9: Into the Unknown
////
Chapter 9-Into the Unknown
////
Nyx’s glasses reflected the light of the morning Eidolonian sun as she rummaged through her bag, making sure she had everything she would need for the journey ahead. She awoke at the crack of dawn and spent that time between then and now gathering supplies for the road. To her side, Toby was doing the same, stuffing several fruits and medical bags into the pouch he carried with him. Nyx couldn’t help but gawk at him as he did so, wondering how he could fit so much stuff into such a tiny bag.
They stood in the garden of the palace’s outer court, the hot desert breeze blowing gently against their faces. A few guards stood to the sidelines, watching them, keeping to their posts as hard and disciplined warriors. They had come to both Nyx and Toby’s room a few hours before, escorting them to wherever they needed to go to gather what was needed.
Nyx lifted her glasses off the bridge of her muzzle, rubbing her eyes to take away the weight on her eyelids. While she was thankful that the sleep she had gotten the night before had been free of nightmares, she didn’t feel refreshed. It was as if the rest she had gotten hadn’t done anything at all. Nyx rolled her shoulders, popping a few loose joints as her wings flared a little.
I suppose it could have been worse, she mused, pausing to check over a compass before placing it into the bag. Her sleeping habits weren’t what mattered right now. She needed to get this ‘Phantasm’, defeat a supervillain, and save the dream realm. She felt like Daring Do on one of her many adventures. For anyone else, the situation would have been a little overwhelming, but Nyx was focused. She had been gone too long from home, so the sooner she got this done, the better.
Still, she couldn’t help but feel anxious. She wondered if this was how her mother felt before going off on her adventures, fighting evil with her friends to defend Equestria. Sure, Nyx didn’t have the girls to help her, but at least Toby was a good substitute. She spared a glance to where the toad stood, raising her brow casually as she watched him stuff several long poles into the purse, comically falling in as if the tiny bag were a bottomless pit.
“How do you do that?” Nyx spoke up suddenly, leaning against her saddlebags as she drew his attention.
“I’m sorry, milady?” Toby lifted his eyes to look at her, stuffing a bottle of golden liquid into the purse.
Nyx pointed to the bag, just as he placed another bottle in. “That. How are you able to get so much junk into that bag?” She frowned, put off at how casually he used it as if nothing was wrong.
Toby shrugged his shoulders. “Well, why shouldn’t I be able to fit everything I need in here? Isn’t that what a bag is for?”
Nyx groaned, shaking her head before looking him in the eye. “Not what I meant. Does it have some sort of spell on it?” she asked, hoping that she could learn how to replicate the function for her own use when she returned to Equestria.
“No, it just does what I need it to,” Toby said matter-of-factly, earning a bemused look from the mare.
Nyx would have inquired further, however, she was pulled from her thoughts as the doors to the palace opened, Emperor Kadhaab stepping out into the court chaperoned by two guards. His clothes were more practical than the day before, yet still held a sense of nobility that gave off the message that he was indeed important.
Kadhaab smiled indulgently, making his way toward the two. “Ah, I see the both of you have awoken early to prepare for your travels, yes?”
“Yes, my lord. Good to get everything tiptop before getting underway,” Toby spoke up, bowing his head in respect to his ruler.
The emperor nodded to Toby, watching humorously as the toad rose up and started shoving a whole tent into his bag. “As you should, the journey to the forest should take half the day.”
Nyx looked up at him and smiled, waving him over to talk with her. As he drew closer Nyx noted how his clothing looked travel-worthy, thick garments held together by a strong leather belt around his waist.
“You dressed up. Are you coming with us?” Nyx asked, levitating her bags onto her back as he nodded.
“Partially. Though I cannot travel to the castle, I saw it fit to see you to the Nightmare Forest myself.” He looked down sadly for a moment, wishing he could do more.
“Where is the forest, anyway?” Nyx asked, her eyes reflecting the morning sun. Kadhaab immediately perked up to her question.
“In any direction you wish it to be,” Kadhaab said simply, smiling at the mare as she gave him a skeptical look.
“It doesn’t really matter, does it? There’s nothing but desert.” Nyx frowned as she leaned against her bag. She remembered when she first arrived in the city the day before, and the woodland had disappeared leaving nothing but sand dunes and mountains.
