WARNING THIS CHAPTER IS LESS FUNNY AND MORE SERIOUS. ALSO GORE. I THINK. GORE IN STORIES NEVER BOTHERED ME, SO I AM A BAD JUDGE AS TO WHETHER PEOPLE WILL BE SQUEAMISH ABOUT THIS OR NOT. SO I'M GIVING A HEADS-UP JUST IN CASE.

Chapter 6- It's My Special Treat......

After giving myself an especially thorough scrubbing via a chunk of solidified and treated animal fat, I felt refreshed. Although, Zecora watching me as I bathed didn't really help matters.

I know that most species on this world had no qualms traipsing about buck naked, so effectively, privacy of the body wasn't as thoroughly respected as human standards.

There was some degree of it of course, such as bathrooms, but really, almost non-existent. A good deal of anime peeping-tom jokes would fly over Ponies' heads.

But I digress.

After I was sure that every crevice of my body was cleansed of bird scat, I headed towards the bank to dry off, Zecora waiting nearby.

I flopped on the ground and let the last rays of the sun dry me off as an errant breeze blew through the trees rustling the leaves above. It was all quite Zen actually. I even got a few drops of mana out of it.

A cough broke me out of my trance, I craned my head up to see Zecora standing a little ways in front of me scuffing her hoof along the ground, still looking nervous.

I moved my hands behind me and used them to propel myself into an upright position, while crossing my legs so I was sitting Indian style as I gave her my full attention.

She quirked an eyebrow at my newly assumed position and began to stare at my legs. I waited a few seconds before coughing to gain her attention. She gathered herself before looking at my crossed legs again and hesitantly asked, "Are- are they supposed to bend that way?"

"Don't worry about it," I waved it off, literally, "it's really quite comfortable." She didn't seem to buy it, but I didn't really care either way. "So," I said in an attempt to get the conversation back on track, "where were we, exactly?"

Zecora blinked again, her face reddening at realizing that she been wasting time by her staring at my anatomy. Jeez, that sounds dirtier than it is.

"You wished to know the status of the other kingdoms and what the usurper has hidden from the public ser Manic."

"Ah, yes!" I say, clapping my hands together. "That! Let's hear the damage report!"

Zecora seems a little bewildered with my joyous tone and gives a bit of a wince at my using 'damage report' but continues nonetheless.

"The Gryphons have returned to a feudalistic society, several kingdoms all vying for power in a game of politics and intrigue to gain the title of high-king." Zecora explains, "However, one hasn't been chosen in over five centuries seeing as the nobles wish to only rule their serfs and don't want a higher authority to govern them, leading to much of the lands suffering and the people going hungry as the nobles stuff their beaks."

"Excellent," I interrupt, Zecora once again perturbed by my ecstatic response, "An unhappy people make for an easily swayed people. They would be more than willing to at least try a new form of government." I contemplate aloud, stroking my hand under my chin as I look off in the distance thinking of what angle I could play to garner the Gryphons' favor.

I wait for Zecora to continue, but she doesn't as she stares at me. I sigh and motion with my hand, as Zecora once again jumps to it.

"The Minotaurs are still mostly tribal in culture, although a good amount have taken to adopting more modern ways, and a great number still honor your teachings to them and continue to travel as minstrels and bards. Sadly, a great number of songs that you have taught them have been lost to history."

"Well, that will be easy enough to rectify," I shrug, "I'm glad that some listened to what I had to say and took it to heart, though." I smile wistfully thinking of the past.

"My people," Zecora says, with a hint of pride in her voice. "Continue to train in the arts of nature and spirits, we remain your ever loyal scouts and shamans, unaffected by the usurper's hoof seeing as she can't effectively reach our lands. We did make sure to hide our nature when necessary of course." She says looking smug.

"Good, good. And tell me," I lean forward with interest, "What of the Fae?" Although, I already expect a certain answer after I had dealt with them.

"They are no longer comparable to their full strength, but are a still a threat," Zecora admits as she thinks on the subject. "They are no longer beasts, but now known as a species dubbed Changelings, although they now lack in their sheer ferocity they are cunning and are excellent infiltrators and spies, presenting a much different danger than in ages past. They do keep mostly to themselves, though."

I nod, glad that I was indeed correct in my assumption.

"Now, tell me of the Saddle Arabians," I continue.

Zecora, smiles and begins. "They have prospered almost as much as Equestria has," my eyes lift in surprise at that fact, remembering the arid desert that they resided in, "they have subjugated their former masters and used them to build a grand sprawling empire in the san-"

"WHAT!?" I yell out, my voice echoing in the trees, as Zecora's ears fold back.

I don't care though.

I grab her face and put her directly in front of mine.

"You tell me that again, right now." I growl out, my mask twisted in a snarl.

"The- the Saddle Arabians ha- have enslaved the A- Apes, their for- former masters." Zecora's trembling in my grasp, fearful of my response.

"Son. Of. A. Bitch." I grate through my teeth, letting go of the Zebra's muzzle as she backpedals away from me as I rise. "Haven't they learned? What is this, a tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye?" I'm pacing back and forth raging at this folly. "I free them from bondage, let them live their own lives, make their own choices, and they choose to spit. In. My. FACE?!" I stomp on the ground, making a small crater as what little mana I have bleeds off of me. I need to fix this. I need to go there right now, and- no.

