Have you ever heard the tale of the wandering mare? It's a very popular tale to be told around the burning flames of a campfire, or in the darkness only illuminated by a torch or lantern. It's commonly accepted as a fake horror story to scare children into staying inside at night, to stay away from the cold choking grip of the darkness. The tale goes like this.
Once upon a time, there used to be a peach coloured mare who sold sweets on the edge of a forest. This was because she used very natural ingredients, and they got surprisingly popular with the town so crowds upon crowds of ponies would gather around her little wooden stall. One day, she had gotten some particularly good sales, and was organising her stall. As she packed up the sweets into a saddle bag lined with plastic inside, she began to drag the rope attached to her stall with the intent of pulling it home. It was cold and dark outside, and the crickets were chirping, and everypony was sleeping. As she began to tug the rope, she allowed it to fall out of her mouth as a sound in the distance caught her attention. As she stared, a figure approached her. Thinking it was another customer-albeit at such a late hour- she smiled and got ready to greet this new customer.
She was never seen again.
Some say if little fillies go outside at night, the wandering mare will come by and snatch them up, never to be seen again
Fluttershy had just finished washing some bright orange carrots for Angel as the sky outside grew dark. She used a small paper towel to dry them, and laid them out neatly onto a plate, humming a merry little tune to herself as she prepared the food for him. Angel was probably waiting outside the kitchen, and would be getting hungry. She stretched a little, and picked up the plate gently, carrying it on one hoof as if she was serving a customer at a fancy diner.
"Here you go Angel, your favourite-"
She scanned the room. There was no sign of the little fluffy white rabbit. Maybe he was playing a cruel joke on her. He did that a lot, but had always apologised afterwards. As she looked through the room, a lump formed in her throat, and she attempted to swallow it nervously.
"A-angel?"
She looked around at the other animals, who were eating in their respective corners, seeming not to notice.
"W-where's Angel? Have any of you seen him?"
A beaver looked up at her, taking a break from him meal as he pointed a paw at the door. She noticed it was ajar.
"Oh Angel!"
Fluttershy gasped, fear welling up in her as she approached the door, her heart pounding. A small rabbit like him could get harmed outside, easily. She pushed the door open, and felt rain drops hit her fur, dripping on it, and the cold wind blasted her in the face. She closed the door again, hurrying away to get a scarf and any other cover she could get from the harsh weather. She wrapped a pink scarf around her neck tightly, and stepped out, feeling the rain on her face. She blinked as some rain water got in her eye, and she gasped at the icy shock of the wind. She looked back at her animals, and smiled weakly.
"I'll be back soon, I've got to find Angel!"
She closed the door behind her and began to run out, picking up her speed. She glanced around her for any signs of where he might have gone. Maybe he had gotten into the vegetable garden again. She trotted over to it and searched among the growing fruits and vegetables, glancing through the large leaves soaked with rain. No sign of him there either.
"Angel! Angel where are you?"
She called out, hopefully pricking up her ears, listening for a little squeak or potter patter of footsteps. Nothing.
"Oh, Angel!"
Tears welled up in her eyes, as she started crying, the tears spilling down her face. She turned around, preparing to go search somewhere else, or get help in the search when she felt her hooves give way, and she slipped and fell, landing in a large mud puddle. She took a while to register this, and she sighed, still sobbing as she felt the mud covering her. She stood up slowly, feeling the thick brown sludge grip to her fur, and she shook some of it off her hoof, the little splats falling onto the wet grass. This was hopeless. And then, her eyes widened as she noticed little paw prints deep in the wet mud. She gasped, a smile forming on her face, as she shook the mud off.
"Angel!"
She picked up her pace again, trying not to slip as she followed the tiny footprints, hope rising in her heart until it was shattered as she stopped at the edges of the Everfree Forest. She gulped nervously, peering into the darkness in the forest. Somehow, it was even more dark than it was outside of the forest. It's pitch blackness glared at her from the forest, as if it was telling her to get out, to run away.
