The Legend of Everfree Creek

by ShadowWalking18

Applebloom (2)

I guess I wasn't surprised nopony believed me. I mean, I probably wouldn't 'ave believed myself if I hadn't seen it.

But I did, and I'm an apple and apples don't tell fibs.

Course, no pony wanted to believe me. At least none of the older ponies.

But I knew two ponies that would...

-Applebloom.

---

The next morning, Applebloom woke with a frown. As she went over to her dresser to pick out her clothes for the day, she looked out her window towards the woods. The memory of her encounter came back, as did the memory of what happened after she got back home.

---

"A monster?" Applejack had said, "Was it a Timber wolf?"

"No, I wouldn' be scared o' no timber wolf. It was...well I don't know what it was." Applebloom said, letting her sister go.

Applejack raised a brow, "Well what did it look like?"

"W-Well it was as big as a tree and it was all hairy. And it walked on two legs, with long hairy arms." Applebloom explained, taking deep breathes of air as she did.

Applejack blinked, then chuckled, "Now that is some imagination ya got there Applebloom."

"What?!" The youngest apple gasped, "But its real I saw it."

Applejack placed a hoof on her hip, "Now sugarcube, I ain't no animal expert like Fluttershy, or even Twilight, but I know me the animals and critters around the woods of our farm and I ain't never seen or heard o' anything like that."

"But I saw it. I was right at the edge of the Everfree." Applebloom said, only realizing at the last minute her mistake.

Her older sister raised a brow, crossed her forehooves over her chest and looked down at her with a serious look.

"And how did ya see that? Ya know yer not allowed near the woods by the Everfree. So how did ya see it near the Everfree unless ya were in there?"

"Uuuuuh...." Applebloom started, before rubbing the back of her head with a blush, smiling nervously.

---

Suffice to say, Applebloom was grounded for a week when her little short cut was found out. Of course even with the knowledge that the creature was from the Everfree, her older sister and even Granny Smith or Big Mac, whom found out during dinner when Applejack told them of her grounding, didn't believe her. Applejack was sure she had just seen a bear, as did the rest of her family. Though Granny Smith, having long lived near the Everfree, did at least commit to a number of well known tactics that she had developed to keep back the normal denizens of the Everfree; if just to help Applebloom sleep soundly.

A small part of her head was telling her she was just being irrational. Maybe it had been a bear, or maybe just something else from the Everfree. She didn't need to get so worked up about it.

Still, even as she looked away from the fog covered woods of the Everfree that bordered her home, she felt that the forest had a more menacing feel to its air now.

Applebloom shook her head, and gave her face a few slaps to focus. Whatever she had seen was the past. Time to focus.

She quickly went to the bathroom for a shower, letting the warm water help her forget her encounter from yesterday. After that she got dressed and went down for breakfast.

After a hearty breakfast of grasspancakes, Applebloom grabbed up her backpack and started her way to school. The early morning fog was still in the air, which gave her normal commute to school a more repressing and fearful atmosphere. Often the little filly found herself looking around, trying to see through the fog. Her eyes seeing movement that wasn't there. Her ears instinctively moving around to listen for anything out of the ordinary.

Her young imagination working against her, with ideas of the creature she had seen stalking her, or watching her from within the fog. She went the long way this time, both because she was in trouble enough for her little short cut. And secondly out of fear.

When she finally broke through the fog and made it into Ponyville and to the school yard, did she breathe a sigh of relief.

"Hey Applebloom."

Applebloom turned and saw Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle walking up the road from their own houses. Scootaloo wore her usual shorts and t shirt, and sporting a few bandages from their little tree fiasco the other day. Sweetie Belle wore a white skirt and shirt, and some of her mane had been cut; due to having ended up with a mane full of tree sap yesterday.

"Hey girls. How ya doin'?" Applebloom asked, smiling.

"Rarity was horrified by my mane the other day. Though she did manage to get most of it out." Sweetie Belle said, rubbing her cut mane with a frown, "Though she still had to cut it a bit."

Scootaloo blew a raspberry, "So you got a mane cut. I'm grounded for a week....again. I swear my parents should just expect me to come home dirty; but mom is such a neat freak."

Applebloom chuckled, "Well, you and me are in the same boat then Scoots."

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo both looked at their friend in shock.

"No way," Scootall exclaimed, "You got grounded? For what?"

"Yeah, I mean you went home after one of our crusading mishaps and never got in trouble before."

