Darkness
'The Everfree forest.
A popular subject of lore of an insidious and often tragic nature. Many of the tales include odd beings, deities, abductions and the supposed holes where the veil between dimensions or worlds is thin enough to cross unknowingly. These tales have never been proven and therefore are no more than old mares tales.'
Twilight paused as she finished reading the passage to herself. Her current subject of study, the one of prophecies, often tied into an old mares tale the majority of which all centered around the Everfree.
But what she had read in the passage before her she had read out in hundreds of different ways by hundreds of different authors, all leading to the same point. There's no such things as the old tales describe.
Twilight a few years ago would have taken the written word to heart and disregarded such a tale however when said tale pops up in every single thing she finds all written in the same period by different races of pony,including the now thought to be extinct tribe of Seaponies. It was simply too much to leave to coincidence. If the ordeal with Nightmare Moon taught her anything it was believe in your instincts and never disregard an old mares tale.
Never.
But she would need evidence before confronting Celestia about such matters and with the Summer sun festival around the corner The Princess was far too busy preparing for one she would do along side her beloved sister. A nice way to re introduce Luna officially to Equestria in a less frightening setting after all, one tends to let your fears come to life in the dark.
~~***~~
Twilight made her way swiftly into the forest, making sure to be clever about this journey. She did not need pinkie singing or Rarity complaining while she was performing field studies, if there was even a remote chance of these tales being ground in fact, the more emotional you are the more it hurts when consumed and all of her friends were too important to endanger even if the chance of things happening were unlikely there was still that one chance. A risk Twilight refused to take.
She Tightened her bag upon her back, taking great care to secure it firmly in place. The click of the buckle fastening was the sign to let go of the strap, no need to choke herself. She raised her fore hoof, gently moving the purple appendage against her brow to re align her bangs to their appropriate place upon her head.
Zecora did at one time offer a fair warning.
'Miss Sparkle there are things beyond our reach , a lesson they never teach.Hurry home and do it soon for this is not like the tale of Nightmare Moon.The place you seek one should never go, hurry run you're not supposed to know.'
Twilight however was determined as ever...The ominous quality of Zecroa's rhyme was enough to send chills down her spine.
~~***~~
It had taken some time but the way to the old ruins was still fresh in her young mind, she smiled as she trotted along merrily,placing her hooves into the prints they made together on the way there. The memories served to rekindle the feeling within her, the feeling of true friendship and at what point on the venture into the Everfree so long ago that these feelings took root.
To many the Everfree was a source of fear but for Twilight, her fondest memories were made possible by this forest and for that she always felt she owed it something and if this trip could clear its name and allow others to appreciate its beauty then this field trip of hers would be a success.
~~~***~~~
Tap..
Tap.....
Tap...........
The sounds echoed in her ears, causing them to twitch and her brow to furrow in contempt.
Tap....
Tap.......Tap..Tap..Tap.Tap..
The offending noise seemed to be getting louder and louder. She groaned and opened her eyes slowly, the purple eyes focusing steadily. To her surprise the spot she choose to make camp for the night was nowhere to be found, instead she was immersed in a deep fog. Twilight quickly summoned her magic,causing her horn to glow. Creating little more than a lamps light around her.The space around her now tinted a beautiful purple, contrasting from the grey fog and blackened skies.
' We can say for sure the myth about sleeping in the Everfree is a fact, you will awake never in the spot where you lied down to sleep.'
While she mused to herself delightfully about the promises of new things to document and study in the fog she saw it.It appeared for a brief instant, vanishing as fast as it has presented itself leading her to believe it was a trick of the eye. There was no way anything could move that fast.
Twilight stretched her fore legs for a moment, feeling the bones creek in her body as she moved to correct posture and there it was again! She couldn't quite make out what it was per say It flickered before her so fast again.
Now this was going from curious to plain wrong.....
Twilight slowly began to back up, noticing the shadow flickering closer and closer to her in the distance before suddenly appearing in her face. The shock was enough to cause Twilight to yelp aloud and fall onto her back, the feeling of her flank colliding with the cold and wet ground was enough to make Twilight wretch.
The thing before her loomed over her like a buzzard circled the dying from above, biding their time for when the meat would be the most tender.
'Never...Tardy...'
Gargled out from its lips, the fog moving to reveal what she could only call herself.
The purple mare before her had sunken in eyes glinting with dubious intentions, this Twilight, however this was possible, gazed upon her leaving the real Twilight trembling in place.
'Lets have fun..'
It cackled down to her showing off that more than unstable wide smile. Twilight did what came natural when she was in danger..She cried out and her horn glowed even brighter than before causing the mare before her to fizzle away.
Twilight lied there panting heavily, her chest heaving up and down.
'No story mentioned this.'
She took her time getting onto her feet only to find more of these things in the distance, flickering shadows with wide grins that stared upon her form as if she were the greatest delicacy to meet their awaiting lips.
"Little miss?! What are doing out here!! Its not safe!!"