//------------------------------// // Chapter III // Story: The Bogey Pony // by Nightshade shadow kitty //------------------------------// Chapter 3 The heart began to seep an ink like fluid. Bones began to form, followed by organs, veins, and muscles. He felt burning, searing pain as his nerves and muscles were exposed to the air and water. He let out a silent scream of pain as his throat began to form. The grotesque form climbed out of the murky water, skin beginning to form. Glam surfaced. He was hungry... so very very hungry... he needed meat... to feel the warm flesh between his teeth. He began taking uneasy steps out of the swamp. He pushed his way through the thick underbrush and the muddy, murky swampland. There would be plenty of small creatures to feast on. His nostrils flared and he picked up the scent of something nearby. Something scurried past him only to be snapped up by his powerful jaws. He chewed the small rodent and swallowed, the meat and bones sliding down his throat. It would do for now... but he needed more... much more... he needed pony flesh... He realized something... he had no idea where he was, much less where the nearest settlement was. He growled in frustration, he needed to find some sign of civilization... only problem was... he had no clue what he was looking for. He had never been outside the lab before now. He simply chose a direction at random and began walking. The thick foliage didn’t seem to let up as he walked. Insects buzzed by his head but avoided him like the plague. They could tell he was no natural creature. He managed to catch a couple more rodents and devoured them. They didn’t fill him much but they would help stave off his hunger. He didn't care for the whiskers, or the little claws. They tickled going down his throat. But food was food, and he was hungry. He kept walking, he was still hungry, and cold, and wet, and tired. He would need to find shelter and rest. He found a hollowed out tree that was surprisingly dry. He could barely fit but her managed to get inside and curl up. He fell into an uneasy sleep. -In a town not far away- The Earth pony stallion kissed his daughter on the forehead. "Goodnight kiddo." The little Filly smiled at her father. "Goodnight Daddy." The filly yawned and snuggled into her pillow and drifted off to sleep. The stallion smiled and quietly left the room and closed the door. The stallion walked into his bedroom where his wife was waiting for him. They smiled at each other and he closed the door behind him. He climbed into bed with his wife and kissed her cheek. They bade each other goodnight. They blew out their candles and fell asleep. The filly woke up, she silently put on her cloak and picked up her lantern and sneaked out of her room and out of her house. She headed for the swamp where her friends were going to meet her. They were going to earn their cutie marks for sure this time. She reached the edge of the swamp, the ancient trees and moss loomed over her. Her friends were there waiting for her. A pegasus colt and a unicorn filly, each carrying lanterns and wearing cloaks. The Pegasus hopped about excitedly. "We’re gonna earn out cutie marks for sure this time!" The unicorn jumped up and down. "Yeah!" The Filly smiled wide. "Definitely! This is bound to get us our cutie marks!" They all cheered and rushed into the swamp.... and immediately got lost. They wandered around aimlessly, eventually getting separated. It began to rain, and the three foals were still seperated and still lost. The Filly was cold, afraid, and alone. She wandered aimlessly through the swamp. Every so often, an animal would scurry away, making her jump. She looked went into a gallop, trying desperatly to find a way out, but everything looked the same to her. Eventually she gave up on finding a way out and instead looked for somplace to get out of the rain. She soon came across a hollowed out tree that seemed dry and sheltered. She huddled inside. She shivered in the tree, soaked and cold. She shifted position and felt something... soft? A pair of red eyes peered down at her, a set of deadly jaws gleaming in the darkness. The Filly's eyes went wide and she screamed, quickly getting to her hooves and sprinting out of the tree. She ran, and ran, slipping occasionally from the mud. Her cloak occasionally getting cought in a tree branch or shrub, making it tear. She ran and ran and ran, her lungs begginging to burn, her little legs begining to ache, but no matter how fast she ran, she could hear its hoove steps behind her, getting closer. She tripped over a tree root and tumbled head over hoof and landed face first in the mud. She could feel hot breath on the back of her neck. She slowly turned to see Glam's deadly jaws open. And then, everything stopped. Glam tore into the filly's flesh hungrily, savoring the texture of her meat and the copperish taste of her blood. The remaining two had managed to find their way out of the forest. They had heard the filly's scream. They ran back home as fast as they could to get help.