Twilight stepped back from the recording crystal as if glowed a cherry red.

“And we’re live,” she said. “This is Princess Sparkle at Cloverfield village, northern Cantervale. Princess Celestia assigned me to investigate the attack by some kind of feral wolf. Also in attendance is Fluttershy, Ponyvile’s animal caretaker and all round animal expert, and Rainbow Dash, who I couldn’t convince to stay at home.”

“Hey,” Dash protested, swooping down on Twilight and bonking her playfully on the head. “I’m here to make sure nopony gets eaten by wolves. You’ll thank me when we’re running for our lives from a pack of rabid monsters.”

Twilight sighed, straightening her hair with a burst of magic. “We all have wings, Dash, we’ll be fine. As you’re here though, can you hold the crystal. Fluttershy and I will have our hooves full.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, but snatched up the crystal. “Fine. Let’s get this started.

The pair stepped into a small, dimly lit room. Cloverfield had no morgue, just a small doctor’s office and the body had stuffed in a small side room that appeared to double as a surgery. The table that dominated the room had been intended to hold a pony comfortably, but the monster spilled over the edges. Its tail dragged against the floor on one side and its nose brushed the carpet on the other.

“The creature in question appears to be a monstrously sized canine,” Twilight continued, dropping back into her official tone. “According to witness testimony the canine entered town at approximately noon yesterday. It appeared confused and irritable and, despite best attempts to talk with the creature it attacked three ponies before being brought down. Sheriff Lone Star reputedly took it down with a single buck, though he cracked a hoof in the process.”

“You know, you should have started with the sheriff taking down the wolf with a single buck,” Dash cut in. “That sounds way more awesome. You want to retake?”

Twilight groaned, folding her ears. “Rainbow, please don’t try being a director, this is just for the official record. Just keep the wolf and us in shot.”

“Um, it’s not a wolf,” Fluttershy said, only just audible. The pegasus took to the air, hovering over the body. “The coat is all wrong. See how the fur colours are mottled and puppish. It’s a domestic dog at a guess.”

Twilight stood next to the beast, she was a little over two thirds its length. “Well, if it’s a dog, then it could step on Winona and not even notice.” She lit her horn, a spell encompassing the dog. “I’m not detecting any enchantments.”

“Oh no, this is his natural size.” Fluttershy landed next to one of the giant’s paws and held it up. “You can tell when animals are enhanced or shrunk because their feet don’t match, but these are perfectly proportioned.” She sighed, shaking her head. “The poor dear, he must have been so frightened.”

“He almost bit through a pony’s leg, Fluttershy.” Twilight shook her head and sighed. “But we should focus on facts, do the wounds match the witness testimony?”

“Yes, the breastbone is shattered and both his lungs are deflated.” Fluttershy tenderly stroked the beast’s head. “It would have been quick at least.”

“So, if it’s all natural, where did it come from?” Rainbow interjected, flying in for a close up shot. “I mean, this thing is huge, somepony must have noticed it skulking around the woods.”

“Please keep the crystal steady,” Twilight said tersely, pushing her back. “Though, Fluttershy, she does raise a good point. Do you have any ideas, could he have been a traveller?”

Fluttershy frowned, pressing her hooves against the dog’s head. “No, I don’t think he would have been sapient. The cranium is the wrong size and besides, he was found without any bags or clothes, or anything to suggest he might have been anything but a lost animal. I think this was just a tragic misunderstanding.”

She hung her head, a tear pooling at the corner of her eye. Rainbow dropped to the ground and put a wing over her shoulder, lets loose a deep sigh. “Well, at least nopony killed a diplomat.”

“I told you,” Twilight snapped. “The Silven Federation is made up of large, wolf like creatures. The description we received was close enough that a diplomatic incid...” She realised that Rainbow was just giving her a flat look. “Okay, fine! I overreacted. It was just a wild animal after all.”

