Predator: Equestria

“We’re not staying the night!” Trixie argued, “We have no choice, HQ said we’ll have to wait for morning then pass through a checkpoint before they come and pick us up” Twilight replied. Trixie scoffed and tugged Zecora away but as they left Zecora looked back “It hunts us all” Zecora told them.

Twilight pointed to Applejack and Rainbow Dash, “set up a defensive perimeter with claymores, Fluttershy… get Rarity’s body” Twilight ordered. “I got her” Applejack said sadly and Twilight nodded and the group began to set up a defensive perimeter.

* * *

The sun was setting and as Twilight watched the sunset Applejack came up behind her. “Defensive perimeter is set, nothin getting through without settin somethin off” Applejack informed Twilight who nodded. As Applejack turned to leave Twilight turned to her, “She was a good pony” Twilight said solemnly. Applejack turned to her with a dire look “She was… my friend” Applejack replied and continued to walk away.

Back where the group had made camp Trixie was arguing with the disgruntled Rainbow Dash and Zecora. “I’m telling you there isn’t anything out there but a bunch of bare foot fucking guerillas” Trixie yelled. Applejack approached the bickering group and looked to Rainbow Dash who was staring out into the forest.

“Rainbow Dash… yah know something, what is it” Applejack asked curiously. Rainbow Dash never turned her attention away from the forest, “Something’s out there and it’s hunting us… I’m scarred AJ” Rainbow Dash informed her. “Bullshit… yah ain’t afraid a no-pony” Applejack told her and Rainbow Dash shifted her gaze to Applejack “Something’s out there and it killed Rarity and Pinkie, and now it wants us and whatever it was, it wasn’t no pony”.

* * *

The night had fallen and encased the world in darkness. The group had decided to take shifts, but no one could sleep, not with their nerves on edge like they were. Applejack sat in a tree and watched the moon shine brightly. “Yeah, remember that time me and you slept over at Twi’s place, crashed the whole place down and not a scratch on us, and me and you come out right on top” Applejack said to the moon, hoping her deceased friend could hear her from the afterlife.

“Wherever you are you sonufa bitch you better not come back… or I’ll bleed you” Applejack threatened, obviously to the killer of Pinkie and Rarity. Suddenly a twig snapped not far from Applejack, she froze and flicked the safety off on her M60. There was rustling in the underbrush and Applejack crept up silently and held her M60 tight in her hooves. She gritted her teeth, hoping she could sneak up on the silent assassin, more rustling then suddenly the creature set off a flare.

Applejack let out a roar, triggering her M60 and let off a continuous burst. The gunshots and flares alerted the rest of the team and they got up hastily and rushed towards the sound of Applejack’s gunfire. “APPLEJACK!” Twilight called out as they got closer, suddenly the gunfire stopped but Applejack’s yells could still be heard.

The group raced up to Applejack’s yells and roars and watched as she drove a large combat knife into a creature with hatred and fury. Stabbing it multiple times and not stopping until she was out of breath. Twilight flashed a light on her, revealing that she was soaked in blood from the creature. “Jesus, you killed a fucking cat” Rainbow Dash chuckled as the flashlight’s beam revealed the creature to be a Manticore. “Fuck you RD… fuck you” Applejack gasped breathlessly. “Wait… where’s Zecora?” Fluttershy asked and Twilight looked to Trixie who had forgotten to take Zecora with them.

“FUCK” Rainbow Dash swore as the group raced back to the campsite. “Why the fuck wasn’t any-pony watching her?” Rainbow Dash scolded and Trixie didn’t answer. The group raced up to Zecora who was huddling up against a tree fearfully as Trixie brought her MP5 up to her. “Why the fuck didn’t you run?” Trixie asked and Zecora simply pointed to Rarity’s body bag. “Dude she’s totally not gonna run, I mean look at her she’s frightened half to death” Rainbow Dash said but Fluttershy watched Zecora’s motion and checked on Rarity’s body.

Twilight arrived with Applejack and joined in the argument. “We gotta move out. This is bullshit” Trixie argued but as she did, Fluttershy called to the group “Twi you’d better come see this”.

Twilight and Rainbow Dash walked over to Fluttershy, to see what had her worried, other than the obvious fact that something was hunting them to death. Fluttershy pointed to the empty body bag. “What the hell” Rainbow Dash gasped and Zecora called out to them, “She collects the bodies” Zecora informed them. “We move out… double time” Twilight ordered.

* * *

They had reached the checkpoint and the sun had just begun to rise over the eastern horizon. “Goddess dammit” Rainbow Dash yelled as she hung up the radio piece. “What did they say?” Twilight asked and Rainbow Dash threw her hooves into the air in frustration. “HQ says that we’re still too hot for a pickup, we gotta move another 4 miles before they’ll even consider picking us up” Rainbow Dash said in a flustered voice.

“Then what the hell are we waiting for?” Trixie said as she pulled Zecora to her hooves, “No” Twilight said bluntly. “Excuse me?” Trixie asked, “We stay and fight, set up traps along a path and wait for our hunter then trap it and kill it” Twilight replied. “No way, we move out and get to the chopper LZ and await pickup” Trixie argued. Twilight began to walk away but stopped and looked back to Trixie “Trix, we stand and fight, or there will be no-pony left to go to the chopper”.

* * *

“This is some grade-A colt-scout shit” Trixie said in an exhausted voice as she levitated a trap into place. Zecora was still bound in hoof cuffs but Twilight needed all the help she could get. “Zecora… I don’t know why you would have helped guerrilla forces but we need your help” Twilight said as she pulled out her combat knife and pointed the tip of the blade at Zecora’s chest.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Trixie scoffed. “Will you help us?” Twilight asked and Zecora nodded, Twilight cut the wrist binds and Zecora was free. She stood there and gave Twilight a thankful nod. Twilight nodded back and began to leave to booby-trap another part of their perimeter. “There is something you should know” Zecora informed Twilight and she looked back to the duo.

“When you all shot at it, you must have wounded it… its blood was on the leaves” Zecora informed Twilight. Twilight nodded and with a blunt expression quoted “If it bleeds, we can kill it”

* * *

The group finally settled down and hid in a makeshift trench they had made. “This is ridiculous” Trixie muttered, Twilight looked to her “that’s the only way in, we have traps set up 50 meters in front of us… nothing’s getting us without alerting us” Twilight whispered.

The tension was high and could literally be felt. Rainbow Dash put a mouthful of chewing tobacco in her mouth and began to chew it. Trixie wiped some sweat from her forehead and gulped. Applejack sat calmly and wiped dirt and grit from her cow-pony hat. Fluttershy simply sat absolutely terrified yet doing her best not to show it, her expression showed fear but a fear that wouldn’t affect her combat effectiveness.

Twilight looked to the trees and the group all thought they seen something move in the trees. The all raised their guns, with CLICKs signifying the safeties turning off. Tension ran through the roof with the group and suddenly a flock of birds burst from the trees. The group all sighed in symphony and Trixie’s head slumped down in relief.

Twilight couldn’t stand the tension and got up and began to walk out to the perimeter. “Twi, what the hell are you doing?” Trixie called to her but Twilight continued forward, obviously trying to bait the creature into revealing its location. Her hoof was snagged by a tripwire that was attached to a grenade. She pulled her hoof back and stepped over the tripwire with a sigh of relief.

She stood in the clear open for a minute but nothing happened. She turned to the group and shrugged, “TWI, BEHIND YAH” Applejack yelled out and Twilight spun around only to see a horrid creature approach her. The creature triggered a tripwire and was caught in a net and pulled upwards with a scream.