“That’s a load of bullshit,” scoffed Scootaloo, a coy smirk etched across her features.
“I’m telling you, it’s no joke! I swear!” Rumble protested, his voice deepening as he grew ever more serious.
“You have absolutely no proof whatsoever that this… thing you saw was real or not,” she replied, not finding the grey pegusus’s whines to be interesting.
“Look,” Rumble said, calming his rage for a moment, “Let me just… tell you the whole story, then you can’t help but to believe me.”
Scootaloo rolled her eyes as the two ponies sat down in the center of the old CMC clubhouse. Rumble took a long exhale before beginning his tale.
***
“Bro! Wait up!” Rumble shouted, struggling to keep up with his older brother. The air was growing stale and the sky wore a dark shade of grey. The sun would be setting within the hour and no pony wanted to be out this late and so close to the Everfree.
“Quit your whining,” called out Thunderlane, still souring a good ten yards ahead of his little brother.
“What do you want to show me that’s so damn important,” Rumble yelled back, his voice muffled by the oncoming hushes of wind, tickling his back and wings like the sharp, twisted fingers of a skeleton’s rotting hand.
“Trust me! It’s awesome!” said Thunderlane, slowing down and allowing his brother to catch up.
Rumble, now out of breathe and struggling to muster up any air, stared daggers into his elder kin. “Look,” he stated firmly, “It’s late, I’m tired, and I have class tomorrow. What in the name of fucking Celestia is so god damn important that you have to drag me out to the middle of nowhere.”
Thunderlane grinned at Rumbles frustration; he always had a guilty pleasure when it came to pissing off his brother. He leaned in uncomfortably close to Rumble as the two continued to hover dozens of feet off the ground. “It is said that deep within the Everfree forest… is a place,” said Thunderlane, deepening his voice in a poor attempt to scare Rumble, “A place where fun and excitement used to frolic and prosper like that of a newborn seeing snow for the first time. A place where all used to be happy, a place where peace now ceases to exist. A place called… The Everfree Amusement Park.”
At that moment a bitter stream of wind collided with Rumble’s back, the combination of the cold and Thunderlane’s story shook his body with so much force, his brain felt to have slammed against the side of his cranium.
“Oooooo, soooooooo scary!” joked Rumble, trying to hide his fear, “Bro get a life, you’re a full grown stallion and your wasting your time trying to scare me with some… bullshit myth.”
“What makes you so sure it’s a myth?” asked Thunderlane, sporting a sly grin.
“Dude, who in their right mind would build a damn amusement park in the middle of the Everfee. Only a complete idiot.”
“Care to prove me wrong then?”
A tingle ran down Rumble’s spine and his mind seemed to stutter for a moment. “B-bro, I’m not going into Everfree forest at night. I’d rather eat a sack of horse shit.”
Thunderlane turned his back to Rumble, barley able to contain his excitement. “Welp, guess I’ll just have to tell that Scootaloo girl that you’d rather eat her shit than go into the Everfree.”
“Are you kidding me,” Rumble stammered, “You would really say crap like that?”
“Well hey; you do like this girl, right?” Thunderlane shouted, his grin failing to dissipate.
Rumble nodded slightly, desperately trying to hide his bright pink cheeks.
“From what I hear, Scoots digs guys with courage. I say you’ll be getting some orange flank within a matter of days if she finds out you were brave enough to find the long lost Everfree Amusement Park!”
Rumble ignored the part about orange flank and looked up at his brother. “You think so?” he asked timidly.
“I know so,” Thunderlane replied, wrapping a hoof around his brother’s shoulder.
After a few seconds of contemplation, Rumble thought it over. If he did do this, he would definitely be the most well-known pony in
town, plus, he just may end up with the girl of his dreams. All the praise, respect, and support he may receive ran through his head like a WonderBolt.
He shot Thunderlane a determined look, confidence swimming in his violet eyes. “Fuck it, let’s do this.”
“Attaboy!” Thunderlane cheered, rubbing Rumble’s jet black mane. But Rumble wasn’t as joyous though, “Let’s just get this over with,” he thought to himself.
The two slowly landed by the forest entrance, a large parting in the tree line, a massive doorway to the black woods that stood beyond. “Ladies first,” Thunderlane chuckled, gesturing for Rumble to enter before him. He rolled his eyes and decided not to bother arguing.
As darkness engulfed the two ponies, regret shrouded them like a swarm. Neither wanted to show their fear, so they both unwillingly marched passed the dying trees and dangling branches.
