Carcass
Roughshod waited a few yards away from the large double gate, tapping his hoof on a table top impatiently as he had been doing for the past thirty minutes.
"Come on. Where are they?" he muttered as he glanced down the main street of Hollow Shades for the umpteenth time for any sign of the four other ponies he had recruited to join him. So far they had yet to appear as they should have done more than an hour ago., and he was beginning to suspect that they were skipping out on him. If that was the case then there was no way Roughshod was going into the woods today. He knew that no matter how well prepared he came, it would do absolutely nothing to keep him from being killed out there if he went by himself.
So for the time being Roughshod waited, seated at a small cafe a short distance away from the towns entrance. To distract himself he studied the gates with the critical eye of a pony who had spent an extensive amount time around them. He remembered how, just a few short weeks ago, they would have granted entry to many a weary pony from places as far away as Manehatten. Now though, activity around it had been understandably lacking as of late, and it gave Roughshod a morose feeling at seeing what had become of his home.
Just then the earth pony stallion heard the sound of galloping hooves clicking on the cobblestone streets, distracting him from his thoughts. He glanced down the street and caught sight of none than Star Mix racing towards him at a good clip, her back laden with saddle bags filled to capacity with supplies. It was almost comical the way she looked, and Roughshod felt his earlier mood lighten slightly.
He was still upset by the fact that she was late, and made sure to alert the mare to his displeasure when she was close enough to hear him.
"What took you so long?" he demanded as Star slowed to a stop, panting heavily.
"I'm sorry Roughshod, really I am." she apologized. "I had a heck of a time trying to get everything together at home. And you know Nano Breeze, right? That green mare with the swirl cutie mark?" she asked, to which Roughshod nodded uncertainly. "Yeah well, she caught sight of me trying to make up time and apparently she decided that then was the perfect opportunity to have a conversation, and I was only able to get away just a minute ago."
Roughshod raised a hoof to stop her tirade. "That's alright Star, just try to be more careful how you manage your schedule okay? I just hope the others at least have a reason for being as late as they are."
Star nodded to him before taking a seat across from him. "No food yet?" she questioned as she noticed the empty table top.
"Not open yet," Roughshod said simply as he resigned himself to continue waiting. Even if the others didn't show up, at least now he would not have to put off the trip until a later date. Star Mix may not have have looked like much at a glance, but there was a reason why the unicorn mare was up on the wall with him. She was one of the few ponies in town he would trust to watch his back when the situation called for it.
Roughshod glanced down the street again, but so far the only other ponies he saw were the ones getting their places of business ready for the day ahead. More often than not their days were slow and uneventful from the lack of visitors to the town, and it gave the whole community the subtle feeling that if anything else were to go wrong then that would be the end, and the majority of the populace would be forced to move away from their homes to other places in Equestria. Roughshod knew that those brave souls who still tended to the orchards despite the danger had family and kin in places like Ponyville and Appleloosa that would likely take them in a heartbeat, but for much of the rest of the town, the same could not be said. It was likely that many would become homeless.
And all because somepony couldn't keep the bug bear on a short enough leash.
Roughshod sighed as he thought about what might become of his home, and more importantly his family. Star Mix noticed the action, and it did not take much for her to guess what he was thinking about, but she was at a loss as to what she could do about it. Just then, she got an idea.
"So. . ." she said suddenly, hoping to distract him from his thoughts with idle conversation. "How was your day?"
Roughshod glanced at her briefly and answered in a bored sounding tone, "I'm doing alright, all things considered. . . you?"
"Eh, same old, same old," Star replied as she shrugged, and silence once again settled in between the two like the morning fog until Star spoke up again.
"So tell me, how's Rose doing? You're taking care of my cousin right?"
Roughshod glanced at the mare as a very small grin found its way to his muzzle, and his expression softened a little. Ever since she and Rose were little fillies the two were almost inseparable, and Star had always felt it was her duty to watch over her younger cousin.
"Yeah. She's doing alright." Guessing what her next question was going to be Roughshod added, "As far we can tell the foal's pretty healthy." Even as he said that the stallion felt his grin widen as he thought about his growing family.
