~ Living Nightmare ~
By: DarkAura89
Horror, for me, has to involve some sort of fantasy. Horror is something that is in your dreams or your nightmares. -- Cassandra Peterson
“Hooooo boy! Last year’s Nightmare Night sure was somethin’. Who’da thought Princess Luna would have turned up?” Applejack adjusted the star-shaped badge on her costume while looking around at her friends.
“It was a shame, really, that I couldn’t have made it, but I was so exhausted from all the orders for costumes I’d received in the weeks prior that all I could think to do was rest.” Rarity fixed her tiara while remembering how she spent last year’s Nightmare Night at home drinking a quiet pot of tea and reading a good book. “ I doubt the Princess will return this year, but I shan't miss my opportunity if she does make an appearance to mingle with her.”
It was Nightmare Night in Ponyville, and absolutely everypony was getting into the mood for the holiday. After last year’s celebration featured Princess Luna herself attending, this year everypony pulled out all the stops in hopes of making this year’s festivities better than the last’s. More vendors were hawking their wares, more ponies had booths with games set up, and more effort was put into making the atmosphere more dark and foreboding than last year as well.
Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, and even Fluttershy, were all standing just outside of the center of town discussing this year’s celebration, but one mare in particular was slightly less than enthusiastic about it.
“Well, it would be nice if she showed up this year. She seemed to have lots of fun once she got into the spirit of the holiday. Everypony put in so much effort to make this year’s Nightmare Night scarier than last year’s.” Twilight had decided to go as Starswirl the Bearded again this year on the hope that if she kept going as him eventually somepony besides Luna would recognize her. She adjusted her hat as she continued. “The weather pegasi outdid themselves with the thunder clouds they placed around the town. It’s really kind of ominous.”
“Pffffff” The group shifted its attention to Rainbow. She simply rolled her eyes and straightened her helmet. This year she had decided to make a Commander Hurricane costume complete with a thin layer of metal on the armor polished to a mirror sheen. “We’ve stared down Discord and Nightmare Moon, fought off changelings by the dozens, and even stared down a dragon, and you’re telling me this,” she vaguely gestured a hoof to her surroundings, “is scary? This isn’t even close to scary.” She rubbed a hoof against her chest smugly, “Then again, I doubt there’s anything that could scare a pegasus as awesome as me.”
Rainbow’s ear twitched as she heard a laugh somewhere off to her left and quickly turned to catch whoever it was that dared to question her courage. What she saw was Thunderlane dressed as a normal pegasus guard clasping a hoof to his own mouth. “What’s so funny Thunderlane? You doubt how awesome I am?”
Thunderlane set his hoof down and slowly leveled his gaze at Rainbow. “You know nothing of fear or horror. I doubt you’d last a second if something really scary showed up.”
Rainbow was on him in a second, her hoof pressed against his chest in agitation. “You callin’ me a coward?”
“No, but then again you’ve only faced dragons and gods.” Thunderlane slowly pushed Rainbow’s hoof down as he sat down, a pensive look growing upon his face. “For me, real horror only comes from the unknown. Yeah, there’s something to be said for staring down a dragon, but what would you do if some nameless, shapeless evil suddenly was stalking you? What would you do if something you couldn’t see or touch came after you?”
“What do you think I am?” Rainbow’s voice was just under a yell at this point as she continued her argument with Thunderlane. “Some little filly who’s afraid of things that go bump in the dark? Puh-lease! I got over ghost stories before I learned to fly.”
“You have no idea.” It came out as no more than a whisper, but somehow each of the six mares present didn’t miss the words that left Thunderlane’s mouth. He wasn’t looking at any of them, but rather his gaze was directed at the ground. “There are things in this world that defy logic and common sense.” He looked up slowly, meeting each mare’s eyes with a cold, emotionless gaze that seemed to pierce their very souls. He stopped at Applejack as he continued. “Just ask your brother. He knows just as well as myself that there are things in Equestria that are beyond words, and are far scarier than any dragon could ever hope to be.”
As he started walking away, Twilight, spurred on by her curiosity, called out to him. “Why not tell us about it then?” As he turned, she met his gaze and mustered up her courage to continue. “It’s Nightmare Night, so I doubt there’s any better time for a story like this if it’s as scary as you say. Besides,” she dug her hoof into the ground while looking away, “if there’s something like that out there, I think I’d like to know about it. It’s always best to be prepared.”
Thunderlane considered her words a bit before responding. “Thirty minutes. Be at Sugarcube Corner in thirty minutes and I’ll tell you what you want to know.” He turned to leave, saying as he left, “I need to go get Big Mac, Noteworthy, and Caramel. If I’m going to tell this, I’m not going to miss a single detail.”
With that, he went about finding the other three stallions and left the six friends wondering if this was such a good idea after all.
Thunderlane was waiting at a table outside Sugarcube Corner with the other three stallions when Twilight and her friends arrived. He greeted them all with a nod of his head. “I see you all decided to show. Guess your curiosity outweighed your desire to sleep tonight.”
“Yeah right bub. I’m the Rainbow Dash. Nothin’ is gonna scare me that bad.”
Thunderlane scanned the rest of the group and noticed the resolute looks on the other ponies’ faces and sighed to himself. “Well, suit yourselves, but don’t say I didn’t warn you all. This is your last chance to back out. I know I speak for the other three when I say we wouldn’t blame you for not wanting to hear this and would actually probably think you’re pretty smart for opting not to.” He gave them a quick once over again, making sure to linger on each of their eyes for a few seconds before moving onto the next pony, and lingering on Fluttershy a bit longer than the rest. When he was satisfied that nopony seemed to want to leave, he steeled himself in preparation for reliving those dark memories.