I sigh, as I reel myself in. No, charging in blindly will not do. I must gather my strength, look to every outcome and prepare. I hope Celly had something to do with the Arabians' current society, but even so, it will most likely not stay my hand.

I look at Zecora again who is towards the edge of the river. I suppose her people remember my person most of all. Raving mad one minute, peaceful and tranquil the next.

I trudge over to her, and she backs up, until one of her back hooves splashes in the water. She looks back and then forward at me again, only to see me sitting once more before her.

"There is no need to worry," I tell her, as some of her stiffness lets up. Somewhat. "I will try to hold in my anger where I can."

She looks into my blank mask trying to discern what she cannot, until deciding to continue on.

What little else she has to tell me is of no real import, or is already knowledge I hold. The Breezies have retreated back to their homeland, no longer able to float upon the wind due to the unnatural weather of Sun-Butt's rule. The Diamond Dogs have all but shunned Pony contact, Unicorn nobles taking what captives they can as their own personal gem excavator had not endeared Ponies in their eyes. Their own response early after my.... imposed vacation, brought the wrath of the then formidable guard on their heads forcing them into deep exile underground... and inbreeding.

I sigh as my mind wanders into the fogs of the past.

I can hear voices.

Faint and wavering, but definitely voices.

But at the same time yelling, frantic. Something was happening.

Something bad.

I don't know what's going on though. I'm at that moment when you are just waking up and you feel like you're at the border of life and death. Alive yet nonexistent at the same time.

I wait for it to pass as the voices warble in and out. I can catch pieces of what they're saying. "Falling", "should not be", "mana", "crystals", and "now" seem to be popping up a lot, but I can't assign meaning to them. So I lay there waiting for my state of limbo to taper off and let myself gain enough strength to address the world around me.

But nothing happens.

The commotion is still going on around me, but I can't seem to be able to wake myself.

I try to move a part of my body, to focus on touch to provide a stimulus in a more concentrated attempt to spur myself onwards to full consciousness. But I can't.

I find that I actually cannot feel my body, that I'm just floating in black with the voices echoing around me.

For whatever reason I'm not panicking even though I know I should. Instead I find myself trying to find something else for my mind to grasp. I release my focus from my musculature and begin to effectively stumble about in whatever dark I'm surrounded by within my mind.

I don't have a sense of time at the moment of my bungling about of whatever mindscape I am in, so I wouldn't be able to tell you how long I'd been mucking about for, with my only link to the outside world being the nondescript voices that continue to echo around me.

Eventually though, I come across something. I am unsure as to what exactly it is but it feels like a structure of some sort. I feel along it and I have the vaguest sense of something hastily and haphazardly constructed, yet at the same time intricate and ingenious in its design.

It seems to stretch down indefinitely, anchoring something to whatever lies at the bottom of this abyss around me, providing an outlying support. At the same time though, it's barring something from me. This construct, aside from providing support is doubling as a barrier, a wall to something that I can feel reaching out to me, trying to slither through absent cracks. And I can feel myself reaching back, reciprocating.

Whatever it is that's calling to me, it's integral, a part of me.

And I need it.

I reach through, pressing through the wall in front of me forcing myself between it and pushing forward getting closer and closer to the source within.

I can feel it responding and worming its way to me in kind, the noises outside are getting more frantic but they are merely murmurs, I'm so focused on what's in front of me, what I'm so close to.

I'm reaching the final stretch and give a final push against this unknown framework, finally meeting the thing calling to me as I feel whatever was surrounding it crumble and collapse around me.

Then I wake.

My eyes pop open and there's silence around what I recognize as a ramshackle, well, shack. At least from what I can tell of the warped and -in places- rotten wood paneling of the ceiling above me I believe I'm in a wooden hut of some sort.

I push myself up from the moldy tattered mattress below me and spot shifting movement in front of me. I take notice of a group of creatures staring at me both worriedly and warily. Ponies, Zebras, a Gryphon and Diamond Dog as well, although somewhat cramped in the confines of the room.

It's then that I almost regain the sensation of my body. My stomach feels strangely empty, and not food-wise, almost as if...

My head tilts down towards my middle almost achingly slow.

My gut does not look normal, my skin is almost stretched taut over my ribs, giving me a more emaciated look, which doesn't help with my now caved-in stomach. Really, my flesh is sloping too far in, curved at too deep an angle, as if there is nothing inside.

That's when I cough up phlegm and a disturbing amount of blood on the sweat-drenched sheets blanketing me that I know that my organs are missing.

Not just removed, but gone.

And then my senses fully return.

I'm not completely sure what happened next due to the utter wrongness and blinding pain of my body trying to function without whatever parts I am currently missing along with the fact that I am devoid of the benefit of anesthetic nor unconsciousness. But I know that I'm screaming, as more blood flows from my mouth gargling the pain I'm expressing. I've been pushed down back against the bed by a multitude of limbs and appendages holding me as I thrash about. My body moving in some confusing manner, acting on instinct unable to decide whether to fight or fly, instead leading to physical hysteria as I contort against the firm grips on my body.

"We need more," something yells next to my ear somehow able to raise itself over the death shriek that is tearing through my bloodied throat.

There's scrambling and clattering about as my body wracks itself in even more pain, spasms running through me as I feel the utter wrongness inside, fluids entering places they should not within my body, their normal containers absent in directing them through my system, my inner walls burning.

