The Mass

“We're lost again ain't we?”

“N-No, I'm sure he went this way!”

“Give it up Rose, you have no idea where we are!”

Roseluck, Daisy and Lily gave their surroundings a look before all three sigh. They ran after Qun in the direction Twilight pointed and left to find him, however they haven't had much luck as all three ponies were now lost.

“Ok! I'm lost! Fine now!?” Roseluck says slumping down. “I'm useless...” Roseluck feels a leg wrap around her neck.

“Don't worry I'm sure if we back tracked we could find a way out.” Lily states, only to look back and see the darkening forest. “Or not...”

The three ponies jump in fright as a loud growl emanates from their left.

“Oh please let that be Qun playing a prank!” Daisy says, huddling with the others.

“Q-Qun?” Roseluck asks the darkness.

The three ponies hopes were dashed however as a Manticore leaps out the bushes and a second follows after.

“Two Manticores!” Lily screams. “Help! Somepony help us!”

“Lily it's no use, this far out nopony is going to hear us.” Daisy says as the Manticores get closer and raise up to strike.

A second later one of the Manticores is impaled through the chest and the girls scream. The limp body is lifted into the air and the ponies spot a familiar creature behind it.

“Qun!” They all shout.

You slither through the forest eager to find the ponies you love, you approach the road leading to town thinking the three mares would still be there only to find the road devoid of life. You get slightly blinded when Twilight and Spike flash into being in front of you, you reach out a tentacle and give Twilight a tap. The mare spins around and grabs her chest with a hoof.

“Qun! You could have given me a heart attack!”

You start to write in the ground. [Can't find marefriends]

“They went looking for you in the forest.” Twilight replies.

You let out a shrill before turning back into the forest and heading deeper in.

“Glad I could help!” Twilight shouts after you.

You charge through the trees with reckless abandon, your heart was beating fast and all the smaller creatures of the woods were jumping out your way. That's when you hear it, the scream of terror. You look around to judge the direction when another cry for help goes up, you growl and head towards the screams. You reach the area of screaming only to growl in rage when you spot your three mares cowering before two Manticores. You leap out of the bushes and with one movement you impale the nearest Manticore with a tendril, you knew it was dead as you pierced it's heart.

You turn your attention to the last Manticore, you notice it was bigger than the other one possibly a large male. You growl and shrill at the Manticore but it doesn't get the hint and charges you. You lift up two large tentacles to deal with it but you get a shock when a larger predator jumps out and attacks the Manticore. The Manticore shrieks in pain which gets cut off quick as it's body gets bitten in half.

You and your pony friends just stare at the new creature, it was chimera. You have heard of chimeras and even found one once in your life but never have you seen or heard of one this size. You start to think it's maybe from the inner forest where the weird magics are strongest. You watch as the chimera drops one half of the Manticore's corpse and fixes it's gaze on you. The Chimera's scorpion tail twitches and flicks at you, baiting you to attack but you wasn't some mindless beast and wasn't going to fall for it.

You spread your tentacles outward making yourself look much larger than you are, you see the Chimera stop and try to figure out exactly what it was dealing with. The Chimera shakes it's head and heads for the three terrified ponies, it growls when you move to place your body in front of them.

“Q-Qun, run save yourself!” Roseluck shouts.

You respond to her shouting by extending out and wrapping a tentacle around each pony and pulling them close. You shrill to the Chimera following it up with a long deep growl. The Chimera lowers it's head and snaps it's jaws before growling. You grip the ponies tighter as you extend the tentacles holding them out toward the bushes. You drop them down and reel the tentacles back.

“What is he doing?” Lily asks, when the tendrils holding them are retracted away.

“He's going to fight it.” Daisy replies. “He's going to fight the Chimera...For us.”

The other two look to Daisy as if she was being mad.

“I'm serious!” Daisy exclaims. “Look what he did! He showed the Chimera we're his and the Chimera ignored him. Now he has to fight it to keep his territory.”

“How do you know this?” Roseluck asks.

“Some of us paid attention in biology class.”

“We have to do something! We can't leave him alone now! We love him too much!” Lily states, gesturing through the bushes.

“Lily's right!” Daisy adds standing up. “We have to help him...as his lovers!”

“Even though we haven't done any loving yet?” Lily questions.

“Yes.”

“That's good enough for me!” Lily turns to Roseluck to find she wasn't there. “Uh...Rose?” Lily looks around and spots Roseluck moving around the small clearing and flanking the Chimera. Lily also notices the long pointed branch in her right foreleg.

You stare down the Chimera for what seems like an hour before it makes it's move. The Chimera charges you and goes for a straight pounce, you dodge out the way following up the move by whipping out one of your large tendrils and cutting a deep gash in the Chimera's side.

The Chimera screeches in pain and backs away. The Chimera looks at it's side then back to you before roaring and charging with it's tail pointed towards you. You have heard of one way to kill a Chimera and now you had your chance. You wait for the Chimera to close the distance before you grab the Chimera's tail with your largest tentacles, the Chimera's charge stops and a game of who's stronger started.

Your grip holds firm as the Chimera roars and tries to bite you, you use three smaller tendrils to hold the Chimera's mouth closed. You stare into the Chimera's eyes even though it couldn't see yours. The Chimera suddenly screeches in pain and you flinch as it wasn't you that caused it.