“Alright then, it would seem that you’re all committed to hearing this. Fine. I’ll start out by saying that no matter how unreal, how crazy, or how impossible this sounds, this all happened. While I wasn’t there for all of it, I’ve heard each of these guys version of the events enough times to fuel my nightmares for weeks on end. If ever you don’t believe me, ask one of these guys and they’ll tell you what I’m saying is the truth. We may have just been colts at the time, but we know what we saw, and we know what happened.”
Having felt his preface left its mark, Thunderlane settled into his chair and found a comfortable position. He knew this was a long story and he wasn’t going anywhere for a while, so he decided to make himself comfortable. Coughing to clear his throat, he made sure he had a pitcher full of water and a glass was nearby. Satisfied, Thunderlane started where any sensible pony would: the beginning.
“To begin, it was Nightmare Night. It was a night much like this one nearly 15 years ago. It was a time when the thought of Nightmare Moon’s return were far from everypony’s mind and peace was thought to reside throughout Equestria. On that night, four young ponies thought it would be a great idea to prove just how brave they were by doing something far more foolish than any of them could have possibly thought, but youth has a funny way of making you think you’re invincible. It’s always ‘Nothing bad will happen to me’ or ‘I’ll be fine’. You never think that something bad will happen, and if it does, somehow, you’ll be perfectly fine.” Thunderlane leveled a glare directly at Rainbow, who seemed to be rolling her eyes, and lowered his voice to a near growl.
“We were dead wrong.”
“C’mon Noteworthy! Stop draggin’ your hooves.” Thunderlane was hovering just outside the entrance to the Everfree Forest with Big MacIntosh and Caramel waiting on either side of him. He had his forehooves crossed across his chest and was tapping one impatiently.
“I-I’m not so sure about this Thunderlane. I…” Noteworthy looked around, eyes twitching and focusing in on different areas of the treeline, but never coming to a rest for more than a second, “I mean, this is the Everfree Forest. There are timberwolves, manticores, cockatrices, and Celestia knows what else in here. Maybe we should-”
“Awww! Is the little colt scared of the dark? Do we need to go take him to his mommy?” Thunderlane’s mocking voice cut across the otherwise deathly silence that always seemed to pervade the air near the Everfree, echoing off the trees.
“C’mon Thunderlane,” Caramel laid a hoof on Thunderlane’s shoulder as he tried to calm the pegasus down. “I know you’re excited for this, but there’s no need to be mean to Noteworthy. He’s sort of got a point.”
“Eeyup.”
“Ugh!” Thunderlane threw his hooves up in frustration at the two ponies beside him. “Not you two as well. I thought you guys wanted to do this as much as I did?”
“Well, sort of.” Caramel rubbed a hoof against the back of his head while Noteworthy continued to slowly work his way towards the group. “I mean, yeah, I kind of want to see the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters, but couldn’t we go during the day or something?”
“Well,” Big Mac cleared his throat, “Ah suppose we could, but a few ‘o the creatures in here are up durin’ the day. Not all of ‘em are nocturnal. No matter when we go, it’s gonna’ be dangerous. Ah don’ see no difference ‘tween goin’ now and goin’ later.”
“‘Sides,” Thunderlane brushed a hoof against his chest confidently, “we’re a bunch of tough guys. We can handle ourselves if something comes up. Heck. Big Mac here could probably buck a timberwolf so hard it’d turn into nothin’ but splinters.”
Realizing that nothing he said was going to change Thunderlane’s mind, Noteworthy lowered his head in defeat and joined up with the rest of the group. “Can you at least tell me why we’re doing this again?”
“Well, to prove we’re awesome and brave of course!” Thunderlane landed and rested a hoof gently on Noteworthy’s back. He leaned in closer and dropped his voice to a whisper. “Hey, it’s okay to be scared. I’m a bit scared myself, but being brave means acting even if you’re afraid.” Giving Noteworthy a reassuring smile, he slowly walked towards the entry path into the Everfree.
“Alright guys, this is it. This path right here leads straight to the castle. All we have to do is stay on the path, keep a brisk pace, and remember not to get separated. If you do get separated from the group, use the stars and the moon to guide you. Our rendezvous point is the castle, so we’ll meet up there. Any questions?” Noticing no hooves held in the air, Thunderlane nodded his head at the other three colts. “Alright, let’s go. Keep it tight and make sure you’re paying attention. If you see or hear anything that doesn’t look or sound normal, let the rest of us know right away.”
And with that, the four began their journey through the Everfree Forest.
For those unfamiliar with the geography of the region, the Castle of the Royal Pony sisters was located near the middle of the Everfree on a small plateau along a ravine. From the edge of the forest, it was about an hour walk along the main path. Despite being well maintained from the occasional use by an archeologist going to examine the ruins, the path itself was still overgrown with vines, tree roots, and had a dense canopy at times that in some cases blocked out all but the most intense sunlight trying to pass through.
Outside that path however, the Everfree was a very different forest. Most of it was rather dense; the canopy allowed some light through, but in most areas it was barely enough to see at night. Vines, shrubs, and other vegetation choked much of the remaining space which made it slow going for any pony who chose that route to their destination. An ever-present fog seemed to linger near ground level, never quite dissipating and only adding to the spooky atmosphere of the forest.
All manner of wildlife could be heard at various times of the day, which was of some comfort to most traversing through it. For them, the small comfort of birds chirping or squirrels chittering away put their minds at ease.
