My name is Elles, and I made the mistake of entering the Everfree Forest at night. I thought I would find my mother there but I came upon something else, something living. Something hungry.
It all started when my mother told me, "I'm going into the Everfree Forest to get some medicine for your father. I'll be back soon." She never returned. Two days passed and she still hadn't shown up.
I was getting worried, so I went to look for her. How hard could that be? It's not like the forest is that big. That is where I was wrong; the forest seemed to go on forever and ever. It started to get dark before I entered the forest. I never thought that trees would be scary. I felt something brush against my bluish green coat. It made me jump and take off running. That's when I tripped and fell, right off a small cliff.
I woke up to find the sun had disappeared and it was dark, really dark. I got up and fell over; my head still hurt from the fall.
That's when I heard a small voice chanting, "Burn the flesh. Hide the body." It was soon joined by more voices. "Burn the flesh. Hide the body," I tried running and stumbled, I couldn’t run. I was paralyzed with fear; something about the Everfree Forest just makes you fear any noise. I saw something moving in the shadows as a little foal slowly walked out of a bush towards me. I noticed its coat was pasty gray with spots of orange on it and its eyes were a piercing red. The entire time it walked towards me, it kept saying, "Burn the flesh hide the body." I tried to run again; as my hooves stumbled beneath me, I took off deeper into the forest and ran headfirst into a solid brick wall covered in moss. After I regained consciousness I noticed the wall was part of a castle, a really old castle.
The castle was large, though most of it was in ruins. Each step I took inside the grand atrium made me wince with fear, for the stone floor amplified my hoof steps.
I heard something move off to the side and saw a shadow. I bolted down the hall. Taking a right turn, I ran right into a statue of some type of creature; it was unlike anything I've ever seen. I heard the voices again but it seemed farther away this time. "Burn the flesh. Hide the body, Dig a hole. Weeping softly."
I turned around and came face to face with the foal again. This time it wasn't alone; along with it was what looked to be a blue coated mare whose color was fading. It was my mother. ”Mom, get away from that foal,” I screamed but there was no response. I was trapped. behind me was the statue and right in front of me were the two ponies. I backed away slowly and bumped into the statue, The next thing I knew I was falling as the floor collapsed underneath me. I fell a really long way down.
The pain, that's all I remember feeling after the fall. Using the only spell I knew, I lit up the room I was in and looked at my leg. Yup, it was broken; I could see a bone sticking out and blood. Oh, so much blood. I took a second to look around the room to see if I could find something to patch it with. I couldn't find anything within reach. i tried getting up and ended falling over on my leg, I screamed from the pain. I looked around again and found some stairs leading up into whom knows where...
Every step I took hurt like you couldn't believe, but I had to keep going; if I didn't I would have bled out. I heard the sound of hooves hitting the floor "clip clop clip clop" I know it wasn't me.
"YOU WILL BOW DOWN TO ME SUBJECT!!!!" A loud shout came from farther up the stairs and then the sound of Somepony casting a spell. despite being terrified of what I would find; I continued on.
I finally reached the top of the stairs, and saw a shadow that looked like a starry night. It looked like Nightmare Moon's hair.
But there was no body to the floating shadow, "'CRACK"' I screamed as I felt my rib cage break, I looked to the right and there was the foal with its hoof touching my chest... It pulled its hoof back and struck again, I screamed again as I saw it rip one of my rib bones out. I was now bleeding even more and in terrible pain... "AH ANOTHER SUBJECT, BRING HER TO ME AT ONCE!!"
The foal shoved me to the ground and grabbed my tail with his mouth, Dragging me across the ground, leaving a trail of blood behind. The foal stopped dragging me and left me right in-front of the floating shadow... It was the pure essence of Nightmare Moon
"burn the flesh, hide the body, dig a hole, weeping softly, make the night go away,"multiple voices chanted out as I tried to breath, but every time I took a breath my side felt like there was a knife through my chest...
Nightmare Moon's essence floated to me "WILL YOU BOW TO ME?" her voice boomed
I gasped for air as I tried to get up, '"CRACK" ‘the foal hit me in the back of the head...I started seeing stars and felt something running down the back of my head.
Even if I could get away; I wouldn't get far with a shattered rib-cage and a broken leg. The chant continued... "Burn the flesh, hide the body, dig a hole, weeping softly, make the night go away, bring back the light of day"
I had an idea... maybe the chant was instructions on how to stop the curse, all I needed was the right spell... I tried to cast the light spell but all I got was a splitting headache and a flash of light that quickly fizzled in front of me... My horn! the little foal broke it off when he hit the back of my head, I thought I was doomed and that's when I saw light peeking over the ledge of the window. If I could stall for time then maybe "he...hey, I'm na na no..not some su..subject you can bo..oo... boss around," my voice stuttered as with every breath it felt like I was going to pass out from the pain. Nightmare night's essence turned from a glowing blue to a burning red, I might have made her mad, I tried to stand once more but the pain and loss of blood had me falling over again. But I had to keep stalling; the sun was still rising and just about there,
"yo...you can't for...force me to... to.. to bow to you" I was weak and could barely keep a sentence but I had to keep going...
She hissed the most horrifying sound you could ever hear... a few more seconds the light would hit her and vaporize her... Or it would do nothing and I would be ripped apart at this very moment...
As soon as the light touched her she screamed and vanished into mist, the color came back to the foal and everypony else who had been cursed by her spell. I had saved them... I was a hero.
The rescued ponies had found their way out of the forest, one of them carried me on their back. Not going to lie to you, it was painful, but it felt good to rest for a little...
They carried me to the hospital and I was put into intensive care. I had to stay for about a week the doctors told me. I had many visitors including Princess Luna, but all the visits stopped as the day progressed. It had come time for lights off and I was reluctant to keep them on but they turned them off anyway.
I couldn't fall asleep, I kept thinking of the castle and the essence when I saw a shadow, I dismissed it as a bird. But the birds were never out this late, I tried to scream as a small voice whispered "burn the flesh...hide the body..." the shadow came closer... "Burn the flesh... hide the body..."
"'CRACK'" something grabbed my other leg and snapped it, I let out a scream as I heard hoof steps in the hallway and the door breaking open... all I remember after that was the sound of bones breaking, a sharp pain in my neck, and nothing but darkness.