• Published 2nd Nov 2020
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Night Terror - Fable Caster



After a chance encounter with a stranger at her campsite, Trixie inadvertently sends a vampire to menace the small farming town of New Hayshire.

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Chapter 1 (Part 2): Wintermint

Trixie had no idea how long she had been running when she ran into the two farmers and their mostly empty wagon. Her muscles were aching and her lungs were burning as she saw the slightly older couple rounding a bend in the forest road.

The stallion pulling the wagon was a portly, yellow earth pony with a thinning black mane and a thick brush of a mustache. The mare, a unicorn, had a sage green coat and a turquoise mane held in a neat ponytail.

“Turn around! Flee! Call the Royal Guard! There's a madpony monster in these woods and he's coming after me!” She screamed, grabbing the portly farmer by the shoulders and shaking him violently before galloping away once more.

The two farmers looked at the oddly dressed, haggard, rambling mare as she vanished down the road, before slowly turning to look at each other and blink in confusion.

“I shay... What wash that all 'bout, Wintermint?” The stallion asked of his wife.

The unicorn shook her head slowly “I don't know, Rocky Road dearest... But she does look vaguely familiar.”

They both furrowed their brows as they continued their slow walk through the woods.

“Shay... Ishn't she that known huckshter Trixshie? Y'know, that no-good showpony?” Rocky Road asked after a while.

“Ah yes. I think you're right, honey. I wonder what nonsense she's up to now? Poor dear seems to have lost her mind, if you ask me.” Wintermint mused idly, rubbing the back of her neck as she cast one final glance in the direction the mare had ran off to, her attention turning then back to her husband “Anyway, as I was about to ask before she so rudely interrupted. Are you sure you can handle the wagon all the way home? It's still going to be a couple of hours before we make it to town...”

“Oh it'sh quite fine, dearesht. It'sh my fault, after all, that our departchure from the farmersh' market in Bridlecheshter wash sho delayed. I got sho caught up gabbin' with Rusht Bucket and Dapper Dash that I totally losht all track of time! Sho now I'll pay the piper and burn through the night sho we can get back home to the foalsh.” He fixed his wife an encouraging smile “Beshides, the wagon ish more than half empty. Far eashier to drag like this! Heck, if you're gettin' tired, jusht hop on the back and have a shnooze... Jusht like back when we were young~”

Wintermint stifled a giggle and waved a hoof in her husband's direction “Oh you... Such lovely days those were! And, at the risk of sounding like an absolutely horrible mother, I'm sure the kids will be just fine. Amber Gleam is old enough to look after Honey Twirl and Shuffle Step for a day or two.”

“Aye...” Rocky Road sighed “Feelsh like they grow up sho fasht.”

Wintermint was about to answer when the second surprise of the night appeared in front of them: a pale stallion wearing a ragged robe and a pleasant smile.

“Hello there, strangers. You wouldn't happen to have seen an azure blue unicorn mare clad in a rather gaudy purple cape and hat passing by, perchance?” The stallion asked, his crimson red eyes sweeping from Rocky Road to Wintermint and back.

The portly farmer was about to answer, but was silenced by his wife's hoof coming to rest on his chest, the mare's expression turning serious as she leaned in to whisper. “We should be cautious, dear. She did mention someone was chasing her.”

Rocky Road nodded. It was always so endearing to see his wife's fierce spirit coming to surface, and there she was again, as stern, radiant and beautiful as the day he had proposed to her.

He was snapped out of his sweet memories by the words of his wife “Can't say that we have, mister..?”

“I am called Starcha-- Hmph... You know what? I'm really bucking tired of playing games after allowing that egotistical fool to get away. My name is Night Terror and you two are about to have a very, very bad time.”

Wintermint stepped forth, placing herself protectively between the pale stallion and Rocky “Is that so? Just a fair warning before you go doing something irreversible: I'm not your average country filly. My name is Wintermint and I cut my teeth in the Guard learning all there is to know about combat magic and afterwards served for over ten years as the Commander of our local Town Guard. I've had to kick the tails of bandits, scoundrels and ruffians like you all my career and you can bet your buckles I haven't let my skills collect rust since retiring.”