“Perhaps you would like to look again?” he suggested, gesturing for her to come forward as he led her to the overlook of his kingdom. Nyx looked at him curiously as she followed, the emperor leading her up the staircase to the watchtower of the palace. As they made it to the top Nyx squinted at the blaring sun, her vision adjusting to see what Kadhaab wanted to show her.
“Wow…” Nyx exclaimed, looking out onto the empire in wonder. To the four corners of the earth rested worlds with seasons all to themselves. The north was the coldest, blanketed by snowy forests and icy mountains. The south was the polar opposite, long, grassy fields that rolled down into a long sandy beach battered by a churning sea. Pulling her gaze from the waves she turned to the east and west, her mouth agape as she took in the duality of warm and cool colors.
The east was the avatar of spring, and as such was covered in blossoming trees bearing their first fruits. Further on meadows filled with flowers, blues, violets, and softer shades of red breaking apart the endless ocean of green. Its sister was just as stunning. Just as the sun would fall to its horizon, the west was filled with the warm spectrum of autumn. Fields of corn and apple trees mixed with trees of orange, yellow, and brown.
“Four seasons for the four paths to choose from.” Kadhaab chuckled, gazing to the east. “I personally enjoy spring. New beginnings. But the choice is yours to make, so…”
“Which way will it be?” he whispered in her ear.
Nyx took a moment to ponder this, looking back and forth between the four seasons. The north was out of the question, the cold, lifeless setting making her feel depressed. The south and east, on the other hand, were obvious choices, promising warm weather. But as she pondered this, her gaze slowly shifted toward the west, and she felt a warmth grow deep inside her. It was no secret to anyone who knew Nyx that she was a sucker for the fall, sighing longingly as she thought of Ponyville’s Running of the Leaves, and the fun she had had on Nightmare Night with her friends. She smiled nostalgically to her thoughts, her expression softening at memories washing over her mind.
“There,” she said, pointing to the western horizon, “I want to go there.” Kadhaab smiled as he turned, heading back down the stairs to have the servants fetch a coach.
“Excellent.”
The morning sun rose over the marigold trees obscured by faded grey clouds, a faint chill falling upon the western road as the carriage delivered the three travelers to their destination. An Abyssinian sat in the driver’s seat, commanding the oxen beasts that pulled the coach. Toby sat near the front, talking with the driver while Nyx and the emperor sat in the back by themselves, taking in the scenery. Or at least, Nyx was, Kadhaab’s focus resting on her.
Nyx sat silently in the back of the carriage, watching the fields of straw and stover go by. The road was muddy, likely due to a downpour of rain the night before. Faded white fences lined the sides of the road, separating it from the pumpkin patches stretching across the land. Farmers tended to the harvests with shears and scythes, bundling the corn and wheat while binding the tares to be burned. She could see in the distance barns that were used to store the work day’s toil, and she smiled. It reminded her of Sweet Apple Arches and the Equestrian countryside, down to earth places she had grown to love.
As she smiled warmly at the scene, she failed to notice the smile on the emperor’s face. Kadhaab couldn’t help but admire her pleasure in such small things, having perceived what had stolen her attention. Yet, as the wind caught in her mane allowing it to flow freely, there was something else behind his eyes. As the carriage pulled around the bend, he shifted over to the other side where she sat, placing himself right next to the mare.
“I want to thank you again for agreeing to help my people,” Kadhaab started, leaning into Nyx’s ear so the words they exchanged would be in private. “You do not know what this means to me.”
“I have somewhat of an idea,” she smiled softly at him, casting her eyes to the farmers tending the fields, “I just want to get this over with as soon as possible.”
The emperor nodded. “I am aware. You needn’t worry. Soon you’ll be back home ruling over your subjects,” he reassured her, the mare looking at him with an eyebrow raised.
“What?” Nyx asked, caught on his choice of words.
“Your subjects. You are an alicorn, a princess, and one of age as well,” he elaborated, earning a look of realization from Nyx.
“Oh no, I’m just a filly,” Nyx waved his assumption away, blushing a little at the thought. Kadhaab smiled at her, oblivious to what she was actually saying, misunderstanding what she meant.
