The Creepy Three: An Anthology

Chapters

1: The Cepheus
2: The Hearse Ride
3: Psychosis

1: The Cepheus

Everyone has heard of a ghost ship. The kind that is spotted on an overcast, stormy day as the rain comes down or the fog comes up in which, just beyond the gray is the outline of a boat that shouldn’t be there before vanishing forever. Or perhaps the kind in which pursued sailors into the cold nights to be dragged underneath the icy waves. Depending on who you ask that believes in such things, they would give you their theories from ships that have been caught in a never-ending time loop. Other say that those who happened to be on board were destined to be cursed to wander the seas for eternity, never to make land.

But every now and then, there comes a story in which ships are found abandoned, where no crew member, passenger or anyone remains behind to steer. Leaving the vessel to the elements until they eventually sink underneath the waves. However, there are very rare occasions in which such ghost ships are found by the living to walk on board. As it so happens, this is one such story.

Back when I started out as a Sub Lieutenant for the Equestrian Navy, I was station onboard of the Polaris in the vast South Luna Sea. Basically, we sailed in a very large circle starting off from Applewood, patrolling southward until we reached the border, turn westward for several miles out to open sea before returning northward. The purpose of this was obvious as we were part of a chain of ships that scouted for any threats that might happen from the ocean. Normally, nothing much happens as trading, cruising and privately own ships pass by so we give them the okay to continue.

As you could imagine, the job got boring pretty quickly. Since we were patrolling the seas, not much action happens out there except for the storms that come crashing in every autumn. There wasn’t much need for adventure when you’re going in a circle for weeks on end. However, there was one incident that to this day still sticks out of my mind.

I remember that we were somewhere in the middle of the ocean that was so far out, that land wasn’t visible as far as the eye could see. Neither were there any vessels of any kind for days. So at first, everypony on board didn’t think much of it as we were circling dead water once again. However, on a cold, foggy evening that was two in the morning, I was put on communications duty listening to the soft crackle of the ship’s two-way radio. For most of the evening, it was all dead quiet until at 2:13 in the morning, I heard the faint but undeniable sound of Morse code.

This was the message:

C.Q.D C.Q.D S.O.S. S.O.S. This is The Cepheus. We request immediate assistance, come at once! C.Q.D C.Q.D. C.Q.D Is there anyone out there? Respond at once! S.O.S. S.O.S. S.O.S.

I admit, this was very unusual as at the time, radio was becoming more widely used throughout the seas, so to hear what was essentially a distress signal was offsetting but I, using the button on the side of the speaker responded in turn.

Equestrian Naval Vessel Polaris to Cepheus. What is your position and what is the trouble?

C.Q.D. C.Q.D. This is the Cepheus. Our position is 230 North, 35 West. The ship is on lockdown. Something is on board! All officers, including the captain, are dead. Lying in chartroom and bridge. Possible whole crew dead. Passengers locked themselves in rooms. Come at once! This is a C.Q.D, Old Sport. Position 230 North, 35 West. Please hurry!

Received. I’ll report to my captain at once.

And after I tapped out that… nothing. All was silent from the other side of the speakers. However, given what I heard, I rushed over towards the bridge towards the captain’s quarters. As I came up, I was met with his second in command. A unicorn that was a shade brighter than his dark blue uniform, it’s easy to say that Commander Tsunami was described as the one who’s in real command of the ship. He was the kind that didn’t appear to be surprised or afraid of anything. His rule was described by others as being tough but fair but at the same time… a little creepy too. You see, he rarely showed his emotions so it’s difficult at times to read what is going through his mind. However, with him on deck, it was startling to see him share the same startled awe that the captain had.

“Commander Tsunami.” I saluted.

He returned the gesture. “Any reason why you’re not at your post, Sub Lieutenant Fog Bell?”

“Sir, I have received a distress signal in Morse code from a ship called the Cepheus. They’re positioned 230 North, 35 West requiring some assistance. Apparently, something came on board and attacked their crew and captain. Said they’re dead on the bridge and chatroom. Possibly a pirate attack as it mentioned the crew has been killed and the passengers are under lockdown. Sir.”