Tonight, however, there was none of that. A deathly silence held the forest in a chokehold that seemed to drain the color from all around the four colts and only served to heighten the tension. Every twig snapping sent them into high alert. Every rustle of leaves in the wind caused them to jump. Not one of the young ponies had the courage to break the silence with their words. Fear gripped at their vocal cords and paralyzed them from the terror of the unknown.
Despite the full moon in the night sky and a lack of clouds anywhere to be seen, the forest was dark. What little moonlight did penetrate the canopy only served to cast eerie shadows along the ground and trees. It’s pale glow served only to light the way when a few slivers of it wormed their way through the thick foliage. At some points, the poor colts had trouble even making out their hooves on the ground below.
Yet, the forged on. Through the deathly silence and the oppressive darkness, they focused only on their destination and their goal. Off in the distance they would occasionally glance a view of a ruined spire of the castle silhouetted against the night sky. The group had been walking for nearly a half hour, and the atmosphere of the forest was starting to wear on them, noticeably in some cases.
While Thunderlane was still his seemingly confident self, if one looked closely they could see his eyes nervously twitching in every which way and his ears rotating to catch every little sound. Somehow, he couldn’t shake the feeling they were being watched.
Caramel and Big Mac were slightly less composed. Both colts nervously fidgeted, turning their heads this way and that as twigs snapped and branches rustled in the wind. Neither had a confident air about them; both had their tail tucked between their legs and were as close as possible to the other without impeding their movement.
Noteworthy was the least composed of the group. His head moved on a constant swivel, as did his ears, trying in vain to catch something that wasn’t there. He was trembling slightly and perspiring in a cold sweat, and his mane and tail were starting to fray from his nerves. Once or twice he could have sworn he glanced a shadow moving amongst the trees, but he attributed it to his mind playing tricks on him. On one occasion he could even have sworn he felt something breathing on the back of his neck. Just the memory of the sensation made his hair stand on end.
Despite their fear, the four ponies carried on through the darkness; their goal loomed ahead of them in the distance and none of them would be deterred after already having come so far. Thunderlane was still leading the group and had kept their pace at a quick trot the entire time. As he surveyed his surroundings, he noticed the toll their adventure was taking on each of his companions. I wonder if they noticed it too. That odd sensation of being watched…
It had been about ten minutes into their journey when he had first felt it. There was nothing concrete. No eyes glowing in the treeline or in a bush, but he felt it. It was like a pressure on the back of his neck. Every time he felt it, he looked around, but to no avail. It started out rather infrequently and benign. He’d feel like he was being watched, but as soon as he turned his head, the feeling was gone. Recently, however, it had escalated. Now, he would occasionally feel a cold breath brush an ear. That he could handle. No, what really had him concerned was that on rare occasions he felt as if a phantom hoof ran down the back of his neck and between his wings. He knew there was nothing there, but every time he had the urge to scream. He probably would have if he wasn’t so terrified that his vocal cords were paralyzed. Despite this, he tried his best to look brave for the others. He could feel his nerves beginning to fray from the stress, but he refused to let the others seem him break down.
They continued for another quarter hour, and during that quarter hour the most concerning thing for Thunderlane was that the paranoia that he was being watched had faded. He hadn’t felt the regular, and now familiar, pressure on the back of his neck that he had grown accustomed to, and that concerned him more than the oppressive silence surrounding them.
A sudden, very pronounced crack off to the side of the path caught the attention of all four simultaneously. In the stillness of the forest, the small twig snapping sounded like a mighty clap of thunder before a storm. It was then that the colts did something they knew they shouldn’t have: they stopped. They formed up in a circle, each watching a different direction trying to figure out where the noise had come from. Above them, silver beams of moonlight pierced the canopy and illuminated thin slivers of the path around them. The deathly silence was still reigning supreme despite the brief disruption, and all present found their minds and voices seized in fear. Despite their brains telling them to keep moving, that stopping on an open road in the middle of a forest was a bad idea, their legs refused to acknowledge the command.
Nopony moved. There was only silence and darkness.
In an instant, a manticore lept from the bushes towards the four colts in an attempt to earn an easy meal. Fortunately, on instinct the ponies reacted and leapt away from the threat. In the panic of the attack, Thunderlane and Big Mac leapt in one direction while Caramel and Noteworthy leapt in another. When they landed, the ponies ran as quickly as they could in an attempt to escape the manticore.
As he ran, Thunderlane blocked out everything around him until a voice calling his name reached his fear gripped mind.
“Thunderlane!”
The grey colt slowed down and looked around. He noticed Big Mac following behind him, but saw no trace of his two other friends who had entered the forest with them, nor did he see or hear any trace of the manticore. As his mind raced to catch up, the pieces began to fall into place.
The group had gotten separated, and, worse than that, they were now off the path roaming within the body of the forest itself. As the realization sunk in, Thunderlane sat down next to a tree, using it to support his weight, and for the first time that night he was truly afraid.
“Slow down Caramel! I can’t keep up.” Noteworthy swatted another vine out of the way as he tried to keep up with the creme colored earth pony.
The two of them had ended up together after the manticore had ambushed the group, and neither seemed to know where in the forest they were nor where the other two colts were. They had called out after they were sure the manticore wasn’t following them for a few minutes, but to no avail. In the end, Caramel decided that it was just best if they press on and head for the castle. Noteworthy wasn’t too sure about it, but knew it was the rendezvous point for just such a situation. All he could do now was trust the others would find their way there.