My restrained limbs are pushing more and more against the bodies above me, actually succeeding in battering and knocking the people holding me as my abdomen begins to shrink more, and I feel a piece of me just fade away, just slowly and surely voiding itself almost as if it was never there in the first place and even more dark crimson stains my chin and chest, the sheets having been torn off in the confusion most likely.

"It will not hold still," another voice lets out as a light hovers near me, "it shan't channel into it unless it ceases its moving!"

At this point I don't even know how I'm still conscious, I'm convulsing on the bed as my insides mix together in the cavity that originally held most of my digestive tract and the fading begins to crawl up to my chest.

I feel a resurgence of force pinning me down as more bodies rush at me along with several glowing auras surrounding me. They're able to hold me as still as possible although I'm still shaking and a mix of saliva and blood is still frothing and dribbling from my mouth.

The light from before is moved above me as I am held flat, revealing a large glittering yellow crystal, about the length of my forearm, glowing and humming with power. It's placed directly in front of my forehead, the tip almost piercing my skin as my body jumps and fidgets.

A red glow surrounds the crystal and begins to pulse in time with its yellow energy. The red aura then moves to my head followed by a trail of yellow leaking from the gem, traveling along the path.

I begin to feel.... different. The pain is still present, but receding and dulling as more energy flows into me. My senses grow more weary as well, as the adrenaline I felt tapers off with the oncoming drowsiness spreading through my limbs.

My eyelids grow heavy and close as a multitude of heads stare down at me.

I bolt up immediately as I wake, catapulting the replaced sheets over my body across the room.

I'm drenched in my sweat and finding myself panting heavily, my eyes pinned straight ahead, unseeing.

My diaphragm is rising and falling in a quick pace, I'm almost at the verge of hyperventilating.

I stay like this as my mind continues to replay what I've gone through in the past day.

Honestly, it has to be a fever dream.

I must have caught something from the 'con and was probably transported to the hospital, and through a combination of drugs, and whatever illness that I have now recovered from, (probably Ebola, Ebola makes you hallucinate, totally true) had imagined the whole thing within my disease and chemically muddled mind.

If I had paid more attention as I began to shakily move my legs towards the floor, I would have noticed that the environs from my supposed fantasy hadn't changed. I might have debunked the supposed fact that I was now contained within a fictional realm of wildest fantasies, but alas, the mind is a stubborn thing, what-have-you. Perhaps my subconscious was merely obstructing my view, narrowing it so I could deny the fantastical truth.

Or it could have been my recent trauma.

I'm still stumbling, tottering as I move forwards, my left gripping the splintered posting of the bed as I reeled and curled in on myself as I felt bile rise. I stopped myself from wrenching and forced the acid back down my throat. Still not a pleasant experience.

Catching my breath, I pushed off the post and moved towards the door standing within the confines of my vision.

I reach the handle as I gasp for more air, resting my weight upon it. Building my reserves back up.

I stop my heaving more quickly this time and straighten myself up as I gain more strength. Despite recovering from an illness I should at least be somewhat presentable, right?

I push the door open and my eyes immediately squint from direct contact of the sun's rays. I had moved my hand up in response, providing a visor as I hissed at the light piercing my gaze.

I began scrunching my eyes tightly and blinking them as I balled my fists and rubbed at my tearing lids.

Blinking more owlishly, adjusting to the daylight, I decided to survey the hospital wing that I had just entered into, the sunlight not having fully registered in my mind.

I found instead in front of me, a number of huts, tents, smoldering fire-pits and other such like-minded things, situated over packed, trodden dirt, with a multitude of creatures stopping and staring at me.

Zebras, Diamond Dogs, Ponies, Gryphons, a couple of Minotaurs, and even an adolescent Dragon had seemed to stop whatever it was they were doing to return my wide-eyed gaze.

I continued to stare at them unblinkingly, not quite sure what expression was painted upon my face, they returning me in kind with a range of emotions played out in a rainbow of.... well some sort of word, diversity maybe?

Deciding to act, I closed the door, clenched my eyes shut, breathed in and out while counting to ten, and then opened my eyes along with the door.

The same scene as before greeted me, although now with a dash more of confusion added into the mix of expressions.

I stood there in the entry as the mass mirrored me.

I raised a cupped fist to my mouth and rasped a dry cough making a few in the crowd stir and jump.

"Sorry," my voice scratched against my throat, "...... wrong number." I slowly closed the door and rested my back against it as I stared back at the wooden single room and bed.

I pushed myself off the door and stumped towards the far left corner, grabbing at the sullied sheets and dragging them as I passed the hay-stuffed mattress that originally held me.

I reached the corner with the sheets following me along the floor.

I stooped down, folded my knees to my chest and dragged the blanket over my body, covering me as I clasped my arms around my legs and held them tightly against my torso.

"It's just Ebola, it's just Ebola." I began to mutter to myself repeatedly.

I couldn't accept this, it just isn't possible. Sentient, talking, mythological animals? It's absurd, a different world filled with magicians and manticores and giant star bears and so many other horrible abominations that could tear my throat out, or just as easily flatten me into paste? No, I was in a hospital just having an extremely lucid dream, and a heart monitor is right next to me beeping rhythmically as I lie unconscious.

I began to try to hear the imagined monitor whilst in my perceived illusion.

I even made some beeping noises to sort of simulate what I believed my heart-rate sounded like currently.

