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1															Monstrous Manual
2														    By Terra Birdsong
3															 Circa 3,381 A.D.
4
5											Table of Contents........................1
6											Introduction.............................7
7											Chapter 1: Basalisk......................8
8											Chapter 2: Cockatrice...................14
9											Chapter 3: Cragadile....................22
10											Chapter 4: Ent..........................30
11											Chapter 5: Fruit Bat/Vampire Bat........35
12											Chapter 6: Golem........................43
13											Chapter 7: Hydra........................50
14											Chapter 8: Ice Hawk.....................56
15											Chapter 9: Imp..........................61
16											Chapter 10: Manticore...................70
17											Chapter 11: Mice of Strange Proportions.78
18											Chapter 12: Nymph.......................88
19											Chapter 13: Parasprite..................95
20											Chapter 14: Phoenix....................103 
21											Chapter 15: Quarray Eel................111
22											Chapter 16: Slingtail..................121
23											Chapter 17: Star Spider................130
24											Chapter 18: Taraxippus.................139
25											Chapter 19: Tatzlwurm..................147
26											Chapter 20: Timberwolf.................155
27											Chapter 21: Twittermite................162
28											Chapter 22: Ursa.......................168
29											Chapter 23: Wolf.......................174
30											Chapter 24: Windigo....................180
31											Chapter 25: Zap-Wing...................185
32											Closing................................192
33											Credits and Thanks.....................194
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35
36															Introduction
37
38	Under every rock, within every tree, among every cloud, and within even the strongest currents, our world is teeming with life of all shapes and sizes.  From the cutest rabbit to the proudest eagle, Equus is home to thousands of species with even more variations between them.  But this book isn’t about any of them.  This book is about the creatures that go bump in the night, those fearsome monsters who haunt our dreams and live on through legends and folklore long after their passing.  This is the Monstrous Manual.
39
40	Within this book, you will learn the basics about the types of creatures who haunt our world – creatures whose mere presence forces the Royal Guard into play to protect the common pony.  From where the creatures live to their eating habits and even how to survive them, the Monstrous Manual is the best investment you can make for surviving the wilds of Equus, from Equestria to Zebrica.
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42														Chapter One: Basalisk
43
44	Snakes are feared throughout the world by many creatures, and for good reason: nearly every snake houses twin fangs dripping with potent venom.  But legends say there is one snake who is feared above all, even by fellow snakes: the Basalisk.  Those few who survive a chance meeting with the beast warn travelers to fear the sound of a rattle, and close your eyes less you be paralyzed from gazing upon the fearsome creature!
45
46	In 2,014 A.D., Princess Celestia and Princess Luna encountered a massive snake within the southern swamplands.  Initially thought to simply be a fallen tree, the creature soon revealed itself by attacking the surviving Earth Ponies of Discords’ Cataclysm who had traveled with Princess Celestia.  Thankfully, however, Princess Celestia and the unaffected Earth Ponies were able to slay the monster and free their kin.
47
48	The Basalisk is a massive snake stretching several yards with a hollow bulb on the end of its tail filled with some material that, once shaken, produces an eerie rattling sound.  Locking eyes with the creature paralyzes the prey, allowing the Basilisk to easily feast without needing to fight.  When it is forced to fight, however, the Basilisk is able to sink its fangs past even dragon scales and inject a venom so potent that it slowly dissolves the creature from the inside out, leaving only a husk filled with juicy nutrients.  In this age, the only known living Basalisk survives on a small jungle island East of Zebrica, where it is kept for study and preservation in a special enclosure.  It is thanks to this seclusion that scientists and ecologists have been able to shed light on many of the Basalisks’ secrets.  As a result of their efforts, we now know that the Basalisk is a highly territorial creature, driving off even its snake cousins from its home.  We have also learned that the Basalisk will eat any creature larger than a house cat, with great preference to pony-like creatures.  Finally, we know that the Basalisk is a natural creature whose evolution can be traced back all the way to a common rattlesnake, and ecologists believe that a radical shift occurred in rattlesnakes sometime within the Era of Chaos in stark contrast to many other monsters whose existence can likely be attributed to Discords’ creation during the same time period.
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50	Should any other Basalisks be discovered in the future, fear not!  Basalisks are opportunistic hunters and, as such, they will rarely chase after prey likely due to their size.  Listen for the tell-tale rattling of their presence, close your eyes, and run, fly, or teleport to safety!
51
52	Unfortunately, our time with the Basalisk appears to be coming to an end.  The Basalisk is beginning to show signs of old age and, as the last known member of its species, learning the secrets of Basalisk procreation may be lost to us, forever, but it can be assumed that they lay eggs as other snakes do.
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54														Chapter Two: Cockatrice
55
56	You decided to cut through the Baltimare Forest on your way to Fillydelphia, but the sun is already setting.  There’s no way you’ll be able to navigate the forest at night, so you unpack your tent and set up camp until morning.  As the last stake sinks into the ground, you hear a twig snap behind you – a curious rabbit or a sly fox, you ask yourself as you turn to greet the creature.  Too late you realize that it wasn’t a friendly critter, but your mouth turns to stone as you lock eyes with the beast.  No one will hear your screams as the rest of your body solidifies, for none survive the eyes of the dreaded cockatrice!
57
58	Once thought to be simple stories used to keep foals from wandering forests alone, we now know that the fearsome cockatrice and its legendary abilities are quite real!  Officially discovered in 2,034 A.D. by Crimson Flint in Whitetail Woods, cockatrices have since been found in almost every major forest across Equus and Khoyor Tuuari.
59
60	Cockatrices are small, chicken-like creatures with the body of a dragon and the head of a rooster that have an average lifespan of thirteen marks.   Research has proven them to be creations of Discord possibly based on the previously mentioned Basalisk, as they retain the ability to paralyze and petrify prey simply by locking eyes with them.  Despite this, however, the Cockatrices’ diet remains unchanged from their chicken roots as they only eat grain, corn, and other available meal.  It is this diet that makes them extremely dangerous, as they are prone to wandering into towns in search of food, putting the populace at incredible risk.  Unlike the Basalisk, however, Cockatrices are not territorial creatures and will frequently group together with one another for protection from ponies and even more dangerous wildlife.  Interestingly enough, despite their dragon bodies, the Cockatrice procreation cycle is similar to that of chickens rather than dragons, whose eggs can take up to ten marks before the hatchling emerges!
61
62	Being found in several forests around Equestria and Khoyor Tuuari, Cockatrices have the potential to be a very serious threat to travelers along the roads as well as towns folk who live nearby.  Equestrians have offset this disastrous potential mostly by stationing more guard patrols along the wooded roads, which also helps to keep bandits and other criminals at bay.  The Minotaurs of Khoyor Tuuari have a different solution to the problem, however, and have learned to tame the Cockatrices.  In Minotaur society, the Cockatrice serves as a guardian pet to some, but it sees use primarily for its meat and eggs, as Minotaurs are omnivorous creatures.
63
64	Still, should the guard patrols not catch a Cockatrice before it can act, and should you be unlucky enough to be seen as a threat to it, the Cockatrice loses any power over you by simply closing your eyes.  Should you be even unluckier enough to have been turned to stone by one of the creatures, fear not: the effects can be easily reversed by soaking the afflicted completely in a heated soup containing sliced potatoes, diced onions, and chopped cucumbers for three hours – a remedy which many doctors and alchemists know!  Why the solution to this petrification appears so meal-like is unknown, but can possibly be blamed on Discords’ mad mind during his Era of Chaos.
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66														Chapter Three: Cragadile
67
68	On an evening expedition through Hayseed Swamps, my guide warned about strange rocks in the water.  When I asked for further information, he admitted that he did not know, but it was a warning he had heard from his father, and his father before him for generations.  Curious to find out more, I asked all over Equestria in my travels, yet the warning only appeared in Dodge Junction, once a farming town just East of Hayseed Swamps.  Now, as the major switching station for trains in the Southern Region, much of Dodge Junction appears to have forgotten the why of their warnings but trust their ancestors enough to repeat them to travelers.   Soon would I realize, however, that their warnings held more meaning than they knew!
69
70	What we now know in this age as the Cragadile, ancient Equestrians in the time before the Era of Chaos referred to the beast simply as the River-Rock.  While pinpointing its date of discovery has been difficult given the amount of time that has passed, one surviving legend from old times mentions that “a great warrior of the Southern Kingdom did take it upon his blade to slay the mother of River-Rocks”, suggesting that Cragadiles were once a much more profound threat than they are in this age.