“Oh, he’s not wild,” Fluttershy said, suddenly. Rainbow and Twilight whirled.

“What?” they demanded, in unison.

Fluttershy quailed back, trying to hide behind her mane. “He was pet,” she said in a squeak. “His teeth and claws have all been cared for and he has neutering scars. He’s a little on the lean side, but other than that he looks to have been well fed his whole life. He’s a pet.”

“I– You– How–” Twilight spluttered, pointing a shaky hoof at the beast. “What kind of pony keeps a dog than they are?”

“I think a better question is, what keeps a dog almost as big as Mac?” Rainbow said, shaking her head.

“Oh Celestia,” Twilight swore, her eyes turning toward the door. “We sent tracking teams into the woods. We’ve got to warn them. Rainbow, stop the recording.”

---

“–reason for you to go yourself,” Dash snapped, smacking her hooves together for emphasis. The trio stood in the center of Cloverfield, a few villagers watching with a mixture of concern and confusion.

“Rainbow, you turned the crystal back on,” Twilight said, sighing and she floated more items into her saddlebag. “And I’m not arguing about this.”

“What, just because you’re a princess?” Rainbow shot back. “There’s no way I’m letting either of you into those woods when they could be crawling with monsters. Not when I could find all those ponies in no time flat.”

Twilight mashed her hoof against her face. “You are not a woodspony, Rainbow.” She gestured towards the thick line of trees that began just a few hundred yards from the village. “If you go in there alone the villagers are going to spend the next six hours looking for you, not the other way around. Fluttershy and I are more than capable of dealing with a few giants, you don’t need to fly off ahead just to spare us a few brambles.”

“Really?” Rainbow Dash put her hooves on her hips, scowling at the princess. “How did that hydra work out for you? Or the cockatrice? Face it, something always goes wrong when we go into these places. Why take the risk?”

“Because you can not do this alone, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said through gritted teeth. “This may come as a shock to you, but you aren’t–”

“Princess Twilight! Princess Twilight!” A leaf green mare, barely into her adult years galloped up to them. She skidded to a stop, panting, her coat lathered with sweat. “You... I... We... We found something.”

“What, what did you find?”

“I don’t know. It looks like a giant.”

---

“Okay, are we recording?” Twilight looked far more dishevelled, there was a leaf stuck in her hair and mud splatters on her pasterns. “Right. This is Princess Twilight Sparkle, we’re currently in the Longtail woods, one of the Everfree’s many spurs, and about ten miles from Cloverfield. We were brought here by Little Leaf at the behest of her sister, Quick Step–” she pointed to the two ponies, who nodded towards the recording crystal “–who discovered the creature.”

The clearing was a tiny patch of light in the depth of the forest, formed by the fall of a great tree. The tree still lay on its side, covered with moss and ivy, but dominating the land around it even in death. In the low hollow a creature lay. It was unusual to say the least. A huge thing, nearly as tall as a minotaur, it wore clothes of a soft, pliable material which had been torn and ripped. Makeshift bandages were wrapped around its wounds, all of which were spotted with blood.

“So, what is it?” Rainbow demanded, hovering as close as she could to the creature, holding the crystal right up against its body.

“Please keep back,” Twilight said, pushing her away with a wave of magic. “And, I have no idea. It’s never been in any bestiary I’ve ever read. Fluttershy?”

The pegasus stepped up to the creature, running her hooves over its limbs. “Um. No, I don’t recognise it.” She frowned, poking at the wounds and they lay her head against its chest. “No heart beat. No lung movement. The blood is all dried out and there’s some pretty advanced rigor mortis in the major and minor joints. She’s been dead for at least a day, though there’s no obvious cause.”

“She?” Rainbow Dash dropped to the ground, still holding the crystal high. “How can you tell if you’ve never seen one of these giants before?”

