MANTICORE

IT WAS WELL INTO THE NIGHT BY THE TIME DORIS WOKE UP. SHE WAS LYING face-down on Twilight's bed; the pillow was soaked. Twilight was fast asleep on a nearby air mattress, and Spike was - as expected - sleeping in his little basket-bed.

Slowly, Doris slid off the mattress, gently and quietly placing her feet on the hardwood floor. She took slow, careful steps, walking slowly and lifting her feet over Spike's bed as she made her way over to the dresser mirror. Even in the dim light of the moon filtering in through the curtained window, she could see her reflection - her eyes were red and bloodshot, dried streaks of tears lined her face, and her hair was a complete mess - a crime against fashion, as Rarity would say.

She picked up a brush off the dresser and ran it through her hair, straightening it. She stopped when she felt a stinging in her eyes - more tears she didn't even know she had.

Why am I still crying? I thought I had cried all the tears I had to shed.

And then it hit her.

It's Colin. These tears are for my brother. I have to know if he's alright. She looked at the nearby clock. It's three in the morning. I must have been crying for at least twelve hours. Do I...Do I really want to go into the EverFree Forest at this time of night?

I don't want to. But I have to .

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The only source of light was the beam coming from the flashlight she held in her right hand; in her left she held a stick that she'd torn off of a tree near the entrance to the forest. The flashlight barely helped her see; in fact, it seemed like it was making her visibility worse. She waved the flashlight back and forth, illuminating some trees, the light from the eyes of an owl being reflected in the darkness.

She'd been lucky so far; Fluttershy had told her that the most dangerous creatures in the forest - the timber wolves, cockatrices, manticores, ursas - were mostly nocturnal hunters; they were mainly active at night, and at four in the morning, they would be very hungry. She knew the stick she was carrying wouldn't be enough to ward off a bear the size of a mountain, but it was better than nothing.

That's just how it'll be when I get to their complex. This stick won't be much help against guns, but this is the best weapon I've got. It'll have to do - unless I can somehow get my hands on another weapon.

She walked slowly, waving her flashlight left and right as she went. She took her steps carefully, making sure not to make any sticks and leaves crack under her feet - no doubt a predator would be listening for a sound like that. The only downside would be that her trip to the complex would take her longer than she would have liked, and every second meant the difference between life and death for Colin.

Why am I even bothering with him? He killed our family! But, he's still my brother, I suppose, and I'd be the true villain if I didn't at least make sure he was safe. Please, Colin, please still be alive.

After about another forty-five minutes of walking - and a few close calls with some serpentine creature, most likely a cockatrice - she made it to the army's complex. But something felt...different. Maybe it was the fact that the gate was open at this time of night.

No, not open. It looks more like something forced the gate open, like it was smashed through by something super strong. Slowly, she approached the gate, the stick raised as the flashlight illuminated a disgusting scene.

A body, near the gate, clearly bloodied and certainly dead. She approached, the flashlight lighting up the body as she got closer.

It was a horrible scene. There was a large puncture wound in the side of the neck, large gashes all over the body, like claw marks, and then there was the face - it looked like it had been chewed off, the torn up pieces of muscle and sinew barely covering up the shattered skull. It even looked like whatever had done this had chewed on the brain as well.

Doris felt vomit rising in her throat. She put her hand over her mouth and swallowed hard, holding back the bile. She felt it seep through her lips and fingers, and couldn't hold it anymore. She turned away from the body and keeled over, opening her mouth and spewing forth a stream of yellowish-green vomit.

She wiped her lips, doing her best to get the horrible taste out of her mouth as she turned back to the body, keeping her eyes off of the mutilated face as she looked at the nametag of the poor soul who had suffered this terrible fate.

Andrews. Her eyes glanced down to the holster, where she saw the black handle of a pistol. Slowly, she reached for the gun, pulling it out of the holster. She'd never held a gun before; it felt cold and heavy in her hand - but at least she'd have something better than a stick.

Assuming it was loaded.

She took out the clip; it was fully loaded, fifteen bullets in the clip, a sixteenth in the chamber. She put the clip back into the gun and held it tightly as she stood up and stepped around the body, waving her flashlight around -

Illuminating more carnage. More and more bodies, bloodied and mutilated, some of them like the other body, some totally eviscerated, at least one pulled completely in half. It was sickening, like something seen out of a horror film. She fought hard against the bile that was once again rising up in her throat as she took it all in.