“Well, I’d like to get there as quickly as possible Noteworthy. Who knows, maybe they’re already there waiting for us? We couldn’t have been more than fifteen minutes away when that thing ambushed us.”
“Do you even know where we’re going? We can’t see the sky at all so how can you be sure you’re headed towards the castle?”
Caramel slowed down as he realized that he had been blindly running in the direction he had thought was correct. Now he wasn’t so certain he was headed the right way. He came to a rest near a decrepit and rotting tree as Noteworthy fell into line next to him. “Well, you got any better ideas? So far as I can tell, the moon’s over in…” As he started gesturing in the direction the thought he last saw the moon, Caramel thought he had glimpsed something staring at him. He seized up for a moment as he felt a set of eyes piercing him from the shadows, but was relieved when he found nothing hiding amongst the trees.
It’s all in my head. I’m just panicky ‘cuz that manticore jumped us earlier. He shook his head, attempting to regain his train of thought. “Like I was sayin’, last time I saw the moon, it was over in this direction. Last time I saw the castle, the moon was behind it. So, if we keep heading towards that direction, we’ll run into either the ravine or the plateau, and from there we’ll get to the castle.”
“I… I guess that’s fine. It’s just…”
Caramel placed a hoof on Noteworthy’s back, causing the poor colt to jump a bit. “I’m worried about them too, but Mac and Thunderlane are both strong. I’m sure there’s nothing they can’t handle.”
“Yeah,” Noteworthy sighed as he hung his head, “they’re much tougher than me, but I’m still worried, ya know? Bullies are one thing, but I don’t think any sane pony would face a manticore.” He stretched a bit as a small pop could be heard. “I guess you’re right though. We should keep moving. I don’t know about you, but I just can’t shake the feeling that we’re being watched. Every time I try to look where I think it’s coming from, there’s nothing there. So, just promise me you won’t run too far ahead.”
“Yeah, alright. It’s probably for the best we don’t get separated.”
As the two set off again, a deathly silence resumed it’s hold over the pair. They moved at a quick pace, but every fiber of Caramel’s body was screaming to go faster. Neither of them had noticed, but a thin, low level fog had rolled into the forest and was obscuring the ground and obstructing their view of anything in the distance. In the shadows cast by the moonlight Caramel could always swear he saw movement or that he felt as if something was watching him, but nothing ever was seen.
They continued like this for a while before Caramel started to feel an icy sensation along the back of his neck. It felt like something was breathing on him, but every time he looked behind himself, there was nothing there. Yet, the cold feeling still persisted. On a whim, he raised his hoof up and touched the back of his neck. What he felt nearly made him run as fast as his legs would carry him. He stood frozen in fear as he felt his hoof touching ice on the back of his neck.
Noteworthy soon noticed that Caramel was no longer beside him, but was standing with a hoof on the back of his neck. As he worked his way back to his friend, he noticed that Caramel still hadn’t moved and had the same look of fear frozen on his face.
“Hey Caramel, why did you-” Noteworthy’s question died in his mouth as he saw what it was that had caused his friend to pause. From where he was standing, he could see a beam of moonlight reflecting off of a thin film of ice that had formed on the back of Caramel’s neck. It wasn’t much, probably only a little larger than Caramel’s hoof, but it was definitely there.
There was a long silence before Noteworthy broke it again. “Must just be cold out tonight. We’ve got a bit of fog too, so that’s probably why-”
“You know that’s not the truth. It can’t be. Even if it’s fall, it’s still well above freezing and the fog’s only near our feet.” Caramel slowly lowered his hoof towards the ground, noting that it was shaking. “I don’t even wanna think about how it got there.” He swallowed slowly in an attempt to quell the fear that was steadily rising. There was no explanation and he knew it, but worse than that, the ice had formed right where he had felt those breaths earlier.
Noteworthy turned around and started walking. “Maybe we should get moving.”
“Yeah.”
They started walking, quickly falling into line with each other. Both colts, still shook up over recent events, were constantly looking around. Their nerves were starting to wear thin, and before either of them knew it, they were picking up speed. When Caramel realized he was now just a little slower than a full out gallop, he called over to Noteworthy. “Maybe we should pick up the pace a bit while we’re at it.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Both colts were now running as fast as they could manage while dodging trees, vines, and rocks in an attempt to get out of the forest as quickly as possible. Despite this, Caramel wasn’t feeling any safer. If anything he was even more scared now than he was before. While running, he’d started to hear whispers from beyond the trees. He could never quite make out what they were saying, but it was a constant murmur of sound. All the while, he continued to feel that same cool breath on the back of his neck while running.
Suddenly, he felt what reminded him of a hoof running down the back of his neck. With a sudden jolt, Caramel threw caution to the wind and ran as fast as his legs would carry him. He could hear Noteworthy screaming for him to slow down, but at that moment he didn’t care about anything other than getting as far away from whatever it was that had done that to him as he possibly could. As he ran, he could slowly start to make out a light ahead of him growing larger and brighter as he ran. When he got closer he was finally able to make out that it was the edge of the forest.
I’m free! I’m finally going to get out of this creepy place!
As he burst through the treeline, Caramel skidded to a halt as he saw nothingness racing up to greet him. He firmly planted his hooves in the ground and managed to stop just short of the ravine that surrounded the castle. Sighing both with relief at having avoided a fall down the ravine and from finally being out of the forest, Caramel sat down and allowed himself to catch his breath. Soon, however, he remembered his friend still in the woods.