Applebloom sighed, her ears flattening, "Eh...Applejack kinda found out that I went through that path through the Everfree. Ya know she doesn't like me goin' in there."

"How did she find out about that? That was like, your secret shortcut, you didn't even tell us about it until we pressured you." Scoots asked.

Applebloom looked around, and motioned the girls to come closer.

"If I tell ya, do ya promise not ta laugh?" Applebloom asked, looking around suspiciously, "Or tell anypony else?"

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle both looked at each other confused, before nodding.

"Pinkie Promise." They both said, doing the motions.

"Alright...well-" Applebloom started, opening her mouth to tell her friends....until the school bell rang.

Applebloom jumped, then looked to her friends.

"I'll tell ya at recess. Okay?" Applebloom said, as they made their way inside with the other kids.

Scootaloo and Sweetie nodded, and all three took their seats as class began.

---

A few hours after the start of class, the school bell rang once more signaling recess. The three crusaders ran out with excitement with the rest of the kids, and made their way to their favorite spot under a large oak. They went behind the tree, and sat in a small circle.

"Okay Applebloom, spill it," Scootaloo stated, "How did you get in trouble?"

Applebloom looked around, then whispered to her friends.

"Well. I was heading through my shortcut when I heard something coming out of the woods." Applebloom started.

"Was it a Timberwolf?" Sweetie asked, her hoof going to her mouth in worry.

"No, it wasn't a Timberwolf. It was something else. It was all hairy." Applebloom said with a shake of her head.

"Was it a bear?" Scootaloo added in.

Applebloom shook her head, "No. Just listen. I saw it come out of a bush and move over to the stream. It was big and hairy looking, but it didn't look like a bear. It looked to slim."

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo leaned in, listening intently now. Their curiosity perked by the story.

"I don't think it noticed me, cause all it did was drink from the stream using its front legs. Like a pony, scooping water and bringing it to its face. That was covered in hair as well," Applebloom went on, the memory playing back in her mind, "I must 'ave watched it for at least a few minutes when I accidentally stepped on a twig tryin' ta get a closer look."

"That must have spooked it, cause the next thing I know, this creature stands up on two legs and looks right in my direction. Right at me!" Applebloom sucked in a breath as she shivered.

"It stood on two legs?" Scootaloo said, surprised.

Applebloom nodded, "It was huge. It was as big as a tree, maybe bigger, and its arms were huge. I thought for sure it was gonna lunge at me across the stream, when it just turned around and walked back into the Everfree."

"What did you do next?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"I didn't know what it was I saw, but seeing somethin' so big, well I ran as fast as my hooves could take me. When I got home, I was so scared I blabbed right ta Applejack about what I saw." Applebloom finished.

Scootaloo facehoofed, "You mean you got yourself in trouble. Come on Applebloom."

Applebloom smiled nervously, but sighed in defeat.

"What did Applejack do when you told her about the monster?" Sweetie Belle asked.

Applebloom frowned, "She didn't believe me. Not even Big Mac or Granny Smith did. They think I just saw a bear."

Applebloom then looked at her friends, and a thin thread of doubt crept in her mind now.

"Do you girls believe me? I mean, its a rather weird tale." She asked.

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle both looked at each other and seemed to think about it.

"Well, I mean are you sure you didn't just see a bear?" Sweetie asked.

"I'm sure. I've seen bears before. Heck, Fluttershy has a pet bear. I can tell the difference."

"Well it is the Everfree," Scootaloo pointed out, "who knows whats in there. But you're our friend. If you say you saw this...whatever it was, I believe you."

"Me too." Sweetie added, with a nod.

Applebloom smiled, "Thanks girls. It's good ta see somepony believes me. But remember, ya can't tell anyone about this."

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle nodded. Unknown to all three of them that listening from the other side of the tree, a silver coated filly smiled a sly grin.

---

After the recess, Applebloom was jotting down some notes as Cheerilee gave her lecture on today's lesson concerning biology. It was as she was writing her notes, that a folded up piece of paper landed on her desk, causing her to mess up a letter of her notes. She looked up to the sides, frowning in irritation as she saw Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon both looking at her with mischievous grins. Tiara pointed at the note with that cocky grin on her face.

Faust, sometimes Applebloom wished she could buck that grin right off. She looked at the folded note. A part of her was telling her to just throw it away, seeing that this was just a way to tease her no doubt. But she knew that if she didn't, they would just egg her on; and felt it best to just get this over with.