Something had killed these soldiers, killed and eaten them. The damage was fairly recent; whatever had done this was here not even ten hours ago.

But Colin? Where's Colin?

She kept walking in silence, waving the flashlight around and holding the gun out in front of her as she went, until she reached what looked like a garbage dump. There was the usual here - trash bags, discarded food, a dead body -

Wait, a dead body?! Please, don't let it be him! Please God, don't -

She recognized the face, the youthful, boyish face of her brother, his face covered in dirt and grime and with a single bullet hole in the center of his forehead.

Her breath caught in her throat as she pulled her brother's body close to her, his lifeless eyes staring up at her.

No.

No!

NO!

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" She held her brother close to her, sobbing into the top of his head as the grim realization hit her that her brother was dead, and it was all because of her.

"No. No. Please, God, no," she sobbed. "Colin, no." She hugged him closer, tighter. "I'm sorry, Colin. I'm so sorry. I - I forgive you."

She heard something through her sobbing - footsteps, getting closer. She gently let her brother's body go and turned around, holding the gun out in front of her as another soldier came around the corner. He looked like hell, his face dirty, his body covered in blood.

Doris aimed the gun at his face. "Are you the one who - "

"No, it wasn't me," he said. "I would never do this to my friend, even if I were ordered to. Now please, lower your weapon. I'm not here to kill you. I want to help."

"Help me with what? Whatever killed everyone else here?"

"Yes. And, as for your brother, I'm sorry. I really am. I wanted to stop them, but it was out of my hands. Captain Winters pulled the trigger himself."

Doris slowly lowered her gun. "Who are you?"

"I'm Deon. Under other circumstances, I'd say it was nice to meet you, Doris, but we've got bigger things to worry about. There's a monster in this complex. I think it came from the forest."

"That was your first mistake, Deon," Doris said. "Putting this thing up in the middle of the EverFree Forest was a very bad idea. There are creatures in these woods that you'd only normally see in nightmares. Trust me, I know. Isaac and I have had our run-ins with the timber wolves." She looked back at Colin's body. "Did he - did he say anything before he died?"

"Yes, he did. He wanted me to tell you if I ever saw you that, even though he was certain you wouldn't forgive him, he was going to die with a clear conscience and he was glad that you're still alive."

Doris felt her tears coming back, but she quickly wiped them away, remembering that there was a monster on the loose, maybe more than one. Even so, she couldn't tear herself away from her brother. She walked back over to him and closed his lifeless eyes.

When we're done with that monster, I'll be sure to give you a proper burial, big brother.

"Doris, we've got to go," Deon said, his voice barely a whisper. "That monster's still lurking around here, and it won't help your brother if it kills you."

"Yes. You're right."

#########################################

Deon had taken the lead, sweeping left and right with his rifle. He knew that monster, whatever the hell it was, was around here somewhere, and he knew it wasn't alone - he'd seen two of them, and there might be more out there in the EverFree Forest, as Doris had called it. And if Doris was right, then there were a hell of a lot more of them out there, just waiting to come in and get their morning snack.

Of course she's right, you idiot, he told himself. She's been in this place a hell of a lot longer than you have; she knows this place already. All you know is that you're in the middle of a spooky forest in a world populated by colorful talking ponies and with God knows what waiting out there in the woods to tear out your throat. She's basically your guide to this place.

"Deon, do you know what sort of monster did all this?" Doris asked, her voice low.

"I have no idea, some sort of lion," Deon replied. "Only, it had bat wings and a scorpion tail."

Doris gasped. "There's a manticore running around here?!"

"You know what it is?"

"I've never seen one, but yeah, I know what it is. Fluttershy and Applejack have told me and Isaac about them." There was a low rumble nearby. "Deon, please tell me that was your stomach."

"N - no. And it wasn't you, was it?"

"No." Her breath caught in her throat as she realized what that noise was. "Oh my God, the manticore's nearby!"

Deon grabbed her arm. "Come on; we've gotta hide!"