Star's own smile grew when she saw that her strategy was working.
"So how far along is she?" she asked.
Roughshod considered the question briefly before he answered with a hint of pride in his voice, "About six months now."
Star's eyebrows rose slightly when she heard that bit of information, and her own pride in her cousin grew. "Really? Getting close aren't we?" she said, to which Roughshod nodded. "Well, just make sure you take care of her you hear? I don't think I have to remind you what happened when she first introduced me to you."
Roughshod shook his head. "No, the scar you gave me does that job well enough."
After he said that he heard the sound of Star chuckling, and he almost reluctantly found himself laughing with her as they recalled those more pleasant times when there was no bug bear to worry about. Eventually their mirth died down as they settled back into their cushions.
"Thanks Star," he said as he glanced at the mare appreciatively, and Star regarded him for a moment before she dipped her head in acknowledgement. With that the two went back to waiting for the others to arrive. They did not have to wait for much longer, for they presently spotted three figures moving towards them at a brisk pace.
"Oy there!" called a loud and gruff voice that Roughshod had heard come from nopony else in his life, and it drew the attention of everypony on the street still not accustomed to the baritone voice of Mister Mortar, Hollow shades' local rock farmer.
"Mortar, for the last time there's no need for that kind of volume when their close enough to just talk to," said the slightly smaller blue stallion trotting next to him. Behind the two earth ponies a deep gray pegasus mare hovered in the air with a look that indicated that she had already become tired of their antics. All three bore saddle bags laden with various supplies, though perhaps not quite as excessively as Star's.
"Bah!" exclaimed the larger stallion. "No need for you to be stick in mud Harp. Is all in good taste."
When the trio finally reached Roughshod and Star, the stallion was of half a mind knock all three of them on their heads for being so late. He reigned himself in however and settled for just giving them a disapproving glare. Mortar's happy grin vanished from his muzzle, replaced with a guilty expression. Harp and Nightshade, the pegasus mare, wore similar looks on their faces.
"Eh, terribly sorry for our timing sir," said Harp apologetically, correctly guessing the reason for the look they were receiving. Roughshod only glanced at the young stallion for a brief moment, then shook his head in disappointment.
"I can always count on you three to take your sweet time wherever a deadline is involved," he said with a sigh. "If it weren't for the fact that I know you can do better I would've just taken Star with me."
None of the ponies responded, choosing instead to look at the ground beneath their hooves.
Roughshod sighed again before he finally said, "Well now that you have deemed it convenient to show up, we can go now."
With that Roughshod got up out of his seat and started to trot towards the town gate, motioning for the others to follow. In short order the group of five were now standing in front of it as they waited for a pair of ponies to pull them open. The doors slid inward, allowing them to see the tree line, which seemed almost menacing to any who looked at it, giving off an almost ominous feeling. Roughshod glanced at the ponies he had recruited, and he noticed that a few ponies behind them were visibly nervous at the sight of he open gates. They eyed the trees outside with wary expressions that had become far too common lately.
"Come on," Roughshod said. "Let's get going."
With that, the two stallions and two mares fell in line behind him as they passed out of the safety of Hollow Shades, and the gates closed behind them with a dull thud, followed by the clank of a heavy lock falling into place. Roughshod did not need to look behind him to know the others were uncomfortable being out here, and it was a sentiment he shared with them. Too soon, they reached the trees, which loomed above them like unfriendly giants, and the group got the distinct feeling that they were not welcome here.
The forest may have been no Everfree, but that did not mean it didn't come with its own set of monsters.
For what seemed like hours the group trotted along to the East, stopping occasionally to rest and eat whatever snacks they brought with them. It was a slow going process, on account of the uneven landscape, but before long Roughshod felt that they were nearing the area of the woods where Star Mix had spotted the frightened birds. The group kept quiet throughout most of their trek for fear of alerting the bug bear to their presence. The beast had so far been consistent about not attacking groups of ponies, but they were not willing to take that chance.
After about an hour or so of traversing the woods the group became aware of something in the air. It was a pungent and putrid aroma, one that Roughshod had become familiar with when a pony that had gone missing was discovered just beyond the borders of the orchard.
