My Kind of Town, A Ghost Town

"Thank you for doing this, everypony!" Twilight cheered. "I know the Everfree isn't the best of places but with all of us, none of the animals should approach us."

Receiving chuckles from the group. Twilight's smile widened. Her wings fidgeting.

"Especially with Big Mac here to help," Applejack said, nodding her head towards her brother who was already hitched to a cart. His face holding only a content smile.

The others murmured in agreement.

"Great," Twilight said. "Now, I've divided everyone up into teams. Applejack, and Pinkie, you're going to be grabbing everything off of the lower shelves. Fluttershy,"–the pegasus lowered her head, hiding behind her mane–"You and Rainbow Dash will get the books from the top shelves. All the while Rarity and I will be getting everything else."

The group had met up outside of Fluttershy's house. Having agreed to help Twilight move the books from the castle in the Everfree into the new library in her castle, the friends made time in their schedules to do so when they'd all be available.

Beginning their trek into the Everfree, they trotted past the trees. The farther they got the more twisted the trees became. The bark marred and twisted as if torn apart and put back together again. The stamps of their hooves and squeaking of the cart wheels being the only noise they heard along the journey.

A little while after they passed Zecora's home, their pace quickened. Feeling as if they were being watched. Deciding that it was just the forest getting to them, the group laughed it off.

Once they made it to the castle, the group moved through the large double doors. The wooden doors creaking as Twilight opened them with her magic. Once the doors were open, Applejack, Big Macintosh, and Rainbow Dash pulled the carts inside.

With nothing to do, he sat on the tree's limb, his legs hanging over and swinging as he sat in thought. Normally, he would protect The Striped One, but she was gone. Visiting relatives as she said, The Striped One spoke to herself a lot. Most of it was in rhymes, but when she relaxed it was as if anybody else was speaking. The rhymes made his head hurt. He didn't like it when she rhymed, so he stayed away, far enough to not be sensed, but close enough to hear her. Only so she wouldn't rhyme.

The Striped One would have guests over sometimes, Small Yellow One, as he dubbed her as was his favorite. Her accent along with her high-pitched voice and size brought along a feeling he couldn't describe. He hadn't learned the word yet, but he settled for the word 'happy'.

Watching the leaves sway in the wind, he brought a gloved hand up to his hood pulling it over his eyes. The green glow of his eyes blocked by the dark-brown fabric of his hood.

"So Applejack, Big Mac, how's the farm doing?" A voice asked. Making him snap his head to the left at the direction of the speaker, his hood falling back to its original place. His vision greeted by a band of ponies of all different colors. The most notable one was the one who wore a hat. Orange in color with a blonde mane hidden behind a light-brown hat.

"It's fine, ah guess. Nothing really changes much." A chuckle came from the mare. "Applebloom's been trying to use her potions all around the farm as of late. She even tried to make a potion that would clean the pigs," everyone around her laughed.

She had the same accent as Small Yellow One had. Were they related? What was her name? So many questions that he needed answers to raced through his mind.

"Did it work?" The purple one asked, without looking back.

"Yeah, a little too well though."

"What happened?"

"You're not gonna believe me when I say this, but it turned 'em invisible. Not long after she used it they broke out and we had to hunt 'em down."

The blue one laughed at this. "You had to hunt down invisible pigs?"

"You try and hunt down pigs by sound only," this caused the whole group to laugh.

As they passed his place in the tree he watched them walk in the direction of his home. The Castle of Two Sisters, the books had called it. Swinging his leg over the branch, he dropped down the forest floor. Landing with his hands on the ground, he peeked at the trail they the ponies had left.

What were they doing? Why did they have the carts? So many questions. Reaching for his spear that was propped up against the tree, he was stopped by a sudden noise.

With a twig snapping to his left. He slammed his body into the tree. Slowing his breathing to an almost stand still, he watched in the corner of his vision as a large body of red and light-brown stalked through the bushes. Following the trail the ponies had left.

This was bad. They were being hunted.

Waiting until the Manticore passed, he breathed a sigh of relief. Grabbing for his spear once more he wrapped his fingers around the wooden pole. Hoisting himself up with it, he stepped into the trail. Watching the Manticore in the distance skulk through the bushes. This one seemingly larger than any other he had seen.

Stepping out of the trail, he lifted himself up into a tree. Swinging his leg over the branch and bringing himself to stand in the tree. Jumping from branch to branch, he followed the Manticore. His leaps and steps making next to no noise as he flew through the trees.

It wasn't long before he was greeted by the sight of his home. The large wooden double doors held upright by metal hinges driven into the stone walls.

A scream coming within his home made him jump. The ponies were in trouble.

Jumping from the tree, he landed with a 'fwump'. Jogging to the door with spear in hand, he peeked his head around the corner. It was his home, save for the Manticore and the large purple bubble near the set of stone stairs. The Manticore leaning against the bubble, biting into it with its fangs and trying to tear it open with its claws.

The group of ponies huddled inside the bubble cowered as the Manticore roared.