“Noteworthy!” As he called out his friends name, he ran around the edge of the ravine while keeping focused on the treeline hoping to see some trace of the blue colt. He kept calling out hoping that something had not happened to his friend, praying to Celestia he was fine.
That was when he felt the familiar sensation of being watched. Caramel shifted his gaze to the right, focusing on where the feeling had come from only to feel a cool breath on his back as soon as he turned his head. A chill ran up his spine as the breath was followed by that same feeling of a hoof tracing down his neck and back. He quickly whipped around to see what it was that was behind him.
What he saw made his blood run cold with terror. He tried his best to scream, but his throat was choked closed in terror. He could feel himself breaking out into a cold sweat as he stared upon the face of something right out of his worst nightmares. He could hear the thing whispering, yet he couldn’t quite make out what it was saying.
Slowly, the thing drew nearer, and stopped whispering right before it reached Caramel. It leaned in as close as it could get to his ear; the silence threatening to drive the creme coated colt insane. When it stopped moving, he could feel it’s cold breath upon his ear as it spoke. It’s voice was raspy, sounding as if it hadn’t had a drop of water in a millenia.
“This night you have made a grave error coming here. On this most foul of nights, you have ventured into the forest. Now join us in the darkness, and may your soul forever be trapped in shadow…”
The creature reached out and grabbed Caramel. He was still far too frightened to realize what was going on until it was too late. The creature approached the edge of the ravine and threw him over the edge, sending the poor colt rushing down into the darkness waiting below.
Caramel blacked out before he ever hit the bottom.
Big Mac had been doing his best to comfort Thunderlane for the past few minutes, but nothing he had tried seemed to work. The grey colt had been crying into his shoulder since they had escaped the manticore, and hadn’t stopped berating himself for what had happened.
Finally, Thunderlane seemed to pull himself together, rubbing his nose with a hoof as he stood up. “We… we should probably get going. The others are probably waiting for us at the castle by now. I… I’m sure… I mean, they’ve got to be fine… right?” He looked over to Mac, his eyes red and puffy from the tears.
“Eeyup. Caramel’s a tough pony and Noteworthy’s got a good head on his shoulders. Between the two of ‘em Ahm sure they figured out how to get out of these woods by now.”
“Yeah… you’re right,” Thunderlane mumbled to himself, “We need to get going. They’ll be waiting for us.”
As he got up to stand himself, Mac thought he heard him say something else, but it was so quiet he missed it. Satisfied that his friend was in a better frame of mind, Mac began looking around for some sort of way to tell which way they had to go. Through the canopy he caught a glimpse of the moon and remembered how the castle had been silhouetted against the night sky with the moon behind it.
Deciding that any action was better than inaction, Mac started moving towards the castle, beckoning Thunderlane to follow him with a nod of his head. As they fell in line with each other, they moved at a quick trot in an attempt to leave the forest as quickly as possible. After the encounter with the manticore, neither wanted to be in the darkness any longer than they had to.
An oppressive silence fell over the colts, only broken by the occasional snap of twigs under their hooves or the rustle of leaves in the wind. While neither colt would want to admit it, they were both regretting the decision to come into the forest tonight. Nothing had gone well, and prior to the manticore ambushing them, Mac had felt like they were being watched. Even now, he could still feel the piercing gaze of something staring at him from beyond the trees. It sent a shiver down his spine thinking what could be out there.
After a few minutes of walking, Mac suddenly became very aware that the wind had stopped and even the crunching of the occasional twig had been absorbed into the growing void of silence. Not a sound was heard. It was a ghastly thing and Mac did his best to not think about it. That’s when he noticed the fog that had rolled in and that he could now see his breath in front of him.
“Hey Thunderlane, you know if it was supposed to get below freezin’ tonight?”
“No. Weather team said it was supposed to be a clear fall night with mild temperatures. Last I heard, Cloudsdale was saying mid next month before we got any freezing. Apparently winter went a bit late last year, so they’re extending fall a bit longer this year.”
“They why can I see my breath?”
As Thunderlane turned his head, to look at Mac, he noticed he could see his own breath as well. Both ponies stopped and stared at each other for a minute before making up their minds on what to do.
“Run?” Mac met Thunderlane’s stare as the word left his mouth.
“Run.”
Both colts took off like an arrow fired from a bow, sprinting in the direction they thought would lead them to safety. Unaware of his surroundings, Mac slowly began to outpace his friend as he barreled through most of the minor obstructions in his way. He could hear his friend calling out to him to slow down, but his fear-addled brain wouldn’t let his legs quit until he had left the confines of the forest.
Suddenly he broke through into a clearing; the moon was shining down upon the field of white flowers making their petals glow an otherworldly silver in its light. His red hooves planted firmly in the ground as he skidded to a halt. Off in the distance he could hear Thunderlane calling his name. As he worked to calm himself down, he had a look around the clearing. He sat down to rest his legs, deciding to respond to his friend.
“Thunderlane! I’m over here!”
As he waited for any sign of the grey colt he noticed a dense fog rolling in. He shivered a bit as he felt moisture condensing on his skin.
Why is it so cold? I didn’t think it would be this cold outside the forest.
He jumped suddenly at the feeling of a hoof upon his back. He slowly turned with a smile on his face.
“Hey Thunderlane, you really shouldn’t sneak up on a guy like-”
As he met the face of the creature behind him, his smile contorted to a look of terror as the thing before him slowly leaned in towards the young pony. When it got close enough, it whispered into his ear with a voice that sounded like sandpaper.