71
72	Surviving in the few swampy regions of Equestria and within the river Mto Mkuu in Zebrica, the Cragadile is a cow-sized amphibious creature resembling a dragon without wings.  The creatures’ hide appears to be comprised of several jagged rocks, hence its ancient name and the warnings surrounding it but, in reality, are large clumps of scales grouped in such a way that allows cooling air and water against the skin while maintaining the majority of protection found in typical dragon scales without the uniform, overlapping pattern.  As carnivorous creatures with rows of massive teeth within their jaw, the Cragadile primarily feeds on Cockatrices and M.o.S.P.s that stray too close to the water for a drink in Equestria.  In Zebrica, however, Cragadiles appear to feed on the common lizards that Zebras keep as pets as well as Zebras themselves who do not keep a careful eye on the water.  Should their primary food source be unavailable, however, the Cragadile will happily eat fish, toads, and any other smaller creature it can find.  Cragadiles are surprisingly the most social of unintelligent wholly reptilian creatures and, although they do not live or hunt together, many members will frequently congregate to sunlight and tolerate each other’s presence while basking in the sun.  When it comes to mating season, however, the Cragadile becomes highly territorial – fighting off any other male of its species it can find before winning over a mate.  Once a batch of nine to sixty eggs are laid, only about half of them will hatch within a season, at which point a Cragadile can expect to live roughly sixty marks!
73
74	In Equestria, Cragadiles are scarcely a problem due to their habitat being a less-than-favorable place for travel or settlement as well as their unwillingness to travel beyond the boundaries of their home.  In Zebrica, however, Cragadiles are a serious threat as the majority of the Zebrican population lies along the banks of their great river Mto Mkuu, in which the Cragadile makes its home.  The Cragadiles of Zebrica are known to frequently leave the river in search of food, prompting citizens to barricade their homes while the military intervenes.
75
76	Should you be mad enough to wander through the swamps of Equestria without a guide or ignore the warnings of Zebras, a Cragadile is difficult to defeat.  Once it has you in its jaws, there is no escape.  Should you be able to act before the beast has you, however, the best course of action is to get away from the water and run: Cragadiles are ambush predators who cannot chase properly out of water, and are slow and cumbersome on land due to their size.
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78														Chapter Four: Ent
79
80	In Minotaur folklore, there exists a story about an event so ecologically damaging that the Nymphs of the region come together to discuss how to best repair the damage.  In the story, a group of Nymphs offer to sacrifice themselves in order to create more powerful being capable of repairing the damage far faster than any group of Nymphs could.  The result was a creature far more in tune with nature than anything that had come before it.
81
82	Ents are similar to Nymphs approximately half the size of a Golem who follow the same ‘rules’ of design: Ents living in forested regions appear as wooded creatures covered in twigs and leaves, for example.  Unlike the Nymphs, however, Ents have the ability or willingness to speak with other creatures as you and I might have a conversation.  Of the three examples we know of, two in Malo Terra and one within the Everfree Forest, Ents continue to share hostility of sapient creatures as Nymphs do in other regions around the world and are shockingly knowledgeable in regards to Equestrian, Centaurian, and Gargoylian language to the point where one could potentially have a decent conversation with one if they managed to stop spewing curses and insults for even a moment.   Much like Nymphs, we know very little about the behavior, procreation, and life of the Ents, even more so due to the fact that there are only three known Ents in the world!  The only information we may possibly gleam is from Minotaur folklore, where Ents are implied to be “Earth Mothers”: creatures born out of necessity to protect and heal regions that have experienced catastrophic damage.  If this is true, it would shed light on how the three Ents we know of came to be.
83
84	Supposedly, the Ents can be fought off in the same manner as the Nymphs: by countering their element.  However, given that all three Ents currently reside in incredibly hostile territory, the risk to Equestrians is incredibly low unless the pony in question is truly insane enough to go trekking through the Everfree Forest, much like myself.
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86
87														Chapter Five: Fruit Bat/Vampire Bat
88
89	Among farmers, Fruit Bats are well known as a helpful and necessary part of crop maintenance and growth.  They feed on a few fruits every sun and spread the seeds around so that new crops may grow with little requirements from the farmers.  Vampire Bats are a much different story.
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91	While Fruit Bats have been a vital part of agriculture since their discovery sometime during the Era of Chaos, it was not until a particularly dreadful famine that Fruit Bats showed their dual nature as Vampire Bats by devouring any fruits they managed to find in an attempt to survive while subsequently harming the starving Equestrians even more.
92
93	Fruit Bats are furry, winged creatures with many variations in fur color and size with small, green, leaf-like ears and claws.  As herbivores, Fruit Bats survive solely on fruits, hence their name.  They are social creatures who typically fly in small flocks of four to twelve bats and can be found sleeping within fruit trees when the sun is up, cleverly disguised as the fruits they consume.  When it comes to procreation, several factors are important for determining whether or not a bat will be born, such as food conditions and availability, climate, and Vampire Bat population.  Fruit Bats do not lay eggs such as other winged creatures, and instead give live birth to only one offspring, whose fur color and fruit resemblance is dependent on the mothers’ diet during pregnancy.  Once born, a Fruit Bat can expect to live twenty marks under favorable conditions.
94
95	Vampire Bats, in stark contrast, are hairless winged creatures with a solid black skin tone and leathery wings.  Vampire Bats are omnivores who will seek out Fruit Bats and eat them in an effort to stabilize population before searching for fruits to “cure” their condition.  Unlike Fruit Bats, Vampire Bats are highly anti-social and aggressive creatures who will typically attack but not kill other Vampire Bats as well as any other creature unlucky enough to have been spotted.  In regards to creation, Fruit Bats form a cocoon around themselves when food conditions and availability are extremely poor as in the case of famines and blights. Once secured, they will undergo rapid transformation within the cocoon for twenty-one suns before emerging as dreaded Vampire Bats.  Vampire Bats are infertile and do not reproduce; the only way for a Vampire Bat to become a Fruit Bat once more is by consuming enough fruit to signal their bodies that food conditions are favorable for reproduction, at which point they will again form a cocoon and emerge as a beautiful, friendly Fruit Bat once again.
96
97	Fruit Bats are native to Equestria and, given their vital role in agriculture, have formed a friendly bond with farmers and many Fruit Bats can find a sanctuary on many farms full of food to keep them from turning.  Vampire Bats, unfortunately, are not viewed as even related to Fruit Bats by farmers due to their destructive and violent nature, and it is sad to see creatures who had once coexisted at each other’s throats, especially as they will likely repeat the cycle every few generations.
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99														Chapter Six: Golem
100
101	Among the few settlements whose histories stretch back throughout the ages, one phrase that they pass from generation to generation has always given me shivers: “Beware the creatures of stone, for to offend them or their grounds is your end.”
102
103	No one truly knows when, where, or how the Golems were created or discovered, but they appear all over Equus, even within Malo Terra.
104
105	Golems are massive creatures of pure stone roughly the height of a one story cottage with two discernable legs, two arms, a single head, and a single large stone that forms the body from which these extend.  If one is able to get close enough without soiling themselves, they would see the faint glow of magic in between stones that bind the creature together and likely give it life.  Throughout the world, there are sixty-three confirmed unique instances of Golems traveling the land for an unknown purpose, although it is speculated that there could be somewhere between eighty and one-hundred and twenty unique instances of Golems.   Perhaps the only thing truly known of these Golems is that they will seemingly randomly “sleep”, in which they sit on the ground and curl their arms and legs around their body.  Golems who enter this sleep state have done so for periods of one minute to twenty-six marks!  
106
107	Through careful tracking of these many Golems, several scholars and adventurers have found no reason or pattern to their almost constant wandering, although they do appear to have some form of intelligence, as they will actively avoid towns and intelligent creatures such as Equestrians and Minotaurs.  In contrast, the Golems of Malo Terra will actively seek out the warring Centaurs and Gargoyles of the region and fight both parties until they are either destroyed or victorious.
108
109	If you somehow manage to offend one of these majestic creatures, don’t be alarmed!  Golems appear to be peaceful and they will not chase you if you flee, although they will be wary of someone who has incurred their wrath before.
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111														Chapter Seven: Hydra
112
113	Among the Cragadiles, M.o.S.Ps, and Amphitere of the Equestrian swamplands lives an even more fearsome creature, one whose gaze is everywhere as it hides within the deep, treacherous bogs.   One whose roar sends lesser creatures scurrying for safety as the beast reveals itself from its mud hole: the fearsome Hydra is king of the swamp!
114
115	Existing long before the cataclysm, the Hydra was officially recorded in ancient Earth Pony tree carvings marking the area just outside what is now known as Hayseed Swamp as a warning to travelers that a fearsome beast lived within!  Meanwhile, on the Western coast of Equestria, the once great kingdom of Mules, Donkeys, Sheep, and Rams made records of their own Hydra dwelling within the volcanic springs of their great Mount Agadak.  Since then, the Hydra of Mule Island has long since passed, leaving the world with only two known surviving beasts: one within Hayseed Swamps in Equestria, and the other on the island extension of Khoyor Tuuari.