While I was still trying to convince myself of the possibility of an Ebola-coma.

I imagine it didn't sound pretty.

I stopped as the door creaked open behind me and shut itself.

I continued to stare forward at the wall in front of me with the sheets draped over my body as whatever had entered the room stayed silent as well, unmoving and most likely staring at my form.

This lasted for an awkwardly-silent thirty seconds before a single clop echoes in the tiny cottage.

I promptly revert to my Ebola-beeping mutterings/ravings as I now add a rocking motion to my fetal position.

I mean it can't be real, right? If it was, then that would mean-

"Ser, I am asking thee to stop in thy murmurs and return to thy cot."

I don't bother responding to the masculine voice and as if in retaliation my ranting grows higher and louder.

A sigh is let loose and a red shimmering surrounds me, lifting my sheet enwreathed body into the air.

I proceed to freak the fuck out.

Whoever is in the room with me is yelling at me presumably, but I don't care.

I need to leave. To go. Be anywhere, but where I am now.

I'm twisting and turning my body in the thoroughly tangled sheets while my person is being swung wildly about in the air, I almost feel like a gyroscope as I let loose an inarticulate scream of fear along with a pinch of determination.

It doesn't last long, though.

"Silence thyself!" The voice yelled out as the top of my skull landed with a quite audible crack against the floor.

I groaned as I raised my crumpled form to a sitting position, the crack having resonated from the floorboards rather than my cranium, it sure as hell felt as if my brain-pan was cracked open, though.

I wasn't able to struggle against the magical grip as I was levitated over and onto the mattress and the sheets were wrapped and knotted around my wrists and the legs of the bed.

I was panting heavily at this point, my chest heaving up and down animatedly as I tried to catch my breath, slowly but surely stilling itself and returning to a more even and relaxed pace.

I stared at my visitor who stared right back.

The voice belonged to a gray furred young looking stallion, with a short black mane filled with errant sticks and bramble poking out here and there adding to the overall disheveled style he currently had his mane in along with his tail. His gray colored horn spiraled out of his head denoting his inherent ability with magic, and his large burgundy eyes began to trail over me, looking me up and down, studying my body.

If I wasn't so busy trying to convince myself that this current reality was false, I might have admonished him for not buying me dinner first.

The unicorn stopped undressing me with its eyes after a minute and returned my quivering stare as I sat/lay on the bed, the sheets still holding taut.

"What are thee, creature?" The unicorn glared at me, his eyes narrowing.

I honestly was not sure how to respond, I needed this to be a dream, an illusion, a fantasy of my mind, like I'd thought before. But more and more, the signs were pointing to the conclusion that I did not want to reach.

I held my gaze to him, hardening it in defense, returning his glare but not quite as effectively, my fear assuredly showing through my stare.

The unicorn seemed to take challenge to that.

His eyes widening slightly as he smirked.

He moved towards the bed and climbed atop the mattress, pinning me with his hooves on my arms and legs, his muzzle almost touching my nose.

"If thou will not speak," a hoof began to grind and twist on my arm, eliciting a hiss of pain from my mouth. "We shalt make thee."

The pressure was building more and more as the unicorn twisted, and pushed his weight down upon my limb, a slight leer forming on his muzzle.

I bit my lip as the stallion continued to torture me, not really sure why I was resisting. Perhaps the fact that I didn't want to give the sick bastard the satisfaction.

A threshold was reached however, as the pain began to spike and almost prickle at my bone.

"Stop!" I gasp out, tears that were forming in my eyes already trailing down my cheeks.

The unicorn loosened his grip, but only a little. "Art we more willing to discuss, hmmm?"

I nodded through my grit teeth and closed eyes as the hoof let up more and more slowly, to a still noticeable but not as painful pressure.

"Now, I ask thee again," the unicorn began, "what art thee?"

"Human." I stutter, my tongue almost tripping over itself.

The unicorn raised a brow as if unsure what use that information would have.

"And, tell me, hyoo-mon," he said, emphasizing the word, rolling it around with his tongue. "What is thy business?"

"My- what?"

"Thy business, knave!" The unicorn bellowed, his malodorous breath warming my face.

"I don't have any," I practically screech back, hoping the stallion won't get more creative and try to stab my eye out with his horn.

"Dost thou take me for a fool?" The unicorn twists with both hooves as I flinch from the beginning pressure.

"We find thy body inert on the path leading towards the Royals," he spits the title, saliva now thinly coating my face. "A strange unheard-of creature appearing in our midsts, holding to the string of life but barely, begging our assistance. Mayhap it be outlandish, but the Royals' spies have tried more ludicrous schemes, of this I am aware."

Again, I am left confounded as to how to respond to this irate equine. No matter what I may tell him he might account to a poorly trained rogue.

He eventually eases up again and cools his anger to a more icy rage, glaring at me intently.

"What is thy name, cur?"

I move to reply so as to prevent more trauma, but bite my tongue. Even in my frightened state I'm reluctant to give my name. Magic and names often have disastrous results, at least for one individual.

My hesitation is noticed and the pony applies more force to my arms as I cry out.

"I don't have one!"

It goes without saying that he didn't buy it.

The unicorn reared back to slam his front hooves down on my arms as I scrunch my eyes shut and turned my head away in anticipation of the impact, until a shriek causes him to stumble and miss his mark.