“You think too little of yourself,” Kadhaab smirked, nudging her shoulder playfully. Nyx, however, shook her head, seeing that she needed to explain herself.
“No, I mean I’m a kid. I don’t know why I’m all grown up here,” she said, pointing to her body to emphasize her point. She expected Kadhaab to react with a look of surprise, but he only shrugged his shoulders, gazing at her knowingly.
“Perhaps this world is only showing you your true self?” he suggested, a smile spread over his lips.
Nyx scoffed, brushing a loose hair from her eye, “If my ‘true self’ is being a ruler then I don’t want it,” she stated, turning away.
“You do not wish for that responsibility?” he asked, genuinely surprised.
Nyx frowned, looking away. “No. I hated being a ruler, and I hated being her,” she spoke that last word with a hint of venom, thinking of all the ways that monster had made her life miserable.
“Nightmare Moon was a bad start, but not who you wish to be,” Kadhaab argued, leaning back as he pondered all that his position gave him. “But to be older, with no one to tell you what to do. The master of your own destiny, not to mention the power. Did that not make it more appealing?”
Nyx snorted in laughter, finding the idea rather ironic. “Being Nightmare Moon was nothing but being told what to do. As for power?” The mare shook her head, lowering her voice to a whisper as she recalled those weeks playing the part. “What I did was wrong. I didn’t use it responsibly, and ponies got hurt. My friends got hurt, and I did that to them, just because I was told that was what I was meant to do.”
Kadhaab tilted his head, his eyes reading her expression to find the feelings locked behind them, “And what would you do with it now?”
“What, like a do-over?” Nyx asked, her eyes drifting as she thought about, replaying the question in her head. “All those ponies who got hurt because of everything that happened, and I could just change everything so they don’t hate me anymore?” She fancied over the idea with a smile, thinking of the peace that she could have, and the kindness that would be shared with her.
Then her eyes fell, a sad, tired expression falling upon her face. “Yeah… I wish.”
Kadhaab watched this as the carriage became silent, the only sound rising from the wheels as the oxen pulled them on the uneven road.
“We’re here,” Kadhaab said.
Nyx perked up, lifting her head to look to the front of the carriage. They crossed over a cobblestone bridge that arched over the waters of a shallow creek. On the other side, the muddy ground was broken by rain puddles and patches of dying grass, growing up against lonely rocks. On the edge of the forest, a large column of stone rose into an arching tor, sinking into the canopy of skeleton trees. What gave her a pause, however, was the towering statue carved into its base.
The group stepped out of the carriage, moving forward to look up at the statue. Vines grew to choke the stone body, while dead leaves clung to the features of a mare in a dark cloak that concealed her body. Cracked with age, the stone mare looked upon them sadly, the collected water in her crown leaking down the cracks to her eyes, making it appear as though she were crying. Nyx looked upon the maiden thoughtfully, soon giving her attention back to the forest entrance.
The Silva Metu, that was what Kadhaab had called it the night before. Translated from old Equestrian it literally meant the Forest of Terror. Simply looking upon it sent a chill up her spine. The air around its path felt overwhelmed with death, and the trees reflected this with their gnarled and twisted forms. Nyx felt her nerves coming on again. She wanted to be brave, to stand up to the darkness with her head held high like the valiant knights of old. But as she looked into the dark chasm of the forest entrance, she felt as though she were sinking.
“Are you okay?” Kadhaab asked, resting his hoof on Nyx’s shoulder.
“Yeah, just a little nervous,” Nyx admitted, looking anxiously to the forest entrance. The emperor saw this and thought for a moment, reaching into his cloak to fetch something around his waist.
“Here, I want you to have this,” he said as he pulled out a dagger, hooked inside a holster and belt. Nyx’s eyes widened at the sight of the weapon, quickly raising her hooves up to decline the gift.
“Oh no, I--!” Nyx started, only to be silenced as Kadhaab placed a hoof to her mouth.
“Take it, you’ll need it. The forest has become dangerous under the Dark’s corruption.” He pushed the dagger into her hooves, chuckling as he looked upon it. “Besides, what’s talking gonna do in a fight?”
