Campfire Stories
A large hairy creature knelt down in the salt flats outside of Ponyville. He resembled the result of what a bear and a canine might look like, had their species been forced to breed. He wore a tattered red vest that seemed two sizes too small for himself. His ears twitched as they registered the sound of a trotting pony far off in the distance. Instinctively, he lowered himself a couple of inches closer to the ground and the nub, where a tail might have once started, futilely tried to place itself between the hound's legs. The dog managed to hold back a small whine when he realized that the space between the pony and him had been successfully traversed.
"Gems?" The pony inquired, her voice was like silk.
The dog slowly tilted his head up and meet the white pony's sapphire eyes. Her face was calm, business-like almost, he knew that it was a mask to hide her distaste for their chosen meeting ground. On her back, was a small purple and green dragon who seemed very intent on staring daggers at him. She arched an eyebrow.
"Sorry, Miss Rarity," he blurted out, "we have been a bit behind schedule with the gem collecting." He lowered his head once again. "If it pleases you, you may wait until your gems have been delivered." He tugged at his diamond encrusted collar anxiously.
Rarity flicked a strand of her perfectly curled violet mane away from her face and sighed passively. "Very well." She nodded.
These awkwardly formal meetups had become a regular occurrence, much like clockwork. A couple of months ago, the Diamond Dogs and her had come to an agreement of sorts. Rarity had offered them several pieces of jewelry that had been enchanted with an advanced gem-finding spell in exchange for thirty percent of the gems they found while digging. Rarity enjoyed these exchanges far more than she cared to admit. It was very refreshing for her to see the subtle improvements in their attitudes and, sometimes (if the days were good), their manners! The dogs had definitely gone a long way from being her former kidnappers.
"How long." the purple dragon demanded. His glare seemed unending, like a flood of angry thoughts.
"Now Spike, there's no need to be uncouth," Rarity scolded, "I'm sure that Rover here is being perfectly honest with us."
Rover nodded emphatically. "That I am, Miss Rarity!" He pleaded to both of them. "It only takes so long because of the shortage of gems we've had."
Spike didn't seem to be convinced but still he drew no more attention to it.
The soil beneath them shook slightly and, a few feet away from them, patches of dirt began falling through the ground. When the hole was wide enough, another diamond dog— smaller than Rover— climbed out of it. In his hand was very worn rope that looked strained to the point of breaking. He grabbed on to the rope and began the process of pulling the bag of gems up with him. It was a long and arduous task, two or three times it seemed that the bag would end up pulling him back through the hole. Finally the small dog managed to gain enough momentum to pull the bag out of the hole. "Your gems, Miss Rarity." The dog managed through a flurry of panting.
Rarity smiled politely and gave the bag a once over. "It's smaller than the others." She finally said.
The smaller dog let out a long, pained breath and then keeled over. Rarity tilted her head in confusion.
"Yes, it is small," Rover agreed, clearly doing his best to ignore the other dog, "but there's hard times here. We hope to get the gems later, when the ground is more generous." Rover whimpered at Rarity's feet. It had crossed his mind to kiss her hooves, but he thought better of it.
"We shall see." She replied in a low, ominous voice. She fixated both of the hounds with a heavy glare before taking her gems and leaving.
"You'd think they would wisen up at some point." Spike said when they were a comfortable distance away.
"I don't think I agree," Rarity commented, "I believe they are content with our arrangement, for now at least."
Spike adjusted his position on her back. "You've probably scared them straight." He joked.
Rarity chuckled lightly. "I suppose, when you put it that way."
"And, if they ever did turn on you, you know that I would be here. For protection." He added solemnly. "I would never let anything happen to you."
"How very nobel of you, Spikey-wikey," Rarity smirked, she would have pinched his chubby cheeks if she were in a better position, "but then again, I guess that's why you're my little gentle drake." She pulled out a generously sized sapphire and placed it in his claws. "For all your help today."
Spike was never a connoisseur when it came to gems but, in his mind, there was no doubt that this was the best gem he had ever eaten.
--O~O--
The school bells chimed throughout the courtyard several times, signaling the end of a particularly arduous day for the fillies inside. Like the breaking of a dam, the door opened and a mob of foals and fillies flooded out. Each one of them were immersed with the on goings of their daily lives. Some talked about their day, while others commented on the cool things they witnessed on the play ground during recess, and finally some just complained about the heavy workload their teachers bestowed upon them. Whatever was the discussion, everyone seemed intent of leaving the building as quickly as possible. That is, except for one particular white and purple unicorn.