“You have made a grievous mistake in trespassing in these woods tonight young pony. Now, be forever lost in shadow as I drag you down into oblivion…”
As the creature reached out is ethereal hoof towards Big MacIntosh, fear gripped his young mind, and he blacked out as he felt a sudden coldness grip his entire body.
Noteworthy called out again and again. It had been nearly five minutes since he had gotten separated from Caramel, but he still couldn’t find any trace of him. He had reached the edge of the forest and still there was no trace of him. He knew the ravine was there, but he also saw the skid marks from the other pony. He saw they didn’t reach up to the edge of the ravine, so he knew his friend was safe.
Deciding that he had probably moved on to the castle, Noteworthy began to walk along the ravine in the direction he could see the castle in. Without the constant obstructions from the trees, the ancient castle loomed in the distance still silhouetted against the moon. Holes in the walls and fortifications allowed glimpses of the pale orb through them, only serving to make it seem all the more eerie.
Despite remembering that it was supposed to be warm tonight, Noteworthy could feel a chill in the air and could see his breath in front of him. This isn’t right. Nothing that’s happened tonight is right. First the manticore, then Caramel, now this cold. Something is definitely wrong.
From inside the forest, Noteworthy could hear voices calling his name, but he knew the voice well. It was the same one he had heard just before he lost sight of Caramel. The rasping tone would not be so quickly forgotten. He tried his best to block out the sounds as he continued to make his way towards the castle, but they wouldn’t be so easily ignored. As he continued to walk, the voice became clearer and clearer until he could make out everything it was saying.
“Noteworthy… It’s all your fault…”
“No. What happened here wasn’t my fault. We just got unlucky.”
“You could have convinced them to not go… you could have saved them…”
“They’re not dead. I’m sure Big Mac and Thunderlane are waiting for me at the castle with Caramel. They’re all strong ponies, so I’m sure they’re fine.”
“You’re weak… If you would have kept up with Caramel you could have saved him…”
“He’s still alive… I… I know he’s still alive…”
“They’re all dead… doomed to hate you forever for not saving them…”
“No… my… my friends would never hate me…”
“You could have saved them…”
“I… I know-”
“You failed them…”
Noteworthy stopped, sitting down on the ground where he was. His eyes had glazed over and were now not much more than pinpricks, entirely distant and unfocused. A cold sweat rolled down his forehead as he thought about the night’s events.
“I… I killed them…”
“You’re a horrible pony… You let them die…”
“I… I let them die…”
A phantom hoof appeared from nowhere, wrapping itself around Noteworthy’s shoulders. His eyes, still unfocused and hazy, didn’t even bother looking to see who was there.
“Maybe you should consider atoning for your sins…”
“I… I don’t know how…”
“It’s only fair that since you took their lives, you should take your own…”
“It’s only fair…”
“That’s right…”
“I… I’m a horrible pony…”
“What would everypony back in town say? What would they think if only you came back alive?”
“Oh… Celestia… I didn’t even think of that…”
“Equestria would be better off without weaklings like you… You’re a horrible friend…”
“I… I’m so useless…”
“That’s right… it’s better this way…”
“Yes… it’s so much better…”
“Can’t you feel the weight of their deaths on your soul? Doesn’t it pain you to know you killed them?”
“It.. it hurts so much… I… I just want the pain to go away…”
“All you have to do is end your life and the pain will fade away forever…”
“But how should I…”
“There’s a lovely little cliff right over there… Just a small little jump and it will all be over…”
“Just… a small little jump…”
Noteworthy stood up shakily and slowly walked up to the edge of the ravine. He peered over it’s face and into the darkness awaiting below. A tear rolled down his cheek as he thought about how he had failed his friends.
“I’m sorry… my friends. I could have saved you if I weren’t so weak. Please. I know I don’t deserve any favors from you all, but… please… don’t hate me in the next life…”
He took one last moment to say a personal goodbye to each friend, then hurled himself over the edge into the waiting arms of oblivion. He let the sweet thoughts of his death carry him into unconsciousness.
I know he should be here! I wasn’t that far away when I heard him yelling.
Thunderlane was now standing in the very clearing that Big Mac had been in not even moments ago. For the past few minutes the dark grey colt had combed the field while calling his friend’s name but to no avail.
This doesn’t make any sense! A pony doesn’t just vanish into thin air. Something is really wrong here. That manticore was one thing, but ever since we got in here something’s just felt off.
Having decided to just press on, Thunderlane set out at a gallop in the direction of the castle as he entered into the forest again. While it was odd that Mac wouldn’t have waited for him, he figured that like him, Mac wanted to get out of the Everfree as quickly as possible. Caramel and Noteworthy were probably waiting on him in the castle as well, so it was even more important to get there. Mac would be fine, but if anything happened to Noteworthy…
No. They’ll be fine. I know they’ll be fine.
From off to his right Thunderlane heard a deep, rolling chuckle echoing through the trees. It was a sinister laugh devoid of all joy and mirth. The sound of it sent a chill down his spine and caused his ears to fold back. He noticed his breath condensing before him and a thin layer of fog just above the ground.
“Such prideful arrogance in this one…”
Thunderlane just kept running, deciding it best not to dignify the voice with a response.
“It was your idea after all to come here this evening. It is your fault if they all perish…”
He could see the light piercing the tree line ahead in the distance. He knew he was getting close.
“Who knows… maybe they’re already dead…”
Just a little more. Just a little bit more and he would be-
“Maybe I killed them.”
“...” Thunderlane buried his hooves into the ground and slowed himself using his wings. He turned to face the voice, rage filling every fibre of his being.
