//------------------------------//
// Chapter 8 or A Merciful Hand to End All Suffering 
// Story: My Little Human: The Beginning 
// by SSA 
//------------------------------//

"... and then, after Pinkie was safe and Applejack was all like, 'go save Twilight' and then I swooped in and-"

A cat's roar ended Dash's rambling retelling of what happened not five minutes ago. A creature burst from the darkness of the trees to the right and pounced on Rarity. One of her gauntlets stopped the creature from tearing out her throat, but she was still crushed under its weight. Dash charged it and it rose up to swipe at her, allowing Rarity to escape.

The creature appeared as a lion in body, but with a grotesque human head. Large bat like wings rose from its back and a scorpions tail peeked up between its shoulder blades. A manticore, resistant to magic and very deadly. I drew my blade and sidled up to Twilight, "Don't suppose you have a good spell for manticores?"

"I'll think of something, just give me a minute."

"I don't think we have a minute." Applejack dodged a lunge from its tail and brought her leg up and into its ribs. The thing roared in pain but batted her away before swiping at Dash as she dove by, lightning generators whining as they powered up. Twilight and Rarity appeared to be powered up and I drew some fire into my hand. A mad dash at the manticore and a hope that without the distance separating us the magic would overcome the manticore's magical resistance. It swung its tail back, ready to kill us all.

"WAIT!" Was Fleuretta's scream, placing herself down on soft yellow wings between us and the beast. We halted, lest we harm her, and she approached the beast alone. She was going to get herself killed. My fire grew hotter and more transparent, if it did anything I'd hit it with a blast that would go right through it. 

She appeared to be whispering to the beast, soothing it. She approached it carefully, slowly, before moving in against its chest and thrusting what could only be a dagger in between its ribs. I died quietly, sinking to the ground. Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie seemed surprised at this action.

"What did you do Shy? Why did you have to kill it?" Pinkie asked, her voice small.

"It's magic was corrupt. It would have lived a long life filled with suffering and madness. There was nothing I could do to ease that pain." She put on a strong face for a second, but then she began to cry. The other four ran over to her, but Twilight kept herself distant, and I stood by her side, watching the trees. Soft, comforting words were spoken, and after a moment we were on the move again, slowly, down the growing ever more obscure path.