Fluttershy blushed. “The teats,” she murmured. “She’s a mammal. Bipedal as well, maybe two, three times the height of a pony when standing, though that would depend a lot on her stance. There’s very little hair, so maybe she’s a semi-aquatic or a cave dweller, judging by the amount of clothing she’s wearing this is clearly not her natural environment. I’m not sure what these are made of, though. ” She tapped the toughed chest covering. “It seems almost like armour, but I don’t know what it’s made from.”

“Girls, I think you want to see this,” Twilight cut in, suddenly. She lofted a large backpack from its hiding place beneath a large bush. A huge bow was hooked between the leather thongs, it was still strung.

“Whoa!” Rainbow leapt into the sky, casting her eyes around for any hint of danger. “She had a weapon, and armour, why?”

“Oh.” Fluttershy hurriedly stepped around to body to its head and pushed back the lips with the tip of her hoof. “She’s a carnivore. That’s a hunting bow.”

The backpack clattered to the ground as Twilight’s magic faltered. “What!” she exclaimed. “She’s a–” She cut herself off, bringing a hoof to her chest and taking a deep breath. “Okay Twilight, don’t panic. She’s not a pony, and there are plenty of perfectly reasonable species that eat meat. There’s no reason to panic.”

“Sure there is!” Dash shot back. She darted between the bushes, peering between the branches as if more giants would leap out at any moment. “This is Equestria, even Gilda was vegetarian.”

“Rainbow, she’s already dead,” Fluttershy said softly, and was completely ignored.

“Which does raise the question, what killed her?” Twilight continued, smoothing her frazzled mane. “And how does the dog factor into this?”

“Excuse me, Princess,” Quick Step interjected. “But me and my sister found this place by following pawprints. Maybe the monster killed her.”

Twilight looked expectantly at Fluttershy, but the pegasus shook her head. “No, there’s no sign of a struggle and a canine wouldn’t have left a kill like this. It could have been a pet, if Applejack had been injured the first thing Winnona would have done is run to get help.”

“And attack random ponies?” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Urgh, it was clearly crazed and this thing, whatever it is, clearly was up to no good. They’re both dead now, so problem solved.”

“No, the problem is not solved,” Twilight snapped. “A sentient–” she glanced at Fluttershy who nodded. “–creature, completely known to ponykind died in one of our forests. This could be the worst thing to happen to Equestria in a generation. It could mean war with a whole new species, but if we can figure out what happened then we can at least make things even between our peoples.”

“And we want to make friends with meat eating giants?” Dash demanded.

“I am the Princess of Friendship I am supposed to make friends with everypony and everything,” she growled. “Even aggravating, xenophobic pegasi.”

“Um, girls,” Fluttershy tried to interject but Rainbow shouted over her.

“Hey, I never called you names,” she shot back. “And if you’re so keen on friendship, why don’t I see you ever playing with the hydra?”

“Must you bring up the hydra every time we do anything to do with monsters? Do I mention the time you got flicked by a dragon?”

“Girls.”

“Hey, I had him on the ropes. I was just worried that you guys would get caught in the crossfire when I brought out my signature moves.”

“Really, because I remember you clinging on pretty tight before Fluttershy saved out plots. What was that you said, about being ‘too awesome to die’.”

“Girls!” Fluttershy tried again, but they paid her no attention.

Quick Step rolled her eyes and took a deep breath. “HEY! Miss Fluttershy has something to say.”

Everypony looked Fluttershy’s way, and she swallowed nervously. “Um, she was bitten by basilisk.”

Twilight’s magic flared and, with a pop she was beside the creature. “Are you sure, where?”

Nodding, Fluttershy peeled back the cuirass to reveal the flesh underneath. It was as black as pitch and had bubbled like melted wax around a pair of puncture wounds. The creature’s entire stomach had caved in and Twilight had to turn away, clutching her mouth shut.

“Okay,” she said, fighting down her gall. “That’s a basilisk wound alright. Sweet Celestia this is bad, we have to warn everypony.”

