined state. He shot out his tendrils out of his wrists at the wolf closest to the small white filly and let out a loud roar.

Panic and fear were stricken across the the three fillies' faces. What started out as a simple trip to Zecora's place to practice potion making, led to being lost in one of the most dangerous places in Equestria, to being chased by Timberwolves, to being cornered by Timberwolves. The fillies were reflecting on their lives and their choices as the wolves moved closer and closer. So many memories, a lot sad, a lot regretful. But a great majority of them were happy. Spending time with their families, meeting each other at Diamond Tiara's cutie mark party, and forming the Cutie Mark Crusaders. They still had a lot of life ahead of them, and here they were about to be eaten.

"SOMEPONY! HELP US!" Sweetie Belle yelled in desperation. She knew her and her friends were probably far away from the entrance of the forest that no one will hear them, but she had to try. And who knows? Maybe Zecora was able to hear them and come to their rescue. When she saw that no one was coming, she decided to accept her fate and hold her closest friends together. Scootallo and Applebloom did the same as well as one of the wolves approached them.

Suddenly, out of no where, the three crusaders heard a loud roar, which shook them out their scared state, not sure out of even more fear at the potential that there's another predator nearby, or hope that help is coming and that they'll be saved and able to continue living their young lives. What they saw next confirmed that they were in the former state.

Two tendrils shot towards the closest wolf's muzzle and wrapped around it. The fillies looked to where the tendrils came from and froze. It was a creature they've never seen before that disturbed them. It looked like some sort of big, hairless ape. It wore a dirty white straight jacket one might see in a mental asylum, black denim pants, all of which were covered in filth. Sweetie quickly thought about how her sister Rarity would be disgusted at its dirty attire. She then thought about how she would be disgusted at its face, but right now, Sweetie was scared, so were the other Crusaders. Extremely pale skin, a white, scruffy mane, and eyes and a mouth that was secreting some kind of orange liquid.

The creature shot towards the wolf, quickly retracted the tendrils, and punched it so hard that its muzzle shattered to pieces. It then grabbed onto the remaining body, and started to spin around with it. After about 5-6 spins, it threw the body at one of the other wolves, completely shattering them. It was about to approach the last wolf when it noticed that the bark was glowing green. The bark then came together and completely bringing the Timberwolf back to life. The two Timberwolves let out growls and started to approach the creature. The creature quickly looked back at the Crusaders, whose eyes were still noticeably full of fear, then looked back at the approaching wooden wolves and let out another huge roar. The Crusaders covered their ears at how loud and scary the roar sounded.

"So these wolves can be resurrected? That's...actually interesting. Although under the circumstances, it's both cool and completely bullshit. No matter, I dealt with a lot of people that can't die at all. Hell, I dealt with one that does not feel pain at all." Kyle thought.

Kyle looked back at the little fillies and saw that they were still scared. Given the circumstances, he didn't blame. After all, they were cornered by three large wolves that can be resurrected. Unbeknownst to him, the wolves weren't the reason on why they were so afraid. Kyle shot out his tendrils towards one of the wolves, then using all his strength, yanked it towards him. When it was close enough, he retracted his tendrils and delivered a powerful punch, which resulted in the wolf being launched towards the other wolf. Both were shattered into pieces of wood.

"I gotta get the kids out of here before they come back," Kyle thought. He was about to turn around to grab the kids, when he heard the something moving through the bushes. He turned around and saw another wooden wolf. This time, it was much bigger than the rest, and had leaves and moss growing on some of its parts. "So this is their leader, eh? Whatever, it won't be a challenge for me. After all, the bigger they are, the harder they fall."

Kyle ran towards the leader, as the it did the same. It leapt at Kyle, but that was completely predictable for him. He slid underneath the wolf, just barely missing the swiping claw, then shot out his tendrils. The tendrils wrapped around the leader. Kyle then spun and threw the huge wolf to where it came from with all his strength, knocking a few trees as it flew through the air. Kyle got on all four and ran after it. When he found it, it was obviously completely dazed after hitting a few trees. With one last effort, he ran full speed at the wolf, which was still completely dazed, and delivered one last powerful punch. The punch launched the leader even further, then it collided with a tree and completely shattered. Kyle then let out one last roar out of victory.

"That takes care of that bastard. Now I gotta get those kids out of this forest and back to civilization. They'll put in a good word for me and I can begin my new life. I consider this a win-win." Kyle walked back to where the kids were and then saw they were gone. Using his heightened senses, he heard the three kids running and screaming. In a small part of his mind, he knew that they screaming because they were scared of him, but he had to have hope. "They've probably never seen something like me before and were just surprised."

He hopped into the trees and followed the little fillies. He not only did this to make sure they get out the creepy forest safely, but also so they'll lead him to civilization. As he was following them, he thought about how he was gonna introduce himself to the inhabitants, the ponies he assumed. He also thought about what he was gonna do in his life, in this new world. That is, if the ponies chose to accept him into society.

As the Cutie Mark Crusaders were running through the forest, they thought about what just happened. They were heading to Zecora's, got lost, got chased by Timberwolves, were cornered by Timberwolves, and then the Timberwolves were attacked from some...thing. That...creature. They couldn't that image of the creature's face out of their heads, no matter how hard they tried.

"WHAT WAS THAT THING?!" Scootaloo questioned.

"I DON'T KNOW! BUT DID YA'LL SEE ITS FACE! I'M JUST GLAD IT DECIDED TO GO AFTER THE TIMBERWOLVES INSTEAD OF US!" Applebloom exclaimed.

"WE GOTTA TELL TWILIGHT ABOUT THIS! HER AND THE OTHERS CAN TAKE CARE OF IT!" Scootaloo said.

As they were talking, Sweetie thought harder about the incident. Whatever that creature was, it looked, sounded, and acted like some sort of apex predator. However, she thought about it some more. The creature knew they were there, it looked at them after all. What's more, is that they were easy prey. They were just three small and defenseless filles, and it decided to go after the big, ferocious Timberwolves. If it was really after them, it either would've attacked them by now, possibly killed them. Sweetie dreaded at that thought, but then shook it out.

The Crusaders then noticed the path that led to the entrance of the forest and quickly took. Eventually they saw light coming from the tree lines, and soon the entrance. They ran out as fast as possible. When they ran out of the dreaded forest, they turned and saw Ponyville. They each breathed a sigh of relief.

"Come on ya'll. We gotta tell Twilight about that creature," Applebloom said.