116
117	The Hydra is a massive, scaled creature resembling a Dragon without forelegs or wings.  Instead, it makes up for this lack of appendages with three extra heads, each capable of independent thought and reaction! Not much is known about how a Hydra chooses its home, but of the three instances we have, we can deduce that the Hydra prefers wet regions with little care for temperature.  As a result of their large size, Hydras are ambush predators who prefer to submerge themselves within the bog until a Cragadile, Cockatrice, or M.o.S.P. appears before one of its four heads snaps up out of the water to catch its meal. From there, the heads appear to fight each other over the meal, typically tearing their prey into pieces as they battle for the biggest piece until nothing is left. Researching the socialness of Hydras has been difficult due to the distance between the current two, although the creature appears to treat Equines and other sapient life smaller than itself as food.  Many ecologists are quick to note their similarities with Dragons, but they are believed to be a far distant cousin from Dragons due to their multiple heads and lack of intelligence in comparison to other races of Dragons.  However, keeping these similarities in mind, it is not a far-fetched guess to say that these highly territorial creatures lay eggs as every other reptile!  What is interesting to note, however, is that the Hydra of Hayseed Swamp remains while the Hydra of Mount Agadak does not, suggesting either a massive life span or, more likely, another Hydra somewhere under the bog that serves as its mate.
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119	If you’re crazy enough to go trekking through Hayseed Swamp in light of the three dangerous creatures we’ve already discussed, you can rest easy knowing that the Hydra, like the Cragadile, is an ambush predator: if you can get away in time, you’ll likely survive the encounter and live to tell the tale.  If you’re caught, however, expect a quick, gruesome death as the Hydra fights over your flesh.
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121														Chapter Eight: Ice Hawk
122
123	If you’re ever traveling through the Gryphon Empire or the Equestrian City-States, heed their warnings about piercing cries during a blizzard, for the fierce Ice Hawk has spotted a meal!
124
125	Not native to Equus, the Ice Hawk came into the world with the Crystal Empire in 2,211 A.D. along with several other species.  As the Crystal Empire no longer exists and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza lives a rather secluded life, we may never know the history of these majestic, if not terrifying, creatures.
126
127	The Ice Hawk is a large, cart-sized bird resembling a traditional hawk with icy blue and white feathers.  It lives exclusively in the Northern region within the Gryphon Empire and Equestrian City-States and uses the natural blizzards to blend in as it hunts for prey.  As a large carnivorous bird of prey, the Ice Hawk is known to hunt lone Equestrians and Gryphon chicks by scooping them up with their large talons before dropping them from extreme heights.  Once the fall has killed them, the Ice Hawk dives back in for an easy meal.  When their primary food source is not as readily available, the Ice Hawk will hunt the local foxes and wolves of the region, although it prefers Equestrians and Gryphons chicks to the point where a particularly stubborn Ice Hawk may forego wolves and foxes unless dying of starvation.  As the Ice Hawk is a territorial predator with a stomach for sapient species, understanding the procreation and lifespan of these magnificent creatures has been extremely difficult, although many ecologists agree that the Ice Hawk lays eggs like other birds and can live up to sixteen marks.
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129	If you are unlucky enough to be spotted as a meal for this graceful predator, don’t panic!  Fleeing only excites the bird, and it is better to play dead until it lands for what it assumes to be an easy meal.  When it does so, jump up, shout, and move around like a crazy pony and the bird will assume you are more trouble than you are worth as a meal.  If you do happen to be scooped up, don’t fret!  Pegasi can easily maneuver themselves before they hit the ground to fly off, and Unicorns can form a magic bubble around them or simply teleport (but be mindful of the laws of motion!).  Earth Ponies, on the other hoof, must glide towards the snow and should lay on their sides with their fore hooves pressed side by side against the side of their head that will hit the ground.  Assuming you can land in the snow, rather than the jagged rocks that the Ice Hawk will no doubt be trying to drop you onto, your landing will be cushioned and you may only suffer a few broken bones.  Although you may survive the encounter with the Ice Hawk, you will likely be in no condition to travel any time soon, especially with an Ice Hawk hunting around.  For further survival tips regarding Ice Hawk encounters as well as the regions of the world, look for Summer Sands’ “Surviving Equus: Everything You Need to Know About Not Dying” in book stores this summer!
130
131														Chapter Nine: Imp
132
133	Have you ever wondered why librarians patrol their library, mail is delivered into locked boxes, or why we even have locks on our doors and windows?  Security, you say!  After all, we don’t want other ponies stealing our mail or coming into our homes freely.  But you’re only partly wrong.  The original patents for locks noted that they were specifically designed to keep out unwanted guests such as the “bothersome, flightless leather-beak”.
134
135	Although we have records and reports of Imps dating back since before the cataclysm, the first live specimen was captured in 2,209 A.D. by Starswirl the Bearded during his time in Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, then called the College of Magic.
136
137	Imps are bucket-sized, hairless brown creatures with a decent sized beak and arms that extend into wings much like those of Fruit Bats.  They are flightless creatures, despite their avian-like features, who appear to be somewhat intelligent, as they are often referred to as “Librarians” for their odd habit of stealing books and scrolls and bringing them to unknown locations.  When attempting to follow one of these creatures, it appeared to know it was being followed and refused to travel onward.  When we returned a tick later, the creature and book were gone with no discernable tracks.  Imps appear to be social creatures who communicate with each other through squawks, chirps, and tweets, although determining the meaning of these sounds has been difficult.  Procreation amongst Imps has not been noted, so it is unknown if they lay eggs as is typical of avians, or if they give live birth as do bats.  The specimen captured by Starswirl the Bearded was recorded to be omnivorous and lived for twelve marks in captivity before expiring, although we have no way of determining how old the creature was to begin with.
138
139	The danger of Imps only comes from their captivity.  If spotted, they will flee immediately and often escape by crawling into or through hard to reach places much like an M.o.S.P.  If one manages to capture an Imp, however, the creature will shriek and attempt to claw and bite at its captor any time they are near, no matter how much time has passed.
140
141														Chapter Ten: Manticore
142
143	There’s a story buried deep within a journal I found during one of my research binges in the Royal Archives that mentions Princess Luna discovering and befriending a fearsome creature and using it to help build New Canterlot way back in 2,033 A.D., before she became the evil we know now as Nightmare Moon.  Of course, this story is completely foolish because Manticores are not intelligent or friendly creatures, besides the fact that we have payment records for materials and builders who originally built the once great capital city.
144
145	Although Manticores exist prominently in Zebrican lore, it wasn’t until 2,012 that Unicorns rebuilding near what is now known as Pegasi Plains discovered Manticores within Equestria, who proved their ferocity all over Equus as they claimed the plains and caves as their homes.
146
147	Manticores are cat-like creatures capable of gliding through the air with massive wings and the tail of a scorpion.  Typically, they are no larger than a carriage, and the males have an oddly placed mane surrounding their face from the top of their head and around their cheeks before meeting underneath their chin, while the females have no mane.  They live primarily within caves, typically those found within forests, but have been known to live in grassy plains with sparse hills, as well.  In Zebrica, Manticores roam the dunes for the ever elusive gazelle, camels, sand foxes, or the stray Zebra who has foolishly wandered off the road away from their group.  Within Equestria and Khoyor Tuuari, the Manticore finds plenty of food in the local populations of deer, wolves, foxes, Cockatrices, and the lost Equestrian looking for a shortcut through the woods.  Despite the Manticores fierce appearance, they are typically carnivorous scavengers – waiting until the heat, dehydration, or another predator has killed their prey before moving in for their meal.  If the need arises, however, the Manticore is more than capable of chasing down even the most elusive prey with quick bursts of speed or by gliding through the air should the Manticore be at a height advantage.  Additionally, where there is one Manticore hunting, there is likely another just behind the tree or under the sand, tightening the hunting ring until the prey realizes the threat or until they are close enough to strike.  Studying Manticores has been quite difficult due to their keen sense of smell and highly territorial nature, but a few discoveries have been made concerning the social life and procreation of these deadly cats: they prefer to live in packs consisting of one male who watches over the cubs while three to four females hunt and patrol.  Manticores give live birth to four cubs after a gestation period of roughly half a season, and the cubs can expect to live up to twenty marks!  Should any of the cubs be male, once their father is too old to lead the pack, they will kill him and claim leadership, at which point their sisters and mothers will be “exchanged” with a nearby pack in order to keep their genetic pool fresh.
148
149	As Manticores view Equestrians as food in harsh conditions, taming the beasts has been of low concern for the majority of the population.  However, there is one instance of a Manticore cub being raised in captivity for a traveling circus who is friendly enough that foals can ride him for enough bits with no risk of injuries or death.
150
151	Should you encounter a Manticore in the wild alone, there is little you can do to escape unless you are a Unicorn or a Pegasus.  As Manticores typically hunt in packs, if you’re facing a Manticore hiding in the bushes or behind a tree, it is almost certain that there is another directly behind you, closing in for the kill.  Once the Manticore has caught you, it will typically kill its victim by placing its own mouth over the victim’s head to suffocate it.