She snatched the recording crystal from Rainbow Dash and stopped the crystal.

---

“Okay, I’m recording this so everyone can laugh later,” Dash began, flicking the crystal back on. She was trailing after Twilight and Fluttershy as they forged their way through the forest. “There is apparently one of the world’s most terrifying monsters loose in the forest, as well as flesh eating giants, and we’re walking towards them?”

“We have to find it before somepony else does,” Twilight said, levitating a branch out of her way. “The basilisk is an extreme threat to everything and anything in the forest. We have to capture it, or even kill it, before it kills again. We especially need to make sure it doesn’t kill any other giants.”

Rainbow Dash groaned. “Urgh, yeah, that’s what I’m talking about. Look, I’m sure you really want to make friends with these things, but I’m not going to let you two just charge into danger for no reason.”

“Rainbow Dash,” Twilight snapped. “We are trying to make sure no other ponies are killed by this monster.”

“No ponies have been killed,” Dash muttered, crossing her forelegs across her chest. “All we’re doing is walking right into the whateverlisk’s nest.”

“A basilisk, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said, with a weary sigh. “It’s also known as the king of snakes and is also the most venomous creature in Equestria. It hates magic in all forms and its bite had a lethal reaction with arcane forms of magic. Without treatment, a unicorn would be dead in minutes and a pegasus would only survive if they made it to a hospital in time. Earth ponies are lucky, they have the constitution to just walk it off, though it reputedly makes them very sick.”

Rainbow frowned. “What about alicorns?”

“I don’t know. I really hope we don’t find out,” Twilight said, shuddering.

“Yeah, this plan is sounding better and better,” Rainbow Dash grumbled. “We should have gone with Quick Step and made sure all the scouts made it to town all right.”

“I have a universal antidote, Rainbow, we’ll be fine.”

Something exploded out of the bushes and Fluttershy screamed. Twilight lit her horn rounding on the motion, only to find a rock racing towards her, held in a glowing aura. A shield blazed into existence before her, but it was hazy and indistinct, and the rock smashed through. It caught her in the forehead with a sickening smack and she hit the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

“Twilight!” Rainbow yelled, dropping the crystal accelerating towards the bushes. Arcane fire exploded towards her and she threw herself into a steep dive, branches exploding into splinters as she blasted through. A moment later she came hurtling back through, one of her wings smoking and hit the ground with a bang.

“Rainbow!” Fluttershy galloped to her side. “Are you hurt?”

The bushes parted as a giant stepped out from between the trees. It was slightly smaller than the previous, but wearing voluminous robes and wielding a thick staff of oak. It yelled gibberish at the pair, raising the staff, which was suddenly wreathed in fire.

Fluttershy leapt forwards, planting her hooves between the beast and her friends. “No!” she cried, fixing it with the full intensity of her stare. For a moment the pair froze, their will crackling like lightning through the air between their eyes. The giant broke first, throwing up his hands and unleashing a wave of fire towards the pegasus, who watched, transfixed by the onrushing deck.

“Hey!” Rainbow, back on her hooves slammed into Fluttershy, knocking her out of the way with an inch to spare. “Don’t just stand there. Fly! I’ll hold it off.”

Fluttershy gave a jerky nod, and took to the sky, dodging around another burst of flames. Rainbow charged, bellowing a war-cry and headbutting the strange creature. It staggered back, more flames spewing from its staff, immolating the surroundings. More through luck than strategy the staff caught Rainbow across the chest, picking her up and hurling her across the forest. She hit a tree and fell to the ground on top of the recording crystal.

It winked out.

---

“So, it’s still fiddling with the crystal?” Twilight’s voice was weak and reedy. She kept her eyes firmly shut, the pool of vomit next to her was the result of her trying to open them earlier.

“Yeah, I think it’s managed to turn it on, wave for posterity, I guess.”