It was probably another blank piece of paper meant to get her in trouble with the teacher, and mock her on her blank flank. Applebloom was use to that by now, and frankly was starting to wish that Tiara would get something original now.

As she unfolded the message and her eyes nearly bulged out her sockets.

There on the paper was not a blank sheet of paper, but instead a somewhat crudely drawn picture of a scribbly creature on two legs, the scribbles making it look hairy, and two large claw like arms standing over a cowering and crying Applebloom.

Tiara and Silver Spoon giggled and snickered, and Applebloom ground her teeth as she turned toward Diamond Tiara and opened her mouth to tell the bully filly off, when the paper was snatched up and Applebloom looked from Tiara to Cheerliee who looked down at her with a serious look she gave when she found a student not paying attention.

"Applebloom, is now really the time to be doodling...." Cheerlie took a moment to look at the paper, then her ears went flat and her eyes looked confused, "Uh....what is this?"

Tiara burst laughing and said, "Applebloom thinks she saw a monster in the woods."

Silver Spoon joined in, "Yeah and its all hairy and walks on two legs."

The two bullies laughed, and the rest of the class save Scoots and Sweetie burst into laughter. Cheerliee just looked confused before clapping her hooves.

"That's enough." Cheerilee called, cutting off the laughter, "Lets just focus on the lesson? Hmmm? This will be on the test you all have to take. Tomorrow."

Cheerlie turned her back as all the students gave a collective awww in disappointment, and she walked back to the chalkboard, tossing the drawing into the waste paper bin; going back to teaching her class.

Applebloom shot a venomous glare at Tiara, before covering her head in dismay.

All through the lesson, she could hear all the students laughing at her.

---

Once class was over, Applebloom walked out with her friends. Some of the other students snickering as she passed. Her ears lay flat on her head, and she had an irritated scowl on her face. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle could see their friends look, and tried to take her mind off the latest ridicule by Tiara.

"I can't believe they found out." Applebloom hissed.

"Oh come on Applebloom, don't let it get to you. It's Tiara and Silver Spoon after all." Scootaloo said, trying to sooth her friends irritation.

"Yeah, I mean we believe you. Who cares what other ponies think." Sweetie added in.

"I do. I'm sick of always being picked on by those two. Aren't you?" Applebloom said harshly, causing her friends ears to flatten. They could tell that Applebloom was really irritated this time.

"Well yeah, but come on we're use to it by now. If we try and fight back, they just egg us on harder. You know that." Scootaloo said.

"Besides, I'm kinda use to their blank flank jokes by now." Sweetie added in with a shrug.

"So am I," the irritated filly said, stomping her hoof on the ground, "but this is different. She has the whole school laughing at me now. I just wish I could shut her up once and for all."

"Well how are you going to do that?" Scootaloo asked.

"Yeah, its not like you could capture that monster you saw and prove it to her its real." Sweetie added.

Applebloom stopped in her tracks, and a slow smile started coming to her face.

"Wait...I didn't mean that!" Sweetie exclaimed, fearful now.

"But it's perfect. I could prove not only to Tiara and the class, but even ta my family what I saw as real. We might even get our cutie marks in monster capturing." Applebloom said, punching her hoof into the other with a smirk on her face.

"But, how are we going to even capture this...thing you saw?" Scootaloo asked.

"And what if it's dangerous?" Sweetie pointed out, fearful of where this was all going.

"Don't worry. I'll think of something. But are you girls with me?" Applebloom asked.

"I'm in. This might be cool." Scootaloo said, putting her hoof out, which Applebloom placed hers on.

Both girls looked at Sweetie Belle now, smiling.

Sweetie Belle herself looked fearful, and worried.

"I don't know...." She started.

"Come on Sweetie Belle, we got to do this. This is to help clear our Appleblooms name." Scootaloo said.

Sweetie Belle bit her lip, and slowly put her hoof on her friends.

"Okay....but I have a bad feeling about this."

And so like that, the three friends agreed that they would capture this creature.

The only question now was, how did you capture a creature that you knew nothing about? It was a question that Applebloom though about all the way home and into the hours of the night.

Author's Note:

If you have had a sighting of something odd, feel free to share. I might even be inspired to write a chapter about it :)

This fiction is inspired by the Legend of Boggy Creek mostly. If you haven't seen it, I recommend it. Its a rather interesting movie; old as it is.

Comments

[Sipioc]

Pretty good dude. I'm interested to see where this goes.

As for encounters, I've got nothing creature-esc. Only ghost-esk.