152
153														Chapter Eleven: Mice of Strange Proportions
154
155	We all know of the common field and forest mouse, those playful little critters who occasionally take small bits of meal and grain from our harvest to bring back to their families in the wild, and of their cousins, the foul tempered rats who dwell in our cellars and sewers, claiming the dark, disease-ridden underground as their home.  But few know of the M.o.S.Ps.
156
157	In 2,037 A.D., after Equestria had been resettled, farmers in the southern region were bewildered when large holes in their cellars and farms were discovered in addition to large portions of their fields having been picked clean, leaving odd gaps among the crops.  Initially believing it to be simply lingering effects from Discords’ rule, the farmers would soon find the true cause of their problems!
158
159	Mice of Strange Proportions, henceforth referred to as M.o.S.Ps, are bucket-sized critters resembling mice in appearance but rats in behavior, with large beaver-like front teeth linked to a small venom sack located in their gums.  Preferring to dig their homes out into the ground much like Diamond Dogs, the home of the M.o.S.P is a long, winding network of tunnels and chambers that include an entrance and an escape tunnel usually covered by an easily moved rock up to ten yards away, a sleeping chamber, a small chamber to protect its young, and a storage chamber where the M.o.S.P stores food during the winter as well as shiny things it tends to steal.  The home of an M.o.S.P, called a warren, typically takes three suns of constant digging to complete and typically houses up to three fully grown M.o.S.Ps!  In contrast to mice and rats, who are social amongst each other, M.o.S.Ps are hostile to their smaller cousins and can tolerate other M.o.S.Ps in small groups; any larger than four, excluding newborns, and the M.o.S.Ps will drive the weaker ones away.  When it comes time to mate, the female will remain in the warren until she gives live birth to ten to twelve new baby M.o.S.Ps who can expect to live up to three marks in favorable conditions.  M.o.S.Ps are hardy creatures who can survive nearly any climate so long as there is ample food and they can be found all over Equus, with the exception of Zebrica, from the harsh cold of the Gryphon Kingdom to the nearly desolate wasteland of Malo Terra.
160
161	Much like mice and rats, an M.o.S.P. can be tamed and kept as a pet if properly trained, although the process is nearly impossible once the M.o.S.P. is older than fourteen suns.  Once tamed, they serve a similar role as cats in that they are comfort animals who are proficient in keeping rats and mice away.  As a pet to a skilled alchemist, however, the venom of an M.o.S.P. can be “farmed” and refined to make potent poisons capable of killing entire colonies of Parasprites, rats, or any other pests.
162
163	In the wild, however, their venom is typically used to defend themselves and their young against any threats, including ponies!  If you encounter a M.o.S.P. in the wild, do your best not to scare it!  M.o.S.Ps will only attack ponies if they are too close to their warren or feel they are in personal danger, but will always give a sinister warning screech to tell you to back off!  If you continue to threaten them or their home, the venom of an M.o.S.P. is potent enough to slowly dissolve tissue around the wound straight down to the bone!  Luckily, however, any alchemist or doctor worth their title will know how to neutralize the active venom in time to save whatever part of your body was unlucky enough to have been bitten.
164
165														Chapter Twelve: Nymph
166
167	In the wake of the Era of Chaos, when the land began to heal from the magical scars that littered its landscape, Equestrian, Minotaur, Gryphon, Zebrican, and even Centaur and Gargoyle histories all note the sudden appearance of bipedal creatures seemingly made up of the world around them, tending to the wounds of the world.  Where they walked, plants grew.  Where they touched, life healed.  The Nymphs had been born.
168
169	Sometime shortly after the Era of Chaos, Minotaur Chieftain Kumras Snowhoof made note of peculiar creatures spotted amongst the trees of his lands forests who appeared to be made of the trees themselves but had two distinct legs and arms.  When cautiously approached, the creatures would retreat partly into a tree, seemingly phasing into the trunk, where they would lie dormant even after their body had been pried from the wood.
170
171	Nymphs are skinny, bipedal creatures typically as tall as a lantern post, putting Equestrians at roughly waist-height with the creatures.  Their form is entirely dependent on their location:  In forests, the Nymph appears covered in thick layers of wood and leaves.  In deserts, they appear as constantly shifting mounds of sand and rock.  In snowy regions, they are clouds of frost – barely visible save for the icy winds that swirl around them.  Within rivers, lakes, and the ocean, they have a fin rather than legs and appear as air bubbles wrapped in seaweed.  Within Malo Terra and the Dragon Lands, the Nymph appears clad in layers of red stone that serve as its armor as it tends to the wounds of the desolate wastelands while battling the Centaurs and Gargoyles.  In the past, it was noted that the Nymphs of the world, save for those of Malo Terra, were somewhat wary but generally friendly towards the sentient creatures of Equus.  In this age, however, the Nymphs are hostile and over protective of the lands they travel and heal to all except the Minotaurs, whose culture of nature worship and respect for the world appears in line with the goals of Nymphs so much so that Nymphs are a common sight wandering through Minotaur cities and towns.  Amongst other Nymphs and lesser creatures such as rabbits and dogs, the Nymph is friendly and social, having been seen playing with the animals and silently talking with other Nymphs.  It is unknown how Nymphs reproduce, if at all, and they appear to be ageless, making determination of lifespan difficult.  
172
173	In the underground Minotaur capital of Lill, I had the rare honor of meeting a Wood Nymph in order to better study its physiology since the creature refused to speak with me.  It was only later that I learned that the Nymphs do not ever speak to anything other than Nymphs.  Despite it somehow agreeing to let me meet with it and the protection of the Minotaurs at its side, the Nymph was still incredibly hostile towards me; flinching away from me as the air grew hotter around it when I tried to touch the creature.  I was, however, allowed to walk with the creature and its Minotaur guards as it patrolled a short stretch of forest surrounding Lill.  It showed me scars in the trees older than either of the Princesses from when Discord and his minions scoured the land, leaving magical anomalies and destroying nature itself.  Since that time, the trees the Nymph showed me have healed considerably; rather than large gashes spilling out sap, most of them are now but mere claw marks along the trunks from some unknown, long dead monster.
174
175	If you manage to spot one of these utterly majestic creatures in the wilds of Equus without them escaping into a tree or the ground, simply keep your distance and observe.  The Nymph, like so many other creatures, chooses to defend itself rather than attacking those it perceives as threats.  Should you manage to bother a Nymph enough for it to outright attack you, however, defeating the creature is a simple task: counter the Nymph against its element.  Use fire against Wood and Frost Nymphs, water against Red-Stone and Desert Nymphs, and wind against Water Nymphs until the creature retreats.
176
177														Chapter Thirteen: Parasprite
178
179	There are few creatures native to this world whose existence cannot be traced back to their creation during the Era of Chaos.  Among these, there are even far less who live in nooks and crannies all over Equus, from Equestria to Zebrica.  One exception to the pattern is the bothersome ecological terror known as the Parasprite.
180
181	In 2,116 A.D., Zebrican farmers encountered the peculiar breed of pest after it had migrated with the Minotaurs from Khoyor Tuuari into Zebrica.  While the desert lizards that many Zebricans tend to keep as pets made short work of the vermin, the Parasprites soon proved their terror as they threatened to collapse Zebra civilization with the destruction of several farms and crops.
182
183	Parasprites are small, bit-sized spherical herbivores with two sets of wings across their back, four small legs, and two large insectoid eyes who come in many different colors depending on the crops they consume.  They can be found all over Equestria, Khoyor Tuuari, and Zebrica and are incredibly social, tending to swarm together and appearing affectionate towards Equines and other herbivore, and prefer wooded areas and make their homes in hollowed out trees, where a colony can house up to two hundred Parasprites depending on the size of the tree.  Parasprites reproduce asexually after consuming enough mass to split off into another Parasprite, hence their classification as a pest in addition to the massive amounts of food they can potentially consume.  Luckily, however, Parasprites have an incredibly short lifespan lasting only fourteen suns.
184
185	Due to their destructive and highly reproductive nature, Parasprites are banned from being pets within Equestria and Zebrica, although some Minotaur households keep the creatures for gardening purposes while maintaining a careful eye on their reproduction.  Due to their reproductive nature, many scientific communities keep Parasprites in containment to study variations across multiple generations.
186
187	Thankfully, unlike many creatures within this book, the danger of Parasprites does not come from any ability to directly harm Equestrians or other sapient life.  Rather, the danger of Parasprites is their voracious appetite which, among a swarm of two hundred, can completely destroy a well off farm and potentially lead to a famine.  Parasprites are easily taken care of, however: any airborne poison can kill a colony of Parasprites within a few hours, and single Parasprites are easily crushed by even a foal.  For those who prefer nonviolent methods to removing Parasprites, the vermin appear to be musically inclined, and any instrument carrying a steady rhythm is enough to guide a colony away from farms and other crops.
188
189														Chapter Fourteen: Phoenix
190
191	When I had the pleasure of traveling the Dragon Lands, I kept seeing small bits of fire soaring through the sky.  I initially thought that these were the result of baby dragons being born, as they are known to spew fireballs upon birth, but I was soon informed that they were actually birds constantly on fire, ever dying and being reborn in an inferno.
