//------------------------------// // Little Red Prancing Hood // Story: Fairy Tales of Equestria // by VioletRose13 //------------------------------// Once upon a time in a small village near the edge of a thick forest, there lived a young filly who always wore a lovely red cape with a hood that her dear Granny had made for her. The filly loved it so much that she hardly took it off and she wore it so often, every day in fact, that everypony in the village had started to call her Little Red Prancing Hood. One sunny day, Little Red Prancing Hood heard that her Granny was sick with a bad cold and she wanted to pay the old mare a visit. So Little Red’s mother packed up a basket with some freshly baked apple goodies and a large jug of crisp apple cider, Granny’s favorites. She gave the basket to her daughter and told her, “Little Red Prancin’ Hood, I need ya to take this basket of apple goodies and cider over to Granny’s house. She’s sick in bed and awfully weak; these’ll do her some real good. And on your way there, I want ya to go quickly, stay on the path, and don’t talk to strangers. The forest can be very dangerous, especially for little fillies and colts. So be sure to be extra careful.” “Don’t worry ‘bout me, mama. I’m a big pony now; I promise I’ll be careful.” Little Red said confidently. Little Red’s Granny lived in a small cottage on the other side of the dense forest; she knew it would be a very long way to walk, but the filly felt she was up for it. Although Little Red Prancing Hood was a sweet and friendly filly at heart, she was known to be rather inquisitive and always get a little distracted. After waving her mother goodbye, the little filly in red was out the door and on her way to her Granny’s house, holding the little wicker basket by the handle in her mouth. But Little Red would’ve been much more careful if she listened to her mother’s advice. Little Red Prancing Hood was making her way through the ominous yet peaceful forest with a smile on her face and a skip in her step while humming a happy country tune to herself. All around her leaves rustled and animals stirred, but she wasn’t afraid because she travelled the forest many times with either her mother or her Granny and she never came across any danger. But after an hour or so of walking, Little Red Prancing Hood suddenly found herself in a very unusual part of the forest. She soon began to hear rustling in the trees and bushes around her, but it didn’t frighten her; she figured that it was just a small animal or bird of some sort and shrugged it off. Little Red stopped in her tracks when she felt a rough finger tap her left shoulder. Her ears perked up when she heard a deep male voice she didn’t recognize say: “Hello, little filly.” Little Red quickly turned around, looked up, and let out a tiny gasp when she discovered the source of the voice; it was a tall, abnormal-looking creature called a draconequus. The filly was quite surprised; she had never seen a beast like this before and she didn’t know how wicked and dangerous such a creature can be. “Oh! Um… h-h-howdy, m-m-mister…” Little Red stuttered hesitantly, taking a small step away from the stranger in fear. “Oh my, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you. I only wanted to say hello.” The creature said sweetly. “Allow me to introduce myself; my name is Discord. And what is your name?” “Oh, uh… Little Red Prancin’ Hood.” The filly calmly answered, no longer afraid. “It’s nice to meet ya, Mr. Discord.” “A pleasure to meet you, Miss Hood. And, might I ask, wherever are you going in this deep, dark, spooky forest all by yourself?” Discord politely asked. “To my Granny’s house. She’s sick with a bad cold so I’m gonna go visit her today to cheer her up.” Little Red naïvely replied. “To Granny’s house, eh? How thoughtful of you. And what might be in your basket?” Discord asked, slowly lifting the cloth covering the basket to take a look inside. “Some apple sweets I made with my mama.” The filly replied, covering up the basket again. “There’s some pie, fritters, tarts, cake, bread with zap apple jam, and a jug of apple cider. They’re for Granny so she’ll have somethin’ good to help make her feel better.” “Is that so? And where might your Granny live?” Discord asked, greedily licking his lips and stroking his beard with his claw. “A good fifteen minutes’ walk from here; her house stands under a few big apple trees in a small clearing on the other side of the forest, ya can’t miss it.” “You don’t say! I’ll be sure to keep that in mind… And your Granny, does she live alone?” “Yeah, she does. That’s why I have to hurry and get to her house before sunset; nopony else is there to look after her. Plus, she could really use some company.” “I’ll bet she could.” Discord said, nodding