Twilight groaned, tensing against her bonds. “Urgh. Well at least we’re on the scientific record.”

The creature barked something in their general direction, and tossed the crystal over its shoulder, turning back to the roaring fire it had prepared and poking it with its staff.

“So, reckon it’s going to cook us?” Rainbow continued, conversationally. She too had been tied up, with an extra trick layer of rope over her wings.

“Rainbow Dash! That’s a horrible thing to suggest.”

The pegasus shrugged. “Hey, I’ve read enough Daring Do to know how this goes. Strange creatures always hunger for the flesh of ponies, evil forbidden forests one-oh-one.”

“When we get out of this I am sitting you down and forcing you to read an equinopology textbook.”

“Yeah, yeah, you say that every time. Hey, it’s doing something.”

The creature levered itself to its feet. It flexed its fingers and began to mutter, drawing the fire up, off of the pyre. With a bark of command the fire began to flow into its fingertips, draining away like water down a plughole. Seemingly satisfied by its magic, the creature began to scoop ash out of the base of the bonfire into a deep pouch.

“I can’t see, what’s happening?”

Rainbow frowned. “Well, the bad news is, it can use magic.”

“Wonderful, now if it could just speak Equestrian we could learn why it’s here and why it attacked us.” Twilight couldn’t keep the bitter bite from her voice. “Urgh, why doesn’t Celestia ever send the Royal Guard to deal with these things?”

“I think they’re union.”

Muttering to itself the creature began to walk around the clearing, trailing ash in its wake. Its pace was oddly measured, and every so often it would pause, bark, and backtrack.

“And now it’s just walking in circles,” Rainbow said, sighing, tensing against her bonds again. There seemed to be a little more flex than last time. “Gurgh, there had better be a gold idol at the end of all of this.”

“Wait, circles? And it does magic. Rainbow do you know what this means?”

“Let’s say for sake of argument that I do.”

Twilight groaned, pressing her head against the cool earth. “It means it’s trying to build a ritual. That’s extremely powerful magic, if it can find something to fuel it with, of course.”

“What, like a fire?” Rainbow said, turning to face her.

“Well, with that analogy, the logs could be magical creatures.” She sighed. “I only bring it up because we’re hogtied and helpless.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Great. Got any more bad news?”

“Well, basilisks are attracted to powerful magic, so we have that to look forward to. Sorry, I should have mentioned that first. I think I may have a concussion.”

Rainbow flexed her wings again, the knots straining to hold her. “Don’t worry Twi, we’re going to be out of here any second.”

The giant arrived. Easily the largest of its species so far, it wore coat of mail over the rest of its clothes and carried a huge sword at its side. Its face was covered in hair, thick and busy as if to make up for the lack elsewhere and it swaggered as if it owned the forest. It barked at the smaller giant as it arrived and gestured towards to two bound ponies. The pair took up a loud conversation, their voices booming as they bickered. There was much wild gesturing that meant absolutely nothing to the ponies watching.

“Dash, what’s happening?”

“There’s another one, I think they’re arguing,” Rainbow muttered. “Just, hold still Twi, I’m almost free. Fluttershy will have the cavalry on the way and we’ll meet them halfway back to Cloverfield.”

“I... I can’t move, Rainbow,” Twilight said, with a pained whimper. “You’re going to have to go ahead. Get help, before they get their ritual ready.”

“Hey, no way, I’m not leaving you here with these monsters!” The ropes snapped as Dash flared her wings wide. Both of the giants’ heads snapped around. “Umm... whoops.” She grinned sheepishly.

With a wild flap Dash was on her hooves, shedding coils of rope and burnt feathers as she accelerated towards their saddlebags, which had been discarded in a heap by the firepit. There was a strangled cry from behind her as the smaller giant shot fire from his fingers, but the shot went wild. The larger was quicker off the mark, charging towards her, its sword leaping from its sheath.