192
193	Not native to Equus, the Phoenix came into the world with the Crystal Empire in 2,211 A.D. along with several other species.  As the Crystal Empire no longer exists and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza lives a rather secluded life, we may never know the history of these majestic creatures.
194
195	The Phoenix is a vulture-sized bird resembling a traditional falcon with red and orange feathers and sharp yellow eyes.  It lives exclusively in the southern region within the Dragon Lands and the deserts of southern Equestria where it hunts small creatures such as mice and imps by descending on the creature and wrapping its body around its meal, using the fire to cook the prey alive.  The Phoenix is a territorial bird of prey, much like their cousins, and frequently fights Zap-Wings over food and nesting space, although they do not appear to mind Equestrians or Dragons unless they get too close to their nests.  It is due to this nature that, unlike the Ice Hawk, we have been able to learn that a Phoenix mates for life.  When it finds a lover, the two birds will scarcely be out of each other’s wingspan, and the male will typically guard the female’s ashes or while she is laying eggs.  When an egg is laid, the female and male both take turns hunting and protecting their young until the new chick is able to fly and hunt on its own, at which point the new Phoenix will fly away to claim its own territory where it can expect to live fifty marks before its first inferno.  In regards to a Phoenix and their inferno, Phoenixes have a unique life cycle in that, once they become too old to hunt, they will shed their feathers before erupting into a massive fireball, at which point they are reduced to ashes.  Assuming the Phoenix has a mate, her or she will carefully watch over the ashes until a chick emerges and they regrow into a fully grown Phoenix.  A Phoenix will repeat this cycle every fifty marks, three times, before they are unable to reform into a chick amongst their ashes or are killed.
196
197	Although difficult to tame and certainly a trial to care for, there are rare instances of Phoenixes being kept as pets; the most current examples being Princess Celestia and her Phoenix, Philomena, and Dragon Lord Torch and his Phoenix, Soleil.
198
199	Like the Parasprite, the danger from a Phoenix does not come from its hunger for sapient species or the drive to harm them.  Rather, the constant aura of flame that encompasses the Phoenix is known to cause massive fires, especially when a Phoenix is being reborn!  It is this danger that earns the Phoenix a place in the book, as the Fire of Whitetail Woods in 2,619 A.D. was caused by a stray Phoenix, which ended up destroying much of the Whitetail Woods below the Applewood Rapids.
200
201														Chapter Fifteen: Quarray Eel
202
203	Underneath Equestria and Khoyor Tuuari lie thousands of miles’ worth of tunnels and underwater channels.  Initially thought to be the work of Diamond Dogs, we now know that these massive tunnels are actually the result of Quarray Eels traveling, unseen, through our planet.
204
205	Sometime long before the Cataclysm, prehistoric Unicorns discovered Diamond Dogs and massive tunnels underneath their territory in the Crystal Mountains while looking for gemstones.  Centuries later, during the Cataclysm, Unicorns discovered that it was actually massive Eels that had been making the tunnels.  In 2,042 A.D., Earth Pony scholars from the City-State of Vitam officially declared the discovery of Quarray Eels.
206
207	Quarray Eels are massive reptile-like creatures roughly the length of four train cars who live and travel underground, moving up to speeds of two-hundred and thirteen gallops-per-tock!  They have been found to live underground all over Equus with the exception of Zebrica, where they hunt the Diamond Dogs that utilize their tunnels for their own homes and travel.  As they spend most of their life underground, they are born blind and use hemodynamic reception to sense even the slightest vibrations in order to hunt and navigate – older Quarray Eels can even sense you on the surface while one-hundred hooves below!  Quarray Eels hatch from eggs after an unknown incubation period as a dull-colored, train-car sized creatures that were once mistaken for Basalisks.  After about half of a season of living on the surface, they will begin to burrow and join the rest of their kind within the earth where the dust and dirt of the region will stain their scales, giving them a vibrant red color as is the case with Quarray Eels who travel through Dragon territory.  Much like their cousins above ground, Quarray Eels are timid creatures unless provoked; they will generally avoid Equestrians and other large creatures unless hunting or one approaches too closely to their nests and egg clutches.  In regards to the egg clutches and nests of Quarray Eels, a nest is typically build into a cave or cliff side so that their young can reach the surface after hatching as they do not yet have the muscles necessary to tunnel.  As for the egg clutches, the exact mating habits of Quarray Eels are not known but it is known that a Quarray Eel, either the mother or father, will fiercely defend the nest when egg clutches are present until their young have hatched, at which point the parent will burrow back into the ground and seal the tunnel behind them so that the young cannot follow and be accidentally eaten.
208
209	In the event that you accidentally stumble into a Quarray Eel nest or become the target of a rare surface hunt, many ponies can find safety simply by running away if the Eel is already above land as a Quarray Eel moves by vibrating their scales to slither across the ground much like snakes.  Because of this, they are much slower above ground than they are below.  If a Quarray Eel targets you while underground, feel for the tremors as the Eel approaches and quickly climb into a tree; the Quarray Eel is not likely to eat the tree in order to reach you, and will quickly burrow back underground in search of another meal.
210
211														Chapter Sixteen: Sling-Tail
212
213	Dragons are perhaps the mightiest creatures on our planet.  They are massive, long-living reptiles who have the ability to adapt to any environment and breath out the deadly elements in which they live.  They have existed for as long as Equestrians have recorded their history, and what fragments of Alicorn history remain to this age even note barely won wars between the Dragons and Alicorns of old.  You may think Dragons immortal, god-like creatures content with simply living their lives, but the truth of the matter is that they are very mortal and have only two predators, one of which being the Sling-Tail.
214
215	Long before their discovery by Alicorns in the prehistoric age, Dragons and Sling-Tails were locked in a battle of supremacy.  Dragons were the apex predator for the entire world; none could escape if a Dragon chose you as a meal.  None except for the Sling-Tails, who had had enough of being hunted and, although they are unintelligent creatures without a civilization or technology, they learned to adapt to Dragon tactics and defend themselves enough to force the Dragons elsewhere for food.  Now, Sling-Tails themselves hunt the Dragons in return for possibly centuries of hunting.
216
217	Sling-Tails are medium-sized quadrupeds roughly half the size of a train car sporting three horns jutting from the top of their head and pointing backwards.  Although they have three horns, none of them appear to be protecting a magic-lobe as is the case with other horned creatures.  They are nomadic omnivores typically blue-silver, dark green, or brown in color, but fossil records show that the creatures were once completely herbivores, and it is theorized that the Sling-Tails began developing jagged teeth sometime around the initial Dragon-scorching of Southern Equestria.  At one point, they were prevalent all across Equus, but their population has since been restricted to Dragon territory. They are docile creatures when approached by Equestrians and other land-based life, but their hunting instincts appear to ‘kick in’ when they spot any large flying creature such as Dragons, Gryphons, or Pegasi, at which point they will cup a boulder in their tail and fling it upwards much like a catapult.  As the accuracy with these crude projectiles is low, Sling-Tails are social creatures who travel in packs in an effort to lob as many rocks as possible into the sky, hoping to be able to hit its meal and send it crashing to the ground, where the fall will hopefully kill it if the rock volley did not.  Sling-Tails appear to mate with one partner when their mating season comes around in the Summer, rather than several as is the custom with many other non-sapient species.  Despite being nomadic, Sling-Tails do not give live birth nor do they settle during birth to protect the mothers and young.  Instead, Sling-Tails will lay five to ten eggs and the rest of the group will continue moving on.  The mother will select a few, but not all, eggs to carry on her back and hurry to catch up with the rest of the group as she leaves the other eggs to a horrible fate of being picked apart by Imps and other scavengers of the Dragon lands.  When a Sling-Tail hatches after two seasons, it is expected to either stay on its mothers back, walk alongside its mother, or be left behind like the rest of its egg-siblings.  Despite the harsh reality of Sling-Tail birth and care for their young, Sling-Tails live a decent lifespan of roughly forty marks.
218
219	Despite their hostility towards flying creatures, Sling-Tails are typically not dangerous – even if their young are harassed.  It is theorized that Sling-Tails initially developed defenses against Dragons and have since been unable to tell the difference between other, non-hostile, flying creatures.
220
221	As Sling-Tails only survive in Dragon territory, which is off limits to Equestrians without special permission for researching purposes, the risk of Sling-Tails is minimum and surviving an encounter with the creatures is considered easily avoidable by simply walking or keeping an eye out for Sling-Tails and flying around them.
222
223														Chapter Seventeen: Star Spider
224
225	Throughout the world, there exist nearly one million different species of insects with even more being discovered, studied, and catalogued each season!  Among perhaps the most common are the spiders: eight legged arachnids who primarily eat smaller insects, although some have been known to prey on creatures larger than themselves such as fish and birds!  Among these spiders live several dangerous breeds who can spit acid or weave nearly invisible and gigantic sticky webs!  This chapter, however, is about perhaps the most dangerous breed of spider.
