Tyrants Path

"Rainbow Dash, seriously, why do we keep training near the trees? I mean, that one looked pretty badly eaten by termites, it's a miracle no one was hurt." Spike asked her, staring at the plate with a cupcake covered in gems.

"You're always going to come across obstacles while flying, including trees, pegasi, griffins, even other dragons! Gotta be prepared for anything! We just happened to get unlucky today." Rainbow Dash said, Scootaloo being too busy in her own cupcake (without gems, just sprinkles) to even talk.

"Unlucky?! You two almost died!"

"We didn't though." Rainbow Dash countered, stirring her sweet drink with a hoof. "Look, Spike, no one was seriously hurt, all you need is a shower and a good nights rest. I mean, you took the brunt of the impact and look at you! Barely even a bruise!"

"Still, it was too close."

"Spike, tie the knots out of your mane, me and Scoots here are fine! You saved us." Rainbow rested a hoof on Spikes clawed hand and gave him a reassuring smile. "You made sure no one else was hurt. We are all fine, and it's thanks to you...and that awesome move I taught you!"

Spike smiled and rolled his eyes, relenting, and took a bite out of his cupcake, crunching on the gems. Scootaloo put her own cupcake down, then scratched her chin with her hoof.

"It is weird though, that tree looked totally fine when we got there. Wasn't shaking in the wind, but it did look sort of dead." Scootaloo then looked at Rainbow Dash, perking an eyebrow, "Why didn't you invite Applejack? Afraid we might tease you two because you're dating?"

Spike chuckled a bit, though Rainbow Dash only gave a smirk, "Nah, said Twilight invited her on some sort of mission...not a friendship mission. Those dudes are up to something though."

"Yeah, Twilight said something gave her a bad feeling in the forest." Spike mentioned, both of the mares staring at the drake. He absentmindedly took a bite of his cupcake, then continued, "Twi seemed pretty shaken up by it too, but it's nothing they can't handle."

They sat in a comfortable silence, just enjoying each others company, before Spike scratched his chin a bit. Rainbow Dash cocked an eyebrow and started to lean in, making Spike hum softly.

"We...were training on the outskirts of the Everfree Forest, and that is where Twilight felt a disturbance. You guys don't think..." He trailed off, worry etching over his features.

Rainbow Dash punched his shoulder playfully, drawing him out of his musings and rested an elbow on the dragon. "Spike, dude, calm it down. If Twi says they got it, then they got it!"

Spike hummed a bit, before staring out the window, appearing deep in thought. He then tapped his claws on the table, before looking around, "Where is Pinkie?"

"So, how are you going to tell the group about the plans the author has for them?" Cheese Sandwich asked, taking a bite out of...well, a cheese sandwich.

"I'm not gonna tell them, cuz it is really cool to see a dinosaur." She replied, eating some hay fries.

"Good point...couldn't somepony get hurt though?"

Pinkie swallowed, phrasing, and replied, "Possibly. Depends on how the author feels any given day. Anyway, he should get off his lazy plot and start writing the fun stuff."

Twilight scanned the ground, watching the prints. It was clearly a bird like animal, multiple tons, perhaps five or six? It was also pretty fast for its size, 25 to 30 miles just by power walking. Surely an endurance walker, no doubt.

"Twi, Ah have a bad feelin 'bout this." Applejack spoke to her, making Twilight pause. "Maybe we should find Zecora and get out of the forest."

Fluttershy was flittering above them, giving a hum of curiosity, poking her head into random trees and branches. "Twilight, something scared all the birds away."

"That's...bad, right?" Twilight asked, making Fluttershy glide down and landed next to them.

"Well, except for predatory birds like hawks and owls, birds don't tend to go silent when a predator or prey animal is around. Like cougars won't even make a bird go silent during a hunt, but this is...new." Fluttershy mumbled out to Twilight, making the alicorn stop and look at her.