"Yeah, I bet Rainbow Dash can totally kicked that thing's butt," Scootaloo said as they headed towards the town.

"You guys, wait!" Sweetie called out. The others stopped and turned to her.

"What is it Sweetie?" Scootaloo asked.

"Maybe we're looking at this the wrong way. I don't think it's some kind of predator that will kill whatever it wants. Whatever that thing was, it saved us. Think about it, it didn't have to intervene and it could just let the Timberwolves get us. And if it wanted to attack us, then it would've done so in the forest. We are just little ponies after all," Sweetie said.

The other two stood still for a moment and thought about it. After a few minutes, Apple bloom said "I guess you're right Sweetie Belle. It did save us from those Timberwolves."

"Yeah, it probably just wanted to help. I mean, it took on a group of Timberwolves, including a leader. And we probably disappointed it by running away and not even thanking it. I feel just awful," Scootaloo said.

"Me too," Sweetie and Applebloom said.

"I know what we need to do. I still think we should tell Twilight about it, but I reckon we put in a good word for our mysterious fellow," Applebloom said. The others agreed, and then proceeded to Ponyville, hoping to convince Twilight to help the creature that saved their lives.

At the edge of the treeline of the Everfree Forest, Kyle was happy at what he accomplished so far in this new world. Additionally, he was really proud of the white filly. Her friends thought that he was a predator that roams the forest looking for food, but she convinced them that he saved them and that they need to bring him into society. This brought a small tear to his eye. He didn't know why, but the thought of what the filly did just made him...sad. He shook the feeling off and just excused the tear as tears of joy.

"Maybe I should stay in this forest for now. If three little fillies reacted the way that they did, who's to say the other...ponies...will also react out of fear?" Kyle then turned around and headed a little further into the forest. "I just have to wait for those fillies to come and bring the good news, and then I can start over. I'm glad I ended up in this world. Even though those no humans, it's so peaceful, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

Somewhere located in a familiar dark forest was a small, run-down lab. It looked industrial. Many tools like scalpels and pliers were littered across various tables. On an operating table was a completely disfigured woman. Her skin looked grey, rotten even. She was extremely skinny, to the point you can see her bones. She had razor sharp teeth, one very small arm, and one very large arm that had a very sharp claw.

The woman immediately woke and looked around the room. She saw a dim light over her and the many tools around the room. She tried to get up, but then noticed that she was strapped down. She tried to get out with all her might, but to no avail. She then heard the sound of footsteps. She turned towards the noise and saw a man approaching her. It wore a white cloak, with the hood over its head, brown pants, and brown shoes. The woman growled at the man and tried swiping her claw at him, again, to no avail.

"Now, now Ms. Sherwood. That's no need to act like that. I just have a job for you. You see, I was working on an experiment, when the test subject wouldn't cooperate with me. And now, he's gone. I just need you to retrieve him for me," the man said. Sherwood's only response was to struggle and growl some more. The man then walked over to a table and grabbed a syringe. He then walked over to a table which held many vials filled with a glowing, orange liquid.

"Now Ms. Sherwood, to help you in retrieving my little test subject, I shall give you something that made many people unstoppable. The very same stuff that my life's work is on. The stuff that helped the test subject escape. Pustula Serum," the man said as he filled the syringe with the Serum. He walked over to Sherwood, who was still struggling and growling, and injected the Pustula Serum into her large arm.

"Very soon Mr. Johnson, you'll come back to me and I'll turn you into the perfect hunter. And all will remember the great Dr. Talbot Grimes. Throughout the dark forest, all that was heard was the sounds of gurgled growling and maniacal laughing.

Author's Note

So the Cutie Mark Crusaders have been saved and now they're heading to Ponyville to tell Twilight about Kyle. What will this mean for Kyle? Will he be accepted? And what of the man named Talbot Grimes and the disfigured woman named Sherwood? Find out next time.

For those that are curious, I imagine Kyle's roars to be like the roars of the Night Zombie from Dying Light. Go to 18:00 in the video to know what his roars sound like.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJQix_7RkgM

Chapter 4: A Hunter's Nightmare

As Kyle watched from afar the three little fillies galloping towards the town, he wondered what he should do in the meantime. "Maybe I can try to hunt for some food. Anything meat related is probably a bad idea because aren't ponies herbivores? I guess fruits and vegetables it is. Good thing I didn't transform into a carnivore. That would be...problematic. Kyle thought.

Kyle leapt into the trees and starting using his heightened sense of smell, which was basically like a bloodhound's. As long as he sniffed something just one time, he would be able to recognize that smell and track it down from within a few miles. He soon caught the scent of a few pieces of fruit, mainly berries. And then one scent became apparent to Kyle. It smelled fresh and good. It smelled...like apples.

"Ohhh. I could go for some nice, juicy apples. As long as there's no worms in them.

...

"Actually, you know what? Fuck it. I've been eating worms the past few months. I'll take whatever I can get before I show myself to the town." Kyle hopped back onto the ground and started walking towards the source of the apple smell. As he was walking, he started to ponder about what he was gonna do exactly. To be honest, he didn't actually think that the inhabitants were gonna accept him, but he sees now that he has a very good chance.

"I bet that's gonna look so good in the headlines. 'Unknown creature with animal-like powers begins living with ponies thanks to three little fillies he rescued.' So what should I do job-wise? Cashier like I used to be? No, can't talk. Take a few odd jobs from time to time? Possibly. I guess I have a shot with whatever law enforcement there is. After all, I am now, quote on quote, 'the perfect hunter.' And if that doesn't work out, then I'll go with the odd jobs idea. Now where should I live?"

Kyle soon arrived at the source of the smell, then stared in awe. He stared at the beautiful orchid he saw. There was a big barn painted red, a nice, two-story house also painted red, and lots and lots of healthy apple trees everywhere he looked. He then paused at that last part, then became a bit upset.

"And, of course the fresh apples I smelled belongs to someone. So it's either I steal a few apples and risk ruining my first impressions, or go back into the forest to try to find those berries I smelled." Kyle then turned around and walked back into the Everfree Forest, using his sense of smell again to look for food.

"I wonder how those fillies are doing, and if they were able to convince the town to welcome me."

"But Twilight, ya gotta believe us," Applebloom said.

Ever since the Cutie Mark Crusaders made it back into Ponyville and to the Castle of Friendship, they've been trying to convince Princess Twilight that they've been saved by some creature that's supposedly never been seen in Equestria. They've describe everything about it in great detail, from its very pale skin to its secretion of the orange substance. But like all adults towards children, Twilight's only response was...

