//------------------------------//
// The Encounter 
// Story: You Don't Scare Me 
// by Evening Storm 
//------------------------------//

	It was a beautiful and bright night throughout all of Equestria, although no pony would notice inside the Everfree Forest.

Inside this forbidden forest there was a lone pegasus mare. Her name was Rising Dawn. She had a pearl coat ,and her mane was bright sunshine gold with snow white streaks running through it. With her she had saddlebags filled with special herbs, roots, fruit, and flowers in order to make special medicines for the hospitals around Equestria.

Rising Dawn was smiling as she walked through the Everfree. Her bright mane would catch and reflect the light of the moon that would occasionally shine through the thick foliage of the trees.

After a few moments she felt a pony watching her. She turned around quickly to see who was following her but saw only trees. It wasn't that she was scared of being followed. It was that she was curious who it could be. Dawn wasn't easily frightened. In fact she finds herself to be fearless. This is why she walked rather than flew home. As she walked, a cold chill ran up her spine as the feeling crept up on her. She turned again only to find nothing in the deep foliage.

This time, however, she walked forward to investigate. She searched the area finding nothing once more. Content with this she continued her trek back home, only to feel , for the third time, the feeling of stares.Dawn ignored it for awhile, making good progress until she just couldn't stop herself. She turned, expecting to find nothing, but this time she turned to see a pony staring at her, far away from behind a tree.

To Dawn this pony seemed very pale, like he was sick. Rather than angry at this pony Dawn grew concerned. She called to him.

"Hello, sir? Are you alright? Do you need any help?"

The stallion did not answer her. He only stared at her from behind the tree.

Dawn moved towards the pony, slowly coming to him to be sure he was ok. As she approached, however, she found a very horrific sight. This 'pony' wasn't staring. He couldn't stare. He had no eyes. He didn't answer her because, again, he couldn't. He didn't have a mouth either! As far as she could tell, this disturbing pony didn't even have a nose on his muzzle. This 'no-face pony' was wearing a luxurious tuxedo over his, newly realized, bone white fur. Getting closer Dawn saw this pony had no mane. He was bare except for his fur and suit.

Dawn stopped advancing and stared at the empty 'face' of the earth pony stallion before her. She couldn't take her eyes off of him. She wouldn't even blink.

"Who are you," Dawn asked. She waited a moment before adding, "What are you?"

The pale stallion just 'looked' at her, unmoving.

She became rather dizzy. Her vision became slightly fuzzy and she lost her focus slightly. Unable to prevent it any longer, Dawn blunk. In the fraction of a second it took her to blink, this... creature moved. it actually moved several feet around the thick trunk of his tree. Now he stood in front, rather than behind, the tree. He was still staring at Dawn.

Dawn was admittedly a bit creeped out by this thing watching her. It was only a few yards from her now. What should she do? Turn and run? Stand and fight? Dawn wasn't a fast runner or a good fighter, but what else could she do? That's it! This thing is an earth pony. it cant fly. But she can.

Dawn spread her pearl wings and flew up to get away. When she looked down, the mysterious pony was standing where she was just a moment before. For the first time she could remember, Dawn was scared. She felt the bitter cold of fear grow in her chest.

Dawn was about to clear the tree canopy and into the moon lit sky, but at the last second something like a black whip appeared beside her. It seemed to be alive. She looked at it, horrified. She could do nothing as it wrapped around one of her wings. It caused her to falter in her flying up, although she was wobbling left and right, she stayed suspended in the air, just a few feet from the beautiful and safe sky. Another whip flew at her and wrapped around her other wing, and a third around her waist. It was here she realized something. The whips were freezing. They felt so cold they burned. It was so painful just touching them, she felt like she was going to scream. And she did.

Dawn screamed at the top of her lungs.She screamed herself hoarse. She was in so much pain. She looked down and was able to muster one more scream.

The creature under her had grabbed her, not with whips, but tentacles! They came from his back, through his suit. He looked up at Dawn with his faceless stare. She watched him. They stared at each other for several minutes. Soon he started to pull Dawn down. All she could do was wimper, because her throat was already damaged from her screaming before. The decent was slow. So very painfully slow. Every time she would blink the pony below got ever closer.

So this was it. This is how she would die. At the hooves of a monster, in a dark forest at least a mile in. No pony would ever find her. Her family would always wonder what happened. This thing would make sure it will never be discovered.

She thought back to just the other day. It was her 25th birthday. Her friends and family threw her a surprise party. At least it was supposed to be a surprise. Her coltfriend is terrible at keeping secrets. She giggled inwardly at the memory before looking down at the thing below her. It hadn't moved at all except for the tentacles dragging her down.

This was it and she was okay with that. She closed her eyes and got one last look at her coltfriend as she awaited the end.

"I love you."