"Manticore pack!" A voice sounded through the feeble walls as a louder commotion could be heard growing outside.

The unicorn moved to regain his balance, leapt off the bed and slammed the door open as he dashed into the growing ruckus.

Myself, having been promptly forgotten, at least for the time being, tried to calm my thumping chest and still my ragged breath.

Roars sounded off a good distance away as the bustling about outside tapered off, to a lighter sense of urgency.

Finding myself free of interference I looked to my bindings, with the quite reasonable goal of getting the fuck outta dodge.

The sheets still held my wrists bound to the legs of the bed, which while this left my legs and feet free, the bindings were tied taut leaving me no real room to maneuver. Looking towards the knots I can see that the sheets are still a tad damp from my recovery. My sweat and blots of dried blood coating it.

I began to wriggle my fingers and try to force my hand through the knotted sheets, folding my thumb in. After much finagling and a quite sore right wrist, I got my hand through. Now using my liberated appendage, I undid the knot on my left, freeing myself from my confines.

I moved swiftly for the door, my hand resting on the handle once again, about to push it open to get anywhere else but here, when I think better of myself. I restrain my motion so as to not barge right into another unwelcome situation.

I creak the door open a smidge to peer outside.

For all intents and purposes this dilapidated hamlet was practically deserted as far as my gaze could confer. There were a few tracks heading to the right, down a dirt-packed road where the sounds of conflict could be heard.

I peek my head out to look around some more.

A few more of the tracks seemed to go off in their own separate directions, heading to other shacks and tents, what windows that could be seen in a couple shacks were covered by anything ranging from hastily placed rotted bark, seemingly stripped from trees, to curtains of rags interspersed by vines. As for the tents, a few of them were actually shivering or shuffling a bit, threatening to topple over their inhabitants.

Seeing that no one was keeping watch or lookout for me, at least as far as I could tell, I fully stepped out onto the road and promptly made my way in the opposite direction of the yelling and snarls.

I needed to leave. This community where I had been tortured, but more importantly, leave in general. I'm not supposed to be here. I could just feel it. I wasn't supposed to be here, and I didn't want to be. I needed to be home, where things felt... natural, right, with my friends, family, the life I had built up.

That driving thought moved me down the street, my own caution preventing me from belting out in a sprint, not fully trusting every single one of the inhabitants to stifle their curiosity due to a pack of ravenous carnivores bearing down on them.

I had made it towards the edge of the village, the forest separated from the town via a clearing about twenty feet across.

Until I heard fast-paced thudding moving in my direction.

Acting quickly, I dove for one of the shacks, hiding behind a wall, and peeking my head out a small angle so as to see what was making its way towards me.

As the sound approached and grew louder, I could hear the thudding becoming more inconsistent, as if emanating from more than one source.

Soon, three continuous shrieks could be made out. Squinting my eyes, approaching me were three fillies. I assumed they were female by the sound of their voices. Bearing down on them, huffing and snarling, was a manticore of medium size, meaning fucking huge.

This thing had a mouth wide enough to swallow up my whole arm.

It seems that Fluffy here was smarter than the rest of the pack at least and had broken away from the skirmish, or perhaps was waiting in the forest for it to happen. Choosing the perfect moment to pounce.

The three were soon screeching by my intended path, as the manticore picked up the pace, making a little headway.

I was already moving by the time the manticore was clear, heading for the forest. I was almost free from of this hell-hole, that is until a louder shriek made me pause, watching the four gain ground.

..........It wasn't my problem, really, what sort of parent lets their kids wander about in this situation?

.............They had nothing to do with me, I didn't owe them anything, especially after the lot I had so far been dealt here.

.......Someone would probably be brave enough to help them...... right...?

"........ Fuck it!"

This was not Stainless's brightest moment.

To be honest, he's had a long list of not-bright moments in his so far short life. Ironic really when the second half of your name was Flare. But that is neither of here or now.

What was now was that he and his two friends were running from an animal that all they cared to know of it, was that it ate. They'd spend nights at times, staying up huddled together listening to the roars of these beasts in the distance. Shaking under their blankets at the ones that sounded off too close for comfort.

They'd whisper to each other stories of how the monsters would run about, their jaws always open, a maw of razor teeth beckoning, shoveling whatever was in their path down their gullet to feed their perpetual hunger.

And Stainless decided he wanted one as a pet.

Surely, the older residents of the town would be impressed with such a feat, along with the facts that a pet manticore would perhaps do more to deter bad ponies and creatures, even though the town already had a resident dragon and two, although famished, hard-as-rock minotaurs. The child did not take that into account.

He was mostly motivated by, gaining his mark if successful in his endeavor. This was how he was able to motivate his two (usually more level-headed) friends into this foolhardy venture.

And it was a mistake. But that's already been established.

The three were quite tired now, on the verge of collapse really. Blossom, the filly on his left was lagging behind him and their Zebra friend, Itri.

Stainless urged her to run faster, the filly crying in response, tears streaming down her face.

She was either going to stumble or fall from exhaustion soon.

Stainless wouldn't let her though, he'd throw himself at the beast to buy his friends time.

At least that's what he told himself.

Looking back at the monster, he knew deep down that he couldn't. Its eyes burning with a raging fire, jagged teeth dripping with drool, claws that would rend and tear his flesh, a stinger filled to the brim with deadly poison. It would rip him to shreds. Except it wouldn't be him. It would be Blossom.