226
227	In 2,030 A.D., Princess Celestia and Princess Luna fought against Discord at the end of the Era of Chaos to free all of Pony-kind from chaotic tyranny.  As a result of their battle, especially due to Discords’ magic, the spiders of the region surrounding what is now known as Ghastly Gorge mutated considerably.  In 2,421 A.D., after the fated Battle for New Canterlot, as a result of the massive use of raw Alicorn magic that could not be vented properly due to Princess Celestia and Nightmare Moons’ upbringing within the Order of the Sun and Moon, the area around our previous capital was contaminated with swaths of unstable magic fields to which the spiders of the region suffered a fate similar to that of their cousins in Ghastly Gorge.
228
229	Star Spiders are medium-sized arachnids, typically no larger than an apple, with a blue-silver exoskeleton and an abdomen adorned with a white, glowing star.  As with nearly every spider, the Star Spider is venomous but is incredibly wary of creatures much larger than itself such as Equestrians.  If forced to defend itself against a larger creature, however, it will not hesitate to bite and inject its specialized venom into its attacker.  In regards to the venom of the Star Spider, what sets this arachnid apart from its cousins is that the venom specifically attacks and paralyzes the lobes of the brain responsible for controlling the use of magic within any magical creatures.  With this lobe paralyzed, the creature is typically put under immense pain as their lobe continues to create magic but are unable to use it, resulting in a buildup of energy that can potentially cause a magic-lobe aneurysm and kill the creature. The Star Spider has different plans in store and, if able, will constrict the weakened and pained creature before feeding off of the excess buildup of magic for as long as the creature survives, which is typically short due to lack of food and water, as well as the incredible mental stress.  When Star Spiders are not threatened by magical creatures, they feed by creating small nets out of their webs that they attach between their two front legs and wave them around to catch the raw magic floating through the air.  Then, they will eat their web to recycle the silk and absorb the magic before continuing the process roughly ten times in one sun!  When it comes time to mate, a male will seek out a female in her own web and gently vibrate the edge of the web only twice to announce his arrival and that he is not food.  If the female is willing to mate, the male will be allowed to enter the web and the two will begin a complex mating ritual similar to dancing.  If the female is impressed, the two will mate and the female will lay between fifty and one-hundred eggs which she wraps safely in silk.  Although only thirty may hatch, the newly born Star Spiders will leave their mothers web if she still lives and find their own homes in the magically unstable region, where they can expect to survive for nearly two marks.
230
231	If you are unlucky enough to have stumbled into the rare Star Spider territory and even unluckier to have been bitten by one as a Unicorn, there’s no need to panic just yet!  Like all spiders, Star Spiders are small and fragile – easily killed by stepping on them.  Although you may feel immense pain in your head as the Star Spiders’ venom paralyzes your magic-lobe, try to stay focused on tearing through the web if you are bound or by running to safety.  Do NOT attempt to use your magic while under the effects of Star Spider venom, as you can potentially cause your magic-lobe to rupture permanently!  Earth Ponies, Pegasi, and other non-magical creatures are at no risk to Star Spider venom and will typically only experience a headache for a few hours.
232
233														Chapter Eighteen: Taraxippus
234
235	All over Equus there exist fanciful stories of truly make-believe creatures swallowing up the stray filly to teach important lessons such as not to wander into the woods at night or to eat all your vegetables.  Although we have covered one such story that had proved to be true, the Cockatrice, there exists another tale whose validity can be rightfully questioned.
236
237	In 2,421 A.D., the raw magic that was released as a result of Princess Celestia and Nightmare Moon’s battle began seeping into the ground surrounding the old capital.  A few marks later, life began to bloom once more, although it was a very different breed of life than that found anywhere else on Equus.  Among the alien fauna and critters that now call the Everfree Forest their home, settlers from the now extinct farming town of Applewood made occasional note of a tall, horse-like creature frequently spotted wandering through the nearby Everfree Forest.
238
239	Researching the Taraxippus has been incredibly dangerous, difficult, and incredibly troubling, setting the publishing of this book back several marks simply to prove the validity of this dangerous and elusive creature.  The Taraxippus is noted in several stories to be an incredibly hostile Alicorn-sized creature with either a pure white or light grey coat lacking a mane, cutie mark, eyes, and a mouth.  Some stories note the appearance of a horn or a pair of wings, but never both, and sometimes none.  The Taraxippus is only ever noted to live in and around the Everfree Forest, where a keen eye may spot its legs as it attempts to blend in with the trees and roots, and the danger supposedly comes from the Taraxippus’ ability to tear open a space where its mouth should be into a ghastly pit before it can swallow a fully grown pony whole, much like a snake.  Initially, I thought these stories to be simply tales of boogeymen lurking in the shadows or ponies afraid of the dark until I realized a shockingly consistent account of the creature in every story, much like the Cockatrice.  It was ultimately this consistency that led me to consider the possibility that such a creature did exist and to embark on perhaps the most dangerous field work in my life, of which the tale is better recorded in my other book, “Myth No More: The Legend of the Taraxippus”.  Taraxippus have no genitalia and scarcely appear to notice other Taraxippus.  As such, they are not social creatures and it is unknown how they came to exist or how long they live.
240
241	There are many tales of brave adventurers or lone travelers encountering the Taraxippus when trying to conquer the Everfree Forest.  Some have survived by fleeing when the creature is distracted, but nearly all who encounter the Taraxippus reportedly do not escape, at least not completely.  There is an old pony in the Canterlot Institution of Mental Science who claims to have been face-to-face with a Taraxippus.  He claims that the creature stalked him every night in the forest as his vision slowly blurred more and more until he was nearly blind and that he can still hear the shrieking screech of the creature when it tears itself a mouth, and can still see its legs or face just outside of his peripherals – always watching, always waiting.  This pony, who shall not be named due to legal reasons, survived an encounter with the creature of myth only because the rest of his party were foolish enough to try to attack it.  As per my own research and stories written through our history as warnings for the future, heed the warnings from Summer Sands and myself, if nothing else: the Taraxippus is real, and it is a dangerous monster.
242
243														Chapter Nineteen: Tatzlwurm
244
245	What is interesting to note about the Sling-Tails is that fossil records indicate they were all, at one point, herbivores.  We know that, long ago, the Dragons set fire to the land to destroy all plant life within their territory but we do not know why, as that would normally drive prey from the area.  The Dragons, ever elusive and cryptic creatures, would only tell me this about their reasons: “We feared the flowers.”.
246
247	In 2,301 A.D., Zebrican explorers encountered an oasis within the barren wasteland of Dragon territory.  There, they refilled their water-sacks and rested for the night.  In the morning, all of the Zebras were missing with blood in the dirt and a large, deep hole where they had previously sketched a large plant.  Zebras had discovered the first Tatzlwurm.
248
249	Tatzlwurms are large chitinious creatures roughly the size of six train cars who, like their distant cousins the Quarray Eels, live and travel underground.  Unlike their cousins, they appear to live solely within Dragon territory in the Badlands, where they are ambush predators who disguise their vibrantly colored tri-separating mouth as an exotic flower that perhaps once grew abundant across Dragon territory.  Now, they serve as deadly reminders of life in the Badlands as they lie in wait for Dragons, Sling-Tails, and any other creature who accidentally touches one of the many vine-like tendrils that the Tatzlwurm uses to sense nearby prey as they are also blind from a life underground.  While it is unknown how Tatzlwurms mate, it is known that they lay a small group of fleshy eggs holding their larvae.  After approximately three seasons, the newly born Tatzlwurms will emerge from their massive cocoons and begin fighting each other.  The losers will be eaten, and the only surviving Tatzlwurm will spend the next twenty marks causing terror to any creature who stumbles upon an oasis.  When they reach certain sizes either due to age or food consumption, they will begin molting much like spiders and snakes.  Rather than scales, however, the Tatzlwurm sheds layers of overlapping chitin and will take safety underground until its new chitin is fully hardened.  
250
251	As Tatzlwurms only exist within Dragon territory, which is off limits to Equestrians without special permission for research purposes, the danger of the Tatzlwurm is minimal.  In one manages to find themselves within the Badlands, with or without permission, come well packed and avoid any oasis you discover, especially if there is a large, vibrantly colored plant nearby.
252
253														Chapter Twenty: Timberwolf
254
255	On a cold night almost anywhere on Equus, when the moon is high among the stars and whole, if one listens closely they can almost certainly hear the distinct howl of a wolf – a beautifully majestic predator who was tamed long ago into the pets we know as dogs, today.  Near the Everfree Forest, the howling at the moon belongs to a different, although similar, predator.
256
257	In 2,421 A.D., after the fateful battle that reunited Equestria under one flag, the seeds of the magically unstable Everfree Forest were planted.  Nearly four-hundred marks later, in 2,839 A.D., what was once thought to be a pack of wolves calling the new forest their home were discovered to be creatures of wood not unlike Nymphs simply imitating wolves.
