Chapter 1: Recovery
In the great land of Equestria, there stands a town called Ponyville. Much unlike most Equestrian cities, it is a quaint, charming little town; free from the bustle of common rabble, and the sins of corruption. Here, ponies live and thrive in their small community, only dealing with outsiders when it comes to business.
Sweet Apple Acres, one such business, is located in the southern end of Ponyville. Owned by a prestigious Appaloosian family, this orchard feeds thousands and come fall, offers delicious apple cider. It is also home to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Ponyville's resident trouble makers.
On this particular night, dimly moonlit and sprinkled with stars, there stands a large tree in the southern field of the Acres. Built into the tree, there is a tree house; but not just any tree house. This structure housed the Crusaders, currently on their latest quest to get their cutie marks in story-telling.
"C'mon Sweetie, that one's not even scary!" The orange filly playfully smacked her friend with a pillow.
"It is too! Isn't it Applebloom?" The unicorn turned to her left to find a red tail sticking out of a sleeping bag.
"..."
"Oh come on, ya scardy ponies!" Scootaloo frowned. Sweetie Belle's stories were never especially creepy, often because the maturing filly was more afraid of colts than timber wolves. "We've been at this all night, and still no cutie marks!"
"Well it's not my fault that Rainbow Dash's 'boogeymare' story isn't scary!"
"It is too scary!" Yelled the orange filly, readily defending the honor of her hero and foster mother.
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
"Is not!"
"Shut up!" Screamed the sleeping bag.
"Huh?" The arguing fillies turned to their friend.
"Both ya'lls stories scared me senseless! Now will ya shut up and let me get some sleep?" Applebloom poked her head out of the protection offered by her sleeping bag.
"Really?" Scootaloo's smile grew tenfold. "Wait, Applebloom you haven't told a story!"
"Ah don't know any." Came the muffled voice, again inside the bag.
"Oh come on, your granny is older than Ponyville, she has to have told you something really scary!" Scootaloo sat on the quivering lump of a sleeping bag.
"Ah, git off me!" The yellow filly bucked inside the bag, causing Scootaloo to fall onto the white unicorn. The two fillies laughed as Applebloom raised from her seat and walked across the club house.
"Alright, ya'll. But only this one! But if ya'll run away screaming, it's not mah problem. Cuz this story is true!" The red head filly stood on her hind legs, her forelegs stretched high into the air; as if she was expecting a plume of fire to raise from the ground behind her.
The two fillies giggled and were subsequently shushed. They gathered up in their sleeping bags and locked eyes on Applebloom, eager to feel the fear of a true ghost story.
"I bet it won't even scare me..." Scootaloo sighed.
"Ya wanna shake on that bet?"
"Seriously? Applejack the Ripper? You guys suck!" Scootaloo said as her friends pushed her out of the club house, her heart pounding in fear she was desperately trying to hide. "I'm not even scared!"
"Don't lie to us! We know you are going to lose, just admit you are scared and you can come back inside!" Sweetie Belle shouted from behind the closed and locked door. Scootaloo pounded on the door to no avail, and then wondered why they had installed a lock in the first place.
"Ugh..." She groaned and turned around. "All the way to the Everfree forest?"
"All tha way to Zecora's! And don't ya dare come back until ya have somethin' ta prove it!"
'You gotta be kidding me...' The orange filly thought. She jumped down from the front door of the clubhouse and stretched her legs. She took a look around, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness. The orchard made her feel rather uneasy in the night, let alone the Everfree forest. She gulped and took an internal vow to never let her pride get in the way of judgement again. A vow that would probably be locked up in her memory and forgotten in a few days.
The trees loomed over the small filly, their branches gnarled and twisted by the low light of the moon. The very same branches that provided food for all of Ponyville and beyond took a facade of evil as the clouds overtook the moon. It didn't help that fall was rapidly approaching and most of the branches had shed their leaves for the winter. The orange filly sped her trot, the sooner she was done with this whole thing the better. Maybe she could even get her cutie mark in not being scared.
'No.. that can't be a real cutie mark...'