The whole world seemed to go unbearably silent the further they moved into the woods, everything standing still as statues. Dead leaves cracked under every hoof step and wind shook the crooked branches of the arching trees.
“Hey, Thunderlane?” said Rumble, breaking the bloodcurdling silence.
“Yeah?”
“How are we gonna find anything if we can’t see our own noses?”
“I… didn’t think that far ahead.”
Rumble slammed a hoof to his face, “You’re an idiot.”
“Well hey, you didn’t have to come you know,” groaned Thunderlane.
“WHAT!?” Rumble yelled, “You threatened to embarrass me if I didn’t come, so don’t be fuckin complaining about me tagging along!”
“Dude! Shut up” Thunderlane whispered, “You want a damn timberwolf to hear you?”
“Screw timberwolves! I’m leaving!” But as Rumble began flapping his wings for takeoff, Thunderlane grabbed his hoof, grounding him to the forest floor.
“Rumble, Quiet!”
“What, why?”
Thunderlane’s face went pale and his body began to shiver. “Do you hear that?” he asked meekly.
Rumble strained his ears trying to hear anything. Then the dreaded sound hit him like a bullet. He could hear carnival music in the distance.
“What the hell it that?” Rumble asked under a wavering whisper.
“I-it’s just….” Thunderlane was shaking violently, his body about to collapse. “It’s just some dumb kids or something, just some kids. That’s it.”
“Thunder, kids don’t go into the Everfree at dark to sit around and play carnival music.”
“But… but it can’t be, it’s just a myth, a fucking urban legend. This can’t be-“Thunderlane’s panic was cut short as Rumble gave him a slap to the face.
“Dude, calm down,” he said, staring into the older stallion’s eyes, lacking color and flowing with fear. “Do you know what this means? We may have just found the fucking Everfree Amusement Park! When the town finds out, we’ll be damn near famous!”
Thunderlane still looked unsure, his legs wouldn’t stop quaking. “Rumble, I don’t know if you understand. Why would an abandon amusement park be playing music in the dead of night? There’s probably some… thugs or something in there for all we know.”
Rumble was ready to protest, but the question did dawn him. Why would music be playing in the dead of night? He finally reached a conclusion and spoke his argument. “Ok, let’s just… check it out; see if anypony is actually there. But if we leave now, we may never get this chance again.”
Thunderlane took a moment before replying, but finally gave a slight nod. He never thought they would actually find anything out here. He just wanted to scare his little brother, not venture into something as surreal as this.
The two began their trek further into the darkness, following the faint music. The wretched sound grew louder and louder the further they walked, churning their insides with terror, their minds exploding with tension. The music didn’t only get louder, but more distorted as well. Speeding up and slowing down, playing in reverse, never stopping, never ceasing. The horrid sound of a dead clown’s jack in the box.
After what felt like centuries, the two believed the source of the music was only a few feet ahead, but they then saw something else. Through the thick shrubbery of dead bushes, a bright purple light shown through the creases in the fauna. This was it. Hesitantly, Rumble parted the undergrowth with his hooves, revealing what looked like a large wooden sign. The sign was lined in purple lights, glowing through the darkness.
It read in big red letters: “EVERFREE AMUSEMENT PARK! COME FOR THE FUN, RIDES, AND FOOD! YOU’LL NEVER WANT TO LEAVE! ENTRANCE FIVE YARDS AHEAD!”
Rumble overlooked the sign, his trembling brother standing behind him. “This… isn’t right,” Thunderlane finally stated, breaking the silence. “Why would a random sign be sitting in the middle of nowhere, and how are the lights still glowing after so much time, and how-“
“Dear Celestia, will you shut up for two seconds!?” Rumble snapped. “I don’t care where the stupid sign came from, it says the park is right up ahead. So stop whining and let’s go.” Before Thunderlane could reply, his brother had already darted off in the direction of the music. The older pegusus couldn’t help but notice Rumble’s sudden lack of fear. His head had become overwhelmed with thoughts of what may come of this, the fame, the attention; maybe it was just the pure curiosity that drove him to unlock the secrets of this place. He wasn’t enough aware of the dangers that lurk ahead.
As Thunderlane struggled to catch up with him, he couldn’t stop repeating the words of the sign in his head.
“YOU’LL NEVER WANT TO LEAVE!”
Author's Note
I have decided from hear on out that the chapters will be much shorter. I tend to wright much better in smaller amounts of time, and this helps add to the tension/suspense. This also means I can release chapters a whole lot faster for your enjoyment :)
Happy reading!