Nyx opened her mouth to protest but closed it as she thought about what he had said, looking down to the weapon. A ceremonial dagger with gold melded into the silver hilt in a criss-cross design, adorned with a tiny red gemstone that rested on the guard. Nyx pulled the dagger from its holster, observing the curved blade held within. It was extremely sharp, there was no mistaking that, Nyx wincing as she felt as if she would be cut just by looking at it. Nyx took a moment to ponder over it, the implication of what she would use it for entering her mind. Realizing that he was right, she let out a defeated sigh, placing the dagger back into the holster.
“Thank you,” she said solemnly, leaning down to hook the belt to her waist. She admired for a moment how the dagger rested on her hindleg as she wrapped the thigh strap on herself, standing up to see if it felt right.
“Come along, milady. The Dark shan’t defeat itself!” Toby called over his shoulder, already heading into the forest. Nyx looked up at him and sighed, giving one final glance to Kadhaab, the emperor giving her a nod of reassurance.
Nyx took the first step, closing the distance between herself and Toby, walking together into the unknown. Kadhaab smiled as they disappeared into the darkness, a low chuckle escaping his lips, his eyes glowing a crimson red.
The road beneath the forest canopy grew dark as Nyx and Toby traversed deeper into the black, choking the light that once shined on them. What little light they had was unnatural, an eerie grey that illuminated the fading mist that clung to the ground. The trees were gnarled and diseased, twisting around the path like broken bodies while their branches held the silhouettes of creatures staring down upon them. A peaceful ambiance echoed through the foliage to whisper into their ears, the calls of tree frogs, crickets, and the hooting of an owl piercing the dark.
Even still, Nyx felt tense, her horn flickering nervously as she lit the path before them. She didn’t like this forest at all, not one bit. All the danger alarms were sounding off inside her head, telling her this was a stupid idea and that they should turn around. But she pressed on anyway, ignoring her instincts to focus instead on why she was doing this. She could go home afterward, sure, but what was more important was that the people of Eidolon were depending on her. Whatever the Dark was, they were all scared of it, and if left on its own it would consume this land. She couldn’t allow that, not when she could do something to stop it.
Only, she didn’t quite know what she was going to do, and that unnerved her. She was dealing with some kind of spirit, after all, and she had the feeling that she was dealing with something a little out of her league. She couldn’t imagine how Twilight dealt with it, facing off beings like Discord, Tirek, and King Sombra was something that practically constituted as her mother’s profession. But her? She was just a filly in a grownup’s body playing around with magic she didn’t truly understand, even as it came naturally to her. Even the simple light spell she was using to show the way felt alien to her, and somehow she was supposed to fight a supervillain.
The two travelers made their way over the hulking root of a tree, their legs passing over the moss-covered wood that hung high in the air above the forest floor. Before long they made it to a branch in the road, the path breaking off in several directions that were impossible to tell where they led. Nyx sighed, looking up. A tiny bit of sunlight fell upon the spot they stood, revealing the sky they had left behind. A large, overhanging branch stretched above their heads, and as she looked upon it, she smiled a little. To see a bit of color painted on the last few leaves it had left to shed brought warmth to her heart, the faint orange reflecting in her eyes as she focused on it.
“Toby, could you hand me the map?” Nyx asked, setting her bags down as she took a moment to rest her legs.
“Certainly, milady.” Toby bowed, reaching into his purse to dig into its contents. After a few moments, he pulled out a handful of parchments, carefully glancing through them to try to find the right one.
“Ah, is this? No, hold on,” he thought aloud, softly muttering to himself as he flipped the papers from left to right, up and down, cracking his back as he stood on his hind legs, stretching before his expression lit up like a Hearth’s Warming tree. “Ah! Here it is!” he said, handing a faded yellow scroll to her.
“Thanks.” Nyx took the scroll with her hoof and rolled it out, her eyes darting around the page before her nose scrunched up in confusion. “Uhh, Toby, why is the map blank?”
“That’s how it’s always been,” Toby answered matter-of-factly, Nyx shooting him a look that screamed panic.
“You said this would lead us to the castle!” she shouted, pointing an accusing hoof toward the blank parchment held in her hooves.
“It will! It’ll just point you in the direction your heart tells you is the right way,” Toby reassured, doing nothing to alleviate the tension rising as Nyx shook.