She hesitated, lifting her hoof slowly, as it landed again slightly past the border into the forest. She took a deep breath, letting the sir leave her lungs again as she slowly stepped into the forest. She darkness inside seemed to swallow her up the second she stepped inside.
The moment she entered, her vision was filled with a darkness, pitch black. It was so dark she couldn't see her hoof in front of her face. As her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness inside the forest, she looked around and took in the twisted roots at either side of her. A dirt pathway ahead of her lead her deeper into the forest, as she followed Angel's paw prints deeper inside. She turned to look back, and gasped as she saw a thick layer of leaves covering the entrance. The only way to go was in. Heavy looking trees stood to attention on each side of her, and a thick canopy of trees was above her. The path ahead of her was no longer there. She continued ahead, terror in her eyes.
"Angel, please come out now, this isn't funny...you know you're not supposed to go here, or anywhere on your own. .Please, be good and come out..."
She received no answer, nor did she receive a little bunny rabbit running over to greet her. She saw only trees. While there were crickets outside, there was completely silence in the Everfree Forest. Nothing stirred, everything seemed to lay perfectly still.
"Angel!"
No response. Fluttershy looked down to check for his paw prints when she realized they were gone. There were no more paw prints to lead her to the little bunny's location. She looked behind her...only to find the rest of the prints to be gone too. Her only way of making it back out was now gone. Fluttershy gasped in panic, as she stared at the ground.
"The tracks...where are they?!"
She asked no one in particular. No, Angel would never take a prank this far. It was very clear this was no longer a prank. He really was lost deep in the Everfree. Why had he came out here in the first place? He KNEW the rules very well. Fluttershy trotted onwards, her eyes scanning the area ahead of her. An idea popped into her head. Zecora! Maybe she had seen him, or could even help her search for him. She searched for the ditch that would lead to her house, but she saw nothing. Her ears perked up, as she thought she heard a small noise.
"Angel?"
She asked desperately, hope rising in he yet again. A smile spread across her face, the biggest smile she had ever smiled in her entire life as she hears a tiny squeak in the bushes ahead of her.
"Angel! You're here!"
She turned to her side and began to run, looking into the bushes as she crashed into them. She looked ahead of her in confusion, as she ran ahead, her legs seeming to run on their own accord. Why had the noises stopped? She came out of the bushes, seemingly on the other side of the forest.
"Angel, you can come out now, Im here!"
She waited for a response.
"I've bene searching for you, you were very naughty to run off like that! Let's go home, Angel! I bet all of the other animals are worried about you..."
Still no response.
"A-Angel? You are here right?"
Silence. She had been stupid, and allowed a tiny noise- that was probably just her imagination- to lead her to the other side of the Everfree Forest. She realised it was getting colder and colder the further she went in, and the scarf wrapped so snugly around her neck wasn't helping very much. She sobbed, stamping a hoof on the ground in frustration. The many warnings given to her by her friends and Zecora played through her mind.
"Don't go in too deep-"
"It's dangerous in there'"
But, what if Angel hadn't heard her properly and though she was a monster, and had run away as she ran towards him? It was a possibility. She wiped her snout on her hoof, and began to walk forwards again, even though her legs were tired from running so much. They ached like she had never felt pain before, and she rubbed one of her sore legs before continuing on, although not as hopeful as she once was. Only trees and twisted roots filled her vision, until she saw something small and white that appeared to be moving in front of her.
"Angel!"
She ran towards it, only to realise it was only a small white flower swaying in what seemed to be a non existent breeze. Upon realising it was only a simple little flower, she sighed, leaning down to look at it. She gently reached out a hoof to touch it- and whipped her hoof back as she felt a tiny sting, and felt a small stream of blood run down. She lifted her hoof, and noticed a tiny tooth embedded in it. She shook it out, and it fell to the floor. Upon closer inspection of the flower, she noticed rows of tiny sharp teeth, and a tiny wad of yellow flesh belonging to her in there. She stepped around it, wincing in pain as her hurt hoof scraped against the ground. She stared ahead, and the cold gripped her fur in a hold, and she didn't want to go further. But she had to. She had to find Angel.