his head. Then an evil thought suddenly formed in the draconequus’s twisted mind; he smiled a mischievous grin at the filly. “You know, Little Red, there are still plenty of hours left in this beautiful day. What’s your hurry?” He asked slyly. “Mama told me not to leave the path or talk to strangers.” Little Red said; Discord snarled at her under his breath. “Sorry, Mr. Discord, but I really should get goin’ now.” Discord paused and pondered over his situation, trying to think of a plan to stall Little Red Prancing Hood as he watched her trot away with her basket of treats in tow. His mouth watered and his stomach grumbled loudly; he hadn’t eaten in several days, but he knew he had to wait for the precise moment to pounce. “A little filly as sweet as that would make a perfect, delectable little morsel and would taste so much better than the older pony.” He said to himself, licking his lips and smiling wickedly. “I’ll have to be smart and catch them both. But how am I going to do that?” And soon enough, Discord had figured out a clever yet sinister plan to distract the filly in red. “Little Red Prancing Hood, wait!” Discord called before teleporting in front of the filly, who cried out in fright. “How much do you love your Granny?” “…A whole bunch.” Little Red said, curiously looking back up at the draconequus. “Why?” “Look over there.” Discord said, wrapping his paw around the filly’s shoulder and pointing a claw at a grove of flowers. “I just thought that maybe your Granny might like some lovely flowers. Oh! And have you not noticed the sun shining? Or even the birds singing their songs? It’s such a beautiful scene, don’t you think so?” “I guess. It is real pretty… But, no. My mama said not to—” Little Red said before being cut off. “Now I understand you don’t want to disobey your mother, but I’m certain she won’t mind if you take just a little while longer. Like I said before, the sun won’t set for hours and you know perfectly well what flowers are like for picking up the spirits when you’re sick.” A sly grin spread across Discord’s face as he spoke and looked at Little Red. While looking at the flowery meadow and listening to the birds’ song, Little Red Prancing Hood’s eyes brightened and she smiled a wide grin. “You know what? …You’re right! I bet Granny would love some flowers!” Little Red exclaimed. “Then it’s settled; mustn’t dilly dally now, my dear.” Discord chuckled, gently shoving the filly towards the meadow with the end of his tail. “Granny will want a nice big, fresh bouquet. And be sure to give my best wishes to your Granny. I do hope she tastes— Oh! I-I-I-I mean… feels better soon.” “Gotcha. Bye-bye, Mr. Discord.” Little Red said with an innocent smile as she waved goodbye. “Goodbye, little one. And take your time.” Discord replied, slowly waving goodbye back. Little Red Prancing Hood stepped off the path to pick flowers without a care but as she did so, Discord quickly followed the path until he came across a little cottage sitting in a tiny clearing on the other end. He looked around and noticed the apple trees surrounding the property; this was definitely Granny’s house. Before he walked to the door, Discord quickly picked an apple from one of the few trees with his tail and he ate it up in one bite. After chewing and swallowing the slightly sour fruit, he approached the little house and gently knocked on the door with his paw. “Huh? Oh, who is that? Who’s there?” An elderly voice asked; it was Granny. “It’s me Granny, Little Red Prancin’ Hood.” Discord answered, raising his voice’s pitch to sound like the filly. “…Who?” Discord covered his eyes with his claw in annoyance. “Oh, for crying out loud. It’s Little Red, your granddaughter. I brought you some goodies and cider. Can ya open the door? Please, pretty please?” Little Red’s Granny, being quite hard of hearing, heard nothing wrong with the voice and she thought it really was her beloved granddaughter. “Oh, Lil’ Red! Sorry, I didn’t recognize your voice, young’un. I’m too sick to get outta bed, but the door’s unlocked. You can just come on in.” She called out; Discord smiled. ‘She doesn’t suspect a thing.’ He thought. ‘Oh, Discord. You’ve outdone yourself.’ While licking his lips and wagging his tail, Discord carefully opened the door and entered the tiny cottage. Once he was inside, he looked and saw the bedroom door slightly ajar. He approached it and peered inside with one eye. When he looked into the room, Discord saw the old pony lying in bed with a heavy quilt covering her body and a silken nightcap atop her head. He opened the door a little wider as he heard the mare let out a sneeze and a cough. “Afternoon, Granny.” Discord said in a high pitch; his breath smelled of apples. “Good afternoon, lil’ seed. Ooh, howdy! I think I can smell your basket of goodies from over here. Sure smells good.” The old mare naïvely giggled, smelling the creature’s apple breath; she was clearly fooled by the voice. The hungry draconequus grinned and chuckled wickedly to her reply. “It’s not the only thing…” After letting out a frightening growl, Discord spread his wings, pushed the bedroom door wide open, and leapt across the room towards Granny who let out a shocked gasp followed by a terrified scream. A short while had passed and Little Red Prancing Hood finally made her way to her Granny’s house with her basket of apple treats, cider, and a large bouquet of flowers. But as she approached the cottage with an eager bound, she was surprised to see the door standing open and she paused. ‘Hey. Why is the door open?’ She thought, raising an eyebrow. ‘That’s weird. Usually, I feel pretty excited about comin’ to visit Granny. But now I… Maybe it’s nothin’. Yeah, probably just my imagination. That’s all…’ Although she was a little skeptical about going at first, Little Red shrugged her shoulders, calmly walked up to the little cottage and gently knocked on the door frame. “Afternoon, Granny.” She called, but heard no reply. She only heard the sound of a bed creaking, no voice. She pushed the door open wider, invited herself into the house, and looked around. “Granny? Ya home? It’s me, Little Red. I brought you some goodies and cider.” She called. “Come in, my dearie.” A raspy voice called out. The voice was odd; it was a bit too deep and it was a little muffled, but Little Red went towards it. Upon entering the bedroom, though it was very dark, she could just barely see Granny lying in bed with the heavy quilt covering her entire body and the nightcap covering her whole face. But what Little Red didn’t realize was that this wasn’t her Granny at all. It was Discord! He had gobbled up the old mare, stolen her nightgown and cap, and hidden under the covers of her bed hoping to trick the filly. The moment Little Red went inside the bedroom, Discord quickly used his magic to close the bedroom door behind the filly with a loud slam. At first, Little Red was startled but she quickly ignored it. “There you are, Granny. How are ya feelin’?” Little Red asked, slowly walking towards the bed. “Ooh, simply awful.” Discord replied before giving a false cough. “Aw, ya poor thing. Ya sound awful, too. Well, don’t worry. I brought you some apple sweets, cider, and flowers to help ya feel better lickety split.” “Oh? Well, land sakes! How sweet you are. Thank ya, lil’ seed.” “You’re welcome, Granny. Happy to help.” After Little Red put her flowers in a vase and set her basket down, she soon looked around and noticed how dark it was. “Hey, it’s pretty dark in here. Should I open the curtains or light some candles?” She asked. “Oh no-no-no-no-no-no! There’s no need for you to do that! I like it dark, dear. For now, you can just leave the lights off!” Discord protested through gritted teeth. “Alright, alright! Whatever you say, don’t get angry at me!” Little Red cried in fear. “Thank you.” “Uh, no problem.” “Oh, before ya go ahead and gimme those apple treats… can ya please come into bed with me, my sweet lovely lil’ blossom? I just want to see your pretty little face.” “Oh, sure thing, Granny.” Unaware of the impending danger, Little Red smiled and trotted to her Granny’s bedside and hopped into bed right next to Discord. As she snuggled under the covers beside the disguised draconequus, she looked up at him in much greater detail and she hesitated to get any closer. “Is somethin’ wrong, lil’ one?” Discord asked. “Wha’? Oh. No, no, no. Nothin’s wrong, Granny.” The filly answered. “It’s just… you’re lookin’ awful funny.” Little Red Prancing Hood blinked a few times, she quickly noticed her “Granny’s” appearance and a frightening chill ran up her back. She gulped and shivered a little in fright. “Granny, what big ears you’ve got…” Little Red said. “The better to hear you with, my dear.” Discord cooed. “Granny, what big eyes you’ve got…” “The better to see you with, my dear.” “Granny, what big hooves you’ve got…” “The better to hug you with, my dear.” “Granny… what a terrible, big, wet mouth you’ve got!” Little Red gasped. “The better… to eat you with, my dear!” Discord roared, pouncing onto the screaming filly. And with a single bound, Discord had gobbled up Little Red Prancing Hood in one big gulp. And with his belly full and his appetite appeased, Discord quickly took to bed for a nice long nap. A few hours had passed. It was sunset and the draconequus was still sound asleep, snoring heavily. The creature’s snores were so loud that they quickly caught the attention of a tiny Pegasus colt named Featherweight who was passing by. “Wow. Sounds like a hibernating dragon in there.” He