“That’s not how a map works!” she said through clenched teeth, desperately trying not to start screaming
“Why not?” Toby asked, looking genuinely confused.
Nyx glared at him with a look between panicked and livid, the toad croaking nervously as he shrugged his shoulders, offering her a crooked smile.
“Just trust me, I’m sure you have a wonderful sense of direction!” he complimented her, hoping to get out from under her critical gaze.
Nyx’s shoulders lowered, giving him a dead look. Why me? She whined to herself, her eyes shifting down the parchment in her hooves as she let out a sigh, glancing toward the different paths. All of them were hung in shadow, hiding what they might hold inside. She felt heavy in the pit of her stomach. None of them felt right to her, yet as she considered, perhaps one...
“We’ll go this way then,” she said with a huff, rolling up the ‘map’ and shoving it into her bag, not caring if it got crumpled or not.
“Is that where your heart is telling you to go?” Toby asked, hopping beside her with a knowing smile on his face, balancing five bouncing scrolls in his arm.
“I don’t know about my heart, but my eyes are telling me it's not as dark,” she smirked, feeling her frustrations fading away as she moved forward, her silhouette merging into the black, “and that’s good enough for me.”
Toby watched her disappear and shrugged, hastily hopping after her. The two wanderers shuffled through the shadows as the path became tighter, forcing them to stand with their sides pressed against each other. Though the lighter of the paths, the darkness surrounding them was thick, forcing Nyx to brighten her spell. When she did, it revealed the twisted husks of the dying trees rising around them.
What was so wrong about the trees was that they all held some disturbed and deformed expression, appearing as though they contained the souls of travelers who had lost themselves to the woods. It was made worse by the blowing wind, which whistled through the branches to create a mournful wail.
Nyx shuddered a little at their twisted features, her eyes darting between the different malformed faces etched into their bark. She clenched her necklace for a moment, counting to ten, letting herself imagine that her friends were there with her. It was a comforting thought to have, though she longed to be reunited with the real thing.
“Are you alright, milady?” Toby asked, tugging at her leg. Nyx blinked, regaining her senses as she nodded her head, wiping her nose and eyes that had become watery.
“Yeah, I… yeah,” Nyx breathed, taking off her glasses for a moment so she could better focus her vision. Toby immediately focused on her glowing orbs, shining in the darkness as the irises relaxed into almost perfect circles.
“Why do you wear those?” Toby asked, a frown on his face as he observed how her irises changed to appear as a normal pony’s would, replacing their cat-like appearance.
Nyx stared at him for a moment, considering to just lie about them. She could easily make up a story and say that she couldn’t see well because of the way her eyes were, and the enchantments put on the glasses made them function like any regular pony’s. But something in the way he looked at her, reading her for any deception she might try to give, made the lie die on her tongue. Instead, she relented, speaking the simple truth, “So I can be normal.”
“Normal? What is normal?” Toby scoffed, hopping up onto a stone on the side of the road, standing up into a bipedal position as he spoke as if he were dictating to her, “Do toads in your Equestria talk or wear fezzes? Do they read books with their fancy monocle? I suspect not! I fancy that I would be an odd one indeed where you come from!” He let out a loud ribbit, forcing Nyx to giggle despite herself.
“It’s not the same. Nopony would be afraid of you.” Nyx sighed before her ear twitched, her head turning to look into the black of the forest.
Toby snorted. “Why should they be afraid of you? Why--?”
“Quiet!” she said suddenly, her eyes darting around.
Toby frowned at being so rudely interrupted, “I will not--!”
“Quiet!” Nyx snapped sharply, putting her hoof to his mouth as her ears suddenly darted forward, her eyes shrinking into sharp slits as she froze and whispered, “Listen.”
Toby stared at her intensely, indulging her to see what had gotten her so worked up. He was answered as a voice was carried to them upon the wind, crooked and weak as it spoke to them.
“I know an old woman who lived in a shoe...”
Nyx and Toby froze, listening as the voice whispered into their ears. They scanned their surroundings, looking for where it was coming from. Then, they noticed a flicker of light coming from off the path, glowing between the skeleton trees of the forest. Toby and Nyx looked at each other, deciding to venture off the road to investigate.
