The Lake

Full Harvest stared down at the dark leaved plant at his hooves. It was a simple plant, a vibrant green covering its leaves that came out of a central staff, leading up to a dark purple flower that rested atop the plant. He leaned down before cautiously poking one of the leaves with his hoof. The plant simply swayed from the disturbance. He then moved his head around, looking at the plant from various different angles before suddenly stopping.

“Atropa Belladonna” he muttered to himself, before grinning as if the plant just passed some indescribable test. He went on to uproot the plant with his hooves before placing it in his saddlebags, along with countless other herbs that he had gathered.

“You’re going to make one special chief very happy” He said to the plant in his saddlebag, before closing its clasps and getting up again to continue on his journey through the Everfree.

Full Harvest wasn’t a very large or intimidating stallion, nor one that ponies actually remembered. He was a very quiet stallion that very much kept to himself, often preferring to simply do his work of gathering herbs in the Everfree. He liked it here away from the crazy ponies of his town and especially away from his carrot obsessed sister that also seemed to want nothing more than to pester him about getting a marefriend.

He huffed to himself, he was again thinking about what his sister said to him. Continuing to walk on the trail, he tried to think of something other than the drama she kept creating, yet he became so preoccupied in his mind that he almost missed the bright red and white speckled mushroom that lay not even a foot off the trail.

Almost.

Mentally berating himself for getting distracted and almost messing his work up, he walked up to the plant and began to examine it. Once again, he recognized it.

“Amanita Muscaria” He said, grinning to himself. He’d only graduated from college two years ago, but he was still proud of the fact that he memorized the entire list of known plants and fungi in the Everfree forest along with their scientific names.

He picked it with his hooves before opening his bags and throwing it in.

He had just the chief in mind who would love it.

Not that he usually gave most of his stock to her, and for free too. He just loved seeing her devilish little smile every time he got her something new.

Okay, yea he did give her most of the special plants, it was just her- Damnit, he was contemplating taking his sister’s advice on asking her out again.

Shaking his head he tried to clear it up from thinking about a certain chief, or a certain sister’s advice. He was here to get herbs, mainly ones that wouldn’t be of any use to a certain mare because he’d just end up giving them away to her so she could make her- celestia damnit he was thinking of her again.

No more distractions, he had a job to do.

Walking down the path, he looked all around the area, searching for any sort of plant that would catch a price. Still, he had never been down this path in the everfree before, so he didn’t know what to expect. Plus it made him wary of venturing off the path for fear of getting lost.

Looking around the sides of the path, he didn’t notice the log in front of him until it connected with his leg and caused him to trip.

A small dust cloud flew up from as he landed on the dirt path. As it settled, it ended up coating his usually brown coat and silver-green mane. With a grunt, he lifted himself up, before wiping himself clean of dust with a hoof.

Looking forward, he then froze as he finally noticed where the path had taken him.

It was a lake. Small yet pristine, its clear water reflecting the light of the sun, igniting the entire body of water up in a golden glow.

It was beautiful, and walking up to it, Full Harvest was amazed at how he never knew of such a place existing.

Unclasping his saddlebags, he let them slide off of him as he approached the water’s edge. Hesitantly he touched the water, yet found it frigid. Grimacing, he removed his hoof from the water before staring down his reflection in the water.

A dirty and tired young stallion stared back at him.

He was again reminded of his sister’s words.

Maybe he should ask her…

‘Oh weary stallion, troubled you appear

Come hither, come hither, and lend me your ear’

Full Harvest’s head shot up, zeroing nearly instantaneously onto what to him was the sound of pure bliss. Gazing upon her, he saw the object of his very desire.

It was her, the chief he had grown so affectionate towards.

Instantly he was drawn in, caught in a trance. He could not control it as his legs began walking towards the singing voice.

‘Take off your troubles, let them all go

Enter my embrace now,

Have no more woe’

Full Harvest continued his trot unknowingly, his mind gone save for one desire. That very desire sat there atop a series of boulders.

‘Come here my stallion

Tell me what’s wrong

To hear you speak your mind

I’ve waited so long’

He now stood below her, gazing up at her.

It took a moment, but finally he found the will and mental capacity to speak up to her.

“Pinkie Pie, I…. wanna ask you a question…”

For her part, Pinkie just looked back, a light smile adorning her face as she replied "Yes?" in a voice that almost sounded distorted, but Full Harvest paid it no attention.

“I-uhm…” He looked down in embarrassment, his cheeks becoming flushed red and his voice wavering slightly as he spoke up once more.

“Would like to-“He began, but as he looked back up to who he thought was Pinkie Pie, he immediately stopped.

In place of her cheering eyes and smile was instead two black abysses and a mouth full of razor blades. Her hair was instead two overgrown fins that wrapped over her head while her skin itself was a hairless and a pure deep gray. Halfway through her body though it turned into scales and her two rear legs were distorted into elongated flippers that maintained the same sort of shape, while her tail was replaced by a long and scaled whip.

He froze, in complete shock, her two eyes drilling a hole straight through his.

He couldn't look away.

“Please” She spoke, her voice light and near cherubic, yet sounding as if it were muffled by a layer of water “Do continue, it has been so looooong since I’ve last had some entertainment.”

Full Harvest just stared back, his mind going on overdrive trying to do anything to leave, yet his body simply not responding.

“Oh-“ She said, raising her hoof up to her mouth in an expression of mock surprise “Cat gotcha tongue hmm? Or am I just not as pretty as your ‘pinkie pie’ hmm?” She continued, putting up a pout. “It’s just too bad, it can get so dreary out here with not a soul to talk to. Not to mention, I get so hungry”

Full Harvest, for his part, still was trapped in his own body, unable to respond.

“My word, you simply are no fun. Not a single word, really?” She continued, standing up and jumping down off of the rocks.

Full Harvest’s legs suddenly felt cold. Looking down, he realized that he had been walking out into the lake while he was being drawn in.

He suddenly felt able to move his limbs, in that very instant he turned in tried to bolt away.

He made it naught but five steps before she had managed to completely swim around him and now had her face barely inches away from his.

Her smile, barely inches away from his neck.

“I do love playing my food, but it doesn't change the fact that it’s just bad manners, especially since I have a guest.” She said, her tail curling up Full Harvest’s body and flicking across his face, leaving a light gash in its wake.

Full Harvest shut his eyes, his body shaking, his mind trying to push away the images and the fear, desperately trying to convince itself that it was simply trapped in a nightmare.

“Oh, don’t be like that dearie” She spoke, one of her hooves going to rest on his shoulder.

“It’s all going to be fine”

Full Harvest hesitantly opened one of his eyes.

All he saw was a mouth full of razors descending unto him.

All he felt for his few seconds left was pain.

“‘Can’t make it to Zecora’s on mah on huh? I’ll show her” Applebloom said confidently to herself, her tiny legs carrying her onwards through the dark forest.

Staring down at the ground in front of her in anger at her sister’s biting words, Applebloo didn’t notice the log she walked straight into, tripping her.

She fell flat on her stomach, sending a dust cloud airborne.

Pulling herself off of the ground, Applebloom shook her body a couple times to get the layer of dust off of her.

That’s when she looked forward and noticed a pristine lake.

Then the singing started.