/lyra/ MonolithAnon

>Be Lyra
>Currently running for your life, bobbing and weaving between the trees of the Everfree as a bloodthirsty manticore chased you down like Rarity chases stallion cock
>You know, just your average Tuesday
>Lungs screaming and muscles burning, you tried to remember which part of the forest you were in
>If the castle was back east, since you've been running for a good 10 minutes or so, ahead of you there should be a river that you could lose the manticore in
>Perfect
>Well, it would've been perfect if not for the cliff face you found yourself on the edge of
>Scrabbling backwards to stop your momentum from flinging yourself over, you mentally repriminded yourself for forgetting about /the giant fuckoff cliff/
>A deep, gutteral roar echoed out behind you
>You spun around, magic bolt charging in your horn
>Three loud cracks pierced the air
>The manticore screamed in anguish, red splotches dotting it's flank
>It turned tail and ran, small spots of crimson staining the grass behind it
>You blinked
>Your magic bolt just finished charging as the manticore disappeared from view
>You held onto it, unsure of what else was out there that could've scared off a manticore so easily
>Bushes rustled to your left
>You angled your horn and narrowed your eyes, ready to blast whatever it was that emerged
>Time seemed to stop as you waited
>In all reality it only took a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity
>Some strange bipedal figure popped out from the bushes
>It was covered in mottled grays and dark browns, blending into the shadows as easily as if it had an invisibility spell cast on it
>It's eyes were large and glassy, lacking any distinct pupil
>Two cylinders emerged from where it's muzzle should be, each with small tubes running back behind it's head
>It's upper torso extended into two limbs with strange claw-like digits on the end
>In those claws sat some kind of long metal cylinder with places that jutted out for the claws to grip, pointing in your direction

>It's head titled as it noticed you
>It approached you slowly, cylinder leveled at your head
>You backed away towards the forest, matching it's pace
>Magical energy whirred around your horn, ready to leap out at a moment's notice
>The creature paused once it reached the center of the clearing
>Keeping one eye on you, it knelt down and rested the long metal cylinder on it's leg
>It took out some small rectangular device and flipped open the cover
>It started beeping softly, changing tempo and pitch as he turned the head of it
>He stood up, rifle in one claw and device in the other, and walked towards the cliff
>He kept one eye on the device and the other on you
>You could see a relaxed tension in his stance
>He lacked the jumpiness and jitteriness of the inexperienced
>He was calm, yet ready to spring into action at a moment's notice
>You watched him with equal parts cautiousness and curiosity
>This thing had the potential to be very dangerous, yet it didn't seem hostile towards you
>It stopped near the edge of the cliff
>Right as the device in it's claws hit a crescendo, it slapped the cover down and put it away, kneeling down to grab something from the ground
>In it's claws sat a small blue orb that radiated energy
>"Doosha" you heard the creature mutter as it admired the orb
>The manticore roared in the distance
>The creature's head snapped towards the noise, then back to the orb
>It slipped the orb into a small pouch on it's waist and stood up
>"Slava Monolita se tobou"
>Then it jogged off into the forest, following the crimson trail

>"I'm telling you Bon, it saved my life!"
>Bon Bon buried her face in her hooves and let out a groan
>"Lyra, no creature like that exists, I'm telling you! It must have been some kind of subtle arcane illusion"
>"Come on, you forget that I went to Princess Celestia's school! An illusion that large would leave traces of arcane residue, not to mention that it actually interacted with the environment. There's no way somepony would be able to hold such a complex illusion and use telekinesis accurately enough that the environment wouldn't clip inside of it. Especially after discharging whatever the hell it was that injured the manticore so badly!"
>Bon's hoof thudded against the table, causing their cups to jump
>"Language! You can say whatever you please out in the sticks where no one can hear you, but we're in public for Celestia's sake! Use some manners!"
>Your mouth flew open to retort, but looking around you noticed the subtle glares the other restaurant patrons were shooting you
>Their withering gaze snapped your mouth shut and made you shrink down in your chair a little
>Bon's hoof kneaded the side of her head
>"Why do I even take you out in public anymore"
>Deep inhale, long slow exhale
>"Lyra, listen, if a creature like that existed /I/ would know about it, especially if it was intelligent enough to be capable of speech"
>The poingant way she said 'I' made it very clear she was referring to her /other/ occupation, not the candy and sweets business
>"Besides, the 'language' sounds like gibberish. 'Slah-vah mono-leet say tooboo'? That doesn't even come close to sounding anything like Common Equestrian, or any other languages in the area."
>"Maybe it's not from this area? That'd explain why we haven't encountered it before."
>"Then what would it be doing all the way out here, especially in a dangerous area like the Everfree?"