The two wandered into the brush, careful where they stepped so they made as little noise as possible. As they made their way through the trees, the light grew brighter, revealing a row of jack-o-lanterns marking the entrance to a gated crop, long abandoned and falling into decay. They both stood in confusion at the sight, the lanterns’ twisted smiles meeting the two as the light reflected in their faces. The expressions on Nyx and Toby’s face formed into looks of shock as their eyes rose to the form of a scarecrow, hanging on a cross in the center of the crop.
“...had so many children she knew not what to do...”
“Is that scarecrow… rhyming?” Nyx whispered, narrowing her eyes in confusion. Indeed, the scarecrow was reciting an old nursery rhyme, rolling its shoulders dramatically as it uttered the words. Several crows perched upon the cross it was hung on, pecking at the bound arms to get at the dry straws beneath. Nyx watched this with growing interest, slowly looking around as a thought entered her mind. The mare bit her lip as she decided on what to do, slowly inching forward into the crop.
“Milady?” Toby looked up at her, a nervous expression spread over his face. Nyx listened as the stuffed figure continued his longing tune, offering a hesitant smile to the toad as she took a cautious step forward.
“I’m gonna ask him for directions,” Nyx declared, moving forward toward the scarecrow, much to Toby’s protest.
“I’d strongly advise against that. We don’t know if he’s friendly,” he insisted, hoping to dissuade her from her choice.
Nyx rolled her eyes. “We’ll be fine, okay? It’s just a scarecrow, what’s he gonna do?” she argued, pointing to the bound bundle of straw.
Toby sighed, looking up at the bindings, cheaply made figure before them. He hated to admit it, but she was right. It may have set off warning signals in his brain, but the fact still remained that it was just a scarecrow.
Toby sighed again, nodding his head as he slowly hopped forward. He was being silly, feeling he needed to put more faith in his companion when she made decisions. Nyx followed close behind, both stepping over rotten pumpkins to get into the crop.
“She gave them some broth, but gave them no bread...”
Nyx, however, had to admit; her confidence was waning with each step she took. Something about the scarecrow felt… off. Perhaps it was a trick of the light, perhaps it was the claustrophobic atmosphere of the forest itself, but the way its limbs moved against the bindings, the way its voice cracked and moaned, it all felt unsettling.
“... and she beat them and whipped them and put them to bed,” the scarecrow hummed in satisfaction as it ended its tale, turning to nuzzle the bird closest to his head. Nyx and Toby stood just below the cross, certain it hadn’t seen them yet.
“Now my prettys, only one question remains...” the scarecrow mused, looking up to the crows who perched on it wooden cross. Nyx and Toby took a nervous step forward, mindful where they placed their footing.
“Who’s there?!” The scarecrow suddenly darted its eyes forward, hissing its demanding question out into the darkness. “Who is it? Who comes into my crop?”
“Down here!” Nyx shouted, tapping her hoof.
The scarecrow turned its gaze downward, narrowing its gaze as it looked upon the alicorn and toad in front of it, none too pleased at the sight of strangers.
“Hickory. Dickory. Dock. And you. Come to steal from the garden?” the scarecrow questioned, looking at them with a judging glare.
“What? No, we weren’t stealing from your… garden?” Nyx questioned, looking awkwardly at the dying stocks of maize around her, rotted pumpkins and gourds littering the ground.
“Hmph. As you say,” the scarecrow said begrudgingly, seeming to find them an inconvenience to itself. “Then what brings you to this dark wood?”
“Oh, well I was wondering if you could maybe give us some directions?” Nyx said promptly, hoping they could be on their way as soon as possible.
“Directions? Directions, you say? Ahh, but you’ve already entered these woods, child. I’ll say it’ll be more than directions that you’ll need,” the scarecrow looked down at her with a smirk, hollow eyes glaring into her very soul. Nyx shifted uncomfortably under its gaze, not quite certain why she felt so offset.
Toby cleared his throat, deciding it best, as a gentleman, to take on the exchange with this ‘local’. “Yes, well, umm, we just wanted to know the best way to get to the Castle of Tarikor? We’re on the emperor’s business and it’s really important, so--?”