258
259	Timberwolves are wolf-like creatures made entirely of wood.  They share numerous similarities with actual wolves including physicality, behavior, sharp sense of smell and hearing, as well as a pack hierarchy so much so that numerous debates have arisen over perhaps the intentional creation of these creatures.  Unlike actual wolves, however, the Timberwolves are overly hostile and may actively seek out Equestrians if they are spotted and, although they live exclusively within the Everfree Forest, it is not uncommon to see a pack of Timberwolves hunting well outside the confines of their forest as far as Whitetail Woods!  In regards to their hunting, Timberwolves appear to share a similar diet with actual wolves, although it is unknown how the Timberwolves process their food.  Likewise, despite actual wolves remaining within their packs and keeping their territories in check against other wolves, Timberwolves are apparently welcome within all wolf territory, although not within wolf packs.  As they have no discernable genitalia, despite appearing to have pack roles such as mates, it is unknown how Timberwolves manage to procreate.  It is, however, known that Timberwolves appear to age much slower than actual wolves; with the wood of their body slowly rotting away much like trees until their bodies fall apart.  Unfortunately, while we understand how Timberwolves age, without knowledge of how they procreate we can only offer educated guesses based on their rate of aging that Timberwolves tend to live approximately thirty to forty marks.
260
261	While wolves have been domesticated by Minotaurs and Equestrians alike, and dogs exist after being domesticated from wolves long before prehistoric times, Timberwolves are too remote and too hostile towards Equestrians to warrant their domestication, especially since their niche has already been filled by wolves and dogs.
262
263	If one decides that traveling through, living in, or even studying the Everfree Forest is a necessity despite the dangerous creatures previously detailed in this book, then one can take comfort in the fact that Timberwolves are almost as easily driven off as wolves.  All creatures have an inherent fear of fire, Timberwolves even more since they are made of wood, so simply conjure up some fire or wave a torch at them and they will keep their distance.  If you are unable to ward them off with fire, simply climb up into a tree and keep an eye out for a passing Royal Guard – they patrol the skies above the Everfree Forest regularly for ponies just like you!   Never try to fight off a Timberwolf unless you are well armed; unlike wolves, Timberwolves are rarely ever intimidated by Equestrians and will continue to attack a lone or small group of Equestrians even if their bodies suffer serious harm.
264
265														Chapter Twenty-One: Twittermite
266
267	On a warm summer night, one would be able to find themselves in the company of thousands of fireflies lighting up the night like terrestrial stars.  Now, in the age following the Era of Chaos, fireflies are no more; their descendants carry on their legacy as Twittermites.
268
269	Sometime before the Era of Chaos, fireflies existed within Southern Equestria and Zebrica until they either evolved to adapt to Discord’s reign or were changed by the mad god, himself.  After the Era of Chaos, fireflies were no more: in their place were the Twittermites, creatures strikingly similar to their ancestors except for one incredible difference.
270
271	Twittermites are small omnivorous insects, typically no larger than a bit, with a distinctive light blue abdomen that glows during the night to attract prey and mates.  They continue to live in Southern Equestria between the Equestrian Heartlands and Dragon territory, as well as within Zebrica along the jungled coast, where they typically make their nests within trees much like Parasprites.  As they are social creatures, they typically gather en masse, from twilight until dawn, to attract prey such as snails, moths, ants, and any other small insects capable of seeing light before encircling their prey and repeatedly shocking their meal with small doses of electricity until it is dead.  It is this ability, in addition to the social nature of the insect, that proves itself to be incredibly dangerous to awestruck Equestrians, as clusters of Twittermites are fully capable of electrocuting even a grown stallion to death, as they may perceive them as a threat.  In the Summer season, Twittermites gather in fields and use their lights to attract mates all season long.  In the Fall season, Twittermites lay their eggs just barely underground and burrow in with their young so that, in the Spring season, their young can easily crawl out and join the clusters in the fields if they managed to survive the predators such as birds and other insects, at which point they can expect to live up to one mark, where they will mate next Summer Season and burrow in with their young to die.
272
273	While once viewed as a simple beautiful quirk of nature in Equestria, Twittermites in Zebrica found new homes in Khoyor Tuuari where the Minotaurs employ them as “bug zappers” to rid their towns and farms of harmful insects due to the fact that the desert lizards of Zebrica are unable to survive in the dense forests of the Minotaur lands.  While large scale use of Twittermites is uncommon in Equestria, several farms have followed the example of the Minotaurs and begun employing Twittermites in small sections of their farms.
274
275	As Twittermites are not aggressive creatures unless threatened, the only advice to surviving an encounter with a cluster of Twittermites is to not encounter a cluster of Twittermites in the first place.  Simply view the beautifully tantalizing bugs from a safe distance and watch the wonders of Equus carry on about their lives.
276
277														Chapter Twenty-Two: Ursae
278
279	In Gryphon mythology, there exists a story about a giant star that fell from the sky long ago.  From the crater crawled a larger than average bear with a blue, star-sprinkled coat who let out a mighty roar to announce their presence to the world; a roar so loud that it reportedly collapsed Ares Peak nearly 5,693 marks ago!  The Gryphons named this new creature “Ursa Minor” after one of their constellations.
280
281	In 2,229 A.D., Starswirl the Bearded, after having studied the mythology of other species for allusions of magic in their histories, sought to create a mythical being as a test of sorts.  After months of preparation, he succeeded in creating the creature from Gryphon mythology and gifted it to Princess Luna.
282
283	From Starswirl the Bearded’s notes, the Ursa Minor was reportedly a semi-transparent and semi-corporeal bear whose coat was studded with small sparkles of light.  As a bear was used in the process to create the Ursa Minor, the behavior of the creature remained largely unchanged from that of a real bear, resulting in the need for the Ursa Minor to be tamed before it could be presented to Princess Luna.  Much like the average bear from which it was created, the Ursa Minor would have been able to awkwardly climb trees despite its size and would be required to eat more than fifty times its own mass in order to hibernate.
284
285	When Princess Luna became Nightmare Moon, she took her Ursa Minor with her.  Although the creature saw little use in battles, it was reported that Nightmare Moon would frequently feed prisoners and traitors to the creature.  After Nightmare Moon was defeated, it is unknown what happened to the creature: some scholars believe that Princess Celestia had it killed, although she has denied this, while others believe it may have escaped and died in the wild.  Still, others believe that perhaps the creature lives on in some secluded, unmarked portion of Whitetail Woods and managed to reproduce; especially since large paw prints have been periodically found within the region.
286
287	As the creature was, at least at one point, real, but possibly no longer exists, it is unknown how one would begin to survive an encounter with the massively oversized bear capable of glancing off physical weapons without an enchantment.
288
289														Chapter Twenty-Three: Wolf
290
291	Many mark ago, long before the Pegasi left their trees to hunt the Earth Ponies and perhaps even before the dragons roared their first breath, wolves roamed the land as masters over prey.  When they roamed, the trees parted to let them pass.  When they howled, prey bowed their head in respect and fear.  The wolf pridefully acknowledged its place.
292
293	Wolves have existed for much of history, if not all.  They were typically seen as a simple predator and thus not given serious consideration until late in the pre-cataclysm era when Gryphons reportedly noted that a lone wolf had been repeatedly ringing the bell of a trade caravan to distract the merchants while the wolf stole their cooked food.
294
295	Wolves are intelligent, highly territorial, medium sized carnivorous quadrupeds slightly smaller than a fully grown stallion covered in thick grey fur.  While they once roamed almost all over Equus, they can now only be found within the Gryphon Empire, the Equestrian City-States, and Khoyor Tuuari, where the cold north and dense forests suit them nicely as they live in the caves of the region.  Wolves are social creatures and live in complex packs consisting of ten to fifty wolves, each undertaking a specific roll within the pack: at the top of the pack hierarchy stands the Alpha male and female, the only two wolves allowed to mate.  Below them is a Den Mother, a female wolf charged with protecting and raising the young when the Alphas are away, and below her are the Hunters, who hunt for the pack, and the Warriors, who defend members of the pack from any threat.  At the bottom of the hierarchy is the Omega wolf, whose purpose is to take punishment for the failures of the pack so that the Hunters and Warriors are not wounded and that loyalty to the Alpha is upheld.  Despite the role of the Omega wolf, they are not ostracized from the pack and are more than just the ‘punching bag’: when the Hunters return with prey, the Omega wolf eats after the Alpha pups, if there are any, and is fiercely protected from lethal harm by the Warriors.  In short, the Alpha uses the Omega as a symbol of sorts to keep the pack together and loyal.  At any point, any male wolf can challenge the Alpha male for control over the pack in a brutal but fair fight to the death.  When it comes time to mate in early Winter, the Alpha female will remain within the den until the pups are born in late Winter or early Spring, when she will then turn the majority of control over the pups to the Den Mother.  Once born, the three to eight pups can expect to live up to ten years provided they do not suffer a serious injury.  If the pack size begins to exceed the amount of available food, the Alpha male will hold a nonlethal contest to establish the leader of a new pack, which will then split off with five to ten males and females and leave the territory to make their own mark.
