//------------------------------// // Thestrals, Timberwolves, and Windigoes // Story: The Nightmare Tree // by TopWanted //------------------------------// Into mist and moor these children do roam, on this night of terror so far from home. Lost in more ways than one can describe, only trust in each other will keep them alive. So they walk as one, these eight little tykes, unaware that above something flies waiting to strike. --- “Mumble mumble mumble,” Tiara groaned as she trudged up the rear of the group. Apple Bloom stayed at the head, keeping her head out for the sign of the pink light and seeming completely unaware of the attitude building behind her. “Do you have something to say, Diamond?” Scootaloo groaned. “Yeah, I kind of do. WHY ARE WE HERE!?” She threw her hooves up, pointing at the vast expanse of nothingness all around them. “Past the sea and stranded half way across the freaking world!” “We’re looking for Babs,” Sweetie replied. “Are we? Really?” Everypony stopped walking and turned to listen to her. “Think about it? Have any of us actually seen her since this started? We saw her fly away in a twister but that could have put her down anywhere! Who knows if Zecora was telling the truth!” “Zecora isn’t a liar!” Apple Bloom shouted at her. “She’s just… actin’ a little weird cause it’s Nightmare Night.” Tiara was about to shout at her but Spoon elbowed her in the stomach and cleared her throat. Tiara rolled her eyes and sighed. “Okay, fine. But we need to admit that we’re at least lost. And Zecora’s been no help in finding us.” Apple Bloom glared at Tiara but caught glances from the rest of her friends. They were kicking their hooves at the ground and avoiding eye contact. “Come on, guys. Ah know we’re close. Just one more hill and we’ll find her, Ah know it.” Dinky, Button and Pip shared uneasy looks with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle before the white filly sighed. “Okay, Apple Bloom, let’s go.” Apple Bloom smiled hopefully and went back to leading them. As they walked, a slight breeze brushed up Dinky’s backside and her robe fluttered. She took in a shuttered breath and looked up at the sky, the flash of a silhouette streaking by above the mist. “D-Did anypony see that?” Nopony seemed to hear her as they walked and she hurried to follow. They arched the hill and as Apple Bloom had said, there was something there. Small cottages dotted a basin-like valley, a single unpaved road down the center. In the distance, they could see a line of trees forming the border of a vast forest. Pipsqueak spoke up. “Well, where do you suppose we are now?” “Nowhere close to getting any candy, that’s for sure,” Spoon mumbled. Tiara gave her an incredulous look. “What? Just because I’m polite doesn’t mean I can’t be annoyed by the same thing as you.” “This goes way beyond being polite,” Tiara muttered. Apple Bloom began to walk down the hill toward the town. “Maybe Babs is in th-” “STOP!” Dinky shouted as she tackled Apple Bloom and they rolled down the hill in to a bush. “Dinky?” Sweetie shouted in surprise, before a swooping noise from behind caught her off guard. A pair of hooves flying above in the mist barely grazed above her before twirling and spinning back into the ethereal white fog. They heard more wingbeats behind them. “Everypony move!” They all followed Apple Bloom and Dinky’s example and rolled down the hill into the brush. When they’d all slid in, the extent of the sound became clear. A large group of shadowy winged figures flew past the crest of the hill where they had just been and swooped down toward the village, letting out whoops and shrill cries. “What now?” Button asked. “I don’t know!” Sweetie insisted. “Ah, but you should, little Belle, for these are the creatures you impersonate so well.” Everypony let out a shocked cry and turned in the brush to see the tall form of Zecora hiding above them, a grin on her face. “Now I know you want to kill me!” Button shouted. But Zecora simply slid her body through the tangle of branches and ponies and wrapped it around Sweetie’s shoulder, pointing to the squadron of shrieking forms in the air. “Thestrals, ponies of fang and claws, fly through the night sky without a trace of pause. Their tales arise from nights much like this, over-exaggerations that ponies would reminisce. For take a good look at those forms in the sky, they may not be monster but they certainly can fly.” Sweetie narrowed her eyes at the flying figures as they came upon the village, dropping rocks and snatching up ponies that dared to travel out of their homes. The mist obscured their features to be sure but the more she looked from this safe distance the more they came into focus. “They’re pegasi.” Zecora chuckled. “Indeed they were, a tactic most grim. Covered in mud and paint, they would scare ponies to the brim. For this was back in those days so barbaric. When it was everypony for all making everypony