"I keep telling you girls. There's no such thing as such creature. What you saw was probably a part of your imaginations."

Yep, it was the typical 'just a part of your imagination' bullshit from every horror movie ever that involved children as a main character. But the three fillies were determined to convince her otherwise, especially Sweetie Belle. She knew that what she and others saw was real, and that it didn't wan to hurt anypony.

"But it was real. We saw it with our own eyes. It looked like it stood on two legs, was pale, and had white hair," Sweetie said.

"Yeah. And it was wearing some pretty dirty clothes, and had some orange stuff leaking out of its eyes and mouth. It even shot out these tentacle-like things out of its weird-looking hooves," Applebloom said.

"And did you all see the way it fought. The way it punched the Timberwolves so hard that they launched. It was so awesome!" Scootaloo said.

"What Timberwolves?" Twilight asked with a hint of anger. The Crusaders immediately froze when she asked that question. They didn't mention to her anything about what they were doing in the first place and being chased by Timberwolves...nor were they planning to.

"U-um. The Timberwolves that we encountered in the Everfree Forest," Sweetie Belle quivered.

"And what in the name of Celestia were you three doing in the Everfree Foreat in the first place?" Twilight asked, basically demanding for an answer.

"We, um...might have went into the Everfree Forest to visit Zecora, so I can practice potion making," Appebloom said.

"You three know that the Everfree is way too dangerous for young fillies such as yourselves. I'm sorry girls, but I'm afraid there's no choice but to give you some of punishment. Spike, can you go get Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity please?" Twilight said.

"Sure Twilight," Spike said as he started to head out.

Spike soon came back with Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity. Twilight then explained to them that the Crusaders went into the Everfree Forest and got chased by some Timberwolves. She even mentioned to them about the creature they "saw." After the explanation about where the fillies were...oh boy, were they ticked at them. And they didn't hold back on showing how much trouble they're in.

"I can't believe y'all went into the Everfree without letting any of us know," Applejack said.

"Indeed. Fillies as young as you shouldn't go into that dreadful forest. There's ghastly monsters everywhere," Rarity said.

"And what's this I hear about some kind of pale creature that took down a group of Timberwolves?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I may not be an egghead like Twilight..."

"Hey!"

"...but I know there's no creature like she described, that's capable of taking down a group of Timberwolves no less."

"I must agree with Rainbow here. No creature would ever wear such attire so...ghastly," Rarity said, more doubtful about the creature's clothes than the creature in general.

"I keep telling y'all, the creature was real," Applebloom said, clearly annoyed at her sister, the Element of Honesty, doesn't believe her.

"Yeah!" the other Crusaders said.

"Look Applebloom, I'm willing to talk to y'all about this creature later. But right now, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ground you for going into the Everfree," Applejack said,

"The same goes for you Sweetie Belle. Who knows what could've happened to you," Rarity said.

"Sorry Scoots, but they're right. What you did was just reckless," Rainbow said.

Knowing that they weren't going to win against them, the Crusaders went home with their respective sisters. This gave Twilight time to think. She thought about what Crusaders said, but then she thought about the dark magic she felt that morning. How on the same day this sudden feeling came to her, as well as Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, was the same day the three fillies reported a strange creature, never seen before in Equestria. This didn't mean that she really believed them, but she can't help but wonder if these events are somehow connected.

Later that evening

"Twilight, are you sure you're feeling okay? Ever since Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity left with their sisters, you looked so deep in thought. Did something happen with the Crusaders?" Spike asked.

"I'm honestly not sure Spike. Call it being paranoid, but I can't help but think that dark feeling. Not only that, but what's strange is that about an hour after I felt it is when Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo say that they saw an unknown creature fight off a group of Timberwolves," Twilight said.

"Are you saying that they were telling the truth, and that there's actually a creature that's capable of taking down Timberwolves by itself?"

"I don't know." Even though what those three fillies said sounded ridiculous, a small part of Twilight's brain actually believed them. If what they said was actually true, then she had to get the girls and find it immediately. Because the thought of the dark magic that she felt and a creature that can take down a group of Timberwolves with its own hooves being connected deeply concerned her.

"Look, I think I've been overthinking this. I'll figure out what do in the morning because right now, I need sleep." Twilight went up to her room and laid down on her bed, hoping to calm her mind about the darkness.

God, what's taking those little ones so damn long? They should've been here by now along with other inhabitants," Kyle said frustrated. He has been waiting and scavenging berries in the forest for hours, and it has been getting on his nerves. He would've been living in his own place, eating literally anything besides berries and worms, and drinking clean water by now. Sigh "Maybe it took them a while to convince the inhabitants. I'll give till tomorrow night. If they don't come back then I'll take matters into my own hands and just reveal myself. Right now, I need sleep."

Kyle went a little bit further into the forest and hopped into the trees. He eventually found a nice, comfortable tree to sleep in and laid down. Due to the fact that the Pustula Serum changes the brain as well, Kyle didn't need to get as much sleep as he used to. He could go almost 2 weeks without any sleep. But he wasn't gonna just walk around the forest all night, he needed something to pass the time. What he wasn't looking forward to though was what he always dreamt about whenever he slept.

"Another nightmare to deal with, another child now sleeping peacefully," Princess Luna said to herself. She went across from dream to dream erradicating the evil nightmares that plagued her subjects' dreams. Ever since she got saved from being Nightmare Moon by the Elements of Harmony, she's learned that she can enter the dream realm and change ponies' dreams. So she decided to use her powers to give the ponies' pleasant dreams.

As she was traversing the dream realm, she came across one particular door. Normally, the doors across the realm had a colorful, friendly design, like a flower or a heart. But this one was something Luna has never seen before. It was dark brown, with a claw mark going across it, and it was stained with blood. Furthermore, this door just radiated with darkness. She recognized the darkness immediately. It was the darkness that she felt that morning.

"So it's true. This darkness truly is a living being. Now, let us see what is in this dark entity's mind," Luna told herself. Cautiously, she stepped towards the door, opened it, and stepped inside. At first, all there was was darkness, but then the scenery began to show. Luna found herself in a dark field, surrounded by what looked like some form of metal carriages. However, they were all in poor condition. Luna looked around some more and saw a large, clearly abandoned building. Most of the windows were boarded up, it was dimly lit, and the building itself was dilapidating. Right near the building was a large, glowing sign that read "Gas Heaven."