“Tick tock. Tick tock!” the scarecrow interrupted, the crows cawing in agitation as it rolled its shoulders. “Oh, I know exactly why you’re here. Always in a rush. I won’t have it.” He frowned, Nyx narrowing her gaze.
“Excuse me?” Toby asked, looking up at the being with an anxious smile. Nyx titled her head at the scarecrow's response, something in the back of her mind telling her she shouldn’t have come there.
“Your lack of patience, my dear. You see, my master has made this forest into what you behold now, and I like it just the way it is.” The scarecrow's eyes grew dark, the hat it wore lowering over its brow as it gazed at them sinisterly. “So I’ll have to warm you up to it.”
“Ah, okay… glad we cleared that up,” Toby said with a nervous laugh, looking up at Nyx who laughed awkwardly as well. “Well, we’re just gonna go, since you don’t seem to want---”
“Go?” the scarecrow moaned, tilting its head to the side in such a way that if it were a living being it would have snapped its neck. “Oh no, there is no going, I haven’t had my fun yet.” He giggled wickedly, eyes flickering with light.
“Toby…?” Nyx choked out, looking down at the toad as the crows suddenly became agitated, cawing and flying into the air.
The scarecrow suddenly glared at her angrily, jutting its torso forward as if trying to lunge at her. “You will never reclaim these lands, nightmare child, not when you are ripe to burn!” the scarecrow cackled evilly, its eyes and mouth suddenly glowing as a fire arose from deep inside it, looking like a demon straight out of Tartarus.
“Still think I have a wonderful sense of direction?” Nyx quipped nervously, sweat pouring down her forehead as her eyes shrank to pinpricks.
“RUN!” Toby screamed, grabbing Nyx by her leg to force her to retreat.
“HUUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” the head of the scarecrow cackled psychotically, flames rising from its twisted smile and eye-sockets. The pumpkins suddenly exploded, leaving nothing of the crops but a monstrous wall of fire that lurched towards them like a predator. Nyx screamed, watching as the flames spread until it seemed the whole forest was ablaze, the orange reflecting out of the corners of her eyes.
“See how they run! See how they run!” the wall of flame screamed sadistically as they ran, spreading quickly as they moved blindly into the dark forest. “The fire licked at their hooves and feet! Their screams a sound that cannot be beat!”
Toby and Nyx ran as fast as they could, cutting themselves on low hanging branches as they ran past the foliage in a panic. The whole forest was on fire now, chasing after them to be devoured. Toby had a look of absolute terror on his face, while Nyx kept screaming out apologies for getting them into this mess in the first place.
The two made a sharp left as the flames rushed towards their right like the mighty swing of an arm, trying to knock them off their feet into the gaping maw of the inferno. This proved to be both a good and bad thing as they tripped over themselves, falling forward as their escape path took a sudden drop down into the earth. The alicorn and toad shouted and cursed as they rolled downhill, trying to gain traction to slow their fall. Only towards the end were they able to stop themselves, barely making it before the hill dropped sharply into a deep abyss where no bottom could be seen.
“Are you alright?” Nyx strained, looking at Toby while darting her eyes into the dark canyon, sweat pouring down her forehead.
“Yes, barely,” Toby moaned, righting himself up as his eyes shot up the hill, orange glow reflecting in his irises. “It’s still coming!”
Nyx snapped her head up the hill, panic overwhelming her as she started weighing her options. There was nowhere else to go, the flame circling them as the wall closed in. She could feel the heat upon her already, her eyes staring down into the abyss.
“We have to jump!” Nyx cried, pulling Toby towards her as she checked her wings, making sure they were ready to soften the fall.
Toby stared at her bug-eyed, fear overtaking him at the idea of falling from so high up. “isn’t there another way down?!”
“No time!” Nyx shouted, the psychotic laughter piercing their ears as the wave of fire suddenly shot forward, closing the distance toward them.
“Jump!” Nyx cried out, looking over her shoulder just as the flames were about to touch the tips of her wings. She quickly grabbed onto Toby and jumped, pulling him with her as they fell into the dark chasm. Their screams were all that remained as their bodies were lost to the black, just as the fire swallowed the ground where they once stood.
“See. How. They. Run.”