My Commander nodded and said that he’ll report it to the captain while adding that I should return to my post to see if I could find out more about the ship in distress.

Obeying, I returned to the communications room in which I tried to get the ship to tap out a response. A few minutes later, the loudspeakers came on. “Attention! All on Board! All hooves on deck immediately! We have received a distress signal that a ship has been under attack! All assistance is required!”

Soon after the entire ship has been awakened, Commander Tsunami entered into the communications room. “Any further sign on the distressed ship?”

“No, sir. I tried to reach out, but there’s been no response.”

“Perhaps someone cut the communications short.” Tsunami thought aloud. “In the meantime, the captain has turned the ship towards their direction at full speed. We should be able to reach them in about twenty minutes. Although, given the fog, we’ll have to be careful to make sure we don’t run into anything.”

After spending fifteen minutes of listening nothing but static and trying to reach out with no luck, I went up on deck. I remember that the ship became alive as the ship was scrounging up weapons and lights to peer through the thick mist. Searchlights scanned the waters while a horn blasted through the darkness in hopes for finding any sign of life.

“You’d think we might see something by now.” I was startled at first when this voice came up unexpectedly. However, after quickly turning around I found that it was actually one of my shipmates. A unicorn with an orange coat and white mane that wore the same uniform I had on. Event Horizon was in the same rank as I was and has been said to be a very good artist on his downtime. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to surprise you.”

“No. You’re fine,” I said. “But I take it that nopony’s found the thing yet?”

“Not even light.” Horizon followed one of the trails of spotlights that glided silently back and forth. “And have you noticed that it’s really quiet out here?”

“Maybe we’re not there yet.”

“I doubt it.”

“What do you mean?”

He looked over to me. “I overheard our commander that we’ve already reached the last position you got from, but so far, I don’t see any-”

“Stop the boat!” Someone cried, and before we could register what was going on, the ship suddenly jerked to a stop. And right in front of us, we saw why.

In the very early hours of the morning before the sun could rise up, surrounded by fog and shined with spotlights was a ship. A rusting, rotting iron ship on the bow starboard side with all its lights out and even with the spotlights illuminating it, we couldn’t see anyone on board. I remember that it was about as big as our vessel, but the very look of it was very old. Not only did it had two towering masts, but there was a towering steam stack in the middle with its paint faded away long ago. There was also a paddle wheel on the side in which the lower half looks like it had rotted and fallen into the sea. The very haul was heavy in rust, yet we could barely make out the black paint and white stripe at the top. Even most of the round, porthole windows were either broken or melted by time.

The captain came off from the bridge and onto the bow. An old fella that had as long years of experience in the navy as his beard. He wore the traditional dark blue uniform over his egg white coat at all times. Like everyone that came out on deck, he was looking at this decaying ship with awe.

After a quick teleportation spell, I was next to him. “Captain Porter?” I asked. “Do you think that’s the ship?”

“I’m not sure.” He said before turning to me. “Go hail it. Take the megaphone to see if anyone is on that.”

“Aye, sir.” I saluted and went towards the bridge in which the megaphone was kept. Returning to the bow and going towards the very front of the ship, I called out as I held it to my mouth. “Ahoy there! Is anypony on board?” No response. “Ahoy! This is the Equestrian Naval Ship Polaris! Are you in need of assistance?” Again, nothing. “If anyone is on that ship, please wake up and respond, your lights are out!”

But all remained quiet except for the lapping waves. All the while, more spotlights, and flashlights were illuminating more of the ship in which we finally spotted the name. The Cepheus.

The Commander spotted where I was and trotted up to me. “Report Sub Lieutenant,” he ordered, “any sign of life from this antique?”

I saluted. “Sir, I tried hailing the ship but there’s been no response, sir.”

“And yet, this is the ship that hailed a distress signal. But… this doesn’t make sense. We’re in the right position, and that has the name of the ship… but why does it look like that?” Turning towards the Captain, I heard my Commander asking him: “Sir, your orders?”