And it would be all his fault.

Stainless choked back a sob, or a wail, he wasn't really sure which, his throat feeling as if scabbed over from yelling.

He looked back to Blossom, tears still streaming, but now with a look on her face. A look that made the pit in his stomach drop even more. It was peaceful, accepting, she knew what would happen, a sad smile adorning her muzzle.

Stainless was about to yell despite his throat, the manticore mere inches away from Blossom's tail.

That is, until the manticore jolted, a thudding impact resounding at least a little loud enough to be heard over their sprinting.

Not knowing why, Stainless skid to a stop, bewildered as to what halted the abomination. His friends mirroring him, trying to convince him to keep running until they took note of the manticore as well.

The beast had turned and was now crouching to pounce while letting out a snarl towards a tall skinny-legged thing, that looked somewhat winded from running, and yet had a look of glee and bewilderment on its face.

"I can't believe that actually worked!" It was carrying a pile of rocks in one of its hands, a few spilling out onto the ground.

Having a clear view at the beast's back, Stainless could see blood flowing from the back of its skull. A light gash, had opened up, a soft wet glistening matting a portion of its mane in the sunlight.

The new thing, which Stainless recognized as the mysterious what's-it the adults had been talking about being dragged into town after finding it on the side of the road. It had piqued his interest to begin with, but not enough to actually steal a glance while it was resting, and he had only heard the few mutterings about town as he was more preoccupied with the priority of manticore taming.

The oversized feline let out a louder snarl and steadily moved to the thing. This actually prompted the whatever-it-was to actually start moving, its previous surprised smile now replaced with one of more panicked urgency.

Almost tripping over itself from jumping at the manticore's advance, it spun around and began to sprint off, the manticore responding in kind, pushing off after it, not willing to let this interloper escape, while conveniently forgetting its earlier goals.

Stainless sat there for about three more seconds before rushing off after the two, his friends too winded to notice his departure.

'Why?'

Having gained the manticore's attention -much to my own surprise- I was now regretting my actions, although I had suspected I would anyways.

'Why? Why? Why?'

The thing was after me, following my late start, I'm not sure as to what its reasoning was for not charging straight towards me after I had hit its head. Maybe because it recognized me as an unknown element?

'Why did I do something so stupid?'

I could hear it getting closer, growling and snorting out of its nostrils the whole way through. Its claws digging away at the dirt as it rushed at me.

'Why were there a bunch of kids out?'

I could almost feel it on me now, its breath against my back.

I moved before I knew what I was doing.

I made a sharp turn, angling my body with my legs, to keep balance, as I felt something rush behind me, claws scraping against dirt.

Looking back, the manticore had kept moving forward as I made my turn, its momentum carrying it along. While this thing's body was faster than mine, what with four legs to run with, I could perform tighter turns and juke it, my bipedal stance allowing tighter control and precision. It had skid a good distance away as I surveyed my environment.

We had moved a ways away from the village, now closer to the tree-line, a good amount of open land between the two of us.

I moved for the trees as the bounding thumps of the manticore began again. I made it past the greenery, the manticore having caught up, bearing down on me.

I thrust my arm out, grasping a tree and swung myself around, letting the manticore skid forward again as I bolted along the tree line, jumping over an errant root and shrub here and there, weaving around the trees.

I twisted my head around as I ran, to see my pursuer's progress. The beast was struggling to keep with my pace, its body was too wide to move quickly through the trees. It roared in frustration as I continued to gain ground, and I sighed in relief, turning my head back in time to catch a little gray and red blur run by me, along the border of the forest in the clearing.

My eyes widened as I slowed.

'No, they cannot be that stupid.'

I stopped and stared at the tiny foal running past me.

Closer to the manticore.

"God fucking dammit!"

I sprinted after this child that was most likely touched in the head. I moved out of the forest's edge, hoping that the manticore wouldn't notice the free meal that was practically running straight into its mouth.

The kid and I were not so lucky.

The hybrid beast leapt from the trees and swatted at the mini horse sending it sailing further into the clearing, landing in the middle of the dirt.

I was skidding to stop, having run towards the two, my mind finally catching up with my body, yelling at my stupidity. All too late however, as the creature leapt towards me, flapped it wings to gain more momentum and pinned me against a tree with a meaty paw.

The trunk of the tree splintered at my impact, the manticore's paw holding me pinned as it glared at me, a look of gleeful triumph plastered on its face as it licked its chops.

I was gasping for breath, as the paw held my upper-body and throat against the tree, the claws retracted for now, my legs futilely flailing as they dangled beneath me, unable to reach the ground, my hands clenching the manticore's trunk of a leg, trying to push myself away from the paw, or push the paw away from me. Neither of which happened of course as I struggled for breath, gasping from the pressure on my throat, as the manticore stared in delight.

Playing with me.

"Let...... go...."

The thing narrowed its eyes at me.

It moved its paw away from me, letting me fall, providing me with a breath of air to my lungs.

Only for its stinger to move swiftly and stab through my stomach.

My body lay across from the tip, my legs still against the tree, my torso hanging over the tail.

My eyes widened in shock as blood filled my mouth, my cheeks inflating to hold it within, only to cough and sputter, the blood launching from my mouth with a spurt to then flow down my chin, painting my lips and teeth red.

