Apparition Amphitheater Presents: Haunted Town

by Nightmare_0mega

Evil's Pouring Down

The wind howled on this ominous night. Trees swayed and creaked in the bleak and cold whilst leaves danced through the air before they rustled along the ground. Defiant ticks and crinkles could be heard as the leaves struck the amphitheaters outside walls, while the lucky, loose fragments of fall’s shedding made their way through broken glass, open gaps, or managed to vault over the wall and into the main audience space directly.

Former fancy decorations that once awed guests now sit tarnished and soiled, with no visible onlookers to realize the state such a place was left in. Red carpets were faded with stains and debris, having been exposed to the elements for who knew how long. The paint slowly chipped and flaked whenever a particularly strong wind blew. Any working lights fixed to the walls that lit the room for atmosphere flickered from overuse and lack of maintenance. Of course, said lights hardly illuminated the grand amphitheater at night, allowing only the moonlight to provide any meaningful glow normally, so if they were to finally succumb, no one would know.

However in the gloom of the night, the stage lights suddenly flashed on, and the worn, red curtain pulled back, revealing the master of this derelict hall. A six foot tall biped, clad in dark grey jeans and a light grey hoodie, sported wild, light brown hair, and casually wore barbed wire that wound around both of its forearms. The creature’s hands were sharp, with three cloven digits each, and a strange half skull mask was adorned with a rusty nail protruding through the center of the forehead. The being cleared its throat with a cough.

Good evening, my friends. It is I, Wrath B. Forgivnez, returning once again on this haunted night to deliver another lovely tale of woe and terror. And, my, what a lovely night it is tonight: Crows caw in the distance. Spiders scurry about the shadows of the nooks all around. Leaves tumble in the wind, only to be crushed under phantom footsteps. It’s such a marvelous time. A time, in which, that is also host to the harvest season. Among the decay and gloom, the fruits of labor and toil bring forth a splendorous bounty. What noble creatures they are that work day in and out to provide to their friends, family, and neighbors through such rigorous grinds. Even the humble apple, one of nature’s many candies, is a welcome gift from these persistent workers. Through rain or shine, dusk or dawn... Living or dead, heh heh.

How absurd that would be, for one to work through the latter. Perhaps, one of the most dependable, honest individuals out there can show us, in a story I’d like to call...

Haunted Town

-o-v-o-v-o-v-o-v-o-

The average morning in Ponyville tends to consist of easy breakfasts, lazy bodies, tea and coffee, morning market set up, the odd filly and colt getting in some morning playtime before school, and the start of the working day. The average pony sees the sun well into the sky, but not high enough to recognize the lunch hour, feeling the warmth of the light in the air as they mosey about their day. Shadows are subdued and pressed against their origins, making way for the morning light to seep into every crevice of the sleepy streets; an average morning.

But, for one family, on the outskirts of the town’s limits, this was not their morning. Their morning came before the crack of dawn. A chill hung in the air, lingering as a leftover of the night. Starlight began to fade out of eyesight while the sky began to slowly pull away from its blacks and blues. The sun was coming, but it still hid in wait, ready to finally vanquish the remaining shadows the night had allowed to let loose, leaving the hour to sit in this limbo for a few moments more. Birds were chirping, announcing to the world they are still there, giving rise to the rest of the early morning critters. Within this symphony of starts, before the rooster could even crow, a farmer stirred from her bed and hauled herself out of the comfort. Routines set in motion, she had a quick shower, brushed her teeth, tied her blonde hair, brushed her orange coat, made her bed, and cantered downstairs to the kitchen, beginning breakfast.

It was a standard, simple affair for a very efficient pony. Opening the cupboards, she fished out a couple of pans, a spatula with a rubber handle, a set of plates, and a line of glasses. Taking a moment to butter the pans and turn on the stove top, she then swung open the icebox, fished out a pitcher of pancake mix that was prepared the night before, and poured a few nice, plump circles of batter into the screaming hot pans with a nice sizzle. As the cakes cooked, she fished out pre-prepared apple wedges to go with the breakfast, a bottle of fine maple syrup, fresh milk, and began to set the table.

It didn’t take long for breakfast to cook well enough on one side, so after getting about halfway through her preparations, she raced back to the stove to flip over the cakes with a well flicked pan before returning to the table to finish the job. Upon completion, she went back to the stove top and stacked the completed flapjacks onto a serving dish before pouring new batches in. Taking the dish to the table with the spatula, she shoveled herself a few cakes, sat down, and began eating.

As she finished, the new cakes were ready to flip. Upon flipping them over, she returned to her seat, ate the apple slices she had, polished off her pallet with a nice cold glass of milk, and took the dishes to the sink where she cleaned them quickly and easily. She then took the newly completed cakes off the pans, turned off the stove, and set them at the table, ready and waiting to be eaten. Gazing upon the spread before her, she smiled with a sense of accomplishment before looking up the empty stairs. She shook her head in mirth, before she called out to her still sleeping family, announcing “Soups on!” She then heard rustling and considered it mission accomplished as she faced away from the kitchen. With a yawn and a stretch, she cantered over to the front door, put on her stetson hat, grabbed a coil of rope, and stepped outside.