After a pause, Captain Porter took in a deep breath and nodded. “We must investigate. As much as I don’t like the look of this, we must board to see if there’s anypony on this. This ship seems badly damaged and most likely unstable. I want a small team of our crew to look into this thing with caution. Send a small scouting party, but bring weapons in case there’s any danger on board. If there is anyone there, bring them to our ship.”

“Aye, sir.” Tsunami saluted and carried out the order.

My Commander had me Horizon to come along with him while some of the crew put up a gangplank up to the deck of this… for lack of better words… a ghost ship. Of course, all of us were cautious as we set hoof on the uneven water damaged planks. I cast a few mage lights for all of us as we investigated.

Apart from its grim appearance, I still remember the smell of the boat. A funky, disgusted, mildew, the rotten smell came from everywhere, and even worst from the inside. However, I can still recall the layout of the place. The sails were long have been reduced to tatters, the ropes were either coated in barnacles or unentangled into a mushy mess. Anywhere that once had paint on it was mostly faded. We couldn’t help but notice a few things on the deck alone. For one, the sails, while in ruins, there were still ropes around it to suggest that they were all tied down. And all the lifeboats were still there, meaning that if there was any foul play, no one had gotten away with it. However, as we walked over the slick, seawater covered deck, we couldn’t help but notice the molding life jackets were being sloshed around back and forth. And these weren’t the newer orange kinds, but the really old-fashioned white ones that you had to tie to yourself in.

Our Commander had to shove on one of the doors as it was so soaked with seawater that it had sealed up the doorway like a cork. But once it was busted open did all of us get a blast of that moldy perfume along with another smell that none of us could identify. The only way I could describe the inside was like walking into a decaying palace from over a century ago. The first room we’ve entered had finely carved wood panels that have been deformed into something grotesque, with elegant cast iron chandeliers that now rusted over and hung over our heads like claws, cracked and shattered stained glass windows, and a fireplace that was a gaping black hole. Everywhere there were green chairs with small tables that had shattered glasses and ashtrays.

At first, we were a little confused at what kind of ship this was, until we went into the next room, or rather, the remains of a grand staircase with eroded marble columns, cracked checkered tiles, wooden walls and an oxidized copper statue of a Pegasus holding up a torch.

“Is this an old cruise ship?” I asked without thinking.

“I think you might be right on that, Fog.” Tsunami said. “But this place is impossible.”

“How so, sir?” Horizon asked.

“Look at this place. This ship couldn’t be older than… 880’s or 90’s with that rotting water wheel outside. So, this should be over a hundred years old, and yet…” he walked down the staircase towards the statue in the center of it all, “all of this looks like everypony disappeared leaving everything behind. But even so, this thing should have sunk a long time ago from all the rust that’s eating away at the haul.”

“But what do you suppose happened here, Commander?” I inquired. “I don’t see much of a struggle anywhere, and the lifeboats are still here.”

“That’s why none of this makes any sense. But first, let’s go towards the bridge of this ship to see if we could find anything there.”

After that, the first place we went to was towards the bridge. Like the rest of the place, it too was decaying. The ship’s helm had fallen off, and we saw that old bronzed telegraphs were all set on full stop. To make things even more confusion, was that when our Commander retrieved the ship’s log book from the captain’s cabin, he flipped to the latest entry.

“Nothing.” He said.

“What?” I asked, “What do you mean nothing?”

“This is all it says,” he cleared his throat and read aloud: “‘August 23, 893 – Current position 227 North, 60 West. Ship heading 260 degrees West at 14 Knots. Sea calm and weather cloudy. Cargo secure. Passengers happy. Crew going about as normal.’ That’s it.”

“But it can’t be.” Horizon objected. “There must be something that happened here.”

“Agreed.” Tsunami closed the log book. “Something did happen, but so far, it just raises too many questions. In fact, did anypony else noticed something odd about this scene?”

“No sir,” I answered, “what is it?”

“Fog Bell, do you recall what that message said about what was happening?”

“That their captain and crew were dead on the… Oh.”

“There’s no bodies anywhere.” He explained. “Ever since we got on board, there’s not a single corpse anywhere. If there was foul play, and all the lifeboats are still here, might suggesting a mass death on board… so, where are the bodies? With an old cruise ship this size, you’d think there might be bones everywhere.”