I continued to hack and gasp for breath as more of my own gore oozed down from my new cavity, down the tail and tree, streaming along my my legs, pooling below my feet.

The thing finally withdrew its stinger, letting me fall to my side. I lay on the ground, my own blood painting my body, as the monster moved away from me, an ever constant smile on its face.

To the unconscious foal.

It stopped, hanging over it, staring down, as I somehow pushed myself up.

Unsure of how I was still standing, a hand pressed to my stomach holding in what little of my ichor I could.

It raised its head from the foal and turned towards me, slamming a paw on the child's face.

Flicking its tail, letting out a growl that sounded too much like laughter, it slammed its paw twice more on the foal's face.

Flapping its wings a few times it slammed its paw thrice more, as I strived to remain standing, using the tree to support myself, the third strike opening a cut on the foal's head, red dripping down his gray muzzle.

I leaned my body on the tree, my voice coming out as a haggard whisper, as I tried to regain some stamina. "No, he isn't something to eat, not after all of this."

The beast's Cheshire grin just widened, its maw glistening.

I knew what this thing wanted, it wanted to play with its food, and if I turned and ran, it would get started on its meal, specifically me. I was now incapacitated by its stinger, I wouldn't be getting far, there was no other choice but to indulge the thing.

I let out a scream of adrenaline, rushing for the monster, my fist held back as I lunged and swept at it.

It easily dodged, moving back a step to avoid my swipe, then moving forward again, its paw slapping me back, sending me arcing past the trees, landing further in the forest my body rolling on the ground until losing momentum.

I coughed up a spurt of red as I lay further in the forest, not too far, but a distance away than before.

I could hear the padding footsteps of the cat moving towards me, its nose sniffing at me once, before placing a clawed digit in my wound, twisting as I grunted in pain, unable to scream.

It moved the claw away after only a few seconds of grinding, before I felt its teeth grasping at my hair, lifting me up by my scalp, until tossing me at a nearby tree.

I slumped down, the blood on my back splattering against the trunk, falling to my knees.

The thing let out another chuckle-like growl as I stood, knowing I needed to do something against this demon before his hunger got the better of him.

I stood and lunged a few more times, my arms swinging feebly, barely able to stand, if I turned my back and ran it would surely strike me down. I had no choice but to fight.

It easily dodged my flailing, its tail looped under me as my upper body was hunched over from my previous attempts, trying to put as much force as I could in my fists.

It flung me back out of the forest towards the first tree.

I let out another pained cry as I landed in the dirt. The manticore waltzed out of the forest and passed me, proceeding towards the child.

'There's no way I can beat that thing....' I lay there in the dirt my eyes and teeth clenched, until the padding stopped as I opened one eye to look.

The beast had paused right over the youngling, poised to stare right at me, its stinger just above the prone form of the youth.

It was bored with us.

'It's going to the eat the kid,...... after that... me......'

A pressure began to build, railing against me.

Noticing my gaze, the manticore raised its stinger. A gleeful glint in its eye.

'No...... no......!'

It frothed within, slamming like waves against a wall.

Coyishly, it moved its stinger closer, caressing the foal's muzzle, straightening the tip to a point.

'No....' I began to push myself up from the ground, my arms shaking from the strain.

It began to crack.

'I don't want....'

And burst.

"To die!"

I felt something strain and burst from my tailbone, flailing about as I stood, my left eye twitching, scratchy. My head tilted and my body leaning back, as I stared.

"That's something I won't allow!" As the things waved and swung about me, red and black.

One lashed out at the feline twisting and turning towards it. The amalgamation flapped its wings to dodge the attack of my new limb. It soared towards me, letting loose a roar as it struck out with its stinger.

I stuttered forward in a run, one of the limbs lashing out and knocking the stinger away, as my hands grabbed hold of the tail, and my arms, along with the limbs hugged it, as it pulled itself back to the beast, carrying me along with it.

It let loose another growl as it tried to swipe at me with its claw, one of the limbs moving to block it.

It moved its tail below and in front of it, as it landed to better strike at me. Seeing my chance, I let go, and moved under its belly, my new limbs following me.

Followed by all three of them slamming into the creature right through the middle, launching it out into the air with a pain-filled roar.

It didn't stop there.

They continued to stab in and out of the manticore swiftly, almost too quick to see, blurring together, propelling the beast upwards against gravity, a torrent of blood raining down, splattering and coating the ground, my already bloodied self, and the foal.

Stabbing with all three once more, I swung the appendages around, the manticore stuck to the end, and slammed it with a resounding thud against the dirt, retracting them and leaving it lying there.

The thing's chest heaved a bit and let out a few sorry growls before it let out a pitiful hack of blood and lay still, bits of it falling off.

I turned to the foal, the limbs disappearing as I stared at the small pony, while I tried to gasp for breath and steady myself.

My eye was still twitchy, though.

And I was hungry.

So hungry.

I hadn't noticed before.

It hurt.

Bur I could smell it.

Delicious.

Scrumptious.

Filling.

Coming from the child.

Drool trickling down.

Mouth widening.

Teeth flared.

Down my chin.

Dripping.

Wait.

No!

Stop!

I can't!

My body was twisting, trembling, fighting me.

I needed to eat.

I slammed my fists to the ground, along with my head soon after, to clear it.

He's all alone...

But he's all mine..

All of him!

I raised myself, giggling.

Drool.

Laughing.

"It's my special treat."

