“Alright sir,” I sigh. This stallion had burst through the door crying incomprehensibly and we haven’t got a proper explanation why. “Can you please just tell us what happened.”

“I- I- I- Ohhhh, it was terrible.” The stallion exclaimed before going into a fit of sobs again. His black braided mane swinging around wildly and tears staining the brown fur under his eyes. I’ve had enough of this. I slap him.

“Sir.” I try to hide the exasperation in my voice. “We can’t help you if you don’t tell us what happened.”

He finally seemed to come to his senses. “Alright… Alright, so I was wondering through the Everfree trying to find a suitable camping spot for my scout fillies to get their ‘Wilderness Survival” badge.” The pony said, gesturing to his cutie mark of a campfire and tent. “When out of nowhere, I feel a stabbing on my legs and a something land on my back. I was just able to see the creature’s face before it knocked me out cold!” He waves his hooves in the air to finish his speech with emphasis.

“It is quite common to encounter creatures in the Everfree sir.” About a month ago, Princess Celestia helped a small townspony fight away an invading monster that had strayed a long way away from the Everfree forest. Ever since then, ponies have been claiming ludicrous things in the hopes that their beloved ruler will come to the rescue. Unfortunately for them, Princess Celestia is quite busy doing smaller things like, I don’t know, running the country. Now guards like me have to deal with their bizarre stories. “And how is it that you came to be completely fine afterwards?”

“Ah, well you see after I got knocked out, I woke up in a tree with a bandage on my leg.” The stallion clarified, now gesturing to one of his back legs. There is gauze wrapped around it in what looks to be a hasty fashion; a small amount of red is peaking through the white. At least he tried to make the bandage look believable even if his story wasn’t. He must have seen my eyebrows raise in suspicion because he suddenly started crying again. “Please Commander, please don’t leave Ponyville under threat from this thing!”

“I’m afraid your request for assistance from the royal guard has been deemed an insufficient threat and must be denied.”

“We found thou story to be quite intriguing.” An archaic voice booms from behind me and I quickly snap my head back around. The newly freed Princess of the Night stands tall over me, and I quickly scramble off my chair into a bow.

“Princess Lu-”

“NIGHTMARE MOON!” Horseapples. The only ponies who have seen the newly reformed princess have been guards tasked with standing outside her chambers. It was a shock to me at first, but it was pretty easy for me to except her. Apparently, that made me an odd one out.

“Be not afraid little pony. We art no longer that wretched beast and we would be honoured if thou would allow us to help thou with thy dreadful beast!”

“Really Princess Luna.” Wow, both the fear of ‘Nightmare Moon’ and the crying disappeared in less then a second. He was bowing now and practically kissing her hooves. “I would be oh so grateful for your assistance.” While the little smile on Luna’s face is adorable, I can’t let her go on a wild goose chase.

“Princess, you have to understand that this creature is not real.”

“Hast thou confirmed this with thy eyes.”

“False reports have been flooding in for a while now. Ponies just want to see their rulers and will come up with any reason for that to happen.” I quickly judged that saying they were only coming to see Celestia would be a bit too much. It physically hurt me watching the hope leave Luna’s eyes.

Her emptying eyes suddenly fill with defiance. “Well, we believe the story. And to prove thyself right…” A white glow snaked up the spiral pattern of the Lunar Princess’s horn, casting her face in an odd light and making it look slightly ominous. “A lie detector spell!”

“First, Commander, tell us something that is true.”

I guess I kind of have to play along. “My name is Commander Slicing Steele.” I state and the white light of Luna’s horn glows a brilliant lime before fading back into a white.

“And a lie.”

“I’m an Alicorn Princess.” This time the light turned a deep crimson before returning to its original white.

“Excellent!” Luna beams before nervously glancing at the pony who had been sitting silently, waiting for his chance to prove himself. “Now, Mr…”

“Quick Camp.” Luna’s horn turned green.

“Mr. Camp, would you please describe the creature you saw in the forest.”

“I only saw it for a few moments. It was downright disturbing, with long limbs and way too small eyes. That’s all I got before it hit me.” I wait for the inevitable red glow to shine of my Princess’s horn… it never comes. Instead a bright green fills the room.

Luna’s face was right up to mine now, a condescending and boastful grin adorning it. “Commander.” She said in the sassiest way possible. “Please gather a small party of guards. We will be heading to Ponyville shortly.”

With that I am shooed out of the request room while Princess Luna listens in fascination to Quick Camp’s whole story.