Black cats and goblins and broomsticks and ghosts.
Covens of witches with all of their hopes.
You may think they scare me. You're probably right.
Black cats and goblins on Halloween night.
Trick or treat!
Happy 5th of October, OBJECTIVELY the best month of the year 
Don't forget to leave a like and tell me what you think down in the comments!
Next chapter will be uploaded October 12th at 11:30 Central Time.
Stats
Page generated in 0.02 seconds
Total duration
711 users online
1,115,595 hits today, 2,054,621 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
9861007
The whole album is about a Rock Star, named Pink, who has built up a wall isolationing himself from the rest of the world. Throughout the film it follows several events in his life that lead to the building of the wall, starting with the death of his father defending the Anzio Bridgehead during World War II, to the abuse he received from the school teachers, then further with the toxic relationship between himself and his wife. Even the fact that he is a rock star has left him alone, empty, and depressed. This movie(and album) culminates with a moment of self-reflecting as he puts himself on trial, the witness of his abusive schoolmaster, the overbearing mother, and the wife he cheated on all berait him until it is ordered by the Judge to 'Tear down the Wall!'
I suppose I should have warned you about the Nazi imagery, but it DOES hold a deeper meaning. The Neo-Nazi Rally held in the movie is a drug-induced hallucination brought about in 'Comfortably Numb', where he imagines the crowd that has come to the concert as a rally, with him as the dictator. The proceeding songs, 'Run Like Hell' and 'Waiting for the Worms' represents the extreme violent thoughts he is entertaining as he slowly descends further into madness
we know that the natural eyes of Nyx are adapted to see well in the dark, but as you know in daylight, night vision on the contrary blinds.
question: when Nyx puts on enchanted glasses hiding her dragon-like look, does she lose her night vision, thereby adapting herself to a more comfortable day life?
theoretically, if Nyx with night vision will walk in the daytime without eye protection (enchanted glasses) this can cause physical pain in the eyes and decreased vision.
9868589
A cats eye's take a narrow slitted form during the day to reduce like intake, and vice-versa they become large circles in the dark to take in more light to better see, I would think that this is how her eye's work as well. Also if I remember right in past sins, the glasses are just enchanted with an illusion spell to hide her eye's.
9868667
however, Nyx is a physiologically nocturnal creature and has an increased chance of receiving photophobia.
Photophobia is the painful sensitivity of the eye to light, in which its exposure causes a person to have unpleasant sensations in the eyes (for example, eyelid spasm, eye pain and lacrimation) and makes the eyes narrow strongly. Photophobia occurs with prolonged exposure to darkness, twilight. Long-term daily abuse of reading or reading books can also lead to this condition. With healthy eyes, photophobia occurs in cases where an excessive amount of light rays enters the eye, for example, in too bright a light - but in this case, of course, it is not a painful condition. When photophobia is shown wearing sun glasses.
9868699
Hmm, I guess will have to see what Folklore says.
9868709
I just have a friend who works on a night shift with a similar problem and he has to wear glasses with a protective film on the street in the afternoon despite the fact that he has good eyesight
9868589
No, the glasses only have a concealment charm on them, and she can see fine during the day time, though I would expect her vision to be enhanced at nighttime
9868667
you are correct
9868882
I did not say that Nyx does not see well during the day, I say that at risk of getting photophobia due to its nature, physiology and the habit of reading books (which she received from her adoptive mother: D)
9869190
Well, don't worry about her, she's not gonna develop that
Oh, having trouble, Nyx? Take a seat. Have a drink. You look like a mare who takes herself too seriously. You want my opinion? You need to lighten up.
9870850
We all have our bad days. For her, she's having a bad year. Too bad she's not old enough for good ol' Jack Danials
9873148
Preview didn't work there, bud lol
Review for the story.
9874105
Awesome!
9870900
Not sure if you got it, but I was quoting Scarecrow from Batman Begins.
9874328
Well NOW I do. God I love that movie
Just listened to the first audio chapter. How often will they release?
9875153
It WAS one every Tuesday, but the reader has notified me that he is now putting most of his focus onto the audiobooks, so they might be coming in sooner now
9875211
Listened to the second. I’m liking this idea.
9876852
Great! I'm glad you're enjoying the story