296
297	Wolves are typically wary of the sapient species, with exceptions to Minotaurs, to the point where one must travel many gallops outside of a city before they can even enter the territory of a wolf.  This, in addition to the fact that wolves were domesticated sometime long before the Era of Chaos, leaves them as a wild predator with little use in a society.
298
299	Despite lacking any magical abilities or terrifying appendages, the wolf is perhaps the most dangerous creature within this book due to how widespread they are, their effectiveness, and their intelligence.  It is a common theory that Diamond Dogs are the result of wolves evolving, although it is unknown how, and wolves appear to have incredible planning and analysis skills; going as far as to act injured in order to attract Ice Hawks in the Gryphon Empire and being able to open doors and windows in the Equestrian City-States.  One Gryphon folklore tells that a wolf pack was able to mimic Gryphon speech and masquerade as mailbirds, only to attack the lone Gryphon when they opened their door to receive the mail.
300
301														Chapter Twenty-Four: Windigo
302
303	We’ve all heard of haunted houses, possessions, and ancestral wrath.  Many haunted houses prove to be infested with critters, possessions turn out to be hoaxes, and ancestral wrath is revealed to be an elaborate ruse to drive ponies off the land so that something else may be built.  But with Necromancy poking its head out of every nook littering Equus, scholars and the common pony can agree that spirits of the dead, or a Windigo, are very much real.
304
305	There is much controversy concerning when the first Windigo was recorded.  While one of the many versions of the classic tale of Hearths Warming Eve describes Windigos as angry spirits, even older Gryphon and Zebra tales describe Windigos by other names, but it is unknown if these stories were simply interpreting another phenomenon or using Windigos as a metaphor.  Although a practiced Necromancer may very well know more about Windigos, they are typically arrested without interview and summarily executed for crimes against nature.  One common theory is that Windigos exist because there was unfinished business that plagued their mind in life.
306
307	Windigos are spirits who continue to exist in this plane of existence for an unknown reason, and they appear as they did at the peak of their life, albeit mostly transparent with a freezing chill around them.  The term “Windigo” commonly refers to only Equestrian spirits, but it is actually a broad term referring to any physical manifestation of spirits, regardless of species.  Windigos have been recorded within Equestria, the Gryphon Empire, the Equestrian City-States, Zebrica, and the Dragon Lands as every sapient species with the exception of Minotaurs.  They will rarely interact with living creatures or objects, typically phasing through inanimate objects and frightening living things away with an ear-splitting wail, and they will never interact with other Windigos; simply passing through or nearby other Windigos as if the other did not exist.  Windigos do not eat, sleep, or procreate.
308
309	Despite the sightings of actual Windigos being rare, this has not stopped shady merchants from cropping up to fuel fear of the anomalies by selling “specialized trinkets designed to ward off the evil, restless spirits”.  Make no mistake, these tokens are usually nothing more than Gryphon trinkets sold to tourists, and then peddled back to Equestria to be sold at an even higher price as magical items to the unsuspecting Earth or Pegasus Ponies.  In truth, the Windigo hardly ever causes a problem for living creatures.  Yes, they are frightening in concept, but we are unable to physically interact with them and we can assume the same stands for them.  In the event that a Windigo does manage to interact with or cause harm towards you, they react to magic as any other physical creature would and can be pushed away or contained until they disperse.
310
311														Chapter Twenty-Five: Zap-Wing
312
313	Back on their homeworld, where the Crystal Ponies originated, the vicious streaks of yellow fire that jutted through the sky were once believed to be solely the result of these birds threatening the Crystal Pegasi to stay on the ground, as the sky was their domain.
314
315	Not native to Equus, the Zap-Wing came into the world with the Crystal Empire in 2,211 A.D. along with several other species.  As the Crystal Empire no longer exists and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza lives a rather secluded life, we may never know the history of these majestic creatures.
316
317	As with most of the species of birds that came from the original home of the Crystal Empire, the Zap-Wing is a medium-sized lone bird of prey roughly the size of a cart with vibrant gold and jet-black feathers.  It appears to resemble our native vultures of the Badlands and Zebrica and shares many similar habits, such as thermoregulation through the unfeathered portions of their heads and necks as well as habitat selection.  The Zap-Wing survives in Equestria and the Badlands, where it prefers to live in mountain regions within this territory as it flies high above the clouds to spot prey with its sharp eyes.  What sets a Zap-Wing apart from our own native species is that, unlike vultures, Zap-Wings are not just carrion feeders and will typically hunt small creatures such as dogs and foxes by electrocuting them when close, as the friction of air against their wings when they fly is enough to cause bolts of lightning to erupt from the tips of their feathers.  With their prey either killed or paralyzed, the Zap-Wing will then return to its nest with its prey and feed its young, if it has any, or feed by itself.  Zap-Wings prefer to make their nests in tight crevices in order to secure their home and young from other predators as well as fierce winds and storms.  When it comes time to mate, a male will seek out the nest of a female by scent and put on a display of fierce lightning and piercing cries to impress her.  If he is successful, the male will be welcomed into the new nest to mate, and he will dismantle his old nest as to not attract predators and other male Zap-Wings competing for a mate.  After the female lays her eggs in the Spring season, three to five chicks will hatch early in the Summer season and leave the nest by the middle of the Fall season to spread out across the land and build their own nests, where they can survive up to fifteen marks.
318
319	The threat of Zap-Wings is particularly dire in Cloudsdale due to the city settling above an open plain where many prey species thrive.  Because of the abundance of prey, Zap-Wings have been known to tear holes through the city to reach their meals below, often causing damage to Pegasi themselves.  Even worse is that, at times, a Zap-Wing may view a Pegasus foal as prey.  As such, the Royal Guard of Cloudsdale has developed specialized tactics to ward off Zap-Wings in order to keep their city and its citizens safe.
320
321	If a Zap-Wing chooses you or your foal as a meal, there is little that can be done to resist a bolt of lightning tearing through your body.  The good news is that much more lightning is required to paralyze or even outright kill a fully grown pony than is typical for Zap-Wing prey, leaving you ample time to fight back and scare the bird away.
322
323														Closing
324
325	At the end of the day, although we may not realize it, our world is teeming with dangerous wildlife.  Ponies, while a dominant species on the planet, are still viewed as prey by many; even by a few sapient species!  As such, one must be vigilant if ever traveling alone anywhere on the planet.
326
327	One thing that is interesting to note is that several species from the Crystal Empire, both dangerous and docile, appear to have close biological connections to species of our own.  Even the Crystal Ponies themselves very closely resembled Equestrians, which continues to puzzle scientists of all nations almost one thousand marks after their disappearance.
328
329	Additionally, research suggests that only a fraction of all life on Equus is native to the planet itself, as fossil records for these creatures stretch back further than we can count, while others only date back to a few hundred-thousand marks!
330
331	Surely, if there exists life so similar on our planet, there must be others like it just as habitable.  And, perhaps, there is an explanation for these confusing facts of nature somewhere out there among the stars…
332
333
334
335														Credits and Thanks
336
337	I’d like to thank Summer Sands for her help exploring the planet for the purpose of this book as well as the countless campfire stories we shared on our travels.  I could not ask for a better friend.
338
339	I’d like to thank Bubbly Stream for his warnings and help navigating Hayseed Swamps during the Cragadile, Hydra, and other portions of this book.
340
341	I’d like to thank the Zebrican Exploration Society for funding the majority of this endeavor, as well as their dedicated guides who helped me across Zebrica and Khoyor Tuuari.
342
343	I’d like to thank the Equestrian Security Council for allowing me to use far-vision magic to view Malo Terra and study the creatures there, although much of my research ended up being classified and confiscated.
344
345	I’d like to thank the Minotaurs of Khoyor Tuuari for allowing me to travel their sacred lands for the purpose of this book, for without their permission the world may not have learned so many things.
346
347	I’d like to thank the Canterlot Institute of Mental Science for allowing me to interview the Taraxippus patient, who cannot be named here for legal reasons.
348
349	I’d like to thank a Zebra by the name of Zecora who lives in the dangerous Everfree Forest, for without her potions and wards I would certainly not have survived my research into the Taraxippus and other creatures.
350
351	I’d like to thank Dragon Lord Torch and his daughter, Ember, for allowing me to travel Dragon territory unhindered.
352
353	I’d like to thank the Equestrian City-States of Vitam and Unicornicus for allowing me into their respective royal libraries, for their information on Princess Luna helped put many pieces together for this book and history in general.
354
355	Finally, I’d like to thank you, the reader, for purchasing, renting, or checking this book out from your local library.  For spending your valuable time reading my life work so that you can learn about the world we live in and the creatures among us in order to better understand our place in the grand scheme of things.