Scootaloo looked around, and then up at the sky. It was getting darker by the second as the clouds overtook the moon; and she cursed all the weather ponies, except Rainbow Dash of course, for not taking care of that during the day. The subtle sounds of the wind blowing through deal leaves was all she could hear. That and her own hooves crunching the orange and brown leaves below them.
The filly shivered as she realized how chilly it was out; she would have to talk to the weather ponies about that as well. It was far colder than it should be, she reckoned.
'Stupid..' she thought as fear gripped her in icy cold tendrils that seemed to pulse through her. Every so often, she would feel the gaze of somepony, or something, drilling holes into her from behind. The only thing keeping her steady was the fact that every time she checked for those eyes, she saw nothing but the twisted branches and the weaving path on which she tread.
Several minutes that seemed like hours passed this way. Terror gripping her heart, only to be relinquished when she turned around and saw that everything was alright. Nothing out of the ordinary on this midnight journey, no sir. She didn't even think about the taller, more ominous trees that she could see rising in the distance.
Unfortunately for the small orange filly, she could not ignore them forever. Standing on the border between the orchard and the forest, the filly briefly considered bolting back to the clubhouse; crying and hugging her friends until the warm sappy feeling of love washed away the paranoia.
'That's not what Rainbow Dash would do...' The filly reasoned with herself. 'Rainbow Dash would be loyal! To herself, and to the dare! No silly old fake monster is going to get me in there!'
Her resolve renewed by her internal pep talk, the filly resumed her journey into the forest. Zecora's cottage was only about a half mile into the forest from Fluttershy's, so she guessed it would take ten minutes to find the path, another ten to get to Zecora's and twenty minutes to get back to where she was. As long as she kept pace, and didn't get lost.
'Ok... I can do this. I ca- what was that?" The fillies eyes darted left and right. She could have sworn she heard a sound, not unlike a twig snapping in the forest beyond. The trees stood tall, and the bushes obfuscated her view of the entrance to the woods. She shook off the notion that somepony was watching her, and ignored the sound she thought she just heard.
'Ugh, I'm so done with this forest already.' She grumbled, and jumped headfirst into the bushes. Twigs and leaves scraped her coat and skin as she nosed her way in, around, and finally out of the bush. The orange filly was dismayed by what she saw.
A thick blanket of fog was rolling into the forest like it was being tucked into bed. Visions of what might lay beyond the veil of mist permeated her thoughts, and she quickly shook her head to clear them. She squinted and strained her eyes to no avail. She would just have to make due with the fact that she could only see a couple feet in front of her.
'Why did I leave without a flash light...'
The filly took a few steps, then stopped. She listened to the wind whipping through the branches of the tall slender trees of the Everfree. She also felt the wind, as evidenced by the fact that she could not remain still without shivering. She decided the best defense against against the cold was to get moving, so off she went.
She walked at a brisk pace, but not fast enough to wear her out of breath too quickly. The cold was a constant reminder to keep up a quick pace; as was the warm sleeping bag and comfort of her friends and clubhouse awaiting her return.
"I'm so stupid... I should have just told them the truth. I was scared... just too stupid to admit it..." The filly felt tears brimming in her eyes. What began as a simple dare was rapidly turning into a nightmare.
The orange filly felt eyes on her coming from all angles, yet she did not slow her pace. She had her fill of false suspicion, and she was sick of looking behind her to find nothing there. Slowly but surely, the filly crept through the forest, the feeling of being watched rising all the while.
The crunching of sticks was all she could hear, using the beating of her heart to set her pace through the underbrush. With every rise and fall of her hooves, the suspicion of what lurked beyond the next tree mounted. Soon, she found herself darting from tree to tree, seeking shelter from the invisible eyes that seemed to be following her, breathing down her neck.
What began as a subtle feeling was now an itch, begging her to turn around and look behind her. She knew there was nothing there, yet her every instinct told her that she was about to be consumed. She put another hoof in front of the last and payed the feeling no heed.
