Chapter 12: The Manticore

As they entered the west, Tin Mare, Scarecrow, Lion, and Applebloom walked up to a sign with nets, rocks, guns, and a hatchet. What made the situation worse were the crows' dark calls which unnerved all of them. Eventually, they reached a sign at the border of Nightmare Moon's country.

"'I'd turn back if I were you.'" Lion said as she began to head off when Tin Mare and Scarecrow caught her, and they continued on.

As the disturbing sounds continued, everyone became more and more on edge.

"I believe there's spooks in here." Scarecrow said as he clutched her rocks.

"That's ridiculous." Tin Mare insisted, trying to sound brave, but still sounding nervous all the same. "Spooks. That's silly."

"Don't you believe in spooks?" Lion asked.

"No." Tin Mare insisted. "Why-"

Just then, Tin Mare was lifted up by nothing and dropped down as everyone went to her.

"Oh my goodness!" Applebloom remarked.

"Are ya alright?" Scarecrow asked.

"I do believe in spooks." Lion chanted to herself, trying not to make them mad like she believed Tin Mare had. "I do believe in spooks. I do believe in spooks. I do believe in spooks."

()()()()()

From her crystal ball, Nightmare Moon chuckled at the sight of the cowering lion.

"Ha-ha." Nightmare Moon scoffed. "You'll believe in even more than that before I'm done with you."

Nightmare Moon then approached an army of Pegasai with bat wings, one of her slave races.

"Take your army to the Haunted Forest and bring me the filly and her dog." Nightmare Moon ordered. "Do what you like with the others, but I want her alive and unharmed. They'll give you no trouble, I promise you that. I sent a little pet of mine ahead to take the fight out of them. Now fly! FLY!"

Nightmare Moon cackled as the Night Guards took flight and headed for the haunted forest.

()()()()()

As the group was nervously looking around the area, they heard a low but loud growl.

"Did you just hear what I just heard?" Applebloom asked nervously.

"That noise didn't come from no ordinary bird." Lion pointed out.

"It may be just a cricket or a critter in the trees." Applebloom said, trying to sound hopeful but failing as the noise came again.

"It's given me the jitters in the joints around my knees." Tin Mare said with a gulp.

Ben then looked up to see what looked like the creature.

"I think I see a creature, and he's fuzzy, and he's fury." Scarecrow pointed out. "I haven't got a brain, but I think I oughta worry."

"I haven't got a heart, but I've got a palpitation." Tin Mare responded with a gulp.

"As monarch of the forest, I don't like the situation." Lion said as he stood his ground, surprisingly.

"Are ya gonna stand around and let him fill us full of horror?" Applebloom asked to no one in particular.

"I'd like to roar him down." Lion said as she gulped. "But I think I lost my roarer."

Just then, the creature lept down, and the four got a good look at it. It was a Manticore. A creature with the body of a lion, the tail of a scorpion, and the wings of a dragon. It roared and knocked Lion and Scarecrow back effortlessly as it went to Applebloom and roared as Tin Mare stepped in its way.

"Oh no, you don't!" Tin Mare shouted as she kicked the creature in the head with such force and strength that its head went completely around, and it fell to the ground dead, and Tin Mare fell to the ground gasping as her hind legs were severely dented.

"It's okay." Applebloom said as she gasped. "We'll fix you up back at the Emerald City."

"Yep, the worst is over." Scarecrow assured him when they heard flapping and saw bat-winged Pegasai come up and attack them.

They basically smashed into Scarecrow, knocking out most of her stuffing as after that they just took out whatever straw was left in everything but her head and tossed it away, so that the whole area was covered in straw.

They banged up Tin Mare even worse than the punch to the creature, and she didn't even have time to retaliate as they'd leap back after each blow.

Lion was made a mockery of as she couldn't evade their weapons due to their incredible agility and ended up very bloody.

Applebloom then screamed as the Pegasai grabbed Applebloom and Winona and flew off with her as the others caught their breath and went to Scarecrow.

"What happened to you?" Tin Mare asked. She couldn't see a thing through all the Night Guards until they rushed off.

"They took my chest out and they threw it over there." Scarecrow said as her still stuffed hoof pointed to her right before pointing the other way. "Then they took my legs off and threw them over there."

"Oh, that's you all over." Tin Mare sighed as she began stuffing Scarecrow back up.

"They sure knocked the stuffing out of ya, didn't they?" Lion asked.

"Don't stand there, talking!" Scarecrow snapped. "Put me together. We have to find Applebloom!"

"Now let's see…" Tin Mare said as she and Lion went to work trying to put Scarecrow back together.

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Oh boy… That took a turn for the worst.