“You show him what for, shweetie!” Rocky didn't even bother unhitching himself from the wagon. He'd learned over the years just how capable Wintermint was of taking care of her and hers. Why, it was nary two winters ago when they had ran into half-a-dozen highwayponies intent on robbing them whilst they had been coming home from celebrating Hearth's Warming over at Rocky's parents' farmstead. The poor robbers never stood a chance against ol' Minty!

“Wow… I'm quivering in my shoes here.” Night Terror said flatly, an entirely unamused scowl on his face “Now if you're quite done flapping your gums, let us proceed. I'll even give you the first shot, so make it count!”

“How generous,” came Wintermint's reply as she started to channel her magic through her horn, her magic displaying itself as a vibrant orange glow.

There was a flash of light and an audible pop as she unleashed her spell, but instead of a blast or a beam of magic as her foe might've expected, the sage green mare instead had teleported next to him. By the time Night Terror could react, Wintermint had already coiled her body like a spring and unleashed a devastating kick right into the pale stallion's jaw that sent him reeling.

She wasn't done with just that, however. Minty planted her rear hooves firmly on the ground and pivoted, using her momentum to bring her front hoof down in an equally devastating punch to the side of the scoundrel's head. The force of the impact sent him sliding along the ground a good few feet, his hooves digging grooves into the dirt. Still he miraculously remained standing.

Wintermint's limbs felt numb and tingly, as if she had just hit a wall. Twice. Only then did she notice the stranger was sheathed in a protective shield of translucent black energy, with lightning-like streaks of balefire green coruscating over its surface.

Her eyes opened wide in surprise “But... You're not a unicorn. How can you use magic?”

“Not everything is as it appears, my dear. Excellent trick, by the way. Most ponies would expect a unicorn to be good only with magic and not with hoof-to-hoof combat.” A slow grin spread on the stallion's face. “My turn!”

In the blink of an eye the crackling barrier collapsed in on itself, forming almost into the shape of a wave or a blade, which then crashed into Wintermint, accompanied by the sound of magical static. She barely had time to throw up a protective field of her own, but it was akin to trying to shield herself from a rock slide with a cracker.

Her shield shattered like glass on impact and she was sent flying through the air, the wind getting knocked out of her lungs by the rough landing. Her whole body felt like it was on fire, pain shooting through every nerve as she struggled to get back on her hooves, but her limbs were just refusing to cooperate. Through her unfocused, swimming vision she saw Night Terror slowly approaching. If only her legs would listen...

“M-Minty! You bashtard!” Rocky Road shouted, hastily unbuckling himself from the carriage and trying to rush Night Terror.

“Stay out of this.” The pale stallion growled and a balefire green aura of magic appeared around Rocky's throat, hoisting him up several feet off the ground. Night Terror didn't even bother to look the other stallion's way as he slammed him forcibly to the ground and then dragged his dazed, nearly unconscious body to lay by his hooves.

“R-Rocky... No...” Wintermint managed to gasp weakly as she saw the pale stallion grab her husband by the head and shoulder, a savage snarl ripping from his muzzle as he opened it wide and revealed his sharp fangs. Her whole world seemed to come momentarily to a standstill as the fiend sank his teeth into Rocky's neck, the portly farmer only managing to let out a gurgling gasp, weakly reaching a hoof towards her before going limp. All she could do was watch as color seemed to drain from her husband, his eyes going glazed and empty.

Mere seconds later, Night Terror raised his head back up and licked his crimson stained chops, a faint trail of that same scarlet liquid staining the corner of his mouth. He tossed Rocky casually aside, like a broken toy or a piece of trash, before making his way over to Wintermint. She couldn't tell if Rocky was alive or not...

She tried to conjure up enough strength for a magical blast, but no sooner had she managed to ignite her horn than a lash of dark magic sent by the monstrous stallion struck her in the back. She threw her head back and screamed in agony, her spell dissipating.

Through the pain and tears she felt a pair of hooves grasping her head and shoulder, and she knew she'd suffer the same fate her husband had. The hot breath on her neck felt disgusting, but she couldn't summon up the strength to struggle physically or magically. Still, defiant to the end as she was determined to be, she spat out “At least make it quick, you bastard!”

There was an amused snort and then a sharp pain in her neck, her vision fading as she felt all strength leaving her body. Sweet, merciful darkness took her consciousness soon after. “I'll be with you again soon, my love... The Everdream awaits.”


Pain. It was dull, throbbing and felt oddly distant, yet it seemed to permeate every inch of her body. If this was the afterlife, it certainly didn't feel like all it was cracked up to be.