"What is this place? What is the creature dreaming of?" Luna asked herself as she proceeded to move towards the building. As she was moving, she looked around so more and noticed that multiple rusty hooks were strewn around. She also saw some broken down, advanced-looking generators. When she got next to the the large sign, she suddenly heard the painful cry of a stallion coming from the building. She then saw that running out of the building was a weird ape-looking creature. She guessed that he was male due his screaming. He was bipedal, had tan skin, and black, messy hair. He wore a green jacket, a white scarf, brown gloves, yellowish pants, and brown boots. Luna noticed that he was holding onto his stomach area tightly, then she saw the blood trail he was leaving.

Luna then heard a blaring alarm sound, as well as the man. She looked to where the sound was coming from and saw another creature. This one had brown skin brown, curly hair, a pink shirt, blue pants, red shoes, and glasses. Luna saw that this one was holding down a switch next to large, metal wall that caused three red lights to turn on. The metal wall then moved, revealing a path towards an open field.

"Jake, come on! The door's open!" the female, Luna could guess it was a female, shouted. The jacket wearing creature, which Luna could assume was named Jake, turned towards the female and started running, while still leaving a blood trail. When Jake was about halfway to the gate, he, along with Luna and the pink wearing female, heard a monstrous roar, but this didn't prevent Jake to keep on running. Suddenly, a couple of tendrils came out of nowhere and wrapped themselves around Jake, causing him to fall to the ground.

"CLAUDETTE! PLEASE! HELP ME!" Jake begged. The female named Claudette just had a look fear on her face as she stood there, unable to move. She then turned the other way, running to the field, screaming for her life. Luna and Jake then heard another monstrous roar as another figure leapt onto Jake. The figure's back was facing towards Luna, but she saw that it wore a white straight jacket and black pants. The figured then raised one of its arms, and that's when Luna saw that it had long, sharp claws.

The figure brought its claws down onto Jake and started maiming and mutilating him. It brought its head down onto his neck and started biting into him. Meanwhile, Jake was letting out loud, blood-curdling screams as the creature ate his flesh. Luna was absolutely shocked at the scene happening right in front of her, trying her best to hold her dinner down. How could somepony dream of something so violent? This brought her out of her stupor and into a state of determination to rid Jake of this nightmare. Unbeknownst to her, however, that it wasn't Jake that was having this nightmare.

"HAVE AT THEE YOU FOUL NIGHTMARE! THOU SHALL LEAVE THIS DREAM RIGHT NOW!" Luna yelled in her royal Canterlot voice. She shot a blast of magic, thinking that the monster brutally eating another creature would disappear. However, the magic had no effect on the monster. The creature then turned towards Luna, and she was horrified at the sight of its face. Razor sharp teeth, tumors pulsing, flesh convulsing, and eyes and mouth secreting an orange liquid. Its lower jaw was completely stained with blood.

"How can this be?! Is it...is it this...monster...that's having this dream? Is this what it wants here in Equestria? To kill?!" That was the last question Luna was able to ask herself before the creature let out one last monstrous roar before she the scenery collapsed and she found herself back in the dream realm. There was no doubt about. This...creature...was not only the bearing of whatever she saw, but also that it was the one that caused that dark feeling.

"I must tell my sister about this, as well as Twilight Sparkle. We must capture this creature as soon as possible, for I fear that many ponies will die if this creature runs rampant across Equestria," Luna said as she exited the dream realm.

Morning soon came, and Equestria was filled with Celestia's bright sun. In the Everfree Forest, was Kyle, who was laying in a tree and getting blinded by the sun. He stirred in his sleep and began to wake up.

Groan. "Fucking hell. Every damn time it's that same dream. But...who was that pony? And how did she get into my dream?" Kyle hopped off from the tree and onto the ground. He walked to the tree line and looked at the small town in the distance. "Tonight. If those kids don't come back by tonight, then I'm going over there myself," Kyle decided. He then walked back into the forest, in order to scavenge for some berries.

Author's Note

Luna now knows that Kyle is responsible for the dark feeling, as well what he dreams about, and she plans on telling Celestia and Twilight Sparkle about this. How will they react to this? What will happen to Kyle as he waits in the forest? Find out next time.

Btw, I'm thinking about what happens as I go along, so....

Chapter 5: Luck of the Claw

Somewhere deep in the Everfree Forest, a portal, exactly like the one Kyle came out of into Equestria, appeared and a small figure came out of it. It laid there on the ground, observing its surroundings, making gurgled growling noises. None of the animals dared to go near the figure, for they were too scared. All for one. One curious squirrel decided to approach the figure. Unfortunately, you what they say. Curiosity killed the cat. When the squirrel was a few feet away, the figure suddenly leapt at it and impaled it with its razor sharp claw. The figure picked up the dead squirrel and sunk its razor sharp teeth into it. In a minute, an innocent squirrel simply being curious became nothing besides flesh and bones, mostly the latter.

"Find the Hunter. Kill anything that get in the way," a voice whispered in the the figure's head. It sniffed at the air. When it picked up the scent, it let a groggy growl before moving towards it. It was committed to finding the Hunter, and nothing was gonna get in its way.

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

I am writing to you because it is of great importance. When my sister Luna was doing her duties in the dream realm, she came across a disturbing dream. Based on her description, she was in a field with an abandoned building. She heard a scream and a creature came running out of said building bleeding. She describes him as bipedal, with no fur except a patch on his head, and wore clothing. She heard a blaring noise and saw a female who was like the male creature. The female opened a giant door and yelled at the male to hurry up. As the male was running, a third creature pounced on him and started killing him. For your sake, I won't delve into details on what the creature did, but trust me when I say, it was violent. Luna was able to see the creature's face before she got expelled from the dream. The creature was heavily disfigured, it was very pale, had razor sharp teeth and claws, and it was secreting some kind of orange substance. Unfortunately, that isn't what concerns. What concerns me is that Luna said that she can sense darkness resonating from the creature. The same darkness that you, me, and Luna felt yesterday. If this is what the dark being dreams about, then I fear of what may come to Equestria. Twilight Sparkle, it is imperative that we find this creature immediately. I also ask that you don't tell anypony else about this besides your friends, for I don't want a mass panic to occur. And please, be very careful when you encounter this creature.