It was the smell of rotting flesh. The scent hung in the air, and everypony present wrinkled their noses in disgust. The youngest among them, Harp, was trying and failing to keep his stomach contents where they belonged. The only pony among them who didn't seem to be as offended by the smell was Nightshade.
"Ugh. Where is that coming from?" Star questioned as she put a hoof over her mouth. It turned out to be Mortar who would answer her question, as he pointed a hoof somewhere to the left.
"Somewhere over there I believe," he answered quickly before replacing the hoof over his nose.
"Should we go check it out?" Nightshade asked, speaking up for the first time since the group had left the town.
Roughshod considered the proposal for a moment, deciding that any clue they might be able to glean from the unseen carcass might prove useful in tracking down the bug bear.
'We might as well," he said as he began to head in the direction the offensive smell seemed to be coming from. Before he went more than ten feet though he was interrupted by the sound of a pony ejecting his morning breakfast. He sighed and decided to also add, "After Harp gets a hold of himself."
Soon enough the group was on their way again, and the smell became stronger and stronger as they neared its source. Roughshod came across a break in the trees, revealing a small clearing. Angling himself towards it he emerged from the boughs, and what he spotted at the center of the clearing left the stallion standing in shock as his mind went blank. He was vaguely aware of Star Mix calling his name, but he did not answer as his brain tried to process the new information it was presented with.
"Roughshod!" Star called again as she trotted up beside him. "What are you. . . looking. . ."
Star faltered when she saw what was occupying Roughshod's attention, and she too found herself unable to do anything except stare in confusion at the sight. Shortly the rest of the group came up beside them, all wearing similar expressions of bewilderment at the bug bear.
What was left of it anyway.
Angela knew that she likely should have been furious with what happened to her, or at the very least thoroughly confused. After all, in the last twenty-four hours she had been knocked out, attacked by a wild animal, and been turned into something more fitting for a science fiction movie than a forest filled with pine trees. But, strangely enough, she wasn't.
Sure there was the fact that she had woken up in an unfamiliar location.
Sure she she had almost become a meal for something that looked like it belonged in the rejected pile of ideas for that Avatar cartoon.
And sure she had been forced to go through the excruciatingly painful process of having her entire body go through suffering and torment she had not experienced in her entire life, what with having her very bones reshaping themselves into completely different alignments.
Given everything she had endured, Angela should have been very angry, enough to the point where she would scream and rage at everything around her like a maniac. But she did not, and for one simple reason: there was nothing she could really do about it.
Sure she could cry and whine about being turned into a monster against her will, but she didn't. Angela was of a more practical mindset than most people her age, and knew that no amount of complaining about what happened to her would help in the slightest.
This of course left the question of what she would do now that she was in who knows where in a body that she was still as of yet completely unfamiliar with. To Angela the answer to that question was simple: become familiar with herself. The process would of course involve lots of physical activity to become accustomed to her new form, like learning to move around, figuring out how to eat, which bodily functions changed or stayed the same.
Wooooo-hooooo!
Or just have fun by diving off of the side of a cliff into a deep pool a hundred feet below. She would have given wording to her euphoria, but seeing as how she had lost the ability of speech during her transformation, the best she could manage out loud was a shrill cry of glee. With barely a splash her slender form disappeared under the water, and for a brief moment the only sound that could be heard was the dull roar of a nearby waterfall. Soon enough her sleek head poked out of the water and Angela exhaled the breath she had been holding, noting how she now sounded much like an enormous snake.
Yes, getting used to her new body would likely take some time, but Angela felt she might as well have some fun while she was at it. Swimming over to bank Angela pulled herself out of the water before resting underneath the branches of a tree, curling in on herself in a natural feeling position. While she rested Angela finally took the time to ponder herself.
She already knew what she had become. The wraith was just too unique of a creature for anyone familiar with the game not to recognize.
But why a wraith though? She thought as she inspected her clawed hands. I mean sure it kind of makes sense, seeing as how it's the only monster out of the four to be classified as a girl. . . but still, why be turned into a what's considered a killing machine?