hysteric.” “So, the stories of these raids got passed down through time and became legends about bat winged ponies?” Sweetie asked. She blinked and smiled. “Cool.” “I don’t think this is the time,” Tiara hissed. “Yeah! Look!” Apple Bloom pushed herself to the forefront and pointed to the edge of the village. A filly with a pink light in her hooves ran for her life through the raid toward the forest line. “BABS!” She shot out of the brush before anypony could stop her. “What is she doing?” Pipsqueak squeaked out. “Apple Bloom, wait!” Scootaloo shouted and ran after her. Sweetie groaned and ran after as well leaving the rest alone with Zecora. The zebra turned her head to the five who gulped at her gaze. “I’d follow, if I had half a mind. Best not dally and get left behind.” She laughed and flung herself from the bushes, following the three. The five all looked at each other. “When will this night end?!” Tiara shouted in aggravation and ran out, the rest of them trailing. “Babs!” Apple Bloom shouted through the shrill shrieks above. She still had the filly in her sights but she had made it to the tree line and entered the forest. A Pegasus screeched from above aiming toward Apple Bloom. Scootaloo saw this and panicked, running a little faster and pushing her out of the way. Sweetie Belle caught up with them, the others not far behind her. “We need to get to cover.” Apple Bloom pushed Scootaloo off of her and pointed to the tree line. “There!” She shot off into the trees without caring about how impenetrably dark it was inside. Button looked at the tree line and slapped his forehead. “You have got to be kidding me.” Sweetie rolled her eyes and grabbed his hoof, pulling him along. “I know, but there’s no time.” Everypony ran into the dark forest, the sounds of the raid fading behind them. The inside was pitch black, the thick branches and leaves obscuring any available light. Apple Bloom ran ahead while the others kept back. “Babs?” she called out without a care as to what could hear. “Babs?” Everypony winced each time she would shout and glared at Sweetie and Scootaloo. The two looked at each other and sighed as Scootaloo approached Apple Bloom. “Hey, maybe you want to keep it down? I mean, we have no idea what’s in this forest.” “But Babs is in here too. Ah saw her.” Scootaloo grabbed Apple Bloom by the shoulders and spun her around to face her. “That’s great. Really. But we need to think of our own safety too. So maybe you shouldn’t just go running off like that.” Apple Bloom looked at Scootaloo then saw the faces of everypony behind her. They had the same look of exasperation. She gave a sigh and hung her head. “Yeah, alright. Ah get it. We should probably be more careful of… Hey, where’d Zecora go?” Everypony reacted, Button especially who flung himself around peering everywhere. When he saw that the zebra was nowhere in sight to scare him he gave a sigh of relief and wiped his forehead. “Whew! Okay, I think I’m mentally prepared for her to pop out now.” A low growl echoed out from the darkness behind him and the rest stepped away from where he was standing. Behind Button, four sets of glowing yellow eyes appeared out of the black. Button didn’t turn around as he blinked. “There’s some monsters right behind me, aren’t there?” They all nodded. A sharp toothed mouth made of stones and twigs snapped out and attempted to bite down on him. Button yelped and jumped away just in time for the monsters to come into view. “TIMBERWOLVES!” Spoon shouted. They ran as the fearsome creatures sprang from the dark with glowing eyes and ravenous teeth. They barked and chased after the children, snapping at their hooves. They ran until Scootaloo spotted a light in the forest. “Everypony this way!” They all followed Scootaloo’s example and headed for the light. Scootaloo fell behind the rest as she made sure they were all there. When she was sure, she took off running again, but this time tripped on a root and rolled into a puddle of mud. The dirt splashed all over her and her nature-made costume. Sweetie Belle spun around to see her on the ground. “Scootaloo!” But it was too late to go back. The timberwolves had caught up and quickly surrounded Scootaloo as she sat in the mud. The filly stood perfectly still, the look of terror on her face disguised by the mud mask and twigs adorning it. Carefully, one of the timberwolves approached her, sniffing her head and then nudging her back. Scootaloo stiffened even more, a shiver going up her spine. This made the creatures growl return as they lowered themselves and prepared to attack. Just then, a loud roar came from the trees above. The timberwolves looked up to see something giant fall to the earth through the foliage. It was covered in blankets of moss and sticks, standing at least a hoof or two taller than the biggest timberwolf present. At its head were two holes cut out through the moss like eyes, flickering lights