Rainbow made a wild grab for their bags, but found the first thing she’d got her teeth around was the recording crystal. She leapt into the air as the sword swung beneath her, wobbling like a drunken foal as she shed flight feathers. Moments later she was on the ground and galloping faster than she’d ever managed in her life. The giant huffed and puffed as he fought to keep up, but never fell back more than a dozen yards.

It was the trees that did her in, on four hooves Rainbow Dash was faster in a straight line than the two legged giant. The forest had no straight lines though, everywhere she went was a patch of briars or a copse and soon the more nimble beast was right on top of her. In the end it was her lack of woodsmare’s skills that did her in. Rainbow ran straight into a blind gully, only to find her way out blocked by a huge boulder. She wheeled in place, but the giant had closed the distance in a few of his huge, bounding strides.

“Okay, okay, I surrender!” Rainbow exclaimed, dropping the crystal and throwing up her hooves. “No need for swords.”

The giant stopped before her, breathing heavily, pointing the huge sword at the panting mare.

“Look, I’ll even let you tie me up, okay?” she continued, pressing her forehooves together before her.

The giant knitted its brows, and crouched down, almost at her eye level. Cocking its head it let out a stream of nonsense.

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I still don’t speak whatever it is you’re babbling.”

Frowning, it held up a forepaw, with five digits erect. Then four, then three, then two, then it gestured at Rainbow to continued.

She stared for a moment. “Hold up, are you testing me? Urgh, what, never seen a pony before?” Still, she held up a single hoof.

The giant nodded, muttering to itself. A moment later it tried again the strange gesture based language. It held up three digits and ran a paw down its length.

“Three... three giants?” Rainbow said, putting her hooves down. “Umm...” She held up both hooves again and gestured to all of herself. “Two. Two ponies.”

It nodded, revealing its overly sharp teeth and another babble issued from its lips. It held up three fingers again, pointed once at itself, once back towards the campfire and once it swept its paw across the forest, then shrugged.

“Geez, I wish Twilight was here instead of me. She’s good at puzzles.” Rainbow frowned. “Right, so, three giants. One here, one at camp, one... lost. Oh.” Her face fell, and she shook her head. “Umm, I have some bad news buddy.”

The giant looked quizzical. Dash set her shoulders, pointed back towards the edge of the forest and drew a swift line across her throat. When that didn’t get a response, she clasped both hooves to her throat, let out a gurgling moan and mimed dropping over dead.

A clatter echoed through the forest as the giant’s sword fell from his grasp. He stared at Rainbow Dash, eyes unfocused, jaw slack.

“Yeah. Sorry to tell you that,” Rainbow said, softly, getting back onto her haunches. “But–”

The giant slammed a hand against the earth and threw his arms wide, barking the same sound over and over again. He jabbed a digit at the sword, then to himself, and finally, with eyes narrowed to slits, at the pegasus.

“Hey, we didn’t kill her,” Rainbow protested, shaking her head. “It was the basilisk. The snake.” She held her hooves up to her mouth, miming a pair of fangs.

Much to her surprise, the giant seemed to understand her. Its eyes were thunderous as it stood, taking up its sword. With a wave of its hand it gestured for Rainbow Dash to follow.

The pair traced their way back through the undergrowth, mostly by going from shed blue feather to shed blue feather. Still, the giant was more than capable of finding his way through the trees. In fact, he moved with an easy economy of motion even Quick Step would have envied. It took them just a few minutes to reach the bonfire.

Much had changed in their absence. The smaller giant had finished his spell circle and arcane fire bathed the surrounding forest in unearthly light. Twilight had been bound by another layer of rope and dragged to the edge of the circle. A knife was clutched in the giant’s hand, next to her throat, yet she made no attempt to get free. Twilight’s eyes were frantic, her horn sparking as she tried to summon a spell. It wasn’t working.

“Hey!” Rainbow barked, echoed almost exactly by the giant at her side.