Then I turned my attention towards finding the communications room. If this ship is under distress, that would mean that there must have been a functioning machine to send it out in the first place. But nearby the bridge, I was shocked to see that it wasn’t so. Inside the communications room, was indeed an ancient electric machine with century-old batteries, switches, and meters that are either rusting or oxidizing to the point they turned green and flaky. I could easily tell by looking at it that there was no possible way that I could have heard that message as this machine wasn’t capable of doing that anymore.

However, there was one thing about this abandoned room that was completely off. If anything, it stunned me so much that my commander and Horizon took noticed as they peered inside. On that table with all that machinery, was a single cigarette that was still smoking. Tsunami walked right in to examine it.

“Somepony is still here.” He concluded. “This was lit not too long ago.” Turning to us, he added. “We’re searching this vessel, top to bottom.”

“Aye, sir.” Both Horizon and I automatically said. Thus, we began to go deeper into the ancient ship. At first, we explored the upper decks that appeared to be of the first-class rooms. Even though all the doors were indeed locked, that due to time, they were very easy to break through. Every room in those narrow, claustrophobic hallways had made beds with items that no doubt belonged to the passengers on the ship, many of them had suitcases still filled with moldy clothes. But even among the decaying elegance of each room, what caught our attention was that some of them had a weapon that looked like to have been dropped in the middle or near the door. Some of them were knives, and others were blunt heavy objects, but in any case, even with these weapons, there were still no bodies.

We noticed, however, that when we got to the dining room part, the three of us had trouble getting in as we found that the doors were barricaded with chairs and tables. But even when we had to hack at the door and even though the softwood, we couldn’t help but notice that even in here too, there was not a single corpse anywhere.

“None of this makes any sense.” Horizon commented as he picked up one of the few intact glasses. “Why would this room be barricaded if there’s nopony here? Could have they gotten out somehow?”

“Like where?” Tsunami questioned. “I don’t see any holes in the floor or the ceiling.” He then went over to inspect the windows. “Plus, these are all locked too. Sub Lieutenant put that glass down and go see if there’s anything in the kitchens over there.”

“Aye, sir.” After setting the glass down on a table, he went over to push the swinging doors to pass through, only a second later he quickly returned with a sick look on his face as if he was trying hard not to throw up.

“You okay?” I asked.

“That is disgusting!” He exclaimed. “There’s still food in there that’s all rotting and… and…” Horizon’s face turned green as he closed his eyes tightly to take a moment to breathe.

Our Commander went up to him. “But is there a way out from there?”

He shook his head. “There’s a metal stool jamming the doors.” He finally said.

“Well, this certainly is a puzzle,” I remarked. “We get a distress signal from a ghost ship asking for help, seeing signs of ponies trying to defend themselves, only to find that there’s no one here. Where did they all…” I trailed off as I looked at the glass that Horizon sat down. The antique glass was filled with wine. This was unsettling from the fact that I had both my Commander and Horizon within my sights and neither of them was near the glass.

Tsunami trotted up to pick it up and sniffed it. “It’s fresh.” He looks over to me. “Was this you?”

“No sir, I just noticed it myself.”

“But how can that be?” Horizon asked, just as puzzled as the rest of us. “We didn’t hear a thing, and I just sat that down a moment ago.”

When he said that, I saw something that was truly incredible. The permeant stoic mask that my Commander wore was showing some cracks in it. When Horizon said that, Tsunami calm composure took on a look of shock. “Well uh…” clearing his throat, he commanded that, “we should keep looking. Something might be playing with us so be on your guard, both of you.”

Thus, we went deeper into the ship, towards where the second-class area where we couldn’t help but noticed that funky smell was getting stronger. Like the wealthier part of the ship, all of them too had their doors locked, and the few that we did manage to break through showed that there was some kind of weapon that was dropped on the floor. But again, no bodies either.

At one point, after opening a door, I found that in the sink was a straight razor with a coating of a dried, rusty like substance that was on both the blade and the porcelain. I called my Commander over to take a look at it. Picking up the razor, he traced the side of the blade to examine what rubbed onto his hoof. “It’s dried blood.” He said. “Looks like whoever was in here, would rather face suicide than face whatever was on this ship.”