They hurried into a nearby building, what looked like a mess hall; the kitchen, more precisely. Deon turned off the lights - Doris was surprised that the power was still on in this place - and they hid behind a counter. the only sounds were their heavy breathing and their racing hearts.

There was a loud crashing sound as the door was thrown off its hinges, the sound of heavy footfalls following a second later, and the deep, rumbling growl of a lion.

The manticore was in the room with them.

#######################################

Deon could see the monster reflected in the shiny steel surface of a nearby cabinet, even in the dim light. It had the massive body of a lion; sticking out of its shoulders were two large red bat wings, and it had a massive black scorpion tail curling up over its back, venom dripping from the foot-long stinger. Its massive paws were barely able to fit between the wall and the counter as it slowly stepped through the now-broken down door, its nostrils flaring as it sniffed them out.

He slowly slung his rifle over his back and put a hand on Doris's sholder. "Come on," he whispered. "Follow me. And stay low." Doris nodded in response as they crawled along the floor, staying below the countertop, the heavy footfalls of the manticore moving at the same time.

Doris could hear the manticore's massive paws hit the floor; it was moving slowly, like a slasher villain menacingly stalking its next meal. She could hear her heart pounding in her chest as she followed Deon, breathing quickly as her fear continued to grow -

CRASH!

The manticore's massive wings swept along the top of the counter, knocking several metal pots and pans off the steel countertop. Doris let out an involuntary yelp as the steel pots and pans fell onto her, slamming into her head, back, and shoulders.. She and Deon picked up the pace, quickly crawling around the corner of the next counter, Deon going farther than Doris, who pressed her back against the counter, breathing heavily as she listened to the manticore continue its murderous march.

Please go away, please go away, please go away!

She could now smell the monster as it got closer to her hiding place - the nasty stench of a wet dog mixed with a dirty litter box. The heavy footfalls of its massive paws were getting closer and closer by the second.

It's going to find me!

"Hey!"

She glanced to her left, saw Deon standing, waving his arms, screaming at the manticore, which had now turned its attention to him.

"Hey! Over here, you overgrown hairball!" He ducked back down behind the counter.

The manticore let out a low, rumbling growl as it leaped over the counter, it's hind legs only a few inches away from Doris. She winced and slowly slid away from the beast as it pawed at the ground, drooling at Deon, who was crouched next to the cabinets under the sink, looking like he was ready to start running at any moment.

The manticore roared loudly, the roar echoing off every wall in the kitchen, hurting Doris's eardrums, as it charged at Deon. It swung its scorpion tail over its head, the stinger, dripping with venom as it neared Deon -

"Come on. Come at me, bro!"

The tip of its tail punctured the steel cabinet door, denting Deon's reflection.

Deon stood up from his hiding place, having decieved the manticore - a little trick he'd seen in a movie - and kicked the creature in the flank as hard as he could.

"Stupid cat." The manticore managed to pull its tail free of the steel, and turned to face Deon, growling and snarling as it prepared to charge. "Oh shit, that just pissed you off, didn't it?" He slowly backed away, slightly turning his head to look behind him. There was a door close by, a door leading outside.

I've only got one chance at this. He turned on his heels and ran out the door, the manticore close behind, its massive body slamming into the door, knocking it off its hinges.

Doris held her breath, listening to the sound of Deon firing his rifle, and then -

Silence. A stunning, deafening silence.

"Deon?" she whispered, her voice barely managing to come out of her throat. "Deon, are you okay?"

No answer.

She felt her heart begin to race, her lungs felt like they were constricting, as a sick sense of dread enveloped her. Slowly, she stood up from behind the counter and carefully walked to the now-destroyed door, the gun held out in front of her. Her hands were shaking, as was the rest of her body, and if she had to shoot at the manticore...She didn't trust her aim, especially since this was the first time she'd even so much as held a gun.

She stepped through the threshold, looking around. She turned to the right, waving the gun in front of her as the now-rising sun was starting to illuminate the entire area; all the carnage she'd seen before now seemed to be much worse as Celestia brought the sun into the sky.

And among the carnage was Deon's now mutilated body, his throat torn out, the puncture wound from the stinger in his left knee, the manticore chewing on his torn out intestines.

No.

No!

NO!

"NO!"

She raised the gun at the manticore and fired, the bullet going wide. The beast turned its attention to her, a shred of Deon's flesh dropping from its mouth as it prepared to charge at her. She fired again, and again, the bullet went wide.

