"Quiet down, everypony!" Mayor Mare shouted as the crowd hushed itself, save for a few mumbles and whispers. "Thank you all for coming. For those of you who are unaware of the situation at hoof: somepony, or something, is kidnapping ponies. Or so we think. Out of the last seven ponies to go missing, all were seen going into the Everfree Forest willingly."
The room felt freezing at the mention of the name to everypony.
Stories had been passed down from generation to generation about the horrors of the Everfree Forest and brave adventurers who went in but never came out. It was common knowledge that anypony stepping inside the shadows of the towering trees there was playing with their own life.
"So what are we gonna do about it?! I say we burn the whole thing down! It's been nothing but trouble for ponies!" a voice shouted from the back, and a wave of murmurs sounded in agreement.
"Settle down, everypony! We don't have permission to destroy an entire forest, and since Cloudsdale lays above a part of it, they'd be inhaling the deadly smoke. Now, I've brought it up with the Princesses and they both agree that something needs to be done. That's why, since the royal guard is busy on the Gryphon Border, Twilight Sparkle along with her friends will go in with the Elements of Harmony to find out where the missing ponies have gone and bring them home." the Mayor stated, pulling back a curtain to reveal the Bearers of The Elements of Harmony, each adorning their respective necklace while Twilight wore her tiara.
The crowd stomped their hooves as if a single creature in approval, their voices drowning out the mayor as she tried to regain order until she finally just gave up.
---
---
---
"Are we all ready?" Twilight asked, standing with the rest of her friends at the edge of the Everfree Forest.
"Yepperoonie!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, bouncing on her hooves as the rest of the group stated their presence. "Oh, this'll be sooo fun! We'll fight dragons and find buried treasure and save the world and bring back the ponies and get ice cream and find the lost city of Atlantis and-"
Taking the hint from her friends' stares, Pinkie Pie smiled sheepishly and shut her mouth.
"Alright, first stop: Zecora's." Twilight announced.
---
---
---
Something was definitely wrong here.
Although the Everfree was dangerous, Zecora seemed to know a lot about how to keep the creatures from bothering her.
But instead of the soft column of smoke that usually arose from Zecora's chimney even when she wasn't home, the group stumbled upon Zecora's "lawn" (If it could be called that); laden with masks tied to sticks and strange markings on the ground.
The group shared a look before Twilight cleared her throat.
"Uh, Zecora?"
The shutter on one of Zecora's windows popped open just an inch before slamming shut. The sound of something heavy being moved could be heard clearly from outside the hut before Zecora opened her door.
"Quickly, quickly! Come inside, less it see and take your hide!" she said as the group noted the urgency in her voice and quickly made their way into Zecora's home.
As Twilight brushed past Zecora, she noticed her eyes never acknowledged that the group was making their way past her. It was as if she was looking past them all, past even the forest. Searching for...Something...
After Rainbow Dash, the pony last in line, had made her way past Zecora, the zebra threw the door shut and proceeded to block it with a heavy bookshelf.
"Zecora, what's going on?" Twilight asked sternly.
"I cannot say, I do not know! I only pray it will not show!" Zecora whispered in terror as she rushed around her shack, checking to make sure shutters were shut, locked and then barricaded before huddling in the corner and shuddering.
"Zecora..." Twilight begged. "Please, we're looking for some missing ponies. Have you seen them?"
Zecora shook her head and let a tear drop from her muzzle. "There is no hope, leave the weak; it already has those you seek..."
"Zecora!" Twilight shouted, only to be tackled by the zebra as she covered her snout with her striped hoof.
"Keep it quiet and I will tell, how it came to be; this hell!" Zecora growled before lifting herself off of Twilight.
The group gathered around the zebra curiously as Applejack helped Twilight back onto her hooves.
Taking a deep breath, Zecora began...
---
---
---
"Its name nor species they've ever heard, let alone a chirping bird. It roams these dark, haunted wood to search for ponies that are good. It stares them down 'till they submit, and then...They're simply swallowed by it." Zecora whispered sadly.
"That makes no sense!" Rainbow Dash whispered in disbelief.
"Hush, Rainbow. Somethin's obviously got Zecora scared enough not tuh have been comin' intuh town for the last couple'o days." Applejack said in defense of the broken zebra mare.
"You should have stayed and kept your breath, for now there is no peace; only death." Zecora whispered, her eyes widening at some unseen force.
And then, a slow, raspy knock sounded at the door to Zecora's hut.