Nightmare Centaur

"Hey sweetie belle. Are you sure that this will get us are cutie marks."

Sweetie belle nodded,"of course many ponies have you seen with a manticore as a cutie mark."

"none. that's what worries me." Scootaloo crouched down outside a cave next to Sweetie belle and Applebloom.

"This seems like a bad idea Sweetie belle. Are you sure that this isn't going to get us killed."

Sweetie belle shook her head,"How big is a baby manticore anyway. You girls are being chickens."

"Hey who are you calling chicken!"

"Scootaloo be quite, Your going to get us caught." applebloom complained

"What are we even supposed to be dong anyway Sweetie belle?" Scootaloo asked,her concern getting the best of her.

"Yea. You never told us what we're supposed to be doing anyway Sweetie belle." Applebloom agreed with scootaloo.

Sweetie belle's eyes widened,"I thought I'll think of something before we got all the way out here."

A powerful roar sounded from within the cave and they all froze."I think we woke it up girls."

"What are we going to do now, miss Manticore tamer" Apple bloom stared at Sweetie belle, who had backed out of the bushes.

"I don't know I didn't think that we would make it into the Everfree forest, much less this cave."

"Then why did you decide on this!"

The manticore was now stepping out of the cave, it was scanned the perimeter looking for the noises that had woken it it proceeded to the girls bush.

"I'm out." Scootaloo backed out of the bush, then bolted. The manticore roared chasing after the fleeing pegasus.

Sweetie belle and Applebloom chased after them keeping a safe distance so the manticore wouldn't turn on them."What are we going to do Applebloom we can't let Scootaloo get eaten!"

"I don't know! I'm just a filly. aren't you the one who suggested this in the first place?" Sweetie belle turned then did the same."I think I have an idea."

Sweetie belle nodded "I think you took my idea."

Scootaloo was panting heavily, trying her hardest to keep the manticore away from ducked into a thorn bush inside was just enough room for her to sit , uncomfortably.

"Hey ya big chicken!"

Scootaloo peeked out the bushes and saw Applebloom staring daggers at the roared and left Scootaloo alone to chase after Applebloom.

As they disappeared into the bushes scootaloo crawled out and started to pull thorns out her the suddenly a hoof laid on her shoulder.

"Pony." It was a centaur."Do you know where I can find the elements of harmony?"

Instead of answering she noticed the spear slung over his shoulder."My friends need help there's a manticore an-"

"I asked If you knew the elements of harmony not if you had a problem."

"If you help my friends I'll take you to Rainbow dash, the element of loyalty." She shrunk slightly as he pulled the spear off his back.

"Hold my saddle please, It holds an important note." He ran the direction toward the sounds of roaring and screams.

"Wait whats your name." before she got an answer it disappeared into the bushes. she sighed,returning to the thorns.

"Sweetie belle get the gate!" Applebloom turned sharply around a tree headed to the natural cage that they had found.

"It's stuck. Take him around again."

The a claw raked Applebloom's flank and she went sprawling to the ground. The manticore was now towering over Applebloom when a rock connected to his eye.

"You leave Applebloom alone." Sweetie belle yelled picking up another rushed toward her when a centaur came from the bushes to her side."

"Has anyone here seen a manticore? I don't really know what one is."

Sweetie belle pointed to the manticore who had stopped to see the new arrival."That's a manticore."

The centaur dropped his spear "Oh.." he started to back away "Well I have to go find the elements of harmony good luck with...this." He turned and bolted into the bushes

The manticore looked at Sweetie belle then back toward the fleeing centaur, it was bigger. It charged toward it crushing it's spear and leaving the girls.

Sweetie belle climbed off the cage and ran to Applebloom,"Are you alright Applebloom?"

Applebloom was bleeding out onto the ground her color had begun to fade, She didn't answer.

"Sweetie belle! What were you girls doing out here?"

"We where trying to get our cutie marks when the manticore woke up and chased that thing now Applebloom's something Fluttershy."Sweetie belle lifted the bleeding pony the best she could before Fluttershy came and picked her

"Where is Scootaloo now?" Fluttershy asked as she turned to start running.

"I.." she thought for a moment,"I guess we got a bit separated."

"I'm right here." Scootaloo said heaving along a saddlebag "That thing wanted me to hold it's saddlebag while he saved Applebloom."

"Some job he did. Applebloom isn't exactly a hundred percent right now."

There was a loud squeal in the distance followed by a low pushed the girls forward a bit "come on girls we need to get Applebloom the hospital."

"But what about that thing?I still have his saddle."

"Bring it with us." Fluttershy yelled as she took off galloping.

Scootaloo shruged "Help me with this Sweetie belle."

"Is it heavy?"

" shaped wierd..Kinda."Scootaloo opened the bag and looked inside.

"Whats in it scootaloo?"

She pulled out what looked like a ball made of solid stone."I don't know some kind of ball."

"Lets go find that thing." Scootaloo put the ball back in the bag and slung it onto her back.

"You mean that weird looking pony?"

"yea. you saw him right? He didn't even have a cutie mark ."

"I didn't even notice that. Where did that scream come from anyway?"

"Come on it sounded like it came from sweet apple must have really been moving to get that far that fast." The two fillies ran toward sweet apple acres.