The giant strode forwards, brandishing his sword at the smaller specimen. A tirade of angry gibberish leapt between the pair and the larger giant advanced towards the circle.

Rainbow Dash raced past him, but a wall of fire leapt into existence in front of her and she skittered back, blowing on her singed hooves.

“Rainbow!” Twilight yelled. “Watch out!”

“I know, fire’s bad, I get it!” Dash shot back.

“No, watch out for the basilisk!” She jabbed a hoof at something over Rainbow’s shoulder.

Rainbow didn’t hesitate, she dropped onto her belly just in time to see the huge snake sail over her head. The basilisk was vast, three ponies in length and mottled red and brown. It had a huge crest of bright yellow scales which was splayed out wide as it charged the magical giant.

The giant screamed, dropping Twilight and hurling a bolt of bright blue flame at the king of snakes. He may as well have tried spitting at it for all the notice the basilisk took. The snake leapt at the giant, bearing him to the ground and sinking its fangs deep into its arm. Rainbow Dash yelled as she charged into the melee, but the larger giant got their first. Swinging his sword he caught the basilisk just below the head and sent it flying. It crashed to the ground next to the frantic Twilight, a thin line of blood seeping from the wound at its throat.

“No!” Dash yelled, leaping into the air on her ragged wings, as the basilisk rounded on the bound alicorn. She slammed into the snake, snapping its jaw shut and knocking it backwards. The serpent hissed its fury. It reared back and, quick as a flash, struck.

Rainbow felt the fangs brush through her coat as she twisted out of the way. Unbalanced, she fell backwards on top of Twilight, just as basilisk wound back for another shot.

Roaring a battle cry the great giant leapt into the fray. It caught the snake’s strike on its sword, parrying the beast and caught it across the jaw with an elbow. The snake hissed again, slithering backwards as steel flashed. It nipped and spit as it fought, testing the giant’s guard, pressing him back step by step.

Struggling to her hooves, Rainbow frantically tried to untie Twilight, before the battle washed over them. It was too late, the basilisk drew back and hurled itself towards the bound alicorn. Dash leapt, throwing herself between Twilight and the snake, but the giant beat her to it. Roaring it threw its arm in the path of the basilisk and the snake’s fangs sunk deep into his flesh. That had all been back of the plan, though, he bore it to the ground and pinned its head between his flesh the earth. Swinging its huge sword one handed it struck the basilisk in the throat again and again until even the king’s scales parted and the head fell from its body.

The giant groaned, rolling onto his back, and began to hyperventilate.

Finally tearing Twilight free, Dash rushed to its side. “No, no, no,” she said hurriedly, slapping the beast’s face with a hoof. “Don’t you die you stupid giant.” She looked around, frantic. Past the other giant, choking to death inside his unfinished ritual, was their saddlebags.

“Antidote!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Quick as her namesake, she raced to the bags and dragged them over. Pouring their contents out on the ground next to the giant she began tossing Twilight’s brick-a-brack aside as she searched.

“Come on Twilight, help me look,” she snapped.

“Rainbow...”

“Ah hah!” There, labelled in large, friendly letters, was a vial marked ‘universal antidote’. She snatched it up and popped the stopper, pouring it into the creature’s mouth.

“Rainbow.”

“Come on,” Rainbow said, holding its nose to force it to swallow. “You’re not going to die on me.”

It reached up with a paw and smiled, stroking her face before letting its arm fall. Its breathing stilled and its eyes lost all focus.

“Come on!” Rainbow slammed her hooves down in its chest. “Come on!”

“Rainbow!” Twilight tottered to her side. “Rainbow, I’m sorry. The antidote is for ponies.”

Rainbow stared at her, horror writ large across her face. She glanced down at the dead giant, then back to Twilight.

“Oh,” she said, her voice completely numb. “Ponyfeathers.”

She reached up and, reverently, closed the giant’s eyes.

“You know, I don’t think it was a monster.”