emanating from within. It looked like a monster. The thing roared again and reared its legs making it look even bigger. This made the timberwolves shrink back, losing their heart and then running back off into the forest. Scootaloo watched the creatures go and sighed with relief before she realized she had to deal with this thing now. She gulped and looked back at the monster, it setting its feet down once more and staring at her through those hollow eyes. It leaned close to her like the timberwolf did, everypony letting out a gasp as they weren’t sure what it would do. Scootaloo closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable. “Boo. It’s good to see you.” Scootaloo opened one eye. “Huh?” The monster threw off its blanket of moss to reveal a familiar zebra bedecked in black. In both hooves she held fireflies, their eerie light producing the flickering eyes. “Zecora!” The zebra grinned and blew the fireflies off of her hooves, letting them take off into the sky. The rest of the children ran up to her with wide eyes. “What was that about?” Dinky asked. “Yeah, how’d you do that?” Pipsqueak asked as well. Zecora chuckled. “In times of old, ponies would scavenge. But braving the forest would prove quite a challenge. Beasts like the timberwolf were prevalent back then, so the art of disguise became a pony’s best friend. A little mud here and a little moss there, with a little blustering and a costume they could give those monsters a scare.” “I guess I’m lucky you came by,” Scootaloo said as she wiped the mud from her. Zecora tutted. “That’s not at all true, sweet Scootaloo. There are many reasons for a costume and I’ll name a few. To hide our faces is the reason on this night, but survival is one other, another is to cause fright. You were dressed as a timberwolf, one of their pack, the mud helped a little to convince them of that.” Scootaloo smiled as she looked at her costume. “Wow.” “That’s all very nice, now can we leave?” Tiara stated. Apple Bloom shook her head. “She’s right. We gotta find Babs!” Everypony let out a collective sigh and walked back toward the exit as Apple Bloom quickly led the way. As they walked out of the trees they were each hit by a sudden chill. The landscape they had walked out onto was flat and barren. Dead plants sprouted from various clusters of frozen rock and the earth they stepped on felt solid and cold. “Wh-Where are we n-n-now?” Spoon asked through chattering teeth. “It was j-just warm enough a s-second ago.” A blast of icy wind cut through them and they all had to shield their eyes. Zecora stepped ahead and whipped her cloak around them all to block them from the weather. Apple Bloom looked up to thank her but the zebra’s face had lost it joviality. Instead she stared ahead at the tundra before them with a narrow gaze. “This is a place where time and pony forgot. Forsaken from disharmony and the coldness it wrought. An empty and dead land where only ice dwell, go further than this and it may not end well. We’ve come to a point of no possible return. Past this land lies things you may not want to learn. If your friend waits past here then her situation is dear, for there are creatures now that are something to fear.” In the distance, the children watched as the winds and clouds coalesced and faded around each other. They made unearthly noises like neighs as the forms in the wintery void struggled to take the form of white stallions, their cries echoing disowned voices that made them all shudder to hear. Everypony looked at each other wearily. Tiara was the first to speak up. “Really? You heard her, there are monsters out there!” “There were monsters back there and we faced them,” Apple Bloom retorted. Button stepped up to her. “Those are windigoes, Apple Bloom. I may be dressed for the occasion but even I’m scared of them. You know the stories.” Zecora leaned down to whisper to them. “They say the windigo are souls of the dead. Lost in the world for things left unsaid. Picked up by the wind, the only comfort left to claim, they search out emptiness and any pony that feels the same.” Apple Bloom looked to her two best friends. “Come on, guys. We need to find Babs. She would do it for us.” Sweetie looked past Zecora’s cloak and saw no sight of the pink light they’d been chasing. “Apple Bloom, it’s getting late. We should really get back home before sunrise.” “But Babs…” “We can talk to Applejack about it in the morning,” Scootaloo added. “She’ll be able to think of something.” “Face it, there’s no telling where she is now,” Tiara butted in. “I don’t see her, do you?” Apple Bloom frowned at her then at everyone else. “Well, Ah don’t care what you all think! Ah’m goin’ to find Babs and you can’t stop me!” She ran past Zecora’s cloak and into the tundra, the snow and ice freezing her tears before they could even fall. The sound of her friends behind her quickly vanished as she stepped deeper into the cold storm.