A dark wood with dark will.
“Sweetie Belle, wait for me!”
Scootaloo scooted past the galloping filly, got ahead and tried to stand simply in her way to stop her, but the small unicorn ran around her. She followed the faster group of elder ponies, wasn't quite as fast as them and lost more and more touch. Scootaloo looked after them and one after another disappeared in the dark wood ahead. She sighed and speeded up again. She roared back into touch with Sweetie Belle. Again she tried to stopped her and called out for her.
“Sweetie Belle, what's the matter?”
Again the smaller unicorn didn't bother to answer and evaded her. She ran into thick covers and followed the other ponies. Scootaloo sighed, jumped off the scooter and followed her. In the wood and more especially in the covers she wouldn't dare to use it. She hadn't time to be annoyed about it, Sweetie Belle was still storming forwards, without any worries where she was. That she was galloping through brambly brushwood. Scootaloo noticed the scratching thorns on her legs and tried to press her wing short against her body, so she didn't cling into the brushwood. Finally they were past through the thorns and gained into a brighter part of the wood.
Ancient red barked trees were standing like pillars, their impenetrable leaf top kept the sunlight out off the wood and were spreading an unworldly green light with the pale doshwire on their lower branches. The smaller unicorn was blind for this creepy expression and galloped further into the forest. Scootaloo otherwise was impressed at least and pranced nervously after her. Sweetie Belle tried to jump over a little stream, but failed and slipped on the muddy bank. She reared up, trying to find some safe foothold and waved around her forehooves, struggling to keep her balance. Just then Scootaloo managed to catch up with her. With a far better jump, she landed beside her and saved her from falling into the stinky, viscous green soup of a brook with a fast hoofgrip. The smaller unicorn leaned panting against a pale tree, whose thin tendrils putted itself around her neck like greedy small fingers.
Scootaloo took a look around and shivered. The dark red trees were changing with much darker ones, black high trees full of dark green leaves stood there, like dismal guardians in cordon, they were only getting cut off by crouching whispering, pale companions hung with long tendrils. These were flowing around, like they had their own will and were trying to flee away from their owners. Atop of all stood a milky fainting sun and tried destitute to send her streams through the dust. Scootaloo snuffled slowly, stumbled back and frowned.
“Where...where are we, Scootaloo?”
The vice of the small unicorn sounded thin out off her mouth. She flinched from the cold willow tree and cuddled up to the older pegasus. Scootaloo took a deep breath and brushed her away from her side with one hoof. She glanced at her and sighed finally. She answered in a much louder voice as she wanted too.
“You had led us here!
I don't know where we are.”
A clicking noise interrupted Scootaloos yelling and Sweetie Belle neared herself closer again. Breaking branches and stamping sounded from the thicket in front of the stream and attracted the attention of both fillies to it. Slowly the elder filly stepped forward. She spotted into the thicket and scurried on the ground nervously.
“Do you know a thing or two about the dark forest close to the cloud-house?”
Scootaloo whispered over her shoulder to Sweetie Belle, but just a squeaking noise came out off her mouth. The pegasus breathed out with annoyance, turned over to the unicorn, but a loud breath sounded over them, and drew the attention back too the bushes. The crackling in front of her became louder and something sniffled aloud through the thicket. Sweetie Belle opened her mouth, but before she was able to squeak again, Scootaloo was raising her hoof and inserting it into her mouth.
“Be quiet, please...”
Her own voice died away and pressed itself fizzy out off her mouth. The elder filly looked around, spotted their surroundings and discovered a overgrown stonetrail. She pushed the trembling foal slowly ahead of it. They passed through the stream, the green mass wasn't too deep, but it reeked hideous after modder and decay. Scootaloo resolved to wash her fetlocks especially carefully today. But first they had to get away and found the way home. The humming sound behind them was getting louder and the unicorn nuzzled herself firmer against her friend.
“Uhm...”
More didn't sound past the hoof, but it was loud enough, that Scootaloo winced and put the hoof out off her mouth. The thicket was destroyed from something big and splinter rained down on the stream. Both foals sensed the branches and leaves, which were landing on her backs an both were rearing up in fear. Scootaloo grabbed her little friend and was bolting to the trail. A scream accompanied her, as she followed the path with the shattering flags and hindering tendrils. She tagged the unicorn with one hoof and was galloping blind folded further with the other three.
