//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Shaking Off the Cobwebs // Story: Nightmares // by GarnetRose //------------------------------// Chapter 1 "LOCKS!" Scarlet threw herself onto her haunches, sweat running down her forhead, her chest desperatly rising and falling. Her silver eyes scanned her surroundings while she wiped her head with a jittery hoof. Imminent danger ruled out, she calmed herself down with slow, deep breaths. A dark shade of forest green surrounded her, the wind from outside whistling an eerie lullaby. Her ears twitched every few seconds, desperate to pick up anything hanging just on the other end of those flimsy walls. They kept the cold out, but she still couldn't help feeling vulnerable. Understandable given her choice of locale. Her tent gave a gentle sway, and with another sigh, Scarlet plopped her head back down. A bit too hard, actually, immediately yelping when she felt the back of her noggin come in contact with the hard, wide branch she had chosen to settle down on for the night. A hollow knock forced a hiss threw her clenched teeth, and within moments, she was back up, rubbing the back of her head with another hoof. No way of getting back to sleep now. She reached forward, towards the gleaming zipper handle that sealed the tent from the forest. With her teeth, she pulled the flap down and took a quick peak outside: Nothing that she could immediately see from below, and the sky above was covered in Luna's bright stars and full moon. Were she back home in Canterlot, she'd have taken the time to appreciate the scenery. "Art in motion," she whispered. Now was not the time. She looked down. Her tent blended in well with the thick treetop she occupied, but the ground below was difficult to make out. The way the wind bent the shrubs and small foliage played with her eyes, fooling her into believing that creatures may be prowling down below. She muttered a brief prayer to the Princesses before looking to her sides. She was surrounded by trees on all sides, some reaching higher into the sky, others stopping just shy of a jump from where she was. Directly in front of the tree that served as her makeshift bed was a beaten path that stretched far towards the East, the other side of the road coated with wild trees that mirrored hers. Satisfied that she was relatively safe, Scarlet ducked back into her tent, letting her body shiver at the chilly wind before she shut herself in with a sharp zip. She scooted herself away from the entrance, pale moonlight leaking into her temporary bed from the treetops guiding her. Resting her back on the tree, she reached into a saddlebag stationed a hoof's reach away, pulling out a thick book. She rotated it until she could see the title on the front: Mythical Monsters of the East. She reached back into her bag, pulling out a small crystal. The tiny thing had a string running through it. With a grin, she tossed it over her head, letting it sag just above the tuft of fur on her chest. Nestled in, she flicked the crystal, causing it to illuminate the tent a gentle shade of yellow. She had to give it another tap of the hoof, the crystal flashing, clearly running on what little arcane energy it had left. Eager to continue reading, her mocha colored hooves spread the book apart, hoping it would take her mind off of the nightmare she was thrust out of. Scarlet occupied the next half hour studying the gift from her mother, eyeing every which kind of creature she could from the descriptions and photographs illustrated in the guide. She needed to know everything and anything she could possibly stumble across out here in the forest. She thanked the powers that be that she hadn't come into contact with any of them so far. She shrugged. It wasn't uncharted exactly, but very few ponies braved the trek through the Eastern section of Everfree without damn good reason. She shrugged, recalling her days back in Canterlot. Ponies who willed themselves through Everfree this far out only had a few real reasons to do so: Curiosity, steel nerves, or a damning urge to escape Equestria. Scarlet chuckled to herself- she couldn't necessarily be categorized in any of those groups. Her crystal sputtered again. It twinkled against the aging night. Then, in a brief, rapid series of frail blinks, it died out. Scarlet grumbled, grabbing the crystal in her hoof and yanking it off her neck, tossing it back into her bag. Charging it wouldn't be more than a nuisance if she was back home, but out here, she was blind in the night. She brushed some of her wavy pink mane out of her face before, carefully, resting her head against the tree trunk. Her idle thoughts didn't take long to trace back to the nightmare that woke her up. Isolation wasn't alien to her, but that didn't stop the earth pony from shifting her hooves about against the surface of her tent. Eventually, the night eased her, soothing the dull throb at the back of her head. Her head drooped, eyes following slothfully as she was pulled back into dreamland. ========== Scarlet's legs burned as she ran down the pristine, ivory sidewalk. Ponies all around her casually shuffled about their days, enjoying the gorgeous sunshine and the warmth it provided. Her world jumped around her. Perhaps she was moving fast. Perhaps everypony else was moving slow. She didn't care. In front of her stood a stale red building, one that most ponies without direct business with its occupants steered away from. It stood alone against the carpet-like grass around it, a single spiral that pierced the sky, elevated just a story or two higher than most buildings across the street from the lone structure. She saw them all standing there. Her friends from Canterlot. A large mare, her raven black mane completely engulfing much of her head and the back of her neck, slung just above the ground in wavy curves, not unlike Scarlet's. Her deep purple eyes clashed with her light brown coat, and her thick, massive wings were spread