She progressed, stopping in her tracks, a lump still in her throat as she stared into a ditch ahead of her. Except this one didn't lead to Zecora's house, which would have been great If it did lead to her home. Instead, these ditches didn't have a bottom. Pitch black filled them, and she saw what appeared to be hoof marks lined across the edge of the dish, as if somepony had been trying to climb out, or stop themselves from falling. There were marks further down, showing they had slid down. Fluttershy felt sorry for them. There was a single, gnarled old log that was covered in rot, moss and blue mushrooms. It looked slippery, as if it was covered in a thick gel. Fluttershy sighed, and she lowered her ears and put her hoof on it. She nearly fell over immediately, coming dangerously close to falling over the side. She screeched and held on, sliding herself across the wet log. She peered over the side into the deep darkness that threatened to swallow her whole.
She slid herself along at a painfully slow pace, and she couldn't help but look back at those hoof marks that had tried to cling onto the side. She wondered what poor pony had suffered this fate. She looked back up, and gasped at the sight of a large weasel clinging to the log.
"Oh, hello little one...what are you doing here?"
It looked at her with wide eyes, it's brown eyes filled with powerful emotion- fear. It reached a small paw out to her, and it's back paws slid on the log, and left it entirely as the panic and surprise barely registered on its little fuzzy face. Fluttershy reached out to grab the little weasel, but its front paws fell off, and it fell off into the pitch black, with a screech. Fluttershy screamed and reached out a hoof, but it was too late. She sobbed, and looked over the side to see if she could see the poor weasel. Not even a crack emerged. Just silence. She sobbed louder, and glanced at the area of log, she looked at the deep brown bark, and even the stump of a mushroom the weasel has been gripping to. It has clearly taken most of the mushroom with it in its struggle for survival. It's struggle had gone to complete waste.
She pulled herself forward, her soft yellow hoof clamping down on the grass ahead, and she desperately gripped it, and pulled herself forward to safety, going even deeper into the darkness of the Everfree. She stood up, shaking wildly and she continued on, pushing herself through a tear in the trees. As she walked on, she made her way through several pitch black areas, and realised everything she saw was familiar, and she saw the exact same area she had been to before. No- it couldn't be true.
"ANGEL! ANGEL COME OUT!"
She sat down softly, and sighed. Why was she still trying? Angel was obviously injured- or dead. She sobbed heavily, lifting her pale yellow hooves to cover her eyes. Her ears pricked up suddenly, and she lifted her head, her eyes widened, and her mouth remained agape.
"Hello?"
She called into the darkness, staring ahead of her in terror. There it was- the soft clip clop of hooves. Her eyebrows raised, and she called out loudly.
"Hello? Please help me, I'm lost!"
The soft clack of hooves was still distant. Maybe they were too far away to hear her.
"PLEASE HELP!"
She yelled louder, putting her two front legs at each side of her mouth in attempt to amplify the sound. She sighed with relief at the hoof steps began to get closer, getting louder. She was filled with a sudden feeling of dread, as she gulped at a shadow that appeared she's dog her in the distance. It was surrounded by a thick purple fog, but from what she could tell, it was a pegasus mare...but something was off about her. Fluttershy overlooked this and sighed. The figure was no longer moving, and was standing still, staring at her.
"Oh, thank goodness!"
She waved frantically, motioning for the pony to come closer.
"H-Hello there, m-my name is Fluttershy, and I come from Ponyville, I got lost in here looking for my bunny Angel, please help me get out of here, and maybe find Angel"
She blurted out, staring as the pony in front of her began to come closer.
"Thank yo-"
She stopped talking, her eyes widening.
This pony looked hurt..
She had a strange, fumbling, limping walk, and she looked on the verge of tripping up. But she never did. As she came closer, Fluttershy gasped.
