> The Ghost of Autumn. > by DaChef > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > From Ending.... > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was a cold autumn night in the depths of the forest of Shadow Wood that flanked the village of Stable form the south. The moon, which was full on this particular night, shot many dim beams of light on the dark and gloomy path that the distressed filly Autumn Zephyr trotted down as she quietly sobbed. Having run away from the Orphanage which for all her life had been a living hell. She now found herself wandering aimlessly in the dark, gloomy forest in hope of finding the road that she thought the map said she should reach soon. "Why am I so useless?" She thought to herself for the hundredth time as she trotted along the dark path. Looking back she thought for a moment that maybe she should try and head back towards the town only to remember that there really wasn't anything for her to go back to. After all no pony ever wanted to be her friend. She was nothing more than a useless, delayed blank flank with absolutely no hope of being adopted by anypony with any form of common sense. "It's no use" She thought as she looked ahead at the moon lit clearing that the path gave way to. That was when she spotted something, a long vine hanging down from one of the trees roughly 3 meters in the air next to a roughly 4 meter high rock. "Maybe they were right, " She thought morbidly. "Maybe the world would be better if I didn't exist" Looking down at the ground in front of her, she found the gazed of her light purple eye transfixed by her own reflection in the puddle in front of her. Both her long, ghostly green mane that fell over her blind left eye in a crescent shape that's tip ended right below her chin and her dark purple coat was covered in briers form her trek through the forest. Her tears, flowing now like blood from a fresh wound, caused contorting ripples in her reflection as she felt her mind assaulted memories.... ...Your nothing but useless... ....No ponies ever going to what to adopt a mess up like you.... ...Why do mistakes like you even exist??? ...Freak... ... Blank Flank.... ... I can't see why she even keeps trying... ... Why can't you do anything right??? No wonder your parents abandoned you "SHUT UP!!!" She screamed as she slapped away her own reflection. Curling up into a fetal position she began sobbing profusely. "They're right" She mumbled to herself after a good while of sobbing. She stood herself to her hoofs and took a deep breath as she continued to sob. "I'm nothing but a freak, an accident of nature that shouldn't exist. It is time for me to do what's right so that I am no longer a burden on others." Taking shaky steps forward to her final destination, she eventually reached the rock and began to climb it by using her aura to grip its surface to pull herself out to the top of the bleak, grey stone. "This is it" she thought to herself once she reach the top of the mighty stone. Reaching out with her hoof, she grabbed onto the vine with and began trying to recall how one of the many the murder mystery novels she had found in the shelf of donated books at the orphanage said a hangman's knot was tied. With every failed attempt she progressively got more and more emotional and her hoofs trembled from the sheer frustration. After what felt like an eternity she believed she had finally got the knot right. "Goodbye..." she thought for one last time as she slipped the knot over her neck and jumped off the rock. As she almost reached the ground there was a sickening TWACK form the vine as it recoiled, doing it's gruesome just as it was supposed to. Despite the short feeling of pain from having her neck broken, Autumn now felt nothing. At first it all she could perceive was darkness. But eventually however, she felt what she thought was a cold breeze. Opening her eyes she realized she was on the ground of the clearing. This isn't right... as she sat up on her hoofs As tears began to well up in her eyes. "WHY CAN'T I DO ANYTHING RIGHT!?!" she screamed as she exploded into tears. Assuming the all too familiar fetal position she usually assumed when she had a breakdown. Never did she think to look directly above her at the corpse hanging from the vine.... <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> It was early morning for Gooseberry Brew, closing and locking the door of her home, she headed towards the ShadowWood in order to pick ingredients for the potions that she was famous for in the town of Stable. As she reached the forest's edge, she heard something unusual, though she couldn't pin down exactly what it was. Letting curiosity overcome her better judgement she fallowed the eerie noise. The deeper she delved into the dark, shadowy depths of the forest, she began to realize that the sound was intensifying. 'It sounds like somepony crying.' She thought to herself as she continued though to herself as he continued trotting down the the bier filled path. As she finally reached a clearing, she smelled an odd stench in the air as she spotted the source of the noise through the trees. It was a young filly with a dark purple coat and ghostly green hair curled up in a fetal position. "she must be one of the orphans from the orphanage" She thought to herself. "Don’t worry young one I'm...." She began to say as she pushed away the tree branch that was blocking her view of the entire clearing. The moment she saw the corps Goodberry found herself speechless as her eyes darted back and forth between the crying filly (who was now looking up at her) and the matching corpse. A chill ran down Gooseberry's spine as fear and terror over took her mind. Remembering all of the terrible ghost stories her friends and parents had told her by the campfire when they went on their yearly camping trips, Goodberry flew into a panic of pure terror. "G....GH... GHOST!!" She screamed as she turned back and began to run for my life. "I go to get back to town and get help." She told herself in her head swearing that she heard what she thought was the malicious spirit chasing after her.