A few more yards into the forest, shivers started to run up and down her spine like thousands of little bugs; the hairs of her coat sticking straight up to greet the cold of the night. She knew there was something back there. Some hideous monster. Perhaps a windego, waiting to turn her into an ice sculpture. Maybe the undead monsters from Sweetie's story, or a more worldly predator; such as a manticore or drake.
The fillies eyes watered, her resolve wavering. What if she didn't even see death coming? Would it be painful? Even if she did see it coming, could she avoid it? She felt hot breath on the back of her neck and her heart skipped a beat.
The filly jumped and turned around, her teary purple eyes almost glowing in the darkness.
Nothing.
"Leave me alone!" She shouted into the forest. She knew there was nothing there, but the sound of a voice was enough to help calm her ravaged nerves; even if it was only her own.
She took a step backward, and her hoof connected with an object foreign to the twigs and leaves she had been standing on before. It felt hard and smooth, yet oddly fragile and delicate. She looked down and saw a small leather bound book under her rear hoof. Carefully, she picked up the book in her mouth. Her fear replaced by curiosity, she examined the book; taking care to keep an eye on her surroundings.
The cover was reddish brown, and looked as if it had been water damaged. In the odd light of the woods, she could barely make out the shape of a circle with a line through it on the cover. 'Strange...' she thought.
The filly heard a loud thump behind her, and let out a yelp. Suddenly, she was running as fast as she could through the forest. Book in mouth, she galloped through the trees and fog, darting under low hanging branches and jumping over small ravines. After several minutes of galloping, the pegasus clenched her teeth and took deep breaths through her nostrils. Safe. Alone. She scanned the area with squinted eyes.
There the orange pegasus stood, panting and shivering like a puppy for several minutes. The wind had stopped blowing, so she felt it would be alright to rest for a moment. Her eyes darted left and right unblinking, until a slightly irregular object in the distance caught her eye. It was not unlike a sapling, a tree with about two years growth, but the shape was... wrong somehow. The middle was much larger than the base, and the branches stretched down instead of up and out. It had not one, but two long skinny trunks. There was a oval shaped chunk of something at the top that resembled a head, but it was pale and blank.
Scootaloo's hooves acted like they were nailed to the ground. As she stared at the object she found she could not move; could not speak. She could only watch, and wait, and feel the prickles of fear on the back of her neck. She felt a sense of dread take her over, a malaise that she had never felt before. The more she stared at the object, the harder it was to tear her eyes away from it.
The filly drew slow, quivering breaths, her feet tingled with the desire to move; begging her to give them the command to run far away, and never return. Her heart pounded in her chest like a drum, cold sweat rushing to her pored. She felt her face flush and eyes itch from the lack of moisture.
Her ear twitched to the side as she heard a noise. A snapping stick, a flutter of wings. She tore her gaze from the object, and scanned the area to her immediate left, only to find there was nothing there.
She quickly snapped her head back to attention, and continued to gaze upon the foreign object. She took note that the branches almost looked like arms, and were swaying in the wind. She laughed to herself, thinking it must be some kind of joke; like a scarecrow dressed as a diamond dog.
Then the scarecrow took a step forward.
Run.
It was the only thing on the young mare's mind as she tore through the forest, hooves kicking up leaves and dirt as she weaved through the trees. Every so often her hair would blow down into her face, but a quick flick of her neck was a quick remedy. Her hooves were numb, either from cold or adrenaline, and she couldn't even summon the will to scream properly.
She was helpless, trapped in her own body as it took over her basic motor functions. She couldn't stop running, even if she wanted to; some primal urge keeping her four hooves pounding into the dirt over and over again. It was like a dream, the way she disconnected from reality. The only thing she could think about was the constant vigorous thud of her heart beat, and the pale white face of the creature in the woods.
As her tears ran free, Scootaloo's legs and hooves burned from the rapid expenditure of energy. Her breathing became raspy, her lungs burning from over-inhaling the cold autumn air. Her gallop slowed to a canter, and then to a brisk trot. She was out of breath, and completely spent. She sat down on a fallen log and breathed heavily, tying to control the volume as much as possible.