>Your mind wandered back to beeping device and the glowing blue sphere it discovered
>What did it say when it found it?
>"Doosha" you mumbled
>"What was that?"
>"It found something, a glowing blue sphere of some kind. When it picked it up, it said 'doosha' and pocketed it"
>"So you're saying that it came all this way to find some kind of magical artifact? One that was just lying on the ground, glowing blue, and had been ignored or unnoticed by generations of ponies who wandered by the area? Oh, and that it felt like being a good samaratin and saved your life when it had the ability to scare off a manticore in seconds, while you were pointing your charged horn at it's face?"
>You shot a glare at Bon
>"Well you don't have to be so snarky"
>"And you don't have to go gallavanting off on suicidal expeditions into the most dangerous stretch of land in Equestria 'because it's fun'"
>You rolled your eyes, standing and tossing some bits on the table
>"You wouldn't get it"
>"Where do you think you're going?"
>"Back, to find some answers"

>"It's gotta be around here somewhere..."
>Your eyes scanned the treeline, looking for signs of a struggle
>No detail could escape your finely honed senses
>The wind rustled your mane and snuck blasts of cool breeze down your neck
>Birds chirped and leaves rustled around you, small creatures just trying to get by and find enough food to live another day
>Vibrant blue skies stood behind deep lucious green flora
>You took in a deep breath, noticing a faint scent of pollen in the air
>The Everfree really was beautiful
>Wait a second
>There, on that tree, clawmarks
>Looks like a Manticore smashed into it and tore up the bark
>Must've been in some kind of frenzy
>You trotted over to it
>Sap oozed out, slowed but not yet hardened
>Fairly recent, within a day
>Judging by the angle of the grooves, that means that it went Westward from here
>Yep, it all checks out
>You smiled
>This is the Manticore from earlier
>Gazing off into the forest you could easily pick out the trail of devastation left behind from the Manticore's rampage
>Trampled underbrush, slashed bark, crushed plants
>Trotting along at a leisurely pace, time slipped by
>When you finally reached the cliff face the sun was starting to set
>The area held a different air to it now
>Rather then desperation and panic, it seemed tranquil and serene
>The kind of place that you'd go to for meditation rather then an intense struggle for life and death
>You chuckled
>Funny how things could flip between two drastically different faces so easily
>You were so caught up in the moment that you almost didn't hear the footsteps behind you

>You whipped around only to find that strange bipedal creature from earlier walking towards you
>His metal tube was slung over it's shoulder, it's gait calm and unassuming
>You looked into it's big opaque eyes, searching for something
>You weren't sure what, but when it looked back at you, you felt like you found it
>Some kind of unspoken understanding passed between the two of you
>Kindred souls communicating beyond words
>You walked to the cliff face, laying down next to the edge
>The bipedal creature followed, sitting with it's legs dangling over
>You took in a deep breath
>The faint scent of pollen caught your nose
>In front of you stood a boundless blue sky, orange and pink streaks criss-crossing the horizon where the sun had finally touched
>The vibrant green landscape stretched out into the distance, accentuating the vastness of it all
>Small creatures squirmed and squabbled, their cries occasionally piercing the air, just trying to survive another day
>Birds soared across the sky, leaves waving as they passed by
>A strong wind rustled your mane, soft blasts of coolness dancing across your face
>The creature's claw rested on your back, gently stroking your fur
>For a moment, you ceased to exist
>You were but an insignificant speck in a sea of life, yours holding no more intrinsic meaning then any other
>You felt as if you were getting swept up in a grand symphony
>"Eto tak krasivo..." the bipedal creature said
>"Yeah, it really is," you replied