//------------------------------// // CHOICE // Story: Sweetie's Mansion // by Moon Shooter //------------------------------// Then Sweetie heard one sound just to the side of her ear, she felt the air and word echo inside of her ear. "Boo." There wasn't a scream, there was just a "NO!" as she whirled around and bolted in the opposite direction. She let go of the plane and left it to be torn apart by the darkness, or whatever creature found such pleasure in terrorizing her from it. She ran. She ran as far as her legs would carry her. She heard the laughter fading. She was sure she'd made the right decision. She ran. Six rolls of thunder. She ran. Seven rolls of thunder. She tripped, and fell onto her head and her horn. She coughed and wheezed from the ground, her lungs on fire. She felt a cut or two on her face from face planting with the ground, and perhaps a little blood at the base of her horn, but it thankfully wasn't anything too major. After a few minutes of coughing and deep breaths, she finally tried to get back up. She looked around with her flash light, and listened as hard as she could with her ears. The insane laughter has stopped. She sighed in relief. "That was... close." Sweetie sighed. Who knew what the thing- no things as Sweetie refused to believe there was only one of them- in the forest. They weren't any monsters she'd ever heard of. No, those things weren't normal, even by Everfree standards. Even by Ponyville standards. Whatever was in that thicket, laughing at her, was something she was sure was something that shouldn't exist. As Sweetie found herself getting used to the silence, she began to wonder if it even was there to begin with. She shook her head. "Did I... just imagine it?" She hadn't seen anything, only heard it. Perhaps the darkness was more insane driving than she thought. Still, she refused to go back in the direction she came. Maybe she should just start heading back this way so she could- "Tee hee!" Sweetie didn't even have the time to widen her eyes when she heard the latest instance of laughter. She didn't even have the time to look to the side as she saw a great glowing piece of slime slam into her from the side. She was flung against a tree- no. She wasn't just flung, she was stuck. Whatever had just hit her spread across her body and stuck her to the tree like a cocoon. "What the- ah!" Sweetie struggled to get free from the slimy substance she'd been encased in, but it was no use. The rubbery goo would not let her go as long as she struggled. She was trapped here. The laughter started up again, this time stronger than ever. "No no no no no no nononononononononononononononnononononononononononono!" A realization came to her. "Somepony! Anypony! HELP!" Just because the laughter had stopped didn't mean she'd escaped. Perhaps there wasn't even a way to escape to begin with. Sweetie began to sop fearfully. Struggling fruitlessly to get free. At this point however, for all she knew, she could have been running toward the entities that now had her encased. The chill was getting more and more intense as the laughter grew louder, almost to a deafening volume. It was raining now. Hard. She could barely see the light she had dropped when she was thrown anymore. "Tee hee hee hee hee!" That same laugh. The very same laugh she heard before she was nailed to this tree. "Tee hee hee hee hee hee!" What is it? It glowed, but she couldn't make out any features through the rain besides it's glow and it's freezing aura. Colder than the rain piercing her face and eyes. What is it? "Tee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee!" She felt it's icy (hoof? she couldn't tell for sure. It could have been a claw as such intense cold pierced her head) stroke her mane. She felt a smile- no a grin at her face. Was it satisfied? Was it enjoying Sweetie's suffering? What was going on in it's mind? What is it? Why is it's (hoof?) around her snout? What is it? Why is it opening her mouth? What is it? Eight roll of thunder. What is it? Why is it sticking it's (hoof?) in my mouth? What is it? Why do I feel so cold? What is it? What is it? What is it? What is it? What is it? GAME OVER [Try Again?]