"One...two...one...two..." the pegasus ragged breathing and the crunch of leaves were the only sounds to accompany her through the Everfree's dark and silent heart. Every so often, some drops of blood would drip to the floor, tracing their own, crimson, fleeting paths across the undergrowth. The pale, milk coloured moon would occasionally break through the treetops, streaks of white streaming off at tangents across the floor, some streaks occasionally casting shadows upon striking the pegasus face, the scars and peppered face. Every so often, a black and singed feather would drop to the ground with a fizzling crunch, slowly burning through the leaves below. “just...one hoof...in front of the other...” How long had it been? Hours? Days? Weeks even? Who knew? Who cared? Why bother thinking about it when only one feeling, thought and emotion was in one’s mind? Agony. Physical agony at burnt and bleeding wings. Mental agony at the losses and deluded fantasies of senior officers.
The view began to clear ahead, tree parting into a clearing of charred grass and ash. The young pegasus shivered and groaned in pain as another feather was unceremoniously ripped from the charred, blackened flesh below and flung to the floor, tossed aside like a foal’s toy in a hurricane. Then, she stopped. Why was a mystery, until two mysterious shapes began push them from the ground, splitting crumbling grey ash and blackened grass apart. Like two monoliths from the past, two wooden poles, almost like fence pickets but taller, and wider, forced themselves towards the sky, stopping suddenly as the resurrection was complete. The Pegasus took a tentative, cautious step towards them, entering the clearing; right as the next stage began. Out of nowhere, a small red stain began to spread across one pole at head height. Almost as if guided by some invisible hoof, it went from a trickle to a deluge, the liquid spreading further and further, streaks dripping down the front and towards the ground, creating a hissing sound as they splashed against the ash. It didn’t take long to guess what it was; blood. The pegasus recoiled in horror as the stain at the top spread, darkening to crimson with the older splashes and stains turning a rusty brown. Deep indents from where rope had been tied began to gouge their way into the wood, one at ground level, the other about halfway up the pole.
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White tossed and turned in the simple single bed, the sheets starting to dampen with perspiration, a faint breeze flapping the curtains occasionally, the only sounds occasionally being a faint groan as the lithe and slender pegasus tried to force the mental images out of her head.
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The more she stared, the more the clearing went from solitude to hell on earth. Even the trees on the edge of the clearing withered and burned, being reduced to black and burnt skeletons, leaves and pine needles dropping to the floor in clouds of smoke.
“Wh-whats...going on...?” White stammered, her nerves starting to build as she frantically tried to find somewhere, anywhere, to hide, just to be away from the vision before her. She turned to go, then stopped. The ash round one pole was starting to form something. Something unearthly, yet familiar. Slowly, it began to take shape, becoming equine, becoming sentient as it was roughly pushed onto the pole, the rope tightening around it’s “hooves” as it finally became flesh and bone, and very much a figure of the past. “Sis..?” White’s face contracted in horror, the skull didn’t finish forming, the back missing and thrown across the floor behind the post, complete with various lumps of congealed blood and brain matter, complete with a small, brass bullet casing lying behind it. It’s eyes flickered into life, dull, and hungry. Slowly it looked around, settling on the lone pegasus.
“Whitey...?” Its eyes lazily focussed on her as the nightmarish creature bored into White’s soul, “Why? Why didn’t you help?” It started quietly at first, nothing more than a whisper. Then the volume built. And built. And built, like the Inferno of Dante’s creations began to scream the words, loud, angrily and full of hurt, “WHY DIDN’T YOU HELP?!” Yet, as White walked towards it, she felt remarkably still, at peace, as if this thing, abomination even, was a part of her everyday psyche,
“I didn’t...I was beside you...I, I couldn’t have done anything. How was I supposed to when I was tied up to...”
“IS THAT WHAT YOU SAID TO PA TOO?! YOU KNOW, WHILE HE WAS STILL ALIVE?!?!”
The noise, the cacophony of noise building to a peak, intent on breaking her fragile mind. Finally, something snapped in White's mind, her hooves still crunching across the ash as she fell to her knees, sobbing,
“Get out my mind...please...? Just...stop. Let me be at peace...let me try and work out my future...I’m sorry!!! Please?!” White sobbed, begging for a release, anything to make the noise, the fire, all of it, to return to silence. Meanwhile, it’s eyes, the pale brown eyes, still bored into her heart. Slowly, it broke into a laugh. Again quiet at first, before turning into a loud, maniacal cackle; as if Dante himself had painted the world in blood,
“Oh, sister mine. Your so pathetic! Did you ever realise that? Deep, in that heart of yours? You know, the one as black as those new feathers of yours? Because guess what? I’m not done. I’m a part of you, and always will be. Okay, certainly, I’ll be sitting on the edges of your conscious most days; but I can return whenever I fancy. Like wolf, I can stalk through you, you’ll be my own personal toy. Mine to play with whenever I fancy.” It giggled, “So, toy, how about we start...” it grinned sadistically as the ropes round it’s fore hooves snapped, “...right now...? it growled, the grin widening to reveal the bloody, cracked teeth within, like the maw of some kind of beast, and lunged towards White, wrapping it’s jaws round her throat, her windpipe crunching shu-
The pillow and sheets were covered in sweat as White bolted upright, looking around with her eyes wide, like a rabbit caught in front of a dragon. It was her apartment room; safety. Safety from the monsters back in her sleep. Slowly, she teared up; falling into sobs and burying her face into the pillow, hoping that dawn would bring better comforts than the night.
Another blackened and charred feather dropped off her wing, falling to the wooden floor with a sizzling crunch, burning it’s outline into the wood.
Author's Note
God above this is clunky and bad af. Please forgive me.