“That’s what I don’t understand, sir,” Horizon spoke up. “What got on this ship to put this whole ship under lockdown? It couldn’t have been pirates, all this stuff is still on board.”

“To tell you the truth,” he said, “I rather hope that it is pirates. But I’m starting to think that it might have to be something else. Something that never left the ship. C’mon, let’s keep go- AH!” The sudden scream came unexpectedly as he tossed the razor back into the sink and we saw the cause of it – now the blood on it was fresh red and dripping.

At first, we thought that Tsunami had cut himself, but there wasn’t a scratch on him. Yet, there was blood on his hoof as he looked up at us. “What in Tartarus is going on?!” In all the time we have spent in the Navy, neither Horizon or I have ever seen someone like Commander Tsunami react in such a way before. The always cool-headed stallion that seemed to be immune to fear was showing just that.

For a moment, neither of us had any idea how to respond as he whipped the blood onto the blankets of one of the beds. However, after giving him a moment to calm down, I asked if we should still keep on looking.

He nodded. “Only to find out what is on this ship.” Then a thought accrued to him. “Let’s go find the cargo hold. I think that perhaps this vessel is carrying a magical artifact.”

“What are you talking about?” I questioned him.

“Think about it: we’ve found a lit cigarette, a glass of wine that smelled like it just came out of the bottle, and now this. On top of receiving a distress signal with nopony on board, this could mean that something magical was brought on board and it did something to everypony on it. That has got to be the only explanation.”

And so, we descended further into its depths. As the further down we went, the more potent the rotting smell became and the more unstable the wooden planks became. Every step we took wailed and screamed up at us, threatened to disintegrate underneath the very slightest touch. Needless to say, we became paranoid that perhaps the floor would give out to send us tumbling down into an abyss. Every step we took was cautious as we felt our way down, no doubt right underneath sea level.

The creepiest part of the whole ship was at the very haul in which took on more resemblance of a cave. The iron all around looked melted with age as pipes above us dripped and bend like hanging teeth. Even the old steam engine looked like the corpse of a muddy dragon, guarding a treasure of coal that’ll never again be used. Indeed, even the very air was frigid as that mysterious smell was getting stronger with every step we took towards the cargo hold.

“Be sure you have your defense spells ready.” Our Commander told us as we approached a watertight door that was held at ajar. But even when I did light up my horn, the smell was overpowering as at this point it smelled like corpses. However, even with the door opened and light is shown in, we didn’t see much outside of piles of crates that were rotting away. However, Tsunami had us press on. None of us were sure what exactly we were looking for. But within a minute after we stepped through, we saw his ears went straight up and held up a hoof.

“Commander?” Horizon was about to ask but Tsunami shushed him.

“Do you hear that?”

At first, I myself didn’t apart from the creaks and groans of the ship. However, as we held still to focus, a chill ran down my back as I heard a soft wheezing sound. Almost like someone was suffocating or being choked but was still barely able to breathe. We all knew right there that it is true! Someone was down here!

“Hello?” our Commander called out. “This is the Equestrian Navy, is anyone here?”

But no reply came as the wheezing noise continued. We continued to move forward, navigating our way around the labyrinth of boxes but listening intensely to the sound. But the closer we got to it, the stronger the smell was to the point that I nearly vomited from the overpowering scent.

Then we reached the very front of the ship in which we found a horrific, dreadful sight. The first, noticeable thing was that swinging from a cable was shriveled up, browned mummified remains of a mare that had no eyes or lips as her yellowed teeth were exposing a skeletal grin.

Next to the thing was a statue that I swear was where the smell was coming from. It was a towering figure of black, glassy thing that stood on its hind legs with a thin, drooping face of a jackal with long ears and carved, hallowed eyes filled with hatred for all who looked at it. The torso and forelegs were carved in hieroglyphs of Southern Equestria.