You beloved mentor,
Princess Celestia

Twilight read the letter sent from the princess over and over, completely in disbelief. This was just a joke. It had to be a joke. Right? No. The princess would never joke around when it comes to fate of Equestria and the lives of ponies. She couldn't believe it. Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were telling the truth. Whatever creature they encountered had to be the same one Luna saw in the dream realm. As much as she wanted to believe it, two things just didn't add up. One, the Cutie Mark Crusaders didn't describe the creature they encountered as having razor sharp claws or teeth, nor being heavily disfigured, unless you count being very pale and secreting stuff out of your eyes and mouth as being disfigured. Two, the creature was apparently capable of taking down a group of Timberwolves, one of the greatest threats in the Everfree Forest, but it didn't attack the Crusaders. If what Luna described as the creature being completely violent and merciless, why didn't it attack the Crusaders?

She pushed those thoughts out her head. It didn't matter right now, there's still a creature out there that's resonating with darkness. And she knew where it is: the Everfree Forest. She wasn't exactly sure about how she's going to approach it when she finds it, due to the Crusaders' claim that it saved them and Luna's claim that it's completely merciless. No what, Celestia is right. It's imperative that the creature is found.

"I must get the girls and tell them about this. We must start searching the Everfree Forest immediately and find this creature," Twilight thought to herself. "Spike!"

"Yes Twilight," Spike responded.

"I think I know where this darkness is. It's important that we start searching now. Can you please get Applejack and Fluttershy while I get Rarity, Pinkie, and Rainbow?"

"Sure thing. And Twilight, be careful."

"We will Spike."

"I just hope this creature is more like what the Crusaders claim to be," Twilight thought.

"Bored. Bored. Bored. So very bored," Kyle thought to himself. He had been sitting in a tree for the past two hours staring at nothing in particular. He was not hungry in the slightest, so scavenging for food was out. He could've went out to find some more of those wooden wolves to fight, but he specifically told himself he was no longer a predator looking for a fight. So, all he could was wait for something to happen. He took the time to think about his dream, although it's more like a nightmare, from last night. Many questions came to him. Who was that pony? How did she get into his dream? What did she try to do to him? "And will this ruin my chances of having a good life here?"

All of these questions were the reason why Kyle didn't just sleep to pass the time. What if that pony comes back into his dreams? Kyle stood up and hopped off the tree. He went to tree line and just stared at the town in the distance. He used his heightened sight to see if any of the inhabitants was approaching. Not surprising to him, there wasn't. Maybe that encounter in his dreams really did ruin his chances. No. He had to stay hopeful.

"I need to clear my head. All of these questions and thoughts are giving me a headache. Maybe a walk will do. And who knows? Maybe more of those wolves will attack me. I won't be the Hunter if the wolves find me and attack me first." Kyle proceeded to walk further into the forest, just admiring the scenery and hoping to see what other creatures inhabit this world.

"Okay girls. I've gathered you all here because I got an important announcement," Twilight said. She and Spike gathered her friends and brought them to the entrance of the Everfree Forest.

"Well don't leave us hanging here Twi. What's up?" Rainbow questioned.

"Yes darling. Why are we hear near the Everfree Forest?" Rarity questioned.

"Remember yesterday, when I got this strange feeling of darkness, as well as the Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo claiming they saw a creature in the Everfree. Well, this morning, Princess Celestia sent me a letter, saying Luna encountered the creature of darkness. Apparently, the girls were telling the truth," Twilight explained. The others gasped at this. Twilight took out the letter that Celestia sent her and read it out loud. The others had mixed reactions. Fluttershy had a look of fear. Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow had a look of disbelief and worry. Pinkie was...well being Pinkie and trying her best to maintain her happy attitude. Although there was a hint of fear visible on her face.

"O-oh. Oh my. So the girls were telling the truth? And there's a scary dark creature in the Everfree?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yes. But since the girls said it saved them and Luna says it's a threat, I'm not exactly sure how to approach this," Twilight said.

"I say we find it and throw a thank-you-for-saving-the-Cutie-Mark-Crusaders-and-welcome-to-Equestria party!" Pinkie said.

"I say we confront it head on and give a good beating," Rainbow declared.

"Ah agree with Rainbow," AJ said.

"Indeed," Rarity said.

"G-girls. Didn't the Crusaders say it saved them? So shouldn't we approach it gently and kindly?" Fluttershy asked.

"Girls. Here's what I suggest we do. We find it, and approach it gently. Maybe it is friendly. And if it attacks us, then we can go with Rainbow's suggestion," Twilight stated. The others nodded in agreement, although Rainbow, Rarity, and AJ was a little hesitant, but they always had to give the benefit of the doubt to new creatures. "Now, let's go. Princess Celestia said it's imperative that we find it immediately."

Kyle was calmly walking through the forest clearing his head. He encountered a bunny here, a bird there, and even a few of those wooden wolves. Needless to say, none of wolves were victorious when they attacked Kyle. He didn't hold back on fighting them, due to them being able to come back to life. Kyle looked up at the sky and carefully studied the sun's position. He determined that is was now noonish.

"Maybe it's time to head back. I could really use some rest after walking for nearly an hour." Kyle turned around and was about to head back when he felt something. Some sort of presence. He turned back around and headed towards where the presence was. He soon found himself in a small clearing. The presence was definitely here. Specifically, at the very center of the clearing. When he got a few away from the center, the feeling became stronger. Suddenly, the ground erupted and Kyle's vision was filled with dirt. He then felt a sharp pain on his cheek as he was launched backwards.

Kyle hit the ground as he landed on his back. He felt around the area where he felt the shar pain when he felt something warm. He looked back at his hand and saw blood. He looked back at the spot where he was struck and saw a small figure in the dust. The figure let out a loud shriek which cleared the dust away. In the spot where Kyle sensed the presence was a heavily deformed woman. She looked almost like a skeleton with rotting flesh. She had completely messy hair. She had one large claw and one small claw. Her intestines were exposed and tumors were all over her body. Her mouth was wide open which revealed razor sharp teeth and what Kyle recognized as Pustula Serum secreting out.

"Lisa Sherwood, aka the Hag," Kyle thought. The Hag raised its claw to its mouth and let blood on it drip into its mouth. She growled again and charged at Kyle. He dodged every swipe she swung at him. As he was dodging, Kyle wondered how in the hell she's here. He had the book which allowed him for dimensional travel, so how is one of the killer's here? What concerned him the most was that she got a dose of Pustula Serum, so what was she now capable of? The only way he was gonna find out was to see for himself in combat.

"I must hold back. I have to hold back." Kyle managed to grab onto the Hag's claw and throw her into a tree. The tree broke in half and collapsed. The Hag got back up, looking completely fine, and started digging into the ground. She burrowed a hole and went it, disappearing from sight.