Sweetie Belle stood in the hall anxiously. She was filled with the kind of nervous energy that one would expect from a small child awaiting a long trip of some sorts. The fading sounds of hoof-steps were slowly ending their echo throughout the hallway, leaving Sweetie alone. It was a discontenting feeling, the now growing quiet, almost like a large wave of silence that enveloped her. Her heartbeat quickened slightly and small beads of sweat formed on her forehead as she tried to keep calm.
"Sweetie Belle!!" A high-pitched, southern voice called out which completely shook her from her previous state. Sweetie turned towards the origin of the voice and found both of her friends, Applebloom and Scootaloo, quickly running towards her.
"Applebloom! Scootaloo!" Sweetie squeaked, beaming wildly, "What took you so long!?"
"Well, Someone wasn't interested in cleanin' off their share of tha erasers!" Applebloom claimed while giving her pegasus companion a pointed look.
"Eh, erasers aren't really my thing." Scootaloo admitted with a noncommittal shrug.
"Y'know, we wouldn't hafta' do anything if ya just kept yer feet on the ground in the first place." Applebloom said.
"WHOA!" Scootaloo replied with an indignant cry, "You were totally for me jumping off of that old slide!" She paused. "I just wished that Mrs. Cheerilee or gravity agreed with you." Scootaloo added in a low whisper.
"That's not important girls!" Sweetie Belle interjected, "Remember what we had planed for today!?"
Both Scootaloo and Applebloom gave Sweetie Belle a vacant stare. "No, what?" They both said in unison.
Sweetie's mouth hung open in a combination of shock and disappointment for a minute before Applebloom let out a giggle that ruined their perfectly executed facade. The laughter was contagious and quick to infect the fillies to the point that all three of them were rolling on the floor in an uproar. But the chuckling soon subsided and, soon enough, each of them got off of the floor. They each exchanged looks before they all broke out into mischevious smirks.
"Cutie Mark Crusaders Backyard Campers!" They shouted in unison.
--O~O--
"Big Mac, can ya help me with this here tent?" Applejack spoke through gritted teeth.
"Eeyup." The burly red stallion replied, unloading all of the firewood that he had gathered from the older, dryer apple trees. He looked over to Applejack and then glanced at the tent. It wasn't in a complete state of disarray but the last corner had not been successfully nailed in. A common but not too difficult obstacle for non-magical ponies. Mac gripped the stake firmly in his mouth as he waited for Applejack to stretch out the tent. When he felt that the tent was tight enough, Big Mac drove the stake into the ground so that it was upright. Then, with three thunderous smacks of his hoof, forced the stake into the grounds and secured the tent completely.
"Why thanks a bunch, Big Macintosh!" Applejack spoke, tipping her hat in appreciation. "Did ya get all of the firewood?"
"Eeyup."
"Is there anythin' else?"
"Nope."
"Well then," Applejack began while scanning the campsite, "I guess that settles it, until tonight. Now you're sure that you have no problem watchin' Granny Smith for me?"
"Eeyup."
--O~O--
There was a roaring fire. The flames were battling against the army of darkness that hopelessly surrounded the island of light. In the center of the light, there were ten occupants or, more specifically, nine ponies and one baby dragon. Each of them were wrapped comfortably in the thick, woolen sleeping bags to protect them from the cold night air. All of them except for Spike, who stalked around the fire pit as he wove his terrifying story. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were huddled together, their eyes as big as dinner plates, as they watched Spike with great detail. Rainbow, the obnoxious one of the group, rolled her eyes and sighed inwardly. Both Applejack and Rarity were somewhat amused by Spike's tale. Twilight had a neutral look but inwardly she was entertaining herself with all of the technical inconsistencies that were apparent in Spikes story. Pinkie Pie was thrilled, her constant bouncing and vigorous smile was evidence of this. But Fluttershy was the exact opposite so, in between the spontaneous fits of giggling and bouncing, Pinkie took some time to console her shy pegasus friend.
"There was a dead silence." Spike whispered in the lowest, most ominous voice that he could muster. "All around the Carriage." Spike looked over at the Crusaders which caused them to dive inside their sleeping bags. "Pompom was alone. By herself. Her ears made a desperate attempt to grab onto something - anything that would give her a sign of what was out there." He paused, all of the blood drained from his face. "Except for a scratch. It was quiet at first, oh yes, like a soft breeze or a subtle whisper. But then it grew louder. Scratch. Scratch. Scratch. And louder. Scratch. Scratch. Scratch And louder. Scratch. Scratch. Scrrrrraaaatttttccccchhhh And finally it grew unbearable like long, rusty nails that burrowed into her skull. Suddenly it was just her and the noise, it was inescapable, terrible, and never ending. She burst out of the carriage, nearly tearing off of the door, and that's when she saw it. There. suspended over the roof, his hoof just barely scratching the wood, was. the mare's. boyfriend!" Spike finished his story with a scream which caused both the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Fluttershy to yelp out in terror. Rarity, Twilight, Applejack and Pinkie Pie showered Spike with a volley of polite applause while Rainbow just sat there, unamused.
