Blood and Darkness: A Night in the Everfree
As The Night Settles
Rain poured rapidly outside, the shadows of the moon barely able to come through the clouds. Night had cast over the land in a matter of minutes after the sun had fallen from the sky. Ponies went into their homes to escape the storm, it had come in without notice, even the weather ponies didn’t know where it was coming from. Some said it came straight from the Everfree Forest, but many just chuckled at the thought. Those who were outside quickly rushed to find shelter from the everlasting rain, to their homes, and to bars they ran.
Those in their cottages turned on their stoves and stood by them for warmth on this cold autumn night, some of them shivered from the rain that drenched through their raincoats and scarfs. Fillies and colts drew close to their parents out of fear of the crashing thunder and bright flashes of lightning.
In the middle of town Twilight uses her magic to grab a key from her saddlebag, she opens the door to the library and steps in, the water pours off of her and rain shoves itself into the house. She quickly shuts the door and sighs, rain had drenched the rug at the door, she quickly dried herself off using a simple spell and pulled out a book that Zecora had given her all not to long ago, she went into the Everfree that night to pick it up and got intercepted from the rainstorm.
Lightning struck outside the house and made the entire structure shiver, Twilight looked outside into the darkness, the entire village was in darkness, not a torch lit in the streets. She grabbed a blanket and snuggled in on a pile of pillows in the main part of the library, the book that she had received from Zecora was that of legends, dark ones at that. Thunder roared overhead and Twilight opened the book. Flipping through the first few pages she found the beginning.
"Ah here we are, Chapter One: The Monster of the Everfree." A picture of a stark white figure loomed in the middle of the page, it didn't have a face, it was tall and gaunt. Darkness seemed to seep out of the very clothing that it was wearing, Twilight shuddered and flipped the page and began her read on the origin story of the creature. She almost chuckled. "A strange untold phenomena that has been haunting ponykind for as long as recorded history." Seriously, ponies believe in this! She continued reading though, on and on and on, deeper and deeper into the story she delved of the strange creature. The more and more she read, the more and more it seemed for the creature to be true. With each crack of thunder Twilight's head bolted up in case something was there, her gaze darted around the room in search of a figure, each time she trained herself back down onto the book.
On and on through the night, hours seemed to pass but as she looked at the clock only a few minutes had shunted past. Her eyes were glued to the pages, flipping through them with ferocity as she picked up speed of her reading, more and more the creature seemed to be coming out of the book until she slammed the cover and gasped for breath. The torch near her went out, and she screamed.
As a sputter of green flame leapt onto the wick Spike groggily looked at the lavender mare. "Really, at midnight, why?"
Twilight regained herself and breathed deeply. "Sorry Spike, it was nothing, I swear!"
Spike looked down at the book. He picked it up and read the title. "Dark Myths and Legends: The Everfree Forest."
He raised an eyebrow and looked at Twilight. "Really, a horror book, you know what these things do to you."
She shook her head. "I know, but I saw this the last time I went to Zecora's and it seemed great, I couldn't take my eyes off of it for some reason." She scratched her neck with one of her hoofs.
Spike grunted. "Alright, well, what did you read about?"
Twilight took a sidelong glance to the book. "Umm, nothing, you know.... just stuff."
Spike snorted. "Come on, it couldn't have been nothing to make you scream like that. Im up already so tell me a story."
Twilight sighed and sat up, allowing some room for the baby dragon to scoot in with his candle. She told him of the monster that was within the Everfree Forest, ever watching, ponynapping whenever he could. Spike began to draw closer to her, fear began to creep into his eyes as they too, like Twilight's, darted around the room in search of something that wasn't really even there. Soon they were up against each other looking into the book, cases of ponies who had been found slaughtered, in trees, down in valleys, one coincident always happened with the events. They always had a note, or some other piece of parchment on them, with a strange message or picture.
Lightning and thunder were at war outside, each time one would subside, another would take it's place, over and over the house shook, the low light flickering all about the spacious part of the library, they soon looked to places such as the kitchen where the doorways were dark, or the stairs where something could just come popping out.
Eventually Spike snapped. "Alright! I think thats enough for one night, huh?" He was shivering with fright.
Twilight nodded vigorously. "Come on, let's go to bed. It'll be light soon." The two walked up the stairs quickly and into the bedroom.
Back downstairs the clock sat quietly on the wall, it's hands slowly ticking. As the second hand passed the twelve. It turned 12:01.
Twilight wouldn't be sleeping long this night.