She was a pale, peppermint colour, and had messy blood red hair that nearly draped on the ground. Her wings were clenched against her side tightly, and she tilted her head to the side, her ears twitching. She herself was twitching.
Fluttershy attempted to stare into her eyes, but found None to stare into. There were just black holes where her eyes should have been. Fluttershy gave a strangled gasp, backing away as the mare came closer, and the mare approached the terrified yellow pegasus slowly and teasingly, as if she was savouring it. The peppermint mare leaned forward and whispered softly, in a raspy, dead voice.
"Iiii...ammm..She who wandererssss"
Fluttershy took no extra time in beginning to run, crashing into the trees ahead of her. She bashed her flank painfully on the tree trunks, their splinters digging deep into her soft flesh as she screamed for somepony, anypony to help her, although she knew deep down nobody could hear her scream. She heard the mare running behind her, catching up to her quickly. Fluttershy pounded the earth beneath her hooves, in a desperate panic to get away. She flapped her wings, trying to get air underneath them, and she took off, trying to fly upwards, only to realise a thick canopy blocked her from getting out. She landed, and began to run again, her tears steaming down her face, as she began screaming for help, she yelled and yelled until her throat was dry and painful, and she couldn't produce anything more than a rasp. Her legs began to ache, and she tried to push herself to go faster, but found she couldn't. The pain grew in her legs, creating a painful, uncomfortable burning sensation that traveled up her legs, and her chest tightened.
She saw some large, thick bushes in front of her, and a kind of weak hope raised in her, realising it may be the bush the crossed through when she thought Angel was there. She rushed into them, and immediately realised that this group of bushes was NOT the ones she had been through. As she pushed through, sharp thorns pierced her skin, cutting deep into her soft, tender flesh. She screamed in pain despite her dry throat, and struggled, only making the thorns cut deeper the more she squirmed. She wriggled like a trapped animal as the mare approached, and Fluttershy could hear the mares neck cracking, and the sound of a sheath being removed form a knife. She felt not a knife, but sharp teeth dig into her already hurt flank as she screamed again, wriggling and kicking at the mare to no avail. She finally broke free, looking at her body which was now covered with deep cuts and scratches, and she wailed and began to limp. She thought she was free...
She felt something tight wrap around her neck, and whatever it was began to choke her, as she was suspended mid air by a thick thorn covered vine. She gagged and coughed, feeling blood dribble out of her mouth and down her chin. It felt warm, and sticky. She gagged, flapping her wings, and she lifted her hooves to her neck to try and take away some of the pressure caused by the vine. She pulled with all of her might, and fell backwards, hitting the ground with a loud thud. She felt her fragile wings snap as she hit the ground.
She pulled herself up, gasping and wheezing, and limped forwards as she heard the gentle clip clop of hooves behind her. She wheezed, lifting herself forwards, and she stopped at a wide ditch in front of her, that stretched for miles in front of her, and she gasped loudly, and screamed as she felt a heavy push to her flank, and the ground left her hooves, and she began to fall.
Dust flew up around her, and she felt a rock hid the sie of her head, and she began to roll, dust seeping into her wounds as she rolled faster and faster, putting out a hoof to stop herself. She felt her front leg bend backwards, and it snapped. She let out another raspy scream, and she fell into what appeared to be a thick swamp. Her vision was heavily blurred, but she could smell something strange. It smelled of decaying food. She lifted her head weakly, and her vision finally cleared, enough to see in front of her. She tried to move, but found she was stuck in a thick green mud. She could see her blood mixing with it, and she looked upwards, seeing mud stuck to the sides of the ditch too.
"H-h-help me..."
She could no longer shout or scream. She looked to her side, and noticed several large lumps in mup. They were all the shapes of ponies. As her eyes began to slowly close, she looked upwards, to see the face of the peppermint coloured mare looking down at her. She looked down at Fluttershy- and flashed her a wide, toothy grin.