"Wow. That was exactly like the last time I heard that story." Rainbow grinned. "And by that I mean, it was incredibly lame."
"P'shaw, Rainbow, I would love to see you entertain us as well as Spike managed." Rarity interjected.
"Telling stories isn't exactly my style." Rainbow replied, "Doesn't mean that I can't criticize them, though." She leaned back in her sleeping bag.
"Well, does anyone have another story that we could tell?" Spike asked hopefully.
"Actually," Applejack sat forward and tilted the brim of her hat up. "I do believe that I have a tale that I might like to share." She stood in front of everyone. "Have I ever told why it's tradition for Ponyville earth ponies not to accept help from others in the form of magic?"
"Doesn't it stem from an inherent distrust that most earth ponies from previous generations cultivated?" Twilight piqued up.
"If we were just talkin' about earth ponies in general, I might be inclined to agree with you, Twi. But our tale is different, it's a terrible tale of violence, greed, and pain. A tale that has passed through the generations purely from it's infamy." The Crusaders held back a couple of choked whimpers and PInkie was dead silent, her eyes frozen in a state of terror.
"Long ago," Applejack began "before Ponyville was the town we know today. There was a drought, far worse than any storm or grave incident that came before it. Where the sun beat down upon the land and the crops just refused to grow. Ponyville was in dire peril, on the verge of death itself.
Now the farm leader, Sugar Cane, and his wife, Honey Pot, were not fools. They knew of the bleak future that was headed for them if they did not find change there ways. And so, they pursued every available option. They begged for intervention of the great princess, Celestia, to intervene, which she refused and instead offered a place of stay in Canterlot. They tried to barter with the merchants who were insulted by their meager amounts of bits they had to trade with. And, in that desperate time, they prayed to some unknown forced who left their prayers unanswered. And finally they just resigned to their fate that nature had so cruelly condemned them to.
That is, until their eldest son died from the starvation Sugar Cane and Honey Pot had promised to protect their family against. Guilt struck, the father stumbled into the unnatural forest that had surrounded the town. The forest that we know today as the Everfree forest. There in the thick undergrowth, he meet a shaman - a zebra shaman. Who showed him great things - terrible things but great none the less. It was there Sugar Cane learned of a ritual to bring life back into the crops and to ease the stress of the sun. Needless to say he attempted it as soon as he went home.
That is when he met it, a being who surpassed all forms of tangibility; a nightmare. But it was cunning, deceptive; it came across a compassionate spirit who sympathized with the plight of the town farmers. The spirit made a deal with a farmer, he would restore life to the dead land for a price. Children. And that's how it began, the farmer would kidnap foals or fillies; usually from the farm hands who were to busy with work to properly supervise them. They were then left in a field to disappear, to be simply erased from history; like they had never been born. This abominable blasphemy occurred for years until one day, he disappeared. Vanished, just like the children that it stole.
To this day, no one knows what happened to it. Some say that it grew contented with the blood it claimed, that it left the farm to it's own devices. But the more popular belief is that it's still out there watching, waiting, preparing for a time when it could feast once again." Applejack finished the story with an evil grin but, to her dismay, it seemed that everyone besides Twilight had fallen asleep during her narration.
"That was a really interesting story, A.J." Twilight nodded while giving her a genuine smile.
"Thanks, Twi," Applejack sighed, "I just wished that everybody else would have stayed up to listen" She walked over to her sleeping bag and tucked herself in. "But I guess that can wait for tomorrow." She finished as she closed her eyes.
"Yeah, I guess." Twilight said without realizing that Applejack had gone to sleep. She looked over everyone, happy that their camp out was a success. And then she finally laid her self back in her sleeping bag and closed her eyes. The silence provided an expressway for Twilight to drift off into a peaceful slumber.
The same, however, could not be said for Rainbow Dash who tossed and turned in her sleep. Her relaxing silence was being interrupted by the whimpering hums of the pink earth pony next to her.
Pinkie you gotta stand up tall
and learn to face your fears...