Wintermint slowly forced her eyes open, regretting it almost immediately as cold horror washed over her body upon seeing the pale stallion standing before her. Her limbs felt like bricks of lead and every breath felt laborious. Her gaze drifted from Night Terror to the plump shape of her husband laying next to her.

She felt her heart jump as she saw Rocky's side rising and falling. It was weak, but definitely a breath. Rocky was alive, too!

The next thing she noted was her back leaning against something hard and uncomfortable. Craning her head carefully she saw the shape of their wagon looming behind her, her back propped up against one of the wheels.

“So nice of you to finally wake up, dear.” Night Terror said in a soft tone, crouching before her to meet her at eye level. “And it looks like I didn't accidentally break any of your bones either. Good. You're far more useful when you're coherent rather than screaming your head off in agony.”

“What do you... want?” She managed to say, though it came out more as a groan and less as the fiery defiance she'd aimed for.

The pale stallion laughed, tilting her chin up with a hoof to make her amber eyes meet his crimson red ones. “Why, I want to have a little chat with you, 'Minty.' Though mostly it's going to be me asking you some questions and you being a good little pony and answering my inquiries truthfully. You will be a well-behaved little pony for me, won't you? There's no harm in it, right?”

Even in her weakened state Wintermint could tell he was trying to put some kind of a charm spell on her, his soft, polite voice and intense stare trying to worm their way into her mind. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to look away. “I'll never play your game, you sadistic madpony... You'll get nothing from me, you hear. Nothing!”

Night Terror let out a frustrated sigh and grabbed Wintermint's head in both hooves. She could feel his gaze boring into her, but she kept her eyes screwed firmly shut. “Even in your drained state your mind and spirit are still strong enough to shake off my charm spell and I applaud that. However... I assure you it is in your best interests to stop fighting back. I only want information, nothing more, nothing less, and this charm ensures you'll speak the truth.”

“To Tartarus with you...” She opened her eyes and tried to spit on her assailant, but the most she managed was drooling on her chin.

“Now now... That's not very lady-like.” His brow furrowed angrily, though his voice remained calm and even. “I'll put this in no uncertain terms, much as I hate having to resort to such base threats. You may be able to resist my spells, probably due to that vaunted Guard training of yours, but I can also glean all this information out of your husband's mind and I doubt he's quite as strong-willed as you are. If you make me go through the extra step of having to wake up that fat slob-of-a-husband of yours, you will come to regret it.”

His grip on her skull tightened ever so slightly, going from a firm hold to an uncomfortable one. He leaned in close to her ear and spoke words of horror and cruelty the likes of which no mother, indeed no parent, would ever want to hear. And he did so in the kind of matter-of-fact tone with which someone might discuss the weather or recent unimportant events.

Wintermint's eyes flew open wide, tears rolling down her cheeks and her whole body quivering with muffled sobs as she was forced to listen to what would be the result of further disobeying Night Terror's demands.

“...And your fate will be the worst of all, my dear, for you will have to live with the consequences. You will be left alone, but very much alive, into the ruins of what used to be your life, every cursed breath a reminder that it all happened because of your foolish, stubborn pride.” Night Terror concluded as he pulled back to once more look her square in the eye. His smile was like an icy dagger plunged into Wintermint's heart. “Or you can choose to cooperate, at which point no harm will befall your family. Quite the contrary, I'll consider you lot borderline sacrosanct! As long as you don't deliberately try to go against me, that is. Do we have a deal?”

She nodded weakly “Y-Yo-you ha-have my word... I'll... I'll tell you everything you want to know. And it'll be the Goddess-honest truth no matter what. I swear by Celestia's divine name.”

“Okay, rule number one. Do NOT mention the tyrant's name ever again in my presence!” Night Terror snarled with sudden anger that made Wintermint flinch. He quickly cleared his throat and regained his composure. “Now then... How old are you and your husband?”

“I'm... Forty one. My husband will turn forty three next spring.”

“I overheard you mentioning something about having foals, but I missed their names. Oh, and how old are they?”

She looked up from the ground. The mere mention of her children after what she had just heard made her stomach twist, and before she could answer she felt bile rising in her throat as the shock and stress finally reached a boiling point. She managed to turn her head sideways just before she started retching and she would've probably toppled over were it not for a green field of telekinetic magic supporting her as she emptied the contents of her stomach.