The manticore roared.

Doris didn't know what else to do, so she turned and ran, the manticore roaring after her. She kept sprinting, her legs carrying her as fast as they could, leaping over the torn up body of another poor soul -

- and slammed into something. She turned her eyes up, saw that she had run into Princess Celestia!

"Doris?" she asked, worried. "What's the matter? Is everything alright, my dear?"

Doris couldn't help herself; she felt the gun fall from her hand as she threw herself against Celestia, burying her face in the soft white fur of the alicorn's chest, sobbing loudly as the fear and sorrow finally caught up to her. Celestia gently draped her wings around Doris in a motherly fashion and nuzzled her face against Doris's.

"Hush, child. You're safe now."

"Princess!" Doris sobbed. "The monster, it's - it's - "

The roar of the manticore reached their ears as it approached. Doris looked behind her, saw the beast eyeing her and Celestia hungrily.

Celestia used her wings to gently move Doris out of the way and placed herself between the two of them. Her horn began to glow as she flared her wings and spread her front legs, lowering herself into a defensive position. The manticore closed in on her, baring its fangs and claws, its scorpion tail curving up over its head.

"Peace, beast," Celestia said calmly, despite her battle pose. "Be still. You have already caused enough damage to these humans." The manticore growled before roaring in Celestia's face, trying to scare her, but Celestia wasn't budging. "Return to the forest, creature." The manticore roared again and raised its paw, its claws out, ready to slash Celestia.

"Princess! Look out!"

Celestia's wings seemed to flare out even more as she reared up and spoke in a voice so loud Doris felt like her eardrums were going to burst, a voice that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

"BEGONE, BEAST! RETURN TO THE FOREST FROM WHENCE YOU CAME! LEAVE THE HUMANS BE! HARM THEM NO MORE!" The manticore shrank back, its eyes now wide with fear, its ears flattened against its head as it whimpered, before turning and running back into the forest, disappearing into the darkness.

Doris stared at Celestia, wide-eyed, as the ringing in her ears finally began to fade. She slowly walked over to Celestia; the princess folded her wings back against her body as she put her front hooves back on the ground and the yellow glow surrounding her horn faded away.

"P-P-P-P-Princess? What was th-th-th-that?" she asked, her voice cracking.

Celestia sighed as she put a wing around Doris's shoulders. "Please forgive me, Doris. I haven't had to use the Royal Canterlot Voice in over a thousand years."

There was the sound of running footsteps coming from the forest. Doris quickly picked up the gun and aimed it at the forest as Celestia flared her wings again.

"Doris, is that you?"

Doris lowered the gun. "Isaac?"

A moment later, Isaac came running out of the forest, followed closely by Goku, Vegeta, and the ponies. Doris threw the gun to the ground as she ran to Isaac, throwing her arms around him in a tight hug.

"What - what the hell are you doing out here, Doris?" Isaac asked, confused and worried at the same time.

"I - I - " Her voice caught in her throat. "I was worried about Colin. I - I had to come and check up on him."

"And where is he?" Isaac asked. "Is he okay?"

"He's - he's - " She buried her face against his chest, crying. "He's dead! They killed him! And then there was this - there was this manticore, killed everyone else, killed Deon! He - he tried to help me, and the manticore - it, it - "

Isaac held her tighter. "I'm sorry," he whispered. He looked over to Celestia. "Did you help her, Princess?"

"A little bit," Celestia replied. "I thought I smelled death as I was raising the sun, and decided to investigate. I'm sorry about what happened to your fellow humans."

"I'm not," Isaac said. He gently pushed Doris away from him. "In fact, the only one I feel any sympathy for is Colin. That, and the guy who helped Doris."

"Okay, so most of these people here were jerks, but they were still living creatures," Rainbow Dash said. "Even I know that they don't deserve what happened to them."

Fluttershy nodded in agreement, peeking out from behind her bangs. Rarity wiped her mouth with a foreleg - the sight of the mutilated, half-eaten, and eviscerated bodies had been too much for her, and she'd thrown up.

"Well, I guess you're right," Isaac said. "They do deserve a proper burial, at least. Come on, you guys. We've got a lot of work to do."