“Commander…?” Horizon’s voice was filled with dread as he shines his light on the statue. “What do you think it is? Commander?” When we realized that Tsunami didn’t respond, we turned to him as his light wasn’t on the corpse that swung gently, but what was written on the wall. A message in ancient dried blood that read:

Get out! Set is alive!

Before any of us could speak, a sharp wheezing gasp was heard in which was coming from the statue. Its mouth hung open and a black mist poured out from its eyes and muzzle that as quickly as a snake attacked Horizon. He stumbled backward, crushing into the crates in which I saw him flaying his arms to get the mist off of him as he grew old before our very eyes. Within a matter of seconds, his coat wrinkled and shriveled, his mane and tail grew out before turning gray. Before we knew it, he was rotting and decaying away as his flesh was eaten by maggots, eyes desiderated until there was nothing left of him except for bones, but even when they fell to the floor, they turned to dust.

At this horrific sight, my Commander yelled as he grabbed hold of my uniform. “RUN FOG!” We knew that we have to get off the ship. In a full gallop, we were engaged in a race for our lives, pushing those crates, climbing the collapsing stairs and down desiderating floorboards with that mist following close by. I never looked back once, but to this day I still remember how the doors suddenly flung open, suitcases tumbled out and chairs tried to block our path as the vessel seemed to become rocky like it was in a storm.

The rows of cabins became a blur as we ran for our lives as we retraced our steps back to the top deck. “Faster!” My Commander cried. “Go fast- AHH!” I don’t know if he tripped or the mist had caught up to him, but with my heart pounding and my lungs were sucking in the decaying, dying air, I screamed my way up the molding wooden floors and flew down the gangplank.

“SINK THE SHIP NOW!!!” I screamed as loud as I could. Several members of the crew tried to ask me what was going on, but I used my horn to toss it into the sea. I shrieked like a madmare to fire our cannons at the ship and sink it. That there wasn’t any time to explain but we had to sink it right there and then.

The Captain ordered to have our guns loaded quickly and set fire to the ship. In that stillness of that night, our cannons roared out as it blasted holes at point blank range. Before we knew it, water was quickly filling up, so our vessel had to move out of the way as the hundred-year-old ship went down underneath the waves.

Captain Porter came up to me while I had slumped over in shock of what I just saw. “What happened?” he questioned, “Where’s Commander Tsunami and Sub Lieutenant Horizon?”

I shook my head, “They… They didn’t make it…”

A grim expression came on his face. With a sigh, I was escorted to sickbay in which he added that while I need rest, he expected to report directly to him exactly what happened. So, I was taken down to where the doctors said that I was experiencing shock, so they put me to bed. However, before I could be left alone to ponder over what had happened, a sailor came down saying that I had a message that the guy put it down on a card.

“I don’t know if he’s in the right condition to be receiving messages.” One of the doctors told him.

“But I think it’s something he needs to see.” The sailor said. “It’s from The Cepheus that I recorded just now. And it has something that–”

“Let me see that.” I lit up my horn to snatch up the card. And what was written on it, would haunt me for life.

Help us Fog! Come back! Don’t leave us here to rot!

2: The Hearse Ride

Author's Note

A huge thank you to Terry the Human and Silver Inkwell for suggesting the names of the fillies in this fic. Terry the human: Violet Diamond and Summer Blossom. Silver Inkwell Moon: Lily Nightshade and Autumn Sprucewood.

2: The Hearse Ride

To the foals of Ponyville, with the exception of Hearth’s Warming, the most anticipated and fun holiday was Nightmare Night. Not just because of getting the chance to parade around in costumes and get free candy from neighbors or complete strangers. But for the biggest event that ponies of all ages look forward to – the Nightmare Night Carnival. Set between the town and the wild Everfree Forest, stands, games, rides and circus-like shows were set up overnight that bid everyone welcome.

If one were to enter, they would notice the Nightmare Night motif was everywhere. From the color combinations of orange, red, green, purple and black striped tents; jack-o-lanterns, spider webs, black cats and bat decorations; the stands of cotton candy with caramel apples, sugar cookies, candy and popcorn; and the attractions that range from kiddy rides to the most horrific haunted houses with everything in between – every square ache screamed the holiday with pride. Even the carnival rides didn’t escape the theme as they too had names like “The Jack-O-Lantern-Go-Round” to the roller coaster called “The Screamer.” This festival of all things Nightmare Night had something for everypony.