wide, the only cue from the stoic pegasus of her excitement. A light blue stallion, his crimson eyes intense. Short hair, black streaks running through it. She couldn't understand what he was saying, but she could see his soft smile, the simple sight flooding her with a familiar warmth that beat against her chest. Two other ponies stood right next to them, waving at her with smiles on their faces. Her father's bright, green eyes lit up at seeing her speeding towards them, his light black hair hanging off the side of his neck, his deep blue coat clashing against the color of his wife's. Her bouncing, familiar pink mane flowed freely, her magenta eyes sparkled with life as her hoof frantically coaxed Scarlet closer. Scarlet didn't hesitate, she practically threw herself at them, eager to slam into them with her hooves wide open, ready to give them all a great, big hug. A fifth pony slowly walked in from behind her entourage, and within just a few moments, all of Scarlet's attention was sucked into her heavy, black coat. Into those sharp, orange eyes. Her horn glistening with an equally colorful aura. With a whip of her head, her orange, straight mane swinging just behind her movement, she released a spell that coated the area around the eager mocha-colored mare. Scarlet stumbled, tumbling over and meeting the concrete with her face. She flinched, expecting a sharp pain, but instead, her head sunk into the ground. An intense chill swept over her, tempting her eyes open. She shivered, looking down, finding nothing but snowfall blanketing the area. She let out a sneeze, sending flakes into the air in front of the black mare approaching from the other end. The scenery changed. They were no longer in front of that lonely building. They were in an alley. A wide alley, one surrounded with buildings on either side of the pair. Snow continued to fall, and with another swing of her horn, the ebony pony changed day into night, a feat that simply seemed impossible for one of her small size. Scarlet looked back at her friends and family. One by one, they started to disappear. First, her father. With a somber look at his daughter, he turned and walked away, fading into the night. Next, her blue colt friend. Mimicking her father, he vanished without making a move. The titanic pegasus followed. With a violent snort, she jumped into the sky, disappearing from view. Her mother stood there, watching her, bags growing underneath her eyes. She didn't vanish. She stood there, watching as the black mare approached. A black hoof lifted her from below her chin. Her attention was right back on the black mare. "Scarlet," a soft, shaky voice came from the pony's mouth. "I'm sorry." Scarlet's ears folded back. She looked into those orange eyes. Within them, she saw a reflection of herself. She was so different. She looked like another pony. A familiar face that she couldn't shake. Her mane was as red as her name, and just as messy and unkempt. Her coat was a pathetic gray, as if all the color was sucked completely out of it. A dull, deaf, lifeless gray. Her eyes mirrored the sentiment, and, had they shown as bright as they do now, they'd resemble her father's. "Who...?" She looked at the orange maned mare. The mare moved her lips, but nothing came out. Scarlet panicked. Despite being unable to hear what she had said, her body reacted. She froze in the snow. In that moment, she collapsed. Her vision faded to black, her body welcoming the bitter sting of winter that covered her body. Suddenly, a cry pierced the darkness, a sharp, shrill thing that absolutely rattled her to the bone. ========== "AHH!" Scarlet lurched forward. She gasped for air, choking it down. She looked over to her saddlebag, pulling a small canteen of water from it and downing a hefty gulp. She leaned back quickly, splashing her face with another helping. Shaking her face, she blinked hard, brief images from that dream still poisoning her thoughts. "Damn it," she cursed under her breath. "Two for two. Tonight's a bad night." She looked through the walls of her tent. The moon still hung high in the sky. Scarlet was lucky she did. Something caught her attention in the corner of her eye. She turned to the opposite end of her tent, spotting something that clearly shifted. A silhouette of what appeared to be a claw of tree branches hung from outside her tent. They rattled with the shrill breeze outside, almost convincing the pink haired mare. "There wasn't a tree branch there when I looked outside earlier," she peeped with a hard gulp. She slowly stood up on all fours, not wanting to alert the rattling branch outside. It hung lower, right at the entrance to her tent. Another breeze blew by, and as Scarlet loaded her saddlebags with her supplies, she kept her eyes glued to the shadow. It was sinking, slowly, carefully, methodically. She refused to blink her eyes simultaneously, fearing what it may be. Having loaded her equipment, she placed a small helmet on her head, the bags resting snug on her sides. Patiently, she waited, watching as the shadow crept lower. Lower. Legs. Not branches. Long, slender legs. Thin in comparison to most creatures. It sagged lower to reveal a disc shaped body. It was almost as large as she was. More legs appeared with it. Four hung from the top. Four continued to rattle. Then, the creature stopped altogether. It jumped. At the tent. It's body slapped against the sealed entrance with a loud plop, it's eight legs stretched wide. It screamed. It screamed. Scarlet gasped, throwing herself against the tree trunk. It was shrill, forcing her ears against her head in pain. She had to get out of here. The spider blocked her exit. It was the only way out. The spider screamed again. It rattled her mind mercilessly. Without a second thought, she jumped towards the silhouette, quickly spinning on her forelegs, loading her hinds in, then springing them out, bucking the large creature. The beast let out a painful scream, it's bottom