“Charming, charming, charming... Feeling better now?” She hated how polite Night Terror sounded when he said that. A cruel, twisted mockery of friendliness if she'd ever seen or heard one. Yet again she could only nod weakly.

“Good. Now answer the question.”

“They're... Amber Gleam is our eldest. She's fifteen. Honey Twirl is ten and Shuffle Step, our brave little colt, turns eight next month.”

“You love them.” A statement, not a question.

“More than anything in the world...” She found the corners of her mouth curling upwards in a faint little smile despite the horrible circumstances.

“Enough to trade the entire rest of your community's well being for their safety?”

Wintermint felt the icy dagger twisting in her heart once more, tears once again flowing down her cheeks. “If that's what you demand...”

Night Terror's laughter would've impressed even King Sombra. “Oh, how quickly and how low the mighty warrior mare has fallen. Moving on, moving on. This road leads to New Hayshire, correct? And you live there, correct?”

“Yes... And yes. Shouldn't be more than an hour, hour and a half at most, I think.”

“How delightful. As a reward for being such an obedient wretch, I'll take you and your husband home. Well... To the edge of town, at least.” Flexing his magic once more, Night Terror hoisted first Rocky Road and then Wintermint into the wagon, dumping them both quite unceremoniously on top of the remaining baskets of produce. A bulging saddlebag landed in the wagon soon after, though that one was lowered in with much more care than the two ponies.

“I expect you to keep answering my questions, Minty! If I feel like you're being dishonest at any point... You know what will happen. Why, I might even take a break at some random point and confirm that you've been staying honest with me! Now let's get this wagon rolling. The Night, alas, won't last forever!”

Next thing she knew, the wagon started to trundle along the road. Their landing in the wagon had toppled most of the baskets, leaving the two of them laying on a bed of lettuce, carrots and kale; soft, if cold and a bit wet.

And speaking of cold, it didn't take long for Wintermint to notice her teeth were starting to chatter. With supreme effort she managed to shuffle sideways the necessary few inches to press herself against Rocky's side. At least now they were sharing warmth; another small blessing in this otherwise thoroughly wretched night.

It didn't take long for Night Terror to start his interrogation again. This time, however, his questions concerned New Hayshire. Layout of the town, population, size of local garrison, how many militia members could be called upon... Everything, Wintermint realized, one would need to launch an attack. And with a crushed, defeated spirit she told Night Terror everything, silently apologizing to her friends and townsfolk for selling them out in such a manner, but the alternative was too horrifying to even consider.

“I've answered y-your q-questions. N-Now m-may I ask some f-from you?” She managed from her shivers and the chattering of her teeth.

“Hah! Ask away, dear Minty, ask away... But I make no promises about giving answers.”

“W-Will you r-really hold on to your word and take us home?”

There was another amused chuckle from the pale stallion “But of course. A farmer doesn't burn down their garden after a harvest. Better to let it regrow so it can be harvested again later!”

“S-So you see us as nothing but a c-crop? Or cattle? Y-You really are a vam-vampire, then?” The horrors just kept on piling on, it seemed...

“In a manner of speaking, yes, you are like a crop to be harvested. You need food, I need blood and the magical essence of life contained within it. Which should answer your second question well enough, yes?”

Wintermint tried her best to suppress a shiver, clinging on to her husband as best she could. She could feel Rocky shivering, too, though he was still very much unconscious. “Th-Then that would make you a farmer in this m-metaphor a-and a f-farmer must look after their crops, correct? We're f-freezing out here, s-so p-please do something about it, I beg you.”

The wagon stopped. Wintermint could hear Night Terror chuckling “Using my words against me?”

A few seconds later Night Terror leapt into the wagon, making the whole thing creak. He stared at Wintermint sternly for a couple of seconds before allowing his muzzle to curl into a grin “That was both bold and clever. I like that. You've also been very helpful, so I suppose a reward is in order.”

With the help of telekinetic magic he undid the buttons on his travel robe and pulled it off, levitating the opened garment then on top of his hapless, shivering victims.

Wintermint's jaw fell open as moonlight washed over Night Terror's body, revealing an armor of dark and purple metal with bat wing motifs and, if she looked carefully, intricate runic scripting inscribed along the edges all over the old and archaic-looking suit. Despite the polished sheen, it looked like the armor had seen its fair share of hardships, what with all the scuffs and small dents marring the otherwise so pristine plates. Strapped onto his side was also a sheathed sword, the crossguard, pommel and handle exquisitely detailed in silver and gold with bat wing motifs as well.