“I see I have your attention…”
As the words were spoken, he began to see movement emerging from the treeline. Out of the shadows, an equine form slowly began to emerge. Thunderlane could clearly make out four legs as well as a horn on the pony. As it drew closer and closer it’s features became more and more clear. It stopped just in front of Thunderlane, standing in a beam of silvery moonlight and allowing it’s features to be illuminated.
Thunderlane had been right in his initial perceptions. The thing standing before him had four legs, a horn, and a generally equine shape, though no creature alive would call this thing a pony. The creature had a partial physical form, but it glowed with an otherworldly aura that was a sickening pale green. The rest of it’s body was nothing more than an ethereal replica of what was missing. There were patches of fur missing all over it’s body leaving bits of exposed, rotting tissue visible and even some patches where the holes went straight to the bone. It’s face was mangled and had a few places where tissue and bone could also be seen. It’s left eye was missing while its remaining right one was a sickly yellow with a pale blue iris.
The creature’s voice sounded to Thunderlane like glass and gravel being tumbled around in a barrel and sent chills down his spine. There was only one way to describe the monster standing before him that Thunderlane felt did it justice: nightmarish. He could almost swear he could smell the stench of death hanging heavy in the air around the abomination, but decided that not thinking about it was probably the best course of action.
“What did you do to them.” It wasn’t meant as a question. Thunderlane was angry and he determined to figure out what had happened to his friends.
“What? No, ‘They’re fine.’ or ‘They’re perfectly safe.’? Just straight to the questions then… such a rash pony with a quick temper.”
“I’m not in the mood for games you sick freak. What did you do with them.”
The creature slowly started to circle Thunderlane, making sure to never get out of the colt’s line of sight. “Well… first I found the little yellow colt, Caramel was his name I think. I had some fun breathing down his neck for a while, but then he had to go and get spooked. He ran so fast he got away from his friend and ended up over by the ravine. After that… well…” The creature paused briefly, a sickening smile gracing it’s face, “I got bored, so I threw him off the cliff.”
Thunderlane fought against every muscle in his body, every urge telling him to rip this thing apart right now. He had to know what had happened to the others.
“I see you’ve got a bit of self control. I’m impressed.”
Thunderlane felt a little tension leave his body at the news. He knew if his friends were safe, there was still a chance he could save them.
“Next, I visited that red colt… what was his name again… oh yeah. Big Mac. He didn’t even put up a fight. Just saw me and passed right out.”
Again, Thunderlane found himself restraining himself. Calling Big Mac weak was pushing his limits. He knew he still had to hear what happened to Noteworthy, but he dreaded just what that knowledge would bring.
“Lastly I visited your little blue friend. We had some fun. He had been right behind the other one. Just a few seconds quicker and he could have saved him. But alas, ‘twas not to be. So, I decided to give him some comfort. Told him how every one of his friends was probably dead and that since he didn’t stop you from entering the forest it was his fault.”
“You didn’t!” Thunderlane growled through his teeth, body going rigid with rage.
“Oh, I most certainly did. Told him you all hated him and that he had to atone for his sins. I even got him to think that you all wanted him dead. Once I’d had my fun, I got him to just throw himself off the cliff and into the ravine. You should have seen him. Right before he jumped he was cryin’ and beggin’ for your forgiveness. I’d have shoved him off myself if he were anymore pathetic. Such a worth-”
Whatever the creature was going to say was cut off as Thunderlane lunged at it. All he could see was red as all of the anger he had been feeling just released all at once. He let out a primal scream as he charged the creature, but right before he made contact, the creature stepped to the side and dodged. Whatever happened next was lost to the colt as he felt a sudden thud on the back of his skull. He blacked out falling to the ground as a single thought drifted through his mind.
I’m so sorry. I failed you all…
“After that, I woke up in the hospital. When the doctor came in he said I had been out for two days.” Thunderlane casually sipped at his water in the mug in front of him. When he had finished he looked over to the other stallions seated next to him. “You guys have anything else to add?”
“I can’t think of anything.” Caramel rubbed a hoof thoughtfully against his chin as he tried to figure out if any important detail had been missed.
“Nope.” Big Mac emphatically shook his head for emphasis.
“Well I don’t suppose it matters, but after I woke up I was in therapy twice a week for a few years. I still go once a month to sort out a few remaining issues.” Noteworthy clarified looking a bit saddened at the memory of the event.
“Alright then. Any questions?” Thunderlane looked over at the six mares seated around the table. Twilight was looking a bit pale and her hair had started to fray. Rarity had slowly inched closer towards the group of stallions as the story went on and was now seated next to Thunderlane. Applejack had settled in next to her brother, taking shelter under his left foreleg. Fluttershy was looking as if any slight disturbance anywhere near her would cause her to shatter into a thousand pieces. Pinkie Pie’s mane had deflated about half way through, and she was now shivering to herself quietly whispering words of comfort to Fluttershy. Rainbow was the only one who seemed unfazed, but Thunderlane could see all the tell-tale signs he knew a scared pegasus had: her wings weren’t moving an inch, as if they were fastened to her sides, and her eyes were roaming everywhere on the constant lookout for danger.
Mustering up what courage she had left, Rainbow spoke up. “How the hay did you all get back to town? I thought you were all unconscious!”
“You know, nopony’s really quite sure. The doctors said they found us on the steps of the hospital after someone called out there were injured ponies. When they got out there, nopony was around but us. After they looked us over and finished treating us, they asked around town, but nopony saw who brought us in.”
“Sounds like a load of horseapples to me.” Rainbow eyed the pegasus across from her. “How do I know this isn’t some fake story just meant to scare us?”