said to himself. Another thought popped into the colt’s head. “That’s weird.” He said. “I’ve never heard that old mare snore like that before… In fact, I don’t think I’ve heard her snore at all. Is she okay in there?” But just as he was starting to walk away, Featherweight suddenly heard a deep, loud belch from inside the little house that made him jump. “Maybe not…” He whispered, looking back with a terrified look in his widened eyes. Even though he was scared out of his wits, Featherweight decided to investigate. As he came to the door, he saw it open and entered the cottage as cautiously as possible. He followed the loud snoring right into the bedroom and though he could hardly see in the dim light, Featherweight thought he saw Little Red’s Granny sleeping peacefully. ‘Oh! She must be napping. Maybe I should go and let her sleep.’ He thought before he nearly tripped over the rug. ‘If I could find my way out of here that is.’ It was far too dark for him to find his way out, so he decided to open the curtains to let in some light. And as he opened the curtains and the light from the dying sunset poured into the room, he turned to look at the bed and saw something that didn’t look quite right. Featherweight slowly hovered towards the bed and looked at the oddly shaped figure, then he grabbed the quilt with his teeth and pulled it away. He turned around and nearly screamed in terror at what was there. Featherweight saw Discord lying in bed sound asleep wearing Granny’s nightgown and cap with a bulging belly and a tiny shred of red cloth hanging in the corner of his mouth. The colt also heard strange muffled noises coming from within the creature’s stomach; they almost sounded like cries for help. Featherweight took the red fabric from Discord’s jaw; he realized something. “Oh no! You couldn’t have eaten Granny… and Little Red, too!?” He whispered in shock. Wasting no time, Featherweight took a pair of scissors from the nightstand and carefully cut open Discord’s stomach. A red cloak popped out followed by Little Red Prancing Hood climbing out, gasping and wheezing for air and after her crawled out Granny a bit shaken, but still well. “Sweet applesauce, that was so scary! How dark and dank it was inside that old beast!” Little Red said, trying not to wake up the sleeping draconequus. “You okay, Little Red?” Featherweight asked, gently helping the filly out. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m fine.” She breathed before tightly wrapping her forelegs around him in a hug. “Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you so much, Featherweight!” Little Red rewarded her savior with a big kiss on the cheek; the colt smiled sheepishly in response as his face turned bright red. “Thank Celestia! We’re saved!” Granny cried, taking her cap off of Discord’s head and hugging her granddaughter tightly. “Oh, Granny! I’m so glad you’re okay!” Little Red cried, embracing the old pony back. “Ya got that right, Little Red! I’m glad you’re okay, too.” Granny turned her head to face Featherweight and she shook his tiny hoof. “Son, you saved our lives! You’re a hero!” “Wow. Gee, thanks.” Featherweight giggled sheepishly. “Uh, guys? What are we gonna do with Discord? What if he wakes up and tries to attack us again?” Little Red asked, worriedly looking back at the draconequus. “Oh, him? Don’t ya worry ‘bout that varmint, young’un; I’ve got somethin’ special in mind for him.” Granny smiled slyly. “Listen up, you two; I want ya’ll to go out and get me some big ol’ rocks. We’re gonna teach this Big Bad Draconequus a little lesson.” Little Red Prancing Hood and Featherweight looked at each other in slight confusion before nodding their heads and running outside to gather up as many stones as they can carry, just as Granny had instructed them to do. And when they came back inside with enough rocks and stones in their hooves, they quickly filled Discord’s belly with the rocks and Granny sewed him shut as best she could. When Discord finally woke up minutes later, he saw Featherweight hovering over him. “Hey, big guy.” The colt said nonchalantly. Discord was so surprised that he jumped out of bed and tried to run away, but the rocks that were inside him were so heavy that they slowed his every step while causing him pain. Once Discord disappeared into the dark forest, Granny, Little Red, and Featherweight celebrated with the basket of apple treats and cider together. That day, Little Red Prancing Hood had learned to always stick to the path and not to talk to strangers of any kind, no matter how friendly or nice they might appear at first. And as for Discord, right after he got all of the stones out of him, he decided that he would never do a wicked deed like that ever again. And they all lived happily ever after.