Crack.
Crack.
Apple Bloom ducked beneath the thick, groping branches of the old sickly willows.
Horse apples! This ain’t the trail either! I knew I should have stayed with Zecora!
Her lion costume was full of burs and bits of leaves; better it than her coat.
Crack.
The full moon was shining somewhere above the tangled canopy, but down in the undergrowth there were only silvery threads in dusty air. Apple Bloom stumbled over thick roots and tangles of thorns, going by touch as much as sight.
Crack.
Knotted trunks gaped with mouths full of jagged wooden teeth. In every direction her gaze was met with bottomless black eyes. She didn’t want to look, but fear held her eyes open even as clamped her mouth shut.
Crack.
It wasn’t any closer than before.
It was right on her heels.
With its glossy black bark the giant thorn bush was all but invisible. Apple Bloom turned away when she felt the first spine on her nose, but her momentum threw her deep into the springy branches. Her plush costume was no match for inch-long thorns. She struggled with all her might, but with each movement the thorns seemed to dig in deeper, pulling her deeper into the branches.
Tears streamed down her yellow face. Apple Bloom turned her head this way and that. Her eyes were narrowed against the thorns, yet she could not close them completely.
Crack.
No! No! Help!
Apple Bloom felt like her cheeks were about to burst, but her lips would not part. Not a squeak left her mouth as the figure approached, shuffling along on two scaly feet.
It was covered in messy grey down like a baby bird. Its head was round and as wide as its body. Staring straight ahead was a pair of circular black eyes like big glass marbles, never blinking. Below them was a small beak tucked tight against its face, partly hidden in its fluff. Surely it was some kind of bird, but there was no sign of wings.
The thing stood straight as a pillar, and as tall. Just a torso with feet and no legs, judging by the way it shuffled along, its feet barely lifting out of the thick bed of autumn leaves that covered the forest floor.
Somepony help me! Please! Applejack! Big Mac! Granny Smith! Cheerilee! ANYONE!
It stopped within a foot of her. The air smelled just as it should. All was silent save for the rustling of branches around the trapped filly.
“Apple Bloom! Are you alright?
“Your leaving gave me quite a fright!”
A hoof touched Apple Bloom’s back. She felt cool gold rings against her body as the limb’s owner gripped her waist. For a brief second she was relieved, until she realized what was about to happen.
“Zecora! No!”
Apple Bloom squirmed, but Zecora had a firm hold on her.
She began to pull.
“AHHHHH!”
Apple Bloom emerged from the bush curled in a little ball. Seconds passed, but the excruciating pain of being skinned alive never came to be.
“Get up at once! Now we must run!
“This place was perilous under the sun!
“A monster is coming, with eyes like glass!
“We must find shelter! Come with me, fast!”
Zecora helped Apple Bloom up and trotted swiftly down the path. Her face was covered in green glow dust from the Nightmare Night tour, and her hood was pulled back. Apple Bloom followed at a quick trot; the zebra was leading a smooth path.
“What is that thing?” Apple Bloom asked breathlessly as she took off her own hood. She was feeling uncomfortably warm in the fuzzy suit, but she dared not stop to take it off.
Behind her the ground still crackled at regular intervals.
“There are things in this forest even I do not know,
“Now talk less and run fast, ‘til past the last willow.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice!”
The two emerged into a small clearing where the canopy was not so thick as to block the sky completely. The full moon might as well have been the noonday sun. Zecora slowed down ever so slightly, drawing in her cloak so it would not get caught on the bushes that grew dense in the clearing.
“Lay low here and speak not a word,” She said in a hushed voice. “To let it spot us, we cannot afford.”
“But…”
Zecora wiped off the glow dust and pulled Apple Bloom into the thickets, making sure to cover the filly’s mouth. Not one second later the creature waddled into the light.
What does it want?
It stopped in front of the bush where the ponies were hiding and turned to face them. Apple Bloom saw its black feet; five digits on each, all tipped with glistening talons. Its head did not turn, nor did it look down, and though Apple Bloom could not see its eyes at all she was sure that it was watching her.
“Come with me,” Zecora whispered. Her hot breath reeked; she must have run for hours to find the missing filly.
Zecora stood up slowly, and waited for Apple Bloom to do the same. Then she turned around.
Apple Bloom shuffled backwards.