"What the fuck?!" Kyle looked around, trying to find his adversary, when suddenly the ground erupted from behind him and he felt another sharp pain, this time on his shoulder. He threw off whatever was on him and looked at his shoulder. It was completely bloody, looking like someone bit him. He turned and saw the Hag, whose mouth was completely covered in blood. She charged again. Kyle prepared himself when suddenly she scooped up some dirt and threw it at his face. In his blinded state, Kyle felt multiple claw strikes across his body.

He eventually fell to his knees and just watched as the Hag slowly approached him. He tried to move, he had to move, but he couldn't. When his opponent got close, she swiped her claw and dug it into his chest, almost near the heart area. Kyle couldn't do anything besides let out some roars of pain. He was going to die. He looked at the Hag's eyes and saw that they were turning blood red.

"Very soon Mr. Johnson, you'll come back to me. And I'll turn you into something great. Something that all will fear. You can get whatever you want," said a voice in Kyle's head. He immediately recognized the voice. It belonged to the man that does twisted experiments with the Putula Serum. The one that will bring forth the apocalypse. The one that made him like this. Talbot Grimes.

The realization dawned on him. This was why the Hag was here. It wasn't to kill people or take people for the Trials. It was to bring him back to Grimes so he can experiment on him. His blood boiled at the memories of being experimented on, trying to be turned into the perfect hunter. He couldn't go back. He wasn't gonna go back.

"MUST. KILL." Kyle thought. He grabbed onto the Hag's arm and forcefully removed it from his chest. He then swiped one of his claws at her, launching her back a bit. All Kyle could see was red, as his veins glowed even brighter, his claws grew a bit longer, his omnivourious fangs became sharper, and his eyes started to glow red. He let out a loud roar as he charged at the Hag.

"Twilight, darling. How long are we gonna keep going? As much as I want to find the creature, we mustn't exhausg ourselves," Rarity said.

"Yeah, we've searching this place for almost an hour," Rainbow said.

"A-and I don't wanna stay in this scary forest any longer," Fluttershy said.

"Don't be scared Fluttershy. Remember what I said. Giggle at the ghosties," Pinkie said.

"Y'all reckon this search is getting us nowhere?" AJ asked.

"Girls, I know it looks like this is pointless, but it has to be here. This forest was last place the Crusaders saw it," Twilight said. They've been searching the Everfree Forest for a while and so far they found nothing. No creature hopping through the trees. No creature fighting off Timberwolves. No creature letting out loud roars. Nothing.

"Ah hate to say this Twilight, but I reckon we head back to Ponyville and get some rest. It probably ran off out of the Everfree and somewhere else," AJ said.

Twilight sighed. "You're probably right. It just seemed logical for it to be here. Come on, let's head back." She didn't know what the next course of action would be. If the creature really did go out of the forest, then where is it now? Where would she even begin looking? As they were walking back, they suddenly heard a loud roar a short distance away from them. They turned towards the direction it came from.

"W-w-what was that?!" Fluttershy cried in fear.

"It must be the creature. Come on girls, let's go," Twilight said. They ran as fast as they could to where the sound originated. As they were running, Twilight started to feel it. That dark feeling she felt at Sugar Cube Corner. This worried Twilight heavily. They eventually reached a clearing. They immediately saw it. It was the creature. The creature that the Crusaders and Luna saw the day prior. But, it didn't look as disfigured as Luna described. It looked exactly like what the Crusaders described it to be. Pale skin, glowing veins, clothes, hair, short claws, and secreting an orange liquid.

And it was fighting off another creature. This one was heavily disfigured. Was this the one that Luna saw? No it couldn't be. This one had one large claw and wasn't wearing clothes, while Luna said she saw two sets of long claws and clothes. The first creature had to be the one.

"What in Equestria is that?!" Rarity whispered as they all hid behind the bushes.

"It must be the creature. As for who, or rather what, it's fighting, I have no idea," Twilight whispered.

It goes without saying that the Hag was starting to lose this fight. Kyle dodged or caught almost every swipe she threw at him. Even if she did land a hit, whether it's a claw swipe or even a bite, he just took it and continued fighting like it was nothing. Meanwhile, Kyle punched, clawed at, and even bit her whenever he saw an opening. He was no longer holding back.

In one last effort, the Hag started digging into the ground. She went into the ground and stayed there in an attempt to surprise him, and hopefully hit a vital point, like the throat or the heart. Unfortunately, Kyle was prepared for this. During the fight, he managed to get enough of her blood to be able to track her scent. So, he stood his ground, and just waited. When he noticed the scent getting stronger, he pinpointed exactly where she would pop out. He quickly jumped back and once the ground burst, he focused his tracking abilities and shot a tendril out in the dust. Once he felt his tendril wrap around something, he quickly jerked his hand back, launching the Hag towards him. He retracted the tendril and gave a hard punch to the Hag.

When the Hag fell to the ground, she tried to get back up, but the fight took so much out of her. So she just laid there. Kyle slowly walked to her grounded body. Normally, Kyle would've walked away once his opponent was down. But something prevented him from showing any mercy. After all, this was a creation by Grimes, sent to bring him back to be experimented. And all it took was one word to tell him what he should do.

"KILL."

Kyle let out a roar as he grabbed onto the Hag's claw and stomp his foot on her stomach. With all his might, he pulled the arm as hard as he can, until eventually...

SNAP

Blood spurted everywhere from the stump that once held the Hag's arm. She let out a shriek as if she was in pain. Kyle threw away the arm in his hand and picked her up by the throat. The Hag tried to pry him off with her small claw, but Kyle wasn't having it. He grabbed her other hand and, almost with no effort, tore that off as well. He dropped her and just watched as she laid on the ground, writhing in pain. He didn't feel any sort of pain or regret. He felt...satisfied. Wanting more blood, Kyle walked up to her body, and...

CRUNCH

...stopped on her head, completely crushing it. Kyle let out one last roar before he started to calm down. His rage was dissipating and he could think and see clearly. When he saw the armless body of the Hag with a crushed head, that was when the pain and regret settled in. It didn't help when he looked at his body and saw the blood all over him. Even though the Hag was a ruthless killer, killing her would make him exactly what he didn't wanna be. An apex predator. The perfect hunter. And she wasn't always like this, she was forcefully turned into a killer. She was experimented on. By him. By Grimes.

"Oh shit. SHIT! SON OF A BITCH! WHAT HAVE I DONE?!" Kyle thought as he slowly backed away from the body. He couldn't handle it. He had to get away. Eventually, Kyle calmed and jumped into the trees. "I-I think I should head towards the town. I'll reveal myself in the morning. Right now, I need to clear my head." Unfortunately, in his shocked state, he failed to notice the six ponies that just witnessed him brutally slaughter a killer.