“Y-You're one of Her Majesty's Night Guard?” She gasped, eyes wide.

The stallion snorted in amusement “You're almost correct. I was one of Her Dark Majesty's Nightmare Guards. In nomine Nox Aeterna! In the name of Eternal Night.”

Wintermint shook her head slowly in disbelief “Can't be... That would mean you--”

“Yes.” He interrupted. “I was there a millennium ago during the Lunar Uprising, fighting alongside my comrades and Her Dark Majesty to cast down the sun tyrant!”

“The s-stories never told of Nightmare Moon f-fielding undead monstrosities in her armies. A-And how could a c-creature like you have been around for a thousand years without anyone knowing or noticing? Y-You aren't exactly subtle, y'know...”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “I was a mortal during the Uprising. I became a vampire afterwards, during the rout from Canterlot to Badlands. Picked the wrong damned cave to hide in... Long story short, I spent most of the past thousand years in torpor and I woke up around... Last Summer Sun Celebration, I believe that's the name of the holiday, when She returned. Now it's only a matter of time before I find Her again and together we can continue where we last left off!”

Wintermint bit her lip, thinking whether or not she dared to spill the beans. Ultimately she decided to speak, if for no other reason than to get back at the monster in some small way. “She... You haven't heard? She was defeated almost immediately upon her return. Six heralds of Cel-- the sun princess became the bearers of the Elements of Harmony and vanquished her. Nightmare Moon is gone, but the princess' sister, princess Luna, was also freed and now rules side by side with her sister.”

Night Terror lunged at her, stopping a mere inch away from her face, his eyes filled with rage and his face twisted into a furious snarl. “Lies! All lies! You dare lie to me?!”

She swallowed hard, actively forcing herself not to look away from those fiendish red eyes that seemed to promise nothing but pain and suffering to her and hers. “I swear it's the t-truth! You can use your spell to check if you want, I won't fight back this time, I promise.”

And that was exactly what Night Terror did, though his intrusion into her mind wasn't a slow and subtle process, but rather abrupt and painful like someone had driven a white-hot nail through her skull.

Having gotten his confirmation that she was, indeed, telling the truth, Night Terror released his spell and let out a frustrated sigh. “Well... At least you firmly believe you are telling the truth. But that can't be right... I can still feel Her presence in the world. No... She must be just hiding, biding her time as she did a thousand years ago before launching her attack...”

His words were starting to turn into a ramble and he wasn't aiming them at anyone in particular. Wintermint was starting to worry she might've pushed the unhinged madpony over the edge with her revelation, but a couple of minutes later the stallion took a deep breath and steadied himself with a slow exhale.

“No point in letting myself get distracted now. I just have to proceed according to my plan and keep the harvest going.” He threw a quick, reassuring smile down at Wintermint. “Let's get going again, shall we?”

Another fifteen minutes passed in silence before Wintermint had gathered enough courage to speak again. In the meantime, the thick robe had done a surprisingly good job at warming her up despite the scorched hole blasted into it. Even Rocky had stopped shivering.

“Why me?” She asked.

“Bad luck on your part. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or did you mean something else?” The joviality was all but gone from his voice.

“No, I mean... Why am I having this conversation and not Rocky?”

There was a small pause. “Honestly? I can't stand his accent and I don't understand how you can either.”

She managed a weak chuckle, which turned into a feeble cough almost immediately “I always found it endearing.”

“There's no accounting for taste, I suppose... The second reason we are having this conversation is because your grit and cleverness actually impressed me. Unlike that walking blood bag you call a husband. And thirdly, well, it's a long road and I get bored just humming or talking to myself.”

She was about to retort to the insult at her husband, but in the end thought better of it. No need to stoop to his level, after all, and the stallion was probably goading her intentionally anyway. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction. “How come you can use magic? You're... An earth pony, not a unicorn. I know earth ponies have their own magic that connects them to the land, but I've never seen one actually cast a spell; much less ones as strong as yours.”

“Really, dear Minty? We live in a world with fire breathing dragons, immortal Alicorns and more magical beasts than you can shake a stick at. Is it really so far-fetched to think a bloodsucking monster of the night could use magic? Remember: looks can be deceiving.”