The little filly heard the wind pick up again, whipping and whistling through the branches. She thought back to the figure, and prickly chills ran through her spine once more. It was so tall, so abnormally slender. It would be so easy to mistake the trees and branches for it's spindly appendages. She remembered the way it's many arms flowed and reached in the wind. Then a dark realization dawned upon her... There was no-
She whipped her head around, something was moving behind her. She couldn't see or hear it, so much as feel it. The familiar aura was back; a presence that she had only felt before when she was looking at the strange figure. She could practically taste the darkness enveloping her. Without a moments notice, she was up and at full gallop.
Tears flowed from her eyes as she ran, the shock of hooves causing them to run down her face at irregular angles. Her eyes welled, and blurred her vision causing her to stumble and lose track of the position of her hooves. Her gallop soon turned into a drunken stumble, her mind intoxicated by the heat of the moment and uncertainty of what will be coming next.
As she ran, she heaved deep sobs for breath, praying to Celestia that she would make it home safe. Each moment she spent stumbling in the crushing darkness, her hope of returning stifled. She could feel the figure approaching, she could see that blank splotch of a head opening up and swallowing her whole.
Then, she stumbled through the right bush and found herself outside the forest.
"Gee... She has been gone pretty long. How long do you think it would take her?" The white unicorn played with her hair, staring out the window of the clubhouse.
"Ah dunno, but it's been far too long."
"Should we go for help? I'm sure Twilight or Applejack-"
Suddenly there were frantic knocks on the door, knocks of a pony who had death itself after them. After several seconds of pounding and screaming Sweetie laughed. Applebloom casually got up and pasted a thick smirk on her face, ready to open the door and proclaim 'Ah told ya so.'
As soon as the yellow filly opened the lock, the door burst open and the two fillies were sent sprawling across the ground; a mess of red and purple mane, hooves and legs. Before anypony could say anything, Scootaloo spit out the journal into a pile of blankets and climbed on top of it. She hoped nopony noticed, because she was not ready to explain it.
"Scootaloo..." The white unicorn giggled.
"No." The orange filly sobbed.
"Uh... are you okay?" Sweetie put her hoof on Scootaloo's back.
"Yes! I'm fine! I just went out in the forest, found this stupid book, and made it back here. Nothing out of the ordinary at all! I'll talk to you tomorrow." Scootaloo did her best to mask the sorrow in her voice. The sooner she convinced herself that nothing was wrong, the sooner she would believe it and everything could go back to normal.
"Hey now, ya can't get off that easily, where's our proof?" Applebloom nudged her orange friend's shoulder.
"Here's your buckin' proof." Scootaloo used her rear hoof to kick the book out of her nest of blankets. Upon closer inspection, the journal was heavily water damaged. It was brown and looked to be bound in leather. The symbol on the front was a circle with two lines on it that seemed to be crossing the circle out. The symbol was not printed, nor even inscribed into the cover; but etched as if somepony used a stick to scratch the symbol into the cover.
After Applebloom and Sweetie Belle deemed the book adequate proof, they dropped the obviously sensitive subject. The pair continued to tell stories late into the night. They played games, did make overs and laughed and played as good little fillies should, while the third member of the group slept.
Or at least, pretended to sleep.
For the orange filly, the rest of the night was spent deep in thought and question. What exactly did she see out there in the forest? She never actually saw anything, really. Just that oddly disturbing figure between the trees. The same figure that took a step forward on its own, and blew in the wind when there was no wind to speak of.
It couldn't have been real, it just couldn't. It was all in her head, it had to be. Maybe Zecora hung the scarecrow there to scare something away, or it was just an odd shaped tree?
And what about that book? There's something off about it also, Scootaloo reckoned. She would have to check it out tomorrow.
"Goodnight, Sweetie Belle."
"Goodnight, Applebloom."
"G'night guys!" Scootaloo shouted, causing the rest of the young mares to scream out in sudden fright. After a brief pillow fight, the three fillies settled in to sleep just as the sun was rising over the beautiful land of Equestria. A land that would be forever darkened for the orange filly, sleeping peacefully for the last time.
