Hunters and the Hunted

"Everybody please calm down. Please calm down everyone. Now I know everyone is anxious about the Lycan that has been sighted around two days ago but thanks to Princess Celestia and Luna, we have a fighting for against the terrible beast. I am pleased to give you the Hunters" the Mayor said as she stepped down from the podium and a large pony wearing, not armor but a leather padded vest. This pony was large, not as big as Spirit or Big Mac but he was certainly big for the average pony. He had a very weird looking cape on and a top his head there was this large almost cowboy hat but not. His coat was a dark green and his mane and tail were a blood red which made Rarity a little queasy. She was never one for blood and the color would always stand out to her and it would make her feel queasy.

"Hello, citizens of Ponyville, my names is Boulder Strong and I am the leader of the special forces group known as the Hunters. Our duty to the princess is to protect her subjects from monster and beast such as demons, rouge dragons and even cursed beast. With us around you will have no need to fear about anything, we have been trained to able to fight against rock golem. This will be nothing in a matter of time. however we will keep tabs on everyones comings and going and we will need to set up a barrier at night. This is only to make sure that the Lycan isn't one of us. I thank you for your time." the pony walked down the podium and made his way to a tent that was set up as a small barrack.

At around this time everyone was had started to leave the square and Rarity turned to her friends.

"Well thats settling things up here. I'm going home. This talk of Lycan is beginning to put me on the edge." Twilight said. She walked away, Rainbow Dash turned to the group and said "Well I'm definitely not spooked or anything but maybe I should head home, FLuttershy, you wan- ouff" Rainbow Dash's last words were cut off by Fluttershy running to her and almost tackling her.

"please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, can I go home with you tonight. Please, please, please, please, please, please, please,!"

"Ok, ok, you can come with me tonight, just stop this." Rainbow and Fluttershy flew away. Apple jack had already left to go find Apple Bloom. It was just Spirit and Rarity, left in the own square. Spirit, nodded to looked away and began to walk away.

"Wait" Rarity she said loudly, "Where are you going now?"

"Somewhere away from here." He said without looking at her and walking away.

"Why are leaving now?"

"Because its not as as safe as it was before."

"But before there was no protection what so ever and you decide to leave now?"

"These people really aren't gonna protect you. They're hunters. They're here to hunt it down, not protect"

"So you're just going leave just like that without telling everyone or anyone good bye?"

"Yup" Spirit said in a very Big Macintosh manner.

"Why?"

"Because good bye's hurt. An' I ain't one to hurt people"

"Please Spirit wait" Rarity yelled, Spirit stopped but didn't turn around. Rarity, seeing she got his attention continued "Just stay with us for one more night please, then you can leave tomorrow morning. I just don't want you going out tonight, when you could get attacked." what she ment was ' I don't want you to go', but Rarity had a composure to keep up and she didn't want her feeling's messing things up. Rarity walked behind him and summoned her magic lasso again and wraped it around his neck and tugged. This wasn't the forceful tug, it was a sad tug, a tug that meant I don't want you to leave just yet. Rarity looked at the stallion and saw one, shadow-covered side of his face, which had a mask of blankness. Rarity knew she was pleading with the traveler but she didn't care, she just wanted him to be safe one more time in her home. The big stallion turned to her and sighed, at that moment Rarity knew she had won him over. She felt like she had to brighten the mood just a bit so she added as the began to walk back into the center of town towards her house, "This time you won't have totake a bath" she smiled and looked at the big colt. He was laughing, genially laughing and it made Rarity even happier.

**Spirit was ashamed with himself. He had years of practice of avoiding people and keeping his feeling locked up. Yet this mare had done and broken it all, with a simple sad look, pleading voice and a pretty good joke. He barraged himself for the entire walhe back to her place. It wasn't help by the wolf constants ant snicker and snide comments. He really didn't know why heAsa's so ingrossed on keeping this mare smiling. To her it might be welcomed or even enjoyed, but to him, this was a liability. One he knew, he wouldn't be able to get rid of so easily. Why am I trying so hard to make her happy, this isn't normal.

It didn't long for the to reach her place and when he got there, he knew that something was going to end up wrong. Rarity stopped at the front door and he stopped behind her.

"I am very sorry about what happened today. I didn't know Twiight would lash out at you like that, I am also sorry for stopiping you and taking you back here. I am really sorr-" her last word were cut off by Spirit's lips falling onto hers. You see, three different things happend at around the same moment. Firstly, Spirit had decided for that one moment, he would let his emotions out of the small recess in his mind and see what they would have done. His deep emotions however, jumped out with a burning passion and made him move forward. Secondly, Rarity had begun to pull her head up at the moment he began to move forward. Lastly, the wolf's tail had been close to one of Spirit's hooves. Wolf moved his tail at the very moment Spirit's emotions told him to move forward, causing to fall. These events all led up to this one. Life is funny that way huh?