As the creature leapt away from the carnage that just occurred, each of the ponies stood there with similar reactions, faces with shock and, most important, fear visible. Fluttershy even started crying. Even Rainbow Dash was horrified. And Pinkie didn't have a cheery attitude. Never before have they seen such violence. And murder never happens in Equestria. The punishment for murder would either be banishment or even execution.

"D-d-did t-that just happen?!" Rainbow asked.

"I-i-i-i-it j-j-just killed that other creature!" Fluttershy said.

"C-come on girls. We need to report this to the Princesses," Twilight said as they started walking back to Ponyville. As they were walking, Twilight started thinking. The creature really was a ruthless creature. So then why did it save the Crusaders when they encountered the Timberwolves? To get on the ponies' good side so he can kill them later? Maybe. Possibly. Right now, she needed to report this as soon as possible, so they can be prepared if it does decide to attack them.

Author's Note

Twilight and her friends just witnessed Kyle brutally murder the Hag, and they plan on reporting it to the Princesses. Will they accept Kyle when he reveals himself? And why did Kyle go into a bloody rage during the fight? Find out next time.

Chapter 6: Rethinking

Jumping through the trees, Kyle thought to what he just did. He just killed someone in cold blood when he promised to never do so. Granted, he killed before, but that was because he wasn't in control nor in the right state of mind. He's quite surprised that he hasn't yet succumbed to the Pustula Serum's corruption effects, not completely at least. Still, he could never forgive himself for what he's done in the past. Right now, he could only avoid in killing others. He tried to think on the positive side of things. The Hag was a ruthless killer that showed no mercy to her victims. In a way, he was doing the world a favor. But that doesn't make him any better.

Kyle stopped hopping and jump down near a lake to look at his reflection. His eyes went back from red to orange, his fangs went back to normal, and his claws shrunk back to their original size. However, the blood remained all over his clothes. He removed his straight jacket and dipped it into the lake. Even though this reduced the amount of blood on it, it was still there. Just a reminder that he's not meant to be normal human ever again. Rather, a killer, a predator, a hunter, whichever you prefer. He put his jacket back on and just stared at his reflection.

So many questions ran through his mind. What would happen if he lost his temper again? Especially around the locals? Would they still welcome him? Would they fear him? With what just happened with the Hag, he was only able to come up with answers for the first two questions. More people would end up dying if he ever lost his cool. He had to think of a way to keep his anger under control. Perhaps he could take some anger management classes. Get a life coach? Just go with the flow and hope for the best?

"Wait, why the fuck am I even asking myself these questions? There's no way I can reveal myself after I just killed someone."

...

"Unless..."

...

"...nobody finds out what I've done. Yeah. No one else was near that clearing, and it was pretty deep in this forest. As long as nobody finds out I just killed in cold blood, I'll be golden."

...

"But...what if more of them come? Knowing Grimes, he'll do whatever he can to get what he wants. Would he send more of his experiments? Would I...have to continue killing just to guarantee my own freedom?" Kyle decided to push that question out of his head. It was only a matter of time if...no...when another killer comes for him. He'll cross that bridge when he comes to it. For now, he had to prepare himself, both physically and mentally. He scooped up some water and drank it. He was about to stand back up when heard rustling in the bushes and some gasps.

The walk through the forest was completely silent, as the six ponies said nothing since they witnessed...it. Such violence. The way that...thing...killed that other creature was mentally scarring. Rainbow and AJ tried to hide it, but deep down they too felt fear. The silence was so eerie that it startled everypony when Rarity suddenly decided to break it.

"Twilight, what are we gonna do about that...thing?"

"I-I don't know. But I'm going to send a letter to the princesses. Maybe they'll know what to do."

"W-well, it didn't look that tough. Big, yes. Scary, maybe. But I believe we can totally take it down," Rainbow said.

"Rainbow, need ah remind yah what that...varmint...did? It tore off another creature's limbs and crushed its head. It's gotta be strong if it can do that," AJ warned.

"U-u-um g-g-girls." The other ponies suddenly turned around when they heard Fluttershy quiver in fear. They saw her standing a yards away from, a look of total fear plastered across her face. Her legs were shaking and she was staring at something. They walked over to her location and questioned what's wrong.

"T-t-t-there i-it i-i-s. T-t-the c-c-c-creature," Fluttershy said. They looked over to where she was staring and saw...it. The creature. The creature that killed another creature in cold blood. They suddenly gasped at the sight of it crouched down near a lake, back facing towards them. However, it must've heard them gasp as stood up and turned towards them. They ducked down into the bushes in hopes that it'll leave them alone.

Kyle heightened his senses to find out who made that noise in the bushes. Based on the all of the noises they made and their scents, especially the one that smelled like top-tier perfume, he was able to determine there was 5 or 6 people, or rather he assumed ponies, trying to hide from him. Emphasis on the word "try." They suck at hiding since they were obnoxiously loud.

"Twilight, I think it saw us!" said a cheery voice.

"Twilight? Really? That name better not have anything to do with those shitty vampire and wolf romance novels. God, those books almost shattered my humanity. Almost," Kyle chuckled.

"Pinkie! Shush! We can't let it know we're here," said another voice.

"Ok seriously? Pinkie? Let me guess. She's pink and her favorite color is pink," Kyle sarcastically said.

"G-g-g-g-girls. I-i-i-it's l-l-looking r-r-right a-at u-u-us," said a timid voice.

"Wow, that one must be terrified of me."

"W-well, I ain't afraid of it. I can totally take it down," said a raspy voice.

"Cocky as fuck."

"We gotta get outta here. Y'all saw how strong that thing is. And y'all saw it *gulp* kill that other creature," said a southern voice.

It was at that moment all of Kyle's hopes completely shattered. He was hoping that what he did to the Hag would be forgotten and everybody would none the wiser.

"Shit. Shit. SHIT!" Kyle internally screamed. He didn't know what to do at that point. Even if he could talk to the group, they wouldn't listen to him. How could they? They saw him mercilessly kill someone. He could've done what most people would've done. Make sure no witnesses are alive. He could do that easily, but no. He's not like most people. So instead, he chose to do the next logical choice. Run.

Kyle shot his tendrils into the trees and launched himself away from the group. He didn't care where he was going, he just needed somewhere to think about what he was gonna do now.

"HA HA! Did you see that? It must've been so afraid of us that it ran away," Rainbow exclaimed.

