//------------------------------// // Cabin in the Woods // Story: Forgotten Legend // by Halogenmyst //------------------------------// A young pegasus slowly skirted the edges of the forest. Her hooves lightly flirting with the boundary between the safety of home and the adventure of the unknown. Scootaloo was known to be a bit of a troublemaker, many of the ponies in town thought to blame her underdeveloped wings, leaving her with few constructive outlets for a filly her age. A breeze from the wild forests brushed against Scootaloo's fuchsia mane. There was a surprising warmth in the air, beckoning her inside. "All those stuck up adults think I'm some little filly who can't take care of myself, I'll prove to them I'm stronger than them!" Scootaloo pronounced, nervously looking over her shoulders to ensure nopony was watching, or going to stop her. Carefully, one hoof in front of the other, she walked beyond the boundary into the wild brush and darkened canopy. The air outside hung still as the soft crunch of hooves on twigs faded away deeper and deeper into the wilds. Bloom's mind was constantly haunted by the memory of mere nights ago. She was investigating some suspicious ponies in the night when a pony turned into a beast before her very eyes. Said pony was captured and was now in the pit of town square. Bloom looked down to the grate at her hooves. Underneath was a faded grey pony with a sharp obsidian mane. His coat was patchy and scarred and Bloom could see his ribs protruding through his thinning flesh. "Hey." Bloom said, catching the prisoner's attention, bringing his dark, deep set eyes to meet hers."Mah sis said the execution's gonna happen soon as the Lunar Vicar arrives. Could be 'soon as tommorow." The prisoner simply lowered his head. "Who are you?" Bloom asked quietly. The pony beneath her slowly sighed. "My name..." He began, "was once Iron Pyrite, until 'beast' took its place..." Bloom could feel the sadness in his voice. This was the pony who had transformed into a monster right in front of her, but stood between her and the mysterious robed figures like a defender. Among those mysterious robes was her own sister, but Bloom could simply feel it in her gut, something was wrong. "Well Iron," Bloom said as she settled down. "Tell me yer story." Iron Pyrite didn't meet Bloom's eyes. Attention fixed firmly on the ground beneath him, he began. The last of the firewood cleaved apart beneath the axe. Wiping the sweat from his brow, Iron Pyrite bent over and collected the split wood, placing it with the rest. "Dinner is on the table dear!" Announced a sweet, feminine voice from inside the cabin. Accompanying this voice was the tender whining of a baby who could smell the food, but wasn't allowed to eat until her father joined them. Iron Pyrite approached as the mare finished setting the table. One hoof around her shoulder, he pulled her in and gave her a kiss behind the ear. "It smells great, Diane." He said as he let go to sit at the table, the smell of a steaming bowl of dairy vegetable soup causing his muzzle to drip as his appetite only grew stronger. "I just hope it's enough for that black hole of a stomach." Diane replied. "Oh, come on, Milly's a growing foal, she'll eat as much as she can get!" Iron said before a spoon smacked him over the head. "I was talking about you." Diane said with a smile. Earning a sheepish grin from Iron. Scootaloo kept her eyes and ears attentive as possible. The trees and shrubs all seemed the same to her, meaning getting lost would be a very real concern if she decided to make any real turns. She felt comfortable with her path, however. "What's the point of making the woods forbidden if it's so BORING!" She shouted. The sound of her shout incited a lot of rustling as birds and animals increased their distance from the strange filly. One bird however, stayed awfully still. Scootaloo noticed the large raven perched on a branch just in front of her. The bird's eyes fixed on hers as it tilted its head. Letting out a caw, the bird spread its wings and flew a very short distance to another branch, then fixed its eyes on Scootaloo again. "Are you... telling me to follow you?" Scootaloo asked the bird. The bird rustled its feathers and let out another caw before leaping to another nearby branch. "Okay... I guess you know this place better than I do." Iron Pyrite awoke in a cold sweat. Looking beside him, he saw his wife snuggled up comfortably under the sheets of their bed. "A nightmare?" He whispered. He couldn't remember any dream, but his muscles were shaking. Deciding he needed some fresh air, he carefully got out of bed as to not disturb