The creature advanced.
She stopped.
“What is it?” Apple Bloom hissed.
It stopped too, about two feet in front of her nose. It was so still, she could almost believe that it was fake.
“Turn away, Apple Bloom,” Zecora beckoned, putting a hoof on the filly’s forearm. “Staying here will be your doom!”
“Where we going?” Apple Bloom whimpered, backing away slowly. Her gaze was locked onto the creature’s shiny black eyes. It advanced an inch for each one she surrendered. The thick undergrowth did not slow it down one bit.
“Apple Bloom, fear clouds your mind,” Zecora said, pulling her insistently yet gently. “It does not harm you, though it follows behind.”
“Look at it!” Apple Bloom snapped, tears streaming down her face. “Look at it! Zecora… Please! Do something!”
“Turn your back and all will be well,” Zecora said. “It has not hurt you yet, why should it now?”
“It’s following me!” Apple Bloom said. “Why is it following me?”
“This does not bode well, I will admit.”
Her vision became blurry; Apple Bloom blinked quickly. She had passed once again under the deep shadow of the Everfree Forest. The thing was still in the light, waddling along in its unnatural gait.
“Turn around, Apple Bloom. Run from it.”
She swallowed her sob and took a deep breath. Zecora’s hoof guided her. Her eyes spun in their sockets, until the creature pas completely out of her field of view.
Zecora let go and took off into the darkness.
“Wait for me!” Apple Bloom yelled, and ran after her.
Never before had she run so fast for so long. Zecora’s stripes seemed to melt into the darkness, appearing and then dissolving again with every step she took. There was no time to look back, and Apple Bloom dared not slow down to listen for the terrible footsteps.
All at once the trees ended; the gnarly, fruitless ones, at least. The night wind was cold on her sweat-soaked costume. It took her a moment to recognize the south orchard of Sweet Apple Acres.
From here the familiar trails were smooth and well-packed from centuries of use. Apple Bloom was starting to feel a little more at ease, and slowed down a little to catch her breath. She didn’t need Zecora to guide her all the way home.
The sound of rustling grass from behind pulled her back to the present and filled her heart with fresh terror.
It had followed her out of the Everfree Forest.
“Apple Bloom! Hurry your feet!” Zecora cried, completely hidden in the shadows of the apple trees. “The spot where you stand is not discrete!”
Apple Bloom glanced over her shoulder quickly.
The thing sprinted along the path with its two feet, still showing no signs of legs or wings. Its fuzzy torso swayed from side to side, each step a wild hop. Its feet kicked wildly in midair; the motion was almost comical.
Her throat burned, her legs ached, but Apple Bloom ran. The creature was close now, and her hoofsteps could no longer drown out the sound of its talons ripping up the packed earth.
Up ahead was a small barn. It used to be the home of the Apple Family wagon before the main barn was expanded; now it was a tool shed.
“Zecora! In here!” Apple Bloom cried.
The door was warped, and the lock was rusted open. Apple Bloom slipped into the dark room and felt Zecora’s cloak whoosh past her.
The creature was mere feet away, still running at full sprint. Its black eyes glistened in the moonlight; it beak could have been a flake of obsidian.
The sound of it hitting the door was like the beat of a giant feather duster. Apple Bloom clung to the door and dug her hooves into the ground as the thing rammed against it again and again. Its claws scraped noisily against the wood; Apple Bloom could not stop herself imagining its crusty feet closing around her legs and dragging her into the darkness.
Land sakes Zecora! What are you doing?
The noise stopped all at once, and for a while all she could hear was the pumping of blood in her ears.
“Apple Bloom!” Sweetie Belle called. She sounded far away; at the edge of the farm, probably.
“Aaaaaapple Blooooooom!” Snails cried. His voice cracked, turning into a shrill howl that faded ungracefully as the next child called out.
Apple Bloom breathed a sigh of relief. Her muscles were stiff. Her soaked costume made her shiver.
“Apple Bloom!”
That voice came from the same direction as the others, and sounded to be just as far away.
“Apple Bloom!”
Goose flesh rose all over her body.
No. No, that’s not right.
She tucked in her ears. Her throat was so tight she could barely breathe.
A hoof came to rest gently on her back.
“Apple Bloom! Come out, please!
“Show yourself if you can, and put us at ease!”