The question perplexed her somewhat, and Angela tried reviewing her memories as far back as they would go for any hint of an explanation. The first time she had been exposed to the game was when a friend had invited her over after having not seen each other for years. It just so happened that he had Evolve for his PC and was more than willing to show it to her. Of course the moment he had figured out she was a thief he had kicked her to the curb. For weeks afterward Angela had all but forgotten about him and the game, although she did seem to recall seeing a few people dressed up as the hunters and monsters at the convention and-
Wait a minute.
Angela's train of thought ground to halt, and she let out a sharp hiss as more memories resurfaced about the convention. Specifically those involving that old man. She remembered that he had given her something he claimed would help keep her from being arrested, right before she passed out and woke up in the forest.
He did this to me. she thought sourly, barely noticing how she was leaving long gashes in the soil with her claws as her anger finally began to rise. That jerk!
Angela snarled, a vicious sound that seemed to rattle the air around her, and she bared the teeth of her multi-jawed mouth in a terrifying display of primal rage. But before her fury could rise to dangerous levels, Angela dulled her senses, which she had discovered was the wraiths version of closing its eyes, and forced herself to calm down. She reminded herself that there was nothing she could do about it now, that rage would solve nothing in her current situation. Although she was successfully able to calm herself with the logic, it did not completely placate her.
Deciding to try and sleep the rest of her anger away, Angela curled more tightly around herself with her multiple tails and dozed off.
It was not a minute later when her enhanced senses detected the sound of something dropping from the tree she was resting under. Rousing herself, Angela lifted her head to look around. Initially she did not see anything, and was about to just let the matter drop and go back to sleep when she spotted something moving in the distance. Angela focused her sight, and her vision telescoped onto the object. What she saw made her brain go into a sort of comatose state as it tried and failed to process what she was seeing run away from her.
When the gears were finally able to start turning again she was only able to think of one thing.
Oh crap.
Bon-Bon had no idea what she was even thinking when she decided to try monitoring the monster that had killed the bug bear while she waited for a response from the Princess. Earlier that morning when she had set out to track it down, the task had proved surprisingly easy. It was as though the creature was either not that experienced in the art of evasion or just didn't care. All Bon-Bon had to do was follow the scuffs on the ground and the gashes in the trees left in its wake. She even thought she had caught a few glimpses of it in the distance, and just the sight of it gave her a feeling of dread.
Everything seemed to be going well, until the mare had somehow lost the trail at a waterfall. It was while she was pacing about, wondering what she was supposed to do then, when a blood curdling shriek sounded from the top of a cliff, and Bon-Bon glanced up to see the nightmare plummeting towards the water before disappearing beneath the surface. Bon-Bon panicked, thinking that the monster had found her out, that it had known all along that she was tracking it and had lured her into a trap. Frantically Bon-Bon tried to think of anything she could do to keep from being killed by the thing, but the only solution that came to mind was to climb a tree. She initially had some trouble scaling the rough bark with her hooves, however the sight of the monster peeking its head out of the water was more than enough motivation for her to perform the task anyway.
And there she waited, hoping to Celestia that the thing would show no interest in her and just go away. Just her luck that it instead had chosen to reside directly beneath her hiding spot. Unsure what else she could Bon-Bon just sat there and waited. She supposed then would have been a good time to get the jump on it, but quickly decided to shove that idea out of her head until she was sure she could take it, so for the time being she just waited and observed.While she did she was able to see the monster more clearly from her position, and it only made her fear of it rise.
It was just so terrifying, the way it looked. Everything about it frightened her, from the multiple arms and tails to the claws that looked tailor made for rending flesh from bone, not to mention it was the size of young dragon. Perhaps the most unsettling thing about it were its lack of eyes, which made Bon-Bon wonder how it was able to see. Maybe it used a form of echolocation?
Whatever the case, Bon-Bon's thoughts on the matter were interrupted when, after a short period of nothing happening, the creature hissed suddenly, and the mare began to shake from fear. The hiss was soon followed by a ferocious snarl that made Bon-Bon decide that she needed to leave right now. As quietly as she could the mare worked her way down to the lower branches of the tree before dropping to the ground with as little noise as possible. It was not enough however, for the creature stirred and began to glance around with a sightless gaze, and Bon-Bon took off galloping in whatever direction she was facing. She did not even glance behind her to see if it had decided to pursue after her as she ran.
