//------------------------------//
// Warnings on the Trees 
// Story: FlitterCC-Mod's 30 Minute Ponies Stories 
// by FlitterCCmod 
//------------------------------//

Another year, another Nightmare Night. The Cutie mark Crusaders were dressed up as a pirate crew: Scootaloo had the captain's hat, Sweetie Belle had the first mate's cap, and Sweetie Belle had a mop to show her status as "swabbie (she'd gotten the shortest straw in the drawing). They were following Zecora wihth the other foals to the statue of Nightmare Moon, when Scootaloo suddenly wedged between the other two.
"Hey, wanna explore after dumping off our cady? We've already been to every house. We can play the games when we get back," Scootaloo suggested.
"Sure, where are we going to explore?" Applebloom asked. Scootaloo simply pointed to the forest.
"The Everfree Forest? Scootaloo, are you crazy? Remember what happened last time we went in there?" Sweetie asked, shocked. "The cockatrice, remember?"
"Oh, please, Fluttershy scared that thing off good," Scootaloo said.
"I don't know, Scootaloo..." Applebloom said, frowning.
"And I heard there was a massive stash of candy that Pinkie Pie hid in there, for fillies brave enough to find it," Scootaloo lied.
"The Everfree Forest it is!" the other two declared unanimously. "Cutie Mark Crusaders Candy-finders, yay!"
----------
In what was almost certainly a record, it took exactly 3 minutes for the fillies to find themselves lost in the dark forest. Applebloom was in the middle of berating Scootaloo, though, when Sweetie Belle found something. It was a message, scratched int the bark of a tree.
"Bun... avav?" Scootaloo read aloud. Her companions were as confused as she was.
"Oh! Oh! Maybe it's a really fancy language! You know, like Zecora's!" Sweetie guessed.
"Cool! Maybe she can translate it!" Scootaloo said, grinning.
"Except that we're lost, Scoot," Applebloom reminded.
"Oh, right," Scootaloo said, ears drooping. "Well, if we keep going forward, maybe we'll find a clue."
The others agreed, somewhat reluctantly, and the trio set off once more. They were careful not to deviate from the straight path, until they found a dozen scratched arrows all pointing to another message scratched into a tree.
"It... is... coming?" Scootaloo read.
"What is?" Sweetie asked, obviously unnerved. Such a foreboding message, in the Everfree of all places, did not do anything to ease her fears.
"How should I know?" Scootaloo asked. "Come on, let's just press forward. Obviously, somepony came this way before. We can't be too far from the edge of the forest."
With another reluctant agreement, the Crusaders delved deeper into the forest... or perhaps out of it? At this point, none of them knew. Finally, they reached a third message, this one scribbled into a rock with another, chalky stone beside it. This one was much more easily legible.
"Don't turn around," Applebloom read.
Six eyes went wide with fear at once. It was at this moment that they all heard a deep, throaty growl from behind them.
"Ok, girls... don't..." Applebloom gulped. "D-don't... turn around... just... walk... forward..."
"B-but... what is it? What's behind us, Applebloom?" Sweetie asked, as tears began to well up in her eyes.
"I don't know... but we're probably... better off... not finding out..." Applebloom said slowly. "Just take... a step... forward... no sudden moves..."
The Crusaders managed this tactic for less than ten seconds before Scootaloo freaked out and took off running. A green mist suddenly surrounded their area, and growls, cackles, and howls echoed from beyond it.
"Nightmare Night! What a fright! Here's some tasty fillies to bite!" came a loud, menacing voice.
A deep, large shadow appeared over them, cast by the moonlight from high above. It got closer, and closer, revealing it's horrible fangs as the group huddled together for safety from the creatures around them. Out of the shadows stepped... a zebra shaman, who laughed at them before dispelling her mist.
"Z-Zecora? Are you here to save us?" Applebloom stammered.
"From what threat? Right now, all the monsters are in bed," Zecora said. "Come, fillies, back to town. Your disappearance made the others frown."
The trio sighed with relief, and laughed with Zecora at her well-planned scheme. When they returned to town, they were, of course, grounded for three days for disappearing into the forest, but they didn't even care. They were just glad they were finally out of the frightful forest.