“Take that you bucker!” You look around the chimera and your eyes go wide as you spot Roseluck piercing the Chimera's hide with a large sharp branch. “Leave Qun alone!”

What happens next causes your mind to snap, the Chimera lifts it's perched back leg and with one motion kicks Roseluck across the clearing. You watch in horror as her body bounces on the ground and comes to an unmoving halt. You slowly turn your gaze back to Chimera and with a growl that makes the ground shake you put more tentacles around the Chimera's body and lift the creature into the air. You shrill out in rage that makes the leaves on the trees shake and slam the Chimera into the ground, you lift the Chimera up and again bring it down hard.

You continue to shrill in rage as you slam the Chimera's body again and again into the forest ground. The Chimera had long since fell silent but it didn't matter, you continue to smash the remains of the Chimera into the ground. When you finally let the chimera go you rip the Chimera's tail off with a sickening cracking sound. You stare at the body as without it's tail the body turns to stone and then turns to dust.

You continue to stare at the dust on the floor but is snapped out of your trance as Lily calls to you.

“Qun! Quick, Roseluck is still alive but she's hurt badly!”

You slither over and reach Daisy and Lily who are crouching down near Roseluck. You give Roseluck a quick look but you already know that she is beyond your help. You turn to the other two and grab Roseluck. You gently lift Roseluck causing her to groan but you hold her steady.

“Qun? What are you doing?”

You look towards the direction of Ponyville and point with a tendril.

“No! It's still daylight, you'll be spotted!” Daisy shouts moving to stand in front of you.

You reach out a tendril and write in the ground. [Have no choice, Roseluck will die!] You suddenly take off leaving the two flower ponies behind.

You shoot through the forest at speed and still manage to keep Roseluck steady in your tentacles. You make it to the edge of the forest and suddenly stop. You haven't left the forest in daylight for nearly 900 years, you glance to Roseluck and your one eye narrows.

~You will not die!~ You think as you dash out of the forest and head towards the hospital on the edge of Ponyville. You speed pass several ponies who cry out in alarm but you don't stop. You reach the hospital and barge through the doors, the ponies in the waiting room scream and hide behind chairs but you weren’t here for them. You look to the main reception desk and see the pony there cowering in fear, you dart up and place Roseluck on the ground in front of the desk.

The pony behind the desk peers over and her eyes go wide at the sight of Roseluck. You point to Roseluck and shrill in panic, the nurse looks at you in confusion. You point frantically at Roseluck again and shrill louder you then slither back and lower your body turning yourself into a pathetic pile of slow moving tentacles. You watch as the nurse approaches Roseluck and shouts for a doctor, you turn your gaze to a door leading to the back as a doctor rushes out but stops when he sees you.

The doctor shakes his head before running over to Roseluck and checking her heartbeat by pressing his ear to her chest. The doctor asks the nurse something and she points to you. You lower further to the ground as the doctor approaches you as two more doctor take Roseluck into the back on a stretcher. The doctor notices your submissive behaviour and puts a hoof up.

“I'm not going to hurt you, I just wanted to ask you a few questions.”

You extend out a tendril and do a writing motion on the floor, the doctor raises an eyebrow but then quickly understands what you are trying to convey. The doctor rushes over to the reception desk and grabs a quill and some parchment, he drops it in front of you and you let out a shrill of thanks. You pick up the quill and dab it in the ink pot. You put the quill to the parchment and write so the doctor can see.

[Ask away doc and I'm not here to hurt anypony]

The doctors eyes widen. “You are cognitive intelligent?” The doctor asks, looking up to you.

[Yes] You write.

“Fascinating, just fascinating!”

[Focus doc, Explain later]

“Right Right! I supposed my first question would be what happened to the mare you brought in?”

[Chimera attacked her, no sting just kicked her]

“Ah that would be easier to treat, next question is what is your relationship if any to the mare?”

[Though that is a personal, I'm a close friend] You leave out the fact you're more than that for now.

“Very well, do you know if she has any other injuries?”

[You are taking the fact I'm a creature from the Everfree very easily doctor]

The doctor chuckles. “I was here for the Tirek incident and with the element bearers in town it's never a dull moment, though you are a scary creature to some I am not frightened by you.”

[Thanks doc, It's nice meeting a new pony that won't run and scream at the sight of me]

“I aim to please but I must ask, are you going anywhere?”

[No, I do not intend to leave until I know Roseluck is ok]

“Very well, I will go and attend to your friend and will keep you informed of her condition.” The doctor says, turning and heading for the door leading back into the hospital.

You watch the doctor leave and slump to the floor, you perk up when you hear a mare cry out to your side.

“Dandelion no!”

You feel something touch a tentacle and look down to see a bright yellow filly no older than three or four poking your tentacle. The filly had a bandage around her head and had one eye covered, her uncovered eye was narrowed as she poked you. You let out a whispering shrill and the filly looks up not realising she had grabbed your attention, the filly let's out a small gasp of surprise as a tendril lifts her off the ground. You look to the mare that cried out and notice she was holding her two front hooves to her mouth, a look of terror over her face.

You extend out the tendril with the filly on it and hold her out in front of the mare, the mare reaches up the filly and you let the tendril go and reel it back in. the mare just gives you a look of confusion and then whispers something to a stallion next to her. Next thing you know the waiting room had burst into sudden whispering and you even heard some ponies stating they had never seen a friendly monster before. Though you hate the word monster you couldn't help but smile as they called you a friendly one.