Shuffling steps.

"Right?"

Closer.

"I- I have..."

Closer.

"Have to...."

Closer!

"Eat him!"

Scent.

Strong.

So close.

Drool.

Hunger.

Food.

Here.

Mouth.

Wide.

Eat.

Eat.

Eat.

EAT.

EAT.

EAT.

EAT!

Blossom panted as she ran.

Faster.

She needed to move faster. She couldn't let Stainless fight, or rather, attempt, to fight the manticore by himself. She needed to help, do something, anything to protect her friend.

Itri was a distance away, running after her and along with her to catch Stainless.

Still, the exhaustion from earlier was present. But she pushed through it, she needed to.

Stainless was hopeless without her. He would be lost and cold and alone without her insight, her knowledge, and forbearance. Although sometimes his stupidity would get the best of her, much to her own chagrin. But that in a way was where Stainless really shown through at times, believe it or not.

She yipped when she felt a tug on her tail, breaking her from her thoughts. Turning swiftly to see that Itri had caught up and now held the end of her tail in his mouth.

She was about to tell him off about how rude it was to touch another pony's tail, until he pointed to their right with his hoof.

Looking in the direction of the proffered appendage, she gasped at what she assumed was once the manticore.

Assuming due to most of the corpse having taken the shape of meaty chunks, giblets splayed here and there, along with tufts of fur upon the red and white gore surrounding the carcass, the only discernible piece of the ex-manticore was its tail, twitching and stabbing at the main body on occasion, sometimes with such force as to splatter more meat and blood about.

The thing's spine looked like it had caved in, the ribs and skin no longer able to support it. The head, or what little remained of it appeared to be peppered into a pinkish mush, white flakes of cranium sprinkled here and there, the tail stabbing down into it at the moment.

Blossom's face turned green, her cheeks filling with bile, before she swallowed the acid back down. Itri said some sort of Zebrican prayer as he closed his eyes and made a few hoof gestures.

Blossom was no stranger to meat, violence, and death. But this.... this was overkill, plain and simple. With an emphasis on over and kill.

Turning away from the ghastly sight, she saw something maybe even worse.

There, laying on the ground, was Stainless, eyes closed, blood across his face, but still breathing.

Hunched over him, was the thing she had caught a glimpse of running away from the manticore.

Drooling over Stainless, coating him, the thing's mouth wide, teeth glistening.

Blossom moved for a nearby rock, picked it up, charged forward to lessen the distance and then threw it at the thing.

Really, overall not too smart in retrospect some voice chastised her inside as the rock sailed toward the thing. But if her friends were allowed to act exceedingly stupid, then she was entitled to that at times, right?

The rock let out an audible thwack as it hit the side of the gangly thing's head.

It let out a surprised grunt of pain as it brought a hand up to the side of its skull and rubbed at the sight of the impact, as it clambered to its full height.

With it standing, Blossom could see the large splotch of blood centered in the middle of the torso, its whole body covered in swathes of dried red, some of it still dripping off of it onto the ground.

But what stood out the most were its eyes, specifically the left.

While the one on the right was of normal colors, white, with a blue iris, although beady, compared to Pony eyes.

The left was just wrong.

It's sclera, was black, blacker than anything she'd seen, while its iris was of a glowing vibrant red, staring out at her, piercing, reading, analyzing her.

She locked up, her legs refused to bulge as she stared and the thing stared back, for how long, she didn't know.

Until, the thing let out a moan as the black and red began to fade away from the left, blood trickling out its nose as both eyes rolled up and the thing fell to its knees and then to its face.

She still stood there, fearful that the thing was faking, acting so as to draw her into a trap.

This was forgotten as a moan from Stainless spurred her to action, jumping a bit before moving to the colt, Itri beside her.

Itri looked him over, "He seems to be alright, wounded, but not fatally."

Blossom let out a sigh of relief as she turned her attentions to the other being in their midst.

"What should we do with the creature?"

Itri brought a hoof to his chin, scratching it contemplatively, "The grown-ups are probably running around looking for it...." He continued to think.

He let out a sigh, "I think we're going to have to drag it back."

"But all its blood will get on my coat!"

Itri gave an annoyed glare. "Do you want to deal with a bath or angry grown-ups?"

Blossom let out an indignant moan, but moved to the thing nonetheless.

Itri grabbed Stainless by the tail, and dumped him on top of the blood splotch, Blossom found herself happy at the thought that she wouldn't be the only one with a dirty coat.

The two grabbed the fabric of the clothing it wore in what Blossom presumed to be its shoulder area and began to move backwards towards town, dragging the thing along in the dirt, working as a makeshift sled, carrying their friend. Blossom also found herself glad in the fact that she wouldn't need to deal with the taste of dirt in her mouth for at least three days, which she knew the creature would have to deal with.

Schadenfreude worked as one hell of a catharsis.

Author's Notes:

Hey.

I see you~~~~~

Now, I seriously need some feedback here. Please tell me some of you are reading this.

Anyways, I have a sort of set plan as to where I want this story to go, and at certain points it will be darker/gorier, more specifically in the past sections. It'll be the general zaniness in the present times, but there will be some screwed up moments then as well.

What I need to know is, well, yay or nay?

And if I should add in the dark/gore tag to this?

It would be nice to know what ya'll think, and such.

Seriously. Gimme some comments.

I wanna see a flame war down there.