Diane, and quietly left the cabin, keeping in mind Milly would be a real nightmare if he had to get her back to sleep. Iron felt the cool night air against his skin. Taking a deep breath, he allowed his lungs to feel the crisp air of the woods before letting it out. Iron looked up to see the moon, shining especially brightly tonight. The moon's silver light would fall like rain each night, softly illuminating the earth, but tonight there was something strange about the moon. Iron could see strange colors in the moon's light. Somewhat pastel pinks and greens swirled through the silver light like oil, making the earth light up in sickening disarray. "Honey?" Iron heard Diane's voice as though it were right beside him. He turned to find nopony was around, but the voice continued clearly. "Are you alright? What-" Iron couldn't hear the rest of the voice as a baby's crying swam around his ears. He was alone, outside, but the crying became louder, the sound bouncing from every surface directly to his ears. The moonlight's glow dimmed. Looking up, Iron saw the moon shining as brightly as before, but looking down, the glow cast upon the earth became a dark red. The crying grew louder, the forest grew darker, and with pained tears falling from Iron Pyrite's eyes, his legs grew weaker as he fell to his knees in quiet sobs. Scootaloo followed the raven. The bird never turned back, flew away, or let too much distance between itself and the orange filly. It was obvious this bird was leading her for some reason, but Scootaloo couldn't imagine what. Letting out a caw, the raven perched itself on another branch, but this time when Scootaloo approached, it stood still. "Well where to now?"Scootaloo asked the bird, but it remained still. Looking around, she saw the bird had brought her to a small clearing. A small, dilapidated cabin at its center. The windows were broken, the door was missing, and nearly every surface was beaten and splintered. There was a stump in front of the cabin with a rusty iron axe planted firmly inside. Scootaloo looked at the raven that led her here, but it stood still, not even looking at her anymore. "Okay, I guess here then." Scootaloo said as she started investigating the overgrown ruins before her. She entered the humble home to find the inside was in no better shape than out. Everything broken or torn to shreds, she noticed twigs, leaves, and what looked like beastly prints of mud over many of the surfaces. "There must have been some animals using it as a shelter." Scootaloo deducted. Bringing herself to the one separated room of the home, Scootaloo could smell it before she even looked, something had died in there a long time ago. The smell of rot sank into her pinched nose as she pushed the broken door aside. Blood was plastered on every wall, but it had sat undisturbed for so long it turned black and flaky. Scootaloo tried to supress her body's demands to vomit as the image of rotting ponies was burned into her eyes. Bloom watched Iron Pyrite through the grate. The beast had broken down into sobs as he finished his tale. "The execution can't come soon enough!" He cried. Bloom held her tears back as two armored ponies came close. "What are you doing?" Asked one of the town guards. "Come to see the beast? Sorry to disappoint, seeing as how he keeps looking like a pathetic pony." "Oh, maybe he's thirsty?" Asked the other. "Let me help out with that." The armored pony spread his legs apart, allowing a stream of yellow liquid to fall through the grate, onto the pitiful creature beneath him. The two guards let out a hearty laugh at the prisoner's expense before stomping past Bloom. One turned to her and gave her a tight frown. "Leave him, the last thing anypony needs now is a monster's advocate." He growled. As they left, Bloom looked back down to the pony beneath, as her conscience battled itself. Scootaloo ran to the exit of the cabin, her eyes weary and lips stinging with the stomach acid that just washed over them. She had to get out. Out of the house, out of the woods, out of her memories. She ran as hard as she could, but ran straight into the pony blocking the doorway. From her haunches, Scootaloo looked up to see a pegasus mare blocking her way. As a light pink mane slowly fell in front of her canary yellow face, a familiar raven perched itself on her shoulder. The raven let out a quiet caw and the mare turned her attention to it. "I see." She said softly. From under her thick hide cloak, the mare raised a large wooden staff, planting it firmly in front of Scootaloo. With a voice barely louder than a whisper, she addressed the frightened filly. "You're coming with me."