Among this crowd of costumed characters of nearly every age, four fillies with bags of candy were searching for a new ride to go on. One wore a white gown with her mane done up like the Bride of Frankenstallion name Autumn Sprucewood, one that was wrapped in toilet paper imitating a mummy called Violet Diamond, a small filly with a white sheet with eye holes known as Summer Blossom, and the tallest of the group in a vampire cape named Lily Nightshade.

The latter of these fillies had a bored expression as she led the way. “Sis, when are we gonna go on something a little more interesting?”

Her sister in the ghost costume looked up at her. “But I don’t wanna go on something scary.”

“I didn’t say that I want to go on something scary, I mean something that’s a little… you know… fun.”

“Like what?” Violet the Mummy questioned. “Some of the rides were too short to go on.”

“Still sucks if you ask me,” Autumn commented as she adjusted her towering mane. “I was sure that I would get to ride the rollercoaster this year.”

“But there’s gotta be something,” Violet said. “Something that we could all have some fun riding on without being told we’re too short.”

“And nothing too scary!” Summer exclaimed.

“Don’t worry about that.” The elder sister said as she rolled her eyes. “I’ve already gone through the haunted house for my age, and even for me, it’s so cheesy that it might as well be made out of cheddar. Hold on girls.” She paused as she looked around the carnival. “There’s gotta be something for us here.”

As she looked around, Summer tugged on her sister’s vampire cape. “What’s that?” She asked as she pointed with a covered hoof. The three of them turned their gazes towards what the youngest was looking at. There near the edge of the forest was an old black hearse that had windows on all sides, black velvet curtains with gold tassels, a pair of brass lit lanterns on the front with a cloaked figure hitched to it while a stallion in a raggedy jester’s outfit playing a mindless tune on a beaten mandolin. Near this was a simple sign that simply said: Hearse Ride.

“Was this always here?” Autumn asked but the four of them looked at one another. Even though they have faithfully returned to the carnival every year as long as any could remember, and they know the layout of the grounds very well, none of them have noticed this before.

“Maybe it’s a new ride,” Violet suggested.

“Wouldn’t hurt to take a look,” Lily said as she took a few steps forward. However, she felt a pull from her cape, making her crane her neck over to her younger sister.

“I don’t like the look of it.” She said. “It looks scary.”

“That’s unlikely,” Lily pulled her cape away, “it’s probably like one of those hayrides. I doubt that it wouldn’t be that spooky, to begin with. Let’s go check it out.”

“No.” Summer whined. “I don’t like it.”

“Don’t be such a baby,” Autumn told her. “We’ll just go up and ask if it’s scary. If it is, we won’t go on it. ‘Kay?”

Reluctantly, she nodded and stayed very close to the girls as they went up to the hearse in which the minstrel took notice of them.

“E-Excuse us,” Violet said. “Is this ride scary?”

Both he and the hooded driver looked at one another. The stallion on top of the hearse shifted his head back to them with his bell covered cap jingled. Soon the Pegasus jumped off and landed right in front of them.

“Oh no, no, no, no.” He said in a sickly-sweet voice to comfort them. “This ride shouldn’t be terrifying one bit! Nothing more than a ride into the forest.”

“Okay.” Lily raised an eyebrow. “So how does this ride work?”

The minstrel took a moment in an awkward pause. As if he was choosing his words carefully. “It’s all very simple. If you go in, I’ll give you these chocolate roses…” He then produced from his pocket three artificial roses with dark green stems that each had a chocolate molding of a rose that was covered in white foil that gave its flowery appearance. “Then we’ll go for a ride for a few minutes while I sing my song. And that’s it!” He added this with a grin.

“Well…” Summer said, putting a clothed hoof near her chin. “I guess that doesn’t sound so bad.”

“Besides,” Violet remarked. “Even if the ride is disappointing, at least we get candy at the end.”

“Well in that case.” Lily held out her bag as she and the other fillies held out theirs to all say: “Trick or Treat.”