“Well, for starters, I lost a hoofball card that night. I was wearing my saddlebags and had it in there from earlier. When I woke up in the hospital I looked around for it but couldn’t find it. Secondly,” Thunderlane turned around and used his hooves to push away a small section of his mane revealing a large scar that ran across the back of his head normally covered up by his mane, “there’s that. That’s right where that thing hit me. Need any more proof?”
“I still don’t believe it.” Rainbow crossed her hooves over her chest while looking unamused, though Thunderlane could almost hear a hint of fear in her voice. “I’m going home. I’ve got weather duty tomorrow and I’m totally not afraid of any stupid ghost stories.”
As she flew off, Twilight cleared her throat and steadied her nerves. “I… I think I know what it was that attacked you. It was-”
“A wraith.” Thunderlane took another sip of his drink as Twilight stared at him in minor shock. “I did some research once I got out of the hospital. Despite what most ponies think, I’m not some stupid jock who’d rather be lifting weights than reading a book. I quite enjoy learning, but I know I’m not the brightest pony out there, so I never bothered pursuing college. That aside, I decided it was best to know what that thing was so if it ever showed up again, I’d have some idea how to deal with it. Turns out that they love to feed on the fear of ponies, and that they were once unicorns or Zebra shamans that while trying to avoid death dabbled in dark magics. The only way to deal with them is to either slay them with silver weapons or to have a powerful unicorn or shaman exercise their soul from the area they’re inhabiting.”
He looked over to Twilight, her jaw hanging slight from the shock. Slowly, she closed it while blushing a bit from the embarrassment. “Yes, that’s right. It’s likely that the wraith you saw then was-”
“The last guardian of the Everfree Forest.” Again, Twilight was left speechless. “Probably the one before Zecora’s predecessor. I had read up on the lore of the Everfree as well after that and noted that of the recent guardians, he was the only one who had not been listed as deceased. Nopony seems to know what happened to him. There’s also a lack of information about who took over after him, but there must have been somepony who did. Zecora’s about our age, so it couldn’t have been her.”
He pulled a scroll out of his bag and slid it over to Twilight. “I asked Zecora if she knew anything about the Wraith or if she had seen it, but she said the last Wraith she knew of was killed around the time of our incident.”
Twilight examined the scroll, and once she was satisfied with it’s contents, slid it back over to Thunderlane. “I’m glad to know that thing’s not around anymore. It would have been bad if it was still roaming the Everfree when we went to the castle to fight Nightmare Moon.”
Thunderlane nodded solemnly. “Yeah. I don’t even want to think how many ponies it killed before it died.”
All the ponies present shivered a bit.
“Well,” Thunderlane stood up and stretched his wings as the other stallions did the same, “no sense in sitting here thinking about things long past on such a wonderful night. Sorry to be such a downer, but we did warn you all.”
Twilight got up as she stretched along with her friends. “It’s fine. We wanted to know, so if anything it’s our own fault.”
“Well, will you at least allow us to make up for it by showing you a good time tonight? Any food’s on us.”
“Sounds good to me.” Rarity fell in line next to Noteworthy as she got up.
“There’s a booth that’s sellin’ fried muffins this year,” Applejack commented, “and Ah sure would like to try one.”
“Um… if it wouldn’t be too much trouble… I heard there’s a booth selling pumpkin pie…” Fluttershy had somehow managed to sneak up next to Caramel without anyone noticing.
“Ooo!” Pinkie suddenly appeared on the other side of Noteworthy, “Pie sounds good!”
“Well it’s settled then.” Twilight fell in line with Thunderlane as they walked towards the festival, sparing a glance towards her friends. “Sounds like a good time. Maybe on the way I can suggest some books I think you’d enjoy, Thunderlane?”
“Sounds good to me.”
As the group made their way to the market, they chatted and pushed the memories of the four stallions’ tale out of mind. They visited many stalls and tried many different things enjoying all the offerings of the holliday. Princess Luna even showed up later that night to celebrate with everyone. By the end of the night, all the memories dredged up by the story had faded back into the shadows where they belonged.
Later that night, a figure walking through the Everfree arrived home.
Zecora opened her door and hung up her cape as she lit a few more candles around her home. It had been another wonderful Nightmare Night for her filled with lots of smiles plastered on the faces of many young fillies and colts. At one point she had even seen Twilight Sparkle and her friends enjoying the festivities with a few, hopefully new, friends. The stallions weren’t unfamiliar to her; she had known them for a long time.
As she recalled a memory from a Nightmare Night past, Zecora walked over to a shelf on the back side of her home. It wasn’t much, but it held many memories upon it’s shelves. It had masks from her homeland, pictures of her friends in Ponyville, a gift from Applebloom, and many other little trinkets she had accumulated over the years.
Her eyes were soon drawn to the reason she had ventured over to her shelf. She stared at a small silver dagger and a hoofball card that were placed with care near each other. As she stared at the items, tears began to form in her eyes recalling that night 15 years ago when four foolish colts had ventured into the forest she was sworn to protect, and how she had almost let that vile creature of shadows end their young lives because she was inexperienced.
“An event like this never again will I allow. That, dear Celestia, is my vow.”
Author's Note
Well, here it is, my submission for Equestria Daily's Horror Fiction Contest. I rather enjoyed getting a chance to write outside of the area I seem to often find myself in, and had it nor been for the upper word limit, I may have even made this a bit longer than it already ended up being. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Huge thanks again to my usual group of prereaders ChaoticHarmony, JetGrey, and Teal-Tome.