Looking about while still at the porch, she noticed the morning paper. Hazarding a glance to check the weather schedule, she opened it up and turned it to the appropriate section. Today was going to be clear skies the whole day, with heavy cloud-cover during the evening, ending with a thunderstorm at night, which will generate fog next morning. Not exactly a desired set up, but she had no control over the weather, despite her odd written complaint. Otherwise satisfied, she closed the paper and rolled it up, before setting it off to the side. She knew either her little sister or older brother would likely be out soon to pick it up.

It was time to start her day.

-o-v-o-v-o-v-o-v-o-

Applejack gasped, shooting awake.

As the flash of lightning swiftly dissipated and the rumble of the thunder slowly thrummed into the drowning sound of the rain, she rubbed her eyes and pulled herself out of bed. Yawning from the interrupted sleep, she cantered over to her bedroom window. It was late at night, well beyond her hard day of farm work. The latest round of apples had been harvested and all but one of her chores were finished. Gazing out of the rain pattered window, she turned her attention out into the orchard. Her heart sank upon realizing the storm seemed to be enough of an issue that it was kicking off limbs, leaves, and the odd apple that was just weak enough to snap off from the wind and downpour. She clicked her tongue in annoyance, right before she yelped and jumped from another flash of lightning. Sighing at her own skittishness, she peered back outside to try to find the chore she left behind.

Lo and behold, behind a few trees, almost out of view, lay the useless stump that she had tied the rope around. A couple days ago, there was an accident that resulted in the destruction of one of the trees. To be fair, the one in question was getting quite old anyway, and wasn’t producing as many apples as it once had, but it was still a shame to happen. She just wished it wasn’t such a sudden moment that brought about the poor tree’s end.

While she was out working, she had intended on having it yanked out of the ground so a new tree could be planted, making it her final orchard job of the day. However, the apple harvest itself yielded enough of a load that it took up most of the morning, afternoon, and evening, right before the storm was being set up. There was only really enough room in her workday to do a few minor chores instead. She begrudgingly had to leave the stump removal chore behind, but not before she set it up to be dealt with easily next morning. At least, that was what she hoped, thinking the storm wouldn’t be so harsh. Ire raised within her as she realized that perfectly good rope is probably soaking wet with a hundred pounds of water now, and absolutely slick with mud and grime. Hindsight is twenty-twenty, though, so she relented. After all, it may dry up fast enough that it can be used by tomorrow evening. If not, she’d have to postpone it until the day after.

“Dangit.”

Another flash of lightning caused her to jump, this time coaxing out a little extra frustration out of her. She figured she’d have to send a complaint letter about the intensity of the storm. Grumbling in annoyance, she went to shut the curtains, but before she could, something in the distance caught her eye. There, far out in the thicker end of the trees, she could see strange shadowy figures, swaying in the wind. One would normally consider the thought that this was simply the trick of the mind, but there was something else. It was hard to tell, but she could see something akin to glowing yellow eyes upon each of the forms. Further, and while this could have been all in her head, brought on by the stress and exhaustion she had, she could still swear she heard faint, hollow moaning in the distance. The kind of sounds that could send shivers up the spine. Just when she was able to get a good look and try to get a proper listen to confirm her paranoid suspicions, yet another bolt of lightning flashed, which made her yelp in surprise and kicked her out of her brief moment of concentration. Lunging back to the window, she tried to gaze back out to where the strange figures stood. However, much to her apprehension, the shadowy shapes and glowing eyes had disappeared, as if they were never there to begin with. It suitably perturbed her, and ultimately pushed her to closing the curtains as she intended earlier. Sure, she would have anyway, but the strange sights and sudden flashes and sounds hastened her movements.

Cantering back to her bed, she belly-flopped onto the surface and coiled the covers around her, rolling to her side enough to stare back at her now closed window. With another yawn, her eyes began to flutter gently, feeling heavier and heavier, until the comfort of the sheets and mattress finally carried her off to slumberland. It’s probably just mah imagination, she thought in the last vestiges of consciousness.

Back outside the Apple Family abode, across the orchard and under the thickening trees, shadowy figures swayed to the wind. Eerie, foreboding moans traveled with the daunting wind and rain. Glowing eyes shone in the night and gloom of the storm, their light only swallowed momentarily from the sudden cracks of lightning, with thunder sounding off further and further away than it had previously. The storm was ever so slowly coming to an end, and within the hour, the following mists will take over. The unnatural, bizarre forms waited patiently while distant and hollow voices slowly gained strength as the storm waned.

It was almost time for the harvest.

Comments

[Cinders of War]

Nice start. I especially like the scene descriptions. It gets you a good picture of what’s up. A few typos, but nothing major, except maybe “lightening”? Haha. Unless I got the wrong idea, it should be lightning. Lightening is... something else, haha.

[Nightmare_0mega]

9923563
Oops. I didn’t notice the lightning/lightening issue, as it didn’t underline the word.

Also, what other typos? Mind giving me a few examples so I can quickly fix em?