With a clear view of its back, he readied his spear, bringing it up into the air with his right arm. Drawing his arm back, he tossed the spear as hard as he could at the Manticore. The spear not even taking a second before it sank into the back of the Manticore's head with a wet 'squelch'. The roaring and the screaming stopped almost instantaneously.

As the group of friends pulled the books of the shelves. Their attention was turned to the entrance of the castle as the doors groaned and creaked.

"Huh," Pinkie spoke. "Must have been the wind."

As they turned to go back to removing the books. A guttural roar echoed through the air, causing them to drop the books they were holding. Turning their heads back to the entrance, their eyes widened in fear. Watching the massive cat skulk towards them, they all moved ran to the back of the room.

"A Manticore?!" Rarity squealed. "What's it doing here?!"

"It must have followed us." Fluttershy replied, her body quaking in fear as she held onto Rarity.

"Can you, you know, deal with it Fluttershy? You're good with animals, you took care of the last Manticore we saw." Rainbow Dash said her wings fidgeting as she stared at the beast.

Lowering her head, "Oh um, I don't know, maybe. Let me see what he wants."

Walking forward, Fluttershy approached the cat. Her friends watching in fear.

"H-Hi there. M-Me and my friends wanted to know if we could help you."

Getting a low growl in response. Fluttershy seemed to calm down.

"Hungry? Oh, well I don't have any food for you right now, but if you're willing–"

The Manticore interrupted her as it growled once more. This one seeming like a quick grunt.

"O–Oh, um, you want food now? Well, I uh, don't have any." Fluttershy visibly shrank, hiding behind her mane from the beast.

Roaring, the Manticore swiped a Fluttershy, causing her friends to shriek. Fluttershy however, jumped away just in time, taking to the air and hovering towards her friends. All the while Big Macintosh ran towards the Manticore, spinning on the spot before it, and using his hind legs to land a kick square in the muzzle of the beast.

But this only fazed the Manticore for a second before it returned another roar.

Using her magic, Twilight brought Big Macintosh back to the group, her horn flaring with a purple aura as she created a dome around her and her friends. The Manticore taking only a second to pounce on top of it. Clawing and biting at the magic.

"We should be safe in here," Twilight said, focusing her magic on the dome.

Taking a step forward, Pinkie taunted the cat, "Bleeh!" She yelled as she pulled her cheeks with her hooves and stuck her tongue out. Giggling as the Manticore got even angrier. "Mean-y pants." Her giggling ceased as her body began to violently shake and throb.

"What's wrong Pinkie? Was that your Pinkie sense?" Rarity asked.

Pinkie looked back to her friends, her brows furrowed and a strained smile on her face. "Yeah," she chuckled. "Apparently there's gonna be a doozy!"

With an even louder roar, the Manticore, leaned back and swung his body forward, bringing his weight down onto the shield. Causing Twilight's legs to buckle as the shield began to crack.

Everyone stared in horror as the shield began to break under the weight. Big Macintosh screamed at this.

(I'm so sorry. This is what I thought of when I wrote that.)

Letting out one final roar, the Manticore leaned back, everyone flinched away, unable to look. Only for the roar to cut short as it fell forward, a wet 'squelch' replacing the noise as the Manticore was pinned to the shield.

Looking up, Twilight gasped at what she saw. The Manticore wasn't trying to eat them anymore. With a gaping maw and the teeth of Manticore piercing the shield, Twilight saw the point of a spear jutting from its throat. Blood dripping from the tip and onto the floor in front of her. The sight caused both Rarity and Fluttershy to faint. Unable to handle anymore.

Letting her magic die down. Twilight watched the body of the Manticore flop to the floor. Causing dust to fly up.

"W-We're safe?" She asked, her eyes wide and brows furrowed. "W-Where did the–" Twilight's voice hitched in her throat at what she saw. A pair of glowing green orbs. Moving towards them, the shadowy figure stepped into the light.

"Twilight, what is that thing?" Applejack whispered.

Before she could respond, a harsh rasp came from the creature. A cloud of green smoke puffing out from what Twilight assumed was its mouth as it moved forward.

"S-Stay back!" Twilight said. Causing the creature to pause. Cocking its head, the creature squatted down until it was nearly the same height as them. Sitting next to the Manticore, the creature raised a claw and gestured for them to come to it.

"I think it's telling us to come to it," Twilight said.

"It saved us, maybe its friendly," Applejack whispered.

"Maybe," Twilight said, cautiously stepping forward, only to get stopped as the creature began to wave its claw back and forth. Pointing behind her a moment later.

"Me?" Applejack asked. Stepping back in surprise.

Nodding its head quickly, the creature gestured once more.

"Okay," she mumbled. Stepping towards the strange creature. It's eyes glowing green and its dark form flecked with dirt and other stains.

Stopping before the creature, they sat there, staring at each other.

"Well?" Applejack asked nervously.

She watched as the creature only continued to stare. Quickly moving a claw, it reached to the Manticore, sticking a finger in the wound with its spear. The noise causing Applejack's ears to fold back onto her head.

Bringing the blood covered claw to the ground, Applejack watched as it wrote in blood. Using the singular claw soaked in blood not unlike a quill and ink.

Art thou well?