I should have stayed in my candy shop in Ponyville!
Greetings all, and thanks for sticking around for another installment of Hollow Shades. It means a lot that you are all enjoying it this much, and I hope I continue to please.
On that note I have a few questions for any willing to answer. What do all think of the other characters I created for this tale? Are they good? Bad? Mediocre? Dilos1 demands your opinion!
Also, I want to hear some of your theories on what you think is going to take place during the course of this story.
As always, alert me to any errors within the story in the comments section so that I may correct them.
Thanks!
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The characters are being built really well and you are giving them all personalities and unique lives, but I can't help but feel that it might be a waste because I don't know how long the story will be following them.
If Angela still has that everlasting hunger of the monsters then I theorize that eating Bon Bon might be a goal in the near future. I also think that if Angela finds out that Bon Bon is sapient she might reconsider eating her and try and fight her instincts. But I also hope that Angela will do the monsters race proud and stalk and kill off a search party. Overall, I have many ideas on where this story could go and the possibility of one of these ideas or a new idea happening interests me.
6514363 I am glad you are enjoying the story. And don't worry, I plan to continue this tale for little while yet.
Hmm, let´s see. Ex-human in the body of a bloodthirsty apex predator, not yet fully accostumed to her new body and a tiny, frightened member of a prey species running away from her in full tilt. Ooh and do not let us forget the "proffesional team of monster hunters" snooping around the woods right now.
Nope, I fail to see what could go wrong there.
So far, I like your characters, they are fleshed out well. I like the way Angi goes about her way, the way she dove into the pond with the mental "Weeeeee~" made me smirk.
Hey, any chance the equestrian monster hunters will be somehow similar to the hunters in the game?
6514513 That's right, everything is all sunshine and rainbows from here on out, and absolutely nothing bad will happen!
In all seriousness though I do plan to make Roughshod's group somewhat similar to the hunters from the game, but not in a way that it feels like a rip-off. As for them being professional hunters. . . well lets also not forget that ponies are at heart, a peaceful species and unlikely to do anything to drastic. That's not to say that they are simply going to just lie down and let a perceived threat roam free. Minor spoilers, but Angela has got some trouble heading her way, and it won't just be because of the ponies.
6515190
I excepted that much and looking forward to it.
Quick question to anyone willing to help a fellow author out: how do your stories get featured? I clicked on the little button while editing and it said it would feature groups automatically, but so far I have not seen Hollow Shades or my other story Disease of the Soul as part of any group. Is there something I am missing about the whole process?
I love this! It's wonderful and unique. I really only saw one error, but this hole thing is great. I just can't express it!
6522299 Thanks!
By the way what was that one error you saw?
I just got turned into a monster. I'm going to go for a swim. I love this story.
YAY SWIMMING
7050358 wouldn't you? Its a great way to test so many of your body's functions and is also really fun
7433295 - Except you can drown because you don't know how to swim with your new body.
The characters seem good and appropriate given the scenario.
I see the following happening:
Our heroine is identified as a monster. Ponies react in a hostile manner, attacking and/or injuring her. She gains the mindset that if all everybody sees is a monster, then there's no use trying to be anything else and she becomes a villain.
7801698 Jesus, the one trope that always made me laugh.
First time reading this and I have to say: one of that group of five is dying. You only have teams of four in evolve. My money's on the new guy *because* he's the new guy, or the Pegasus because she's the least fleshed-out character of them.
I hope it's not Roughshod. It's probably Roughshod.
I like ducks and I like you, I like your story too
6514386
I'm not feeling the main character atm. If I was reading this story cold, I would have already dropped it. But I'm reading it based on a recommendation from an author I really like (Displaced Into Nothing), so I'm holding out for a few more chapters.
Currently, the biggest sin is that I don't think Angela is reacting realistically to being changed into a monstrous video game creature, out of the blue. I can only assume that she was never truly right in the head, but I want to see that the author is aware of it too.
8720700
Not all people think like you and she was looking back she probably freaked out a little it was simply not important to look back on.