Rarity's thought process: "This is wonderful"

Spirit's thought process: "Oh by Celestial puggy tail, what have I done"

No one talked at the dinner table that night, even Sweetie Bell who would usually be asking question after question after question, was silent. She could feel something in the air but she couldn't tell what it was. Rarity was as red as Big Mac and Spirit seemed to be avoiding her gazz as best he could, the wolf that was next to the cat's cage was what she could call smilling. To her little mind, this seemed like a recipes for either love or disaster. She had already had her experience with love, and thanks to that experience she hoped what was going on wouldn't end up as disastrous as the first time.

Spirit finally made the first move and said, "I believe at this is the time for me to hit the sack. Thank you again, good night"

"Night Spirit" Rarity and Sweetie Bell said simultaniously. After he left the room and Sweetie Bell heard the squeaks of the couch, she turned to her sister and asked "Rarity, are you two all right?"

"What makes you asks?"

"Well, you two seem... Not well"

"What do you meam 'not well'?"

"Well, you look like you have a really bad fever and Spirit looks likes he trying to follow a pixy with his eyes. Its not right and i think something happened between the two of you." the last part wasmalmost wrenched out of her by her sister's glare/stare.

"Sweetie Bell, didnt you learn your leason about messing with these things?" Rarity asked in a very demanding questionable voice.

"No, no, no, no, no we did its just we dont want another one of those things happening again. We dont want anyone to get hurt and I dont want to see you hurt like last time" She said in a sad tone. It made Rarity remeber the first time she was going out wth anoter colt. He was a smart man of elegancehe knew where and how to compliment women and he was a charmer for sure. Yet there was something always off about him, never seeming to keep all of his attention on her and sometimes just stopping mid sentence to think about something. Eventually Rarity found out what he that thing was, the correct term would be someone. He was cheating on Rarity with a pegasus. Rarity remebered the heart break she felt at this tragic news. She avoided everyone for two weeks straight, never coming out of her room and snapping anyone who come even near the door. Consiquently enough it was Sweetie Bell wh tried so hard to take her out of her misery, coming in everyday to check up on her and give her meals despite Rarity's constant stream of insults. She was probably the only person who Rarity considered to bring her out of her horrible mood. Rarity had apologized to her but she knew that wasn't enough, so Rairy had tried to avoid and big romance to protect her little sister and she had been doing great... until Spirit walked in. Rarity took a deep breath and said "Sweetie Bell, your my sister, I will never do anything big with out your concet but this is something that I cannot control. My heart is telling me something and I have to listien to it this time. But know this, if this end badly i will never again hurt you." Sweetie Bell smiled at her sister and they walked over and hugged each other.

"Now come on, we got to tidy up." Rairy said, realesing her little sister. They both magically gathered the plates and went into the ktchen to wash up.

**What s wrong with me? Spirit was having his own mental battle. The battle he was having however was abit more serious, on one side it was seeming happiness that would last for at least a week, on the the side was the idea of staing alive to live for another day. This battle wasnt hard to him it was just that in a long time he never remebered being so happy in the time he had been cursed. Spirit knew tat he was going to leave but he wasn't sure if he could. He knew that if he stayed here any longer, his feeling that he kept locked away for so long would break free and control his life. H knew that if that happened people wil die and he didnt want another massacre. Spirit really wanted to stay but he knew that nothing good would come out of it, but he also knew that his life right now wasn't forfiling either. His life was basically move from town to town and play music and then move to the next one. He loved playing music becuase it brought out something in everyone, be it sadness to get rid of or hapines to share. He couldnt make up his mind and he knew that he had to do it soon. He looked to his pack brother and askedd him " What do you think i should do? Choose happines or life?" it took a while for the guy to answer.

"Life is about the pursit of happiness and joy, if you dont want it, to bad. But everyone wants some. Why do you think I walk with you?" the wolf said. Spirit thought about what he said and made his decison. He knew that Rarity would be happy with him, but he knew she would be happier without him, becuase he causes alot of pain to anyone that gets to close. So he decided the choice that seemed best for him.

He picked up his guitar, put on his hat and left.

**Rairty was walking to the living room. Something didnt feel right to her. She enterd the room to find it empty. Something inside her told her this would happen but she didn't belive it, she didn't want to belive it. Sweetie Bell came into the room too and saw what her sister saw, she turned to her and said "Rarity, will you be alright?"

"I dont know sister. I dONT KNOW!" she cried the last part. Sweetie Bell went over to hug her and Rarity held on to her dearly. Later on into the night, she was still crying. She cried for hours on end. Sweete Bell had retired to her room to give her some space. Rairty didnt know why but she could still feel his pressence right outside the door, as if he was waiting for Rarity to let him in. She wanted to see him again, she wanted him.

*KNOCK KNOCK* Knocks on the door. Spirit might have come back, he might need her just as she needs him. Maybe..Maybe...

"Hello Mule! Remeber us?" said a very familiar Diamond dog.