She hit trees, jumped around them. She tripped over cracks and picked up herself. She stormed over a swinging plank bridge and galloped faster over the stonetrail, which were raising more and more. But the panting creature breathed down on their necks. Even as she crossed the plank bridge, the hot breathe never lost touch with her neck. Scootaloo didn't know where she was running and followed the stonetrail anyway. She looked back in order to identify, what creature was chasing them, but this wasn't a bright idea to do now. A huge amount of brown fur was too close, so she didn't spot anything else. As she galloped over stairs, she turned around and saw a closed portal ahead. Right and left were stonewalls and she realised: it was a dead end!
Scootaloo braked hard, crashed into the wood and a cannonade exploded in her head. Sweetie Belle bumped into her and both landed on the ground. Scootaloo fidgeted herself back on the hooves very quickly and tried to pull the unicorn back on her hooves too, but she was totally out off breath and not be able to stand up right now. The elder pegasus was feeling the fatigue in her legs and the jabbing pain in her lungs too, but she wasn't ready to give up right now. The brown meatball had stopped before the stairs and panted down heavily. Scootaloo looked out for an escape and took the first step. The bannisters! They were wide and a filly could easily escape the creature on them. If only Sweetie Belle wasn't out off breath.
“Can you run?”
Scootaloo whispered behind her after she took a deep breath to calm down a little. Only gasping sounded as an answer to her. She could try to carry her and..but the creature didn't let her think further. It harrumphed and put his front paw on the first stair. Scootaloo laid down in front of her friend and yelled at her.
“Get on, Sweetie...”
Faster as both were able to respond, the furball jumped forwards and captured both with his giant pawns. Scootaloo cried out loud and squinted her eyes. A cold wet nose sniffled interested over her and slobber dropped down on her face.
“Please, don't eat us!”
This was the only thing she was able to speak out. A deep hum answered. The creature lumbered slowly forwards and dandled both ponies in his furred arms at the way. Sweetie Belle was gasping completely out off breath awhile beside Scootaloo and her sweat drove cold over Scootaloos flank. She on the other hoof was barely heat up and starred concentrated to the little unicorn, as she opened her eyes hesitantly. She just didn't want to look in the face of this monster, that surely carried them...
Out off the forest? Really it carried them away from the dark trees and followed on old path, at whose end lied a beautiful summer day. Scootaloo rose her head inert, as the first warm sunbeams were hitting her fur. Her view glanced over the brighter wood, over grassland under the warm sun and a slowly growing cottage behind a blue stream. Where did the monster carry them and what was his plan there? Scootaloo turned the shivering head slightly and closed her eyes again. Slowly she opened them again and saw, a mouth full of fangs! She closed her eyes again, afraid of what she had seen. But as a wet thing sniffled over her, she opened her eyes again. A big wet nose and small reddish eyes? A bear?
Yes a bear, who carried both fillies in his forpawns and lumbered clumsy on his backpawns to do so. Sweetie Belles breath was calmed down a long while ago, but her wide eyes and open mouth weren't helpful for Scootaloo in the slightest.
“Where do you take us?”
Her voice sounded thinner as a whisper, as Scootaloo speak up to the bear. He hummed shortly and carried them further to the cottage. She struggled a little with all four hooves, hit the brown fur ahead, but the bear didn't let her go. In contrary he dandled her more. Sweetie Belle squeaked, as the nose sniffled close to her. Scootaloo tried to turn over and to kick with her back legs, but his prawns were too strong. He always turned her back, when she was able to hit his face. Finally they arrived the building and the bear hummed louder to alarm, which ever lived there. Scootaloo starred to the half open door, strengthened herself and felt for Sweetie Belles hoof. She was ready to jump, as she heard galloping hooves from the building and looked with an inquiring expression to the door.
“What's the matter, Harry? I thought you wanted too...”
A calm voice sounded over both fillies and Scootaloo froze. She glanced to the bear, as he set both down on the ground and hummed to the door silently.
“You have found what, where?