“Point taken.”

Another long silence fell, permeated only by the creaking and trundling of the wagon on the hard-packed dirt road.

“I pity you.” Wintermint eventually broke the silence. Getting no response she continued. “Truly, I do. You're good at hiding it, but... I've seen the glimpses of a decent, if troubled, soul underneath that cruel and callous mask you wear.”

“...You make some truly bold assumptions about a monster like me even having a soul.” Another flat, emotionless response.

“Everypony has one. Even you, dark though it may be.”

“I traded mine for power a long, long time ago and I have no regrets. I see what you're trying to get at, the game you are trying to play, and I will have none of it! Do NOT mistake my desire for idle conversation, meant only to pass the time, as softness.” His tone was sharp and angry, his words followed by a snarl. “In fact... This conversation is over!”

Wintermint was about to argue back, already opening her muzzle and drawing in the breath to do so, but ended up just shaking her head weakly and letting the air out in a deep sigh. She wanted to believe nopony was a lost cause, that there was something good inside everypony. Night Terror, however, had made a serious challenge to that belief.


“We're hee~ere.” Night Terror's sing-songy voice snapped Wintermint awake. She had no idea how long she had been sleeping, or indeed when she had fallen asleep, but it couldn't have been too long. A quick glance to the sky told her it was quite late into the night. Dawn would be just a couple of hours away at most.

Craning her neck she could see that the wagon had been turned around, its rear facing towards the dark silhouette of a town. She instantly knew where they were: at the top of the small hill at the edge of the woods overlooking New Hayshire.

Night Terror hopped onto the wagon, magically yanking his robe away from the two ponies and then donning it once more himself, his saddlebag finally levitating onto his back.

“This is where we will be parting ways. For the most part this has been an absolute pleasure! At least for me!” For whatever reason he seemed to be in good spirits. He even bowed theatrically to Wintermint before hopping off the wagon.

“Are you planning on just leaving us here? That's... That's good enough, I suppose. Somepony is bound to notice the wagon and come to investigate, especially if you light up the lantern we have.” She allowed herself to feel relieved. In the end the beast had kept true to his word at least.

There was a malicious chuckle from the front of the wagon which was currently facing the way they had come. “Oh no... That wouldn't be very gentlecoltly of me, now would it? I'm sure the townsfolk are eager to see you return with utmost haste!”

Wintermint was starting to have a seriously bad feeling about the whole situation. They had been parked on the very edge of the hill with the road leading straight to the town square... And the large stone fountain in the middle of it. “Y-You wouldn't... You can't possibly be thinking to...”

“Give you a little push in the right direction?” He finished for her, still sounding almost sickeningly sweet. “Why yes, that is exactly what I intend to do. Be a dear and deliver a message from me to everypony in town. 'Tis a short and a simple one: 'you're next'. Safe travels, dear Minty!”

She felt the air charging with magical energy, like a static charge slowly building up, before the wagon was forcibly thrust into motion, rolling down the hill with increasing speed. Night Terror was probably still magically guiding the wagon since the vehicle was traveling straight as an arrow down the path.

There was no mistaking it, Wintermint realized, as their wagon was indeed heading directly towards the massive stone fountain that had stood in the town square practically since its founding, an impressive piece of stone craftsponyship with a statue of Celestia on top of it. With a groan she forced herself to flop protectively on top of her husband, trying as best as she could to cling on to him.

One of the town's night watchponies saw the wagon rolling towards him on his usual patrol around the town square and was forced to dive into an empty fruit stall to get out of the way, shrieking “What the hay?!” as he did.

With a thundering crash the wagon slammed into the fountain, sending produce flying, but miraculously the rear board hadn't come off and the two hapless passengers only ended up smacking against it.

From his position in the shadows of the forest Night Terror watched and listened as the night watchponies rushed to the wagon, shouts for help and to fetch the doctor filling the once so peaceful late night air. One after another lights were lit in the nearby buildings and bleary-eyed ponies peered out of windows or stepped outside to see what the commotion was all about.

He let out a satisfied snort and turned around, walking deeper into the woods. Sun would rise all too soon and he needed to reach his lair whilst it was still dark.

He cast one last glance towards New Hayshire and allowed a small grin to curl onto his muzzle as he thought to himself “And so it begins... Let Terror reign.”