four legs dropping their grip on the tent. It sagged against the tent, still gripping it with it's upper legs, but no longer suspending itself against gravity. The tent lurched. "No." It tilted further forward. "Nooo..!" The creature fell out of sight, no more than a single moment of relief filling the young mare before she felt her entire tent fall down with it. Her scream was trapped in her throat as she braced for impact. The tent tumbled, bouncing against several stray branches before making a clean drop to the ground below. She felt gravity pull her down for what felt like an eternity, but, inevitably, she hit the ground with a deafening crunch. Another high pitched cry pierced the deadly night from right underneath her body. She could feel it through the walls of her tent, scrambling underneath her before coming to a complete halt. Creeped, she quickly jumped to her hooves, running into the wall to spin the tent around. Shaking and trembling, and also shocked that she stole herself from death's door with only a minor scratch on her body, she unzipped the flap and sprung from the tent. She was a curious mare, turning around to look upon her assailant. It was tough to see since the light was blocked out by the crowded trees, but she could barely make out several of its legs, spread out and curled inward at the ends. It's body was round, and far thicker and larger than its shadow had illustrated. A large abdomen pulsed, a large, glistening string hanging from one end. Webbing glittered and pulsed with a strange blue aura. If the web didn't perplex her, then the bright, glowing star on its back would've done so. It shined bright against the sky, and, had it been hanging above her, she would be unable to distinguish it from the stars in the sky. "That's not a spider I've ever seen,' she straightened her saddlebag and dug her hooves into the ground. "I can't even tell what kind of web th-" The color in her face drained when she heard a familiar sound. A shriek that destroyed the gentle evening. Sounds. Another one. And another. A chorus. Scarlet uttered a prayer under her breath, then tore off running to the East, the sounds of skittering beasts rustling all around her. ========== "Oh god!" She panted, "Damn it!" Her hooves trampled against the ground. She looked to her left. She saw another one of those eight legged freaks scurrying against the trees, almost keeping up with her. It quickly jumped from one to another, before landing on the ground and giving chase, a large swarm right behind it. Her ears fixated on the sound of rushing water ahead. She gulped, thoughts of being devoured by dozens of spiders urging her forward. Of their little, or big fangs gouging her from the inside out. Or nibbling on her until there was nothing left. "I can't tell which is worse!" She pushed on, skidding to a stop only when the path curved against a cliff. Her heart sank. A roaring river was definitely ahead. The rapids splashing violently against the edge of the coast... about three stories down. She turned back around. She eyes widened. It was far more than a dozen. Two dozen. Arguably three. Some larger than the one she smashed. Many smaller, but that only made thoughts of them running through her mane all the more prominent in her mind, her coat rising on edge at the single thought. "Nope." She didn't hesitate to jump backwards, leaving a group of hissing spiders to overlook the cliff as she fell. A sharp pain swept through her from one of her hind legs before she slammed into the water with a heavy splash. She felt the sting of cold water stab against her skin, followed by the deafening rush that completely enveloped the helpless mare. She gasped at the sensation underwater, choking on water that invaded her lungs. She crazily kicked to the surface, tumbling all of the way. Her head breached the rapids, heaving and coughing as they carried her downstream. She kicked and paddled against the current, looking for a way to pull herself to shore, a spare hoof gripping to her drenched saddlebag drowning underwater. She saw stars darting about against the trees at the edges of the river. Shooting stars. Scarlet made sure to back away from the coast. The roaring water picked up speed, making it difficult for her already worn body to keep itself afloat. From the river, the moon clearly shined down upon it, giving her just enough sight to notice that the rapids appeared to stop moments up ahead. She could see distant landscapes of the forest on either side. The tops of trees down below the cutoff of the river... Scarlet would've cursed again if water hadn't rushed into her mouth at the last second. Without mercy, the river spit her over the waterfall, sending her towards oblivion. Her eyes were as wide as saucers, seeing everything down below. Her saddlebags, finally free of the hoof that held them, drifted away, coming loose just at the crest of her fall. She held her breath. Maybe, just maybe, if her bones didn't get completely shattered upon landing on the water's surface, or against the jagged rocks most likely nestled at the bottom of the drop, she'd have enough strength to climb to shore and be devoured by whatever kind of glowing monstrosity that had chased her so far. The air was punched out of her chest when she felt a thick, heavy body slam into her midsection. Her breath came out as a gasp, or a wheeze, before it wrapped around her and pulled her back into the waterfall. Everything went black, but she could still feel her body being yanked further, far beyond where the cliff's wall would've been. The coil let go, forcing her to bounce violently against the rocky ground with a heavy, wet slap. Her helmet came flying off. She took in another sharp breath of air. "I'm alive?" She started to chuckle. "Sweet Celestia I'm alive..." Her laughter dropped a notch down to a giggle, then a snicker, before Scarlet's body just gave out, giving herself to whatever had saved her from a watery grave.