"Ah don't know Dash. Usually when some varmint gets provoked, it flees almost immediately. This one just stared in our direction, then left," AJ said.

"A-a-as i-if it was determining whether we were w-w-worthy p-p-p-prey," Fluttershy said.

"Come on girls, we need to get back to Ponyville and write to the Princes ASAP," Twilight said.

In the dark forest, Grimes was pacing back and forth determining the next course of action. Ms. Sherwood failed to bring back Mr. Johnson. He wasn't mad in the slightest, just disappointed. Rather, disappointed in himself that he entrusted someone weak like Ms. Sherwood to the job of bringing back someone strong like Mr. Johnson.

"No matter, I have more test subjects that I can send to retrieve Mr. Johnson. It's just a matter of patience Grimes," Grimes said to himself.

Author's Note

So Kyle found out that the Main 6 witnessed him murder the Hag and now rethinks how to start his life in Equestria. Meanwhile, Grimes is planning on sending another killer. What will happen? Find out next time.

Short chapter, I know.

First off, I wanna apologize for not updating last week. I was suffering from writer's block, I'm busy with school, and honestly I just needed a short break from writing. As I said before, I'm thinking of how to progress the story as I go along and my writing is awful.

Second off, if you haven't noticed, I decided to change Kyle's clothes. I felt like his original clothes, which consisted of a black hoodie, blue jeans, and black shoes, didn't really give the vibe that he's been locked up and experimented on. So now, he's wearing a white straight jacket, black jeans, and no shoes.

Now I just to figure out who Kyle is gonna fight next.

I'm sorry

Hey everybody, I know it's been weeks since my last update. I'm just gonna be honest and short with you, I'm out of ideas with how to proceed with the story. As I told you, I'm thinking of how to proceed as I go along, but I just can't think of anything. My next plan was for Kyle to fight another killer, but this made me think that I'm going way too fast with this story. Have I mentioned that my writing is awful? Add me trying to come up with ideas, my awful writing, and me being busy with school. So to put it bluntly....I'm cancelling the story. I'm sorry. I might write other stories, and who knows? I might come up with ideas and continue with the story. Also, I wanna say thank you to all of those who enjoyed the story. I honestly didn't expect to get 27 likes and to receive such positive comments for my first story. I had a lot of fun writing this, and again, I might continue writing stories.

Prologue

Author's Note

This is my very first fanfic so I apologize in advance if my writing is horrible. Anyways, I hope you enjoy my MLP/Dead By Daylight crossover.

Prologue

It was midnight in a dark forest. There was nothing but trees and the occasional rock formation for miles. However, in the middle of the forest was a factory. The factory used to be used for smelting iron ores found in the many mines throughout the forest into ingots. That is until a series of murders occurred there. Now, it lays there abandoned and rusting away. Most of the time, the only sign of life there was the occasional crow just flying through the forest, as well as fresh dead bodies that was just left there rotting.

The factory is not only abandoned, but it's also used for the twisted, endless game of life and death called the Trials. The Trials were made by a manevolent force called the Entity. The Entity chose and brought many people into the Trials. The people either became the survivors that had to work together to survive, or they became the ruthless killers that hunted down and killed the survivors. Sometime ago though, a lot of the killers went through a change. They became mutated, more powerful, more merciless. It would take a miracle to survive or even escape from these changed killers.

Inside the factory laid the body of a man that wore a white shirt, black pants, a black and red tie, and glasses. The man was covered and dripping with blood and had many lacerations across his back. A random crow flew into the factory and landed next to the dead man's head. Feeling hungry, the crow started pecking at the man's glasses and eventually broke them. It then started pecking at his eye. When the crow tore out his eyeball and emptied his socket, it started to peck out his brain.

Suddenly, a figure ran past the crow, startling it and causing it to fly off. The figure ran out of the factory and into the dark forest. It was running like a predator on all fours, and eventually, it jumped onto the branches of the trees. After a few minutes of jumping from tree to tree, the figure suddenly jumped high into the air just above the top of the trees. It then shot out a tendril out of its wrist, and it connected with a tree. The figure then started to retract the tendril towards the tree, giving it speed. When it was close enough from the tree, it detached the tendril from the tree, launching it further into the forest.

After about 10 minutes of running, jumping, and launching itself via its tendrils, the figure eventually stopped in a small clearing, besides a lake. It then took out an old, tattered book and started flipping through the pages. It found the page it was looking for which said "Dimensional Onerariis" and started to concentrate.

"I don't care where this will take me nor if it's even a nice place. Hell, I don't know if this will even work, but I have to try. I don't wanna stay in this hellhole any longer," the figure thought.

A few minutes passed by, and nothing happened. The figure was noticeably starting to get upset, then aggravated.

"What the fuck is up with this damn book?! I've seen that crazy son of a bitch use this multiples times! It's supposed to work!" It tried so hard to not tear the book to pieces and throw it into the lake. Its hope was rapidly diminishing, to the point where it was desperate. The figure was beginning to thought back to what it could. From spending time with his benevolent family, to Earth turning into an apocalypse, and to being experimented on. Eventually, the figure gave up. It then dropped the book to the ground and curled up onto the ground, crying.

"Mom, Dad, Alice, I'm sorry. I tried to save you from crazy-ass doctor, but I failed. And now I'm becoming one of...them. I don't wanna become one of them. I don't wanna kill innocent people. Please, if you can all hear me, please help me," the figure desperately prayed.

The figure got up, and was about to turn away and leave the book behind, when it felt something. It looked back at the book and felt the same feeling emanating from it. The feeling was...dark and powerful. It recognized the feeling immediately. It has felt this feeling multiple times whenever it witnessed the book being used. Suddenly the figure remembered something.

"That's right! This is a book created by the Entity, and it grows in power through anger, fear, and sadness. I just gotta keep remembering all those times, like when I started turning into...this. When I turned into...the Hunter."

Upon remembering the dreadful memory, the feeling became even stronger. The figure once again began to concentrate. This time, the text within the book began to glow a dark red, and eventually, a black portal with spikes circling around it appeared. The figure slowly stepped towards the portal, and then looked back into the forest.

"From now on, I'm no longer the Hunter, an experiment that kills. I'm back to who I used to be, Kyle Johnson, a kind soul that helps those in need. Goodbye and fuck you Dr. Grimes. It's time to begin anew in whatever world fate will bring me," Kyle thought.

Kyle then picked up the book and stepped through the portal. Then, the portal closed and all was silent in the dark forest again.