Legends of Equestria: Rocky Road to Hayseed Swamp

by The Blue EM2

Two Hornpipes

It was here I realised I had another problem to face. On the other side of the water was nothing but a giant maze of bayous and swamps, which I had no clue how to navigate. As the saying goes, I had hopped out of the frying pan and jumped straight into the fire, and yes, make your Jeff Buckley jokes.

I had to find civilisation in this tangled mess of trees, swamps, and alligators big enough to swallow cars whole. I headed onwards, through the dangling routes of trees and hard to navigate masses of wood and rocks, hoping I wouldn't trip on anything as I went along the way towards what I hoped would be my salvation.

Little did I realise, I was being shadowed. But I paid that no heed as I tried to make my way through the tangled mess of roots.

It was extremely dark in the mass of trees, and although it was night time it was still very hot. All this fur I had gained as horrible given the weather, as my cloak was now sticking to my body and my skin was slick with sweat. I could do with something to drink, but I got the impression there weren't any soda machines around here, so I decided to press onwards to try and find somewhere to sleep for the night. A town would be nice. I had heard legends of entire communities who still lived in the swamps for a variety of reasons, ranging from tradition, to preserving their old ways of life, to even hiding from the law. I hoped that if I came acrosss such a settlement, I didn't run into the criminal type. I continued to venture through the dark. It was dark, but it most certainly wasn't quiet. The crickets and bugs were chirping almost constantly, and if anything them being quiet for a moment would be something of a blessing.

To spur myself onwards, I started quietly humming a tune to myself. I had to take my mind off the weirdness of this entire situation somehow, so a jolly tune somehow fitted the bill. All around me, the buzzing and whirring continued, until I found a pair of metal rails running parallel through the swamp. I stopped, looked left, and then right, and waited.

I was right to wait, as a train suddenly barrelled out of the darkness and roared past, horn blaring and wheels squealing as it thundered by. I took the time to count the cars, but lost count somewhere around 55. At long last, after what felt like an eternity, the back of the train finally cleared the position where I stood, and I was free to continue. I walked across, and into the next stage of the swamp.

The second part couldn't have been more different to the first. The chirping was magnified a hundredfold, and the plantlife, far from being dark and obscured by the darkness, instead seemed to glow with magnificent ethereal energy, in many different colours. I've always been stunned by bioluminescence, and this place was especially beautiful.

I exhaled, looking in wonder at all that was around me. The plants glowed, and almost lit my way through the dense plantwork. I sped up my pace. "I shall have to come back with a camera some day!" I panted, as although I hadn't been going very far, I was already running out of breath. I could safely infer that Stygian was seriously unfit. Or rather, that I was seriously unfit.

At long last, I reached a grove, with a small lake in the middle. I stepped up to the clearing, and saw a horde of glowing bees on the other side of the water. Approaching them from a nearby position was a pony with blue fur and a red mane, done up in a topknot behind the mask she was wearing. She also had various bronze bracelets on her, and wore some cream fabric around her neck, as well as a green skirt with a single cream band running along the bottom.

She was absolutely stunning, and I daresay I nearly fell for her then and then. But this sighting confirmed something crucial to me. There were ponies in this world, and they were living not far from here.

"Hello?" I called. "Is there a village near here?"

They didn't respond, so I tried again. "Hello?" I called. "Is there a vil-"

I never had a chance to finish my sentence. As I was about to pronounce the last syllable of 'village', there was a bang from my right hand field of audio, and seconds after that there was a piercing bolt of pain that shot through my flank, followed by another bang.

"ARGHHHHHH!" was my only response. In the circumstances no other response would have been possible. I collapsed onto the floor, unable to stand. I was certain that a limb had been broken in the impact, but I had no way of verifying. As much as there was physical pain, I also could not concentrate on what was happening. The world in front of me had begun to revolve, like I was on a merry go round. But this was no merry go round.

Whomever had fired the shot had vanished, and I was alone. Before I knew what was going on, I found myself being scooped up by the pony and loaded onto her back. Then, as swift as the wind, she began to gallop back across the fields and swampy land, at great speed as she could manage. I will admit I cannot remember much of the journey back as I was still in a daze, but it would not be long until we arrived in a town built mostly on stilts and wood. Running between buildings was some elevated walkway, designed to keep ponies out of the soapy water below.

"Who's that?" I heard a voice ask.

"No time ta explain! He needs medical attention, now!" the pony who had rescued me replied. Her voice was muffled under the mask, but it sounded somehow familiar (despite the fact I didn't know any Cajun people or ponies. Or ponies full stop, for that matter, as I had lived in a city). I was carried in through some doors and layed down on a table, where another pony, who had purplish fur and a yellowy mane, looked over.

"Yer in a hurry!" she said. "What does this guy need?"

"No time ta explain, ma!" my rescuer replied, before removing her mask and grabbing a torch. "He needs urgent medical help, and-" She looked more closely, in clear confusion at my face. "Stygian?"

That familiar face, the blue fur and eyes, clearly showed to me that my safety was at hand. "Meadowbrook," I spluttered, most of my strength spent. "Help..."

Meadowbrook sped off to get some potions and medical equipment. Safe to say, I had never been in her clinic before, and considering her skills as a battlefield medic, what wonders could she perform with all her tools?

Both of those ponies got to work whilst my mind continued to roam, unable to focus due to all the interference. It was then the voices started.

"Stygian..." it said softly.

"Who's there?" I asked, in my head of course as I was barely able to speak.

"This is my plan, after all," said the voice again. "Your world is not your own, and this dimension is my trapping place. For centuries, I have lingered long in this world whilst my enemies left their fragments here to ensure I could never rise again!"

"What?" I asked. I had no idea what he was on about.

"You must know them. You are being operated on by one of the Pillars of Old Equestria! Have you not questioned how or why they are here? It is because they performed a great spell thousands of years ago to trap me and themselves here. But a great procephy soon did run; Two shall become Six, and the Six shall Become One. Their might will become unstoppable, and their Victory shall Shake the Heavens! It is obvious what it refers to."

I still wasn't following a word of this, though whether that was because of the pain or the painkilling substances I had ingested I had no idea. But still that voice continued. "They left their artefacts so that others would find them, and stop me. Well, I can't let that happen, I'm afraid. You're my backup plan, you see. Time to say goodbye!"

With that, dark energies clawed at my mind, forcing my consciousness back. I screamed inside, and tried to hold them off as best I could, but my weakened mental state and broken soul made it impossible. The shadow could not be stopped. My mind was its prey, and took what it wanted. I was wreathed in darkness, in pain, the very thing that was to end reality itself.

I... had become one... with the darkness.

Author's Note:

Comments

[JimmyHook19]

I had ingested I had no idea. But still that voice continued.

I honestly why FIMFiction keeps doing the spacing like that.

I... had become one... with the darkness.

Oh snap.... O_O

[The Blue EM2]

10627823
1. Where? Looks fine to me.

2. Indeed. Stygian can't catch a break, it seems.

[JimmyHook19]

10627832
1. It's probably just me, what with the format and all that.

2. Yep.

[The Blue EM2]

10627836
Stay tuned for more tomorrow.

Surprised you didn't comment on Meadowbrook appearing.