Star Narrow Path

Star Shower led the Cutie Mark Crusaders through the woods, looking around cautiously. Her fear of the fillies being hurt, and her fear of the night intensified with each and every step she took.

"Star Shower, do ya'll know where we're going?" Asked Apple Bloom suddenly.

"Course I do," Star Shower replied, her voice shaking slightly, "We're going on this narrow path to get out of here!"

"This doesn't look like the path we came in though," Dinky commented. The other fillies nodded. Star Shower looked around. Through the darkness, she could barely make out a narrow path that looked nothing like the one they traveled on earlier. Star Shower lit her horn hastily to make sure she was seeing the right thing. She squeaked as she realized that there was no wide path. Just a narrow one.

"W...where are we?" Sweetie Belle asked, fear clouding her voice slightly.

"I'm not sure..." Star Shower replied, trying to appear strong an in control, while on the inside, fear was pounding in her veins.

Hee hee hee

A shrill giggle pierced the night air as the ponies fell silent. A small pegasus filly burst out of the plants of the right side of the Everfree Forest. She circled around them, and sat blinking innocently at the ponies for a few seconds, before giggling again, and running into the left side of the forest.

"Did ya'll see that?" Apple Bloom said suddenly, a large grin creeping across her face.

"That she was a pegasus?" Scootaloo asked, smiling widely too.

"Not only that," Sweetie Belle added, who had noticed what Apple Bloom had.

"She was a blank flank!" Dinky finished, grinning.

"Let's ask her to join us!" Scootaloo said.

"A new addition to the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" Sweetie Belle nodded.

"Lets go ya'll!" Apple Bloom announced. The four fillies did a hoof bump, and followed the filly.

"Girls! Wait!" Star Shower called after them. She gulped, looking around, before diving after the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

"Hey!" Scootaloo called, as she shoved aside a branch. She trotted out into a large clearing.

"Hey, ya'll out there?" Apple Bloom asked, "We wanna ask you somethin'!" Sweetie Belle and Dinky followed the the two others. Scootaloo was peering around the clearing, looking for the mysterious blank flanked pegasus. Sweetie Belle started forward, but she stepped in something. She looked down, and screamed.

"What happened?" Dinky asked, galloping up to Sweetie Belle, but froze as she saw what Sweetie Belle was standing in the middle of.

"That's disgusting," Scootaloo said, wrinkling her nose.

"Maybe we ought to go back ya'll," Apple Bloom suggested.

"Not until we find her," Scootaloo said defiantly, "Not even a little puddle of...what is that stuff anyways?" Sweetie Belle lifted a hoof, and sniffed the red substance, and gave a small scream of terror.

"What? What is it?" Dinky demanded.

"I...i...it's blood," Sweetie Belle whimpered.

"Yeah...but a little blood won't stop us, right.....Right?" Scootaloo questioned.

"ARGHHHH!"

The fillies jumped as a scream of pain echoed in their ears.

"It came from over there!" Dinky pointed.

"Are ya sure we should be goin' over there ya'll?" Apple Bloom said uncertainly.

"Sure!" Scootaloo replied, trying to appear strong while her insides were crawling with fear. Apple Bloom nodded slowly, and followed Scootaloo in the direction of the scream, Sweetie Belle wiping the blood on the nearest tree. Scootaloo pushed aside a bush, and she too let out a blood curdling scream.

"What is it?" Apple Bloom demanded, running up. She pushed aside Scootaloo, and was soon joined by Sweetie Belle and Dinky. Together, they let out a scream.

The corpse of the little filly was lying on the ground. Her side was cut open, and blood was pouring from it. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was slightly open.

"GIRLS!"

They turned as they saw Star Shower bursting into the clearing.

"Star Shower! Ya gotta see this!" Screamed Apple Bloom. Star Shower trotted over, looking relieved. She peered over their shoulders.

"What am I supposed to be looking at?" She asked.

"A body!" Sweetie Belle said, "How can you not see-"

"It's gone," Dinky gasped.

"WHAT?"

The other two fillies turned, and Scootaloo came rushing over. The body was gone. No sign of blood. No sign of a struggle. They turned, and the puddle of blood was gone too.

"What in the world?" Scootaloo wondered.

"Okay," Dinky whimpered, "I'm ready to go home now!"