* * *

I trudge down the main road to the Ponyville Town Square. It’s not that I don’t believe that there is a monster, but that I don’t see the point in getting rid of it. I brought along two of the in-training guards since we’ve been so clogged with requests that they have just been lounging around. Private Cloud Beater is an upbeat personality with super-fast reflexes likely due to them being a pegasus while Private Thunder Kicker is far more reclused and also the stronger of the two. Both of them have serious potential and this will likely be their last mission as trainees.

I’ve never actually visited this little town in Canterlot’s shadow, but my brother worked here briefly. According to him, everyone is super friendly, and you can’t walk five metres without making a new friend. That doesn’t actually sound that good but whatever. At least everyone being kind should make this an easy mission.

“NIGHTMARE MOON!” Celestia damn it.

In seconds the town was going haywire, with ponies running in a blind panic, sometimes into objects or even each other. The hurt on Luna’s face is immense, her head hanging low and her hooves slightly shifting.

“I’ll… I’ll scout ahead.” She proclaims in the softest voice I’ve ever heard from her. “I’ll look for strange things in the forest from above.” And with that she takes off at breath taking speeds.

A few minutes of calming town an entire town later and we were on our way to the Everfree.

“The unusual creatures described by the locals don’t fit the description of the that Mr. Camp gave.” I said in my guardspony debrief voice. “We don’t know what we are dealing with; stay alert.”

“Wolf like monsters with bulging blue veins running loose,” Cloud Beater added. “It’s like something straight from a horror story!”

“I’ve read a lot of stories where strange creatures magically appear in this forest.” Thunder Kicker’s low voice grumbled. “It’s a really popular trope.”

By this point, we are entering the forest, and an eerie silence has fell over everything. I take a strong whiff of the air with my both my mouth and nose and smell a million different scents. Everything from wet mud to flowering plants drift around in my mind.

“Quite from now on.” I say gruffly, “Remember the plan. Stay in the tree line just next to the river and see if we can spot our alien invader taking a drink.”

Both of the trainees nodded in understanding and didn’t speak a word more. Our group walked for a couple hours in silence. Other than a brief period of hiding from a group of Timberwolves, we weren’t interrupted. Until finally, patience was rewarded.

A tall creature was doubled over the crisp Everfree river, sucking out the water through a strange straw like contraption. It wore a deep green cloak and hood that covered most it’s body. From the angle that they were at now, they couldn’t see the front side. Strangest of all, I only noticed it only when my private pointed it out. Even now I can’t smell it and the cloak makes it blend in perfectly with the lush surroundings. I fire off a Stunning Spell which hits it squarely in the back, causing it to collapse.

“That was easy.” Cloud states.

“It isn’t actually a story book monster you know.” Thunder chimes in.

“Let’s grab it’s body and tie it to a tree.” I say for really no reason. The two rookies were already three steps ahead of me. “The spell will only last a good five minutes.”

We make quick work of tying it to the sturdiest nearby tree before its eyes flutter open.

“I’ll send a message to Luna to call her over here.” I inform my cohort before grabbing a travellers quill and scroll set.

“So what is this thing anyway.” Cloud wonders aloud. “It’s kinda hideous.”

“Rude.” All of the ponies present snap their eyes towards the speaker who was not of their party. The bound biped is studying them all with interest. Its eyes soon wonder to where its confiscated bow, knives and poisons sit. “Mind untying me and giving me my stuff back.”

Everypony sits there slightly dumbfounded for a moment before Thunder Kicker speaks robotically, “That isn’t our call to make.”

“Damn.” It looks like it is about to say something else when its head snaps up in attentiveness. The ponies present start to hear it a little later. A gruff snorting backed up by the rhythmic sound of a hoof pawing the ground can be heard from the bushes just past the group. A slight blue glow illuminating the darkness.

“UNTIE ME NOW!”

Author's Note

We reached the difficult goal of one singular like. I think I've peaked. So here's the promised chapter. I feel like you can tell I'm getting more tired as it progresses. I don't do well with many speakers.

Hope you like some of the new characters, such as, the rookies. On an unrelated note, how grusome can I make a death scene in a Teen rated story. This is an actual question, like I've read the regulations but they are kinda unclear.

Also for that singular person talking about Filthy Rich. Complete accident. Sorry to disappoint but I came up with that character description in a solid 5 seconds.

I'm nearing the end of my "planned" storyline. It wasn't really planned but I didn't expect to write this much. Thank ya'll for reading and if another thing happens (Like, favourite, track, comment) I'll write the next chapter.

And one more thank you for good luck.