Twilight blinked once, then twice, then thrice, before leaning in and asking, "Do...you think it is bad?"

Fluttershy looked around, humming softly in thought, before looking back at Twilight, saying, "Well, it isn't a dragon, at least...not a flying one, and we haven't seen smoke. It can't be a ursa major, the prints are too small and bird like. And it can't be the cockatrice because they just don't grow this big."

"Wait, gals." Applejack tried to interrupt, but Fluttershy and Twilight were far too into their conversation.

"Well, we haven't discovered all of the Everfree, perhaps it is a creature from deeper in the forest?"

"Maybe. I dunno, Twi, this is a pretty big animal. We should have heard about it by now."

"Maybe one if Discords pranks?"

"Girls!"

"Couldn't be. He was with me when it happened, we were doing chores together."

A sharp whistle cut the conversation short, making both Twilight and Fluttershy jump and twirl to Applejack. They gave her a confused look, until she spoke, "Isn't this the way to Zecoras house?"

That made them look at each other, before taking off on a sprint, dedicated to find out if their friend was alright. However, far behind them, a rumbling could be heard.

It was on their scent. It was curious. They smelt...sweet? Yes, sweet. He kept walking forward, releasing another rumble.

They were tracking him? HIM? This was HIS territory, and they were...usurpers? Invaders? Threats? It did not matter on the specific wording, but he pressed on, following them.

Spike hummed as he stared at the tree. He had made up some excuse about forgetting to do paperwork while the kids were on holiday break, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo didn't question it, allowing him to go back to the tree.

He leant down on all fours, moving almost exactly how a tiger moves in its enclosure. He stalked around, staring at the tree, before tracing his hand against it. Something moved it. Not the wind, and definitely not its own weight.

He moved it a bit, noticing a large part of the bark had been rubbed down, quite thoroughly. The thing scratched itself? He noticed the feather and gave a curious hum, leaning down and inspecting it.

A griffin? Maybe they scratched themselves on the tree (like he does sometimes), knocked it over, and got embarrassed and ran? No, no, no. Griffins were strong, but not this strong. It was definitely a feather though, not fur, so it couldn't have been a bear.

Spike sniffed the tree, before reeling back, scrunching his nose. Meat. Whatever this thing is, it was definitely a meat eater. Spike stood on his two legs again and started walking up the hill, careful not to trip in the gouges the tree left in its tumble.

He got to the top of the hill and sniffed the air. The scent was faint, but it absolutely the same animal. A deep, primal pit in Spikes brain shot a spike of fear throughout his system, though he didn't know why. It screamed at him to turn away, the pit pulls at his brain to try and scamper away from this things territory.

He pressed on, however, and walked into the trees, sniffing the air. He almost looked like a dog, sniffing the air, pushing his nose to the ground, padding around. That is, until he stopped, and smelt something he would never forget.

Blood.

Spike slowed down, straining his ear fins to try and hear something, anything, that would help him. Just water, water...dripping? Yes, it was dripping.

Spike continued walking on all fours, before standing up, stopping in his tracks. He saw it...a blood splatter on the ground. His heart raced as he ran forwards, praying to Celestia, Luna, anyone.

Don't be Twilight don't be Twilight don't be Twilight don't be Twilight!

As he jumped into the clearing with a massive tree in the middle, his heart both sank and jumped for joy.

For one thing, he was happy it was not Twilight, bleeding, dead or dying in the middle of the forest. However, what he did see did not fill him with any confidence.

A bear. A dead bear. A dead bear hanging in the branches. Its back and chest had been crushed in by a powerful force, and the position in the tree definitely suggested it was placed there after death. It also seemed that whatever had attacked it had done so by surprise, as the bear had no blood or feathers on its claws.

Man, Spike needed to stop reading so many detective comics.

He backed away as he heard a branch snap and decided that right here was the last place he should be. He got on all fours and started running back the direction he cane, not noticing the large, three toed footprint he nearly tripped in.