The minstrel laughs in delight as he passed out each rose to them. “Wonderful! So please,” he went around to the back of the antique hearse to open its door. “Step right in!”

Four pairs of eyes looked into the old death wagon. Besides being completely empty, the floor of it was covered in red shiny velvet with small black curtains draping at each window. It was a small space but not one that the four of them couldn’t fit into. So, one by one, they crawled right in. After all, four were successfully inside, the minstrel closed and latched the door.

“Uh… What are you doing?” Autumn asked in an uneasy tone.

“Oh, don’t be afraid.” Said he with a grin. “This is merely a precaution to make sure you don’t fall out is all.”

So the fillies watched as the minstrel flew on top of the hearse in which they began to move. The driver pulled them all along away from the bright festive lights of the carnival and into the woods in which the only source of light they had was the two lanterns on each side of the hearse and the moon above. At first, they moved through at a reasonable, slow pace on a path of twisted trees. The lights from the lanterns cast shadows on the nearby trunks and branches. From inside the hearse, the fillies looked out at the deformed faces, arms, and claws of wood as if they were grotesque statues of monsters.

“Sis,” Summer whined as she hugged her older sister closer, “I don’t think I like this.”

“There’s nothing to worry about,” Autumn said as she tapped a window with her hoof. “There’s nothing jumping out of us. We’re just going through the forest on a dark ride. The guy himself said that this shouldn’t be scary.”

“Oh, quite right.” They heard the minstrel’s voice above them. “I can assure you that there’s not a single jump scare in sight. But I can hear the little one is becoming afraid in there. Perhaps a little song is in order to help calm your nerves?”

The girls heard him moving his instrument as the mandolin was dragged across the roof of the grim carriage before he strung the strings as if to test it if the tuning was right. They heard him making some adjustments to a few strings before there was an awkward pause from above. Before the fillies could ask what was going on, they suddenly heard a plucking of chords to the opening of a song. The melody that came out of the instrument almost sounded like the kind of tune one would dance to give its giddy rhythm. But at the same time, there was something rather… off about it. Perhaps it was the chords that gave an eerie tone or maybe the musician played the wrong notes.

Then he began to sing in that sickly-sweet voice.

“Do you ever think as a hearse goes by

“That you’ll maybe the next to die?”

The fillies inside the hearse looked at one another. This was supposed to be a comforting song?

“They wrap you up in bloody sheets

“To dump you ten thousand feet.

“They put you in a pinewood box,

“And cover you up with dirt and rocks.

“It all goes well for about a week,

“And then your coffin begins to leak.”

As the minstrel picked up the tempo, the hearse did too. Gradually gaining speed through the dark woods.

“The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out.

“The worms play pinochle on your snout.

“They eat your eyes, they eat your nose

“As you begin to decompose.”

“Sis.” Summer hugged her older sister tighter. “What’s happening?”

“A big green worm with demon’s eyes

“Chews through your stomach and out your sides.

“Your stomach turns a rancid grease

“And pus pours out like melted cheese.

“You spread it on a slice of bread

“And that’s what you’ll eat when you’re dead!”

As the minstrel’s voice echoed inside the hearse. The girls start to notice that they were still going in a straight line – away from the carnival and further into the darkness. While the musician above sang on and strung on his mandolin, the trees were moving past them at an increasing pace and even the road was getting bumpier.

“Why aren’t we turning around?” Violet asked with worry in her throat. “Where are we going?”

“Hey!” Lily banged the ceiling with her hoof. “Hey, where are you taking us?!”

“I wanna get off the ride!” Summer shouted hysterically, burying her covered face in her sister’s vampire cloak.

But the minstrel continued to sing, a little louder than before. As he sings, the hearse slowed down a little as they noticed they were going up a hill.

“And the worms crawl out, the worms crawl in.

“The ones that crawl in are lean and thin.

“The ones that crawl out are fat and stout.

“Your eyes fall in and your hair falls out.”

Violet, who was the last to get into the hearse tried to push on it, but it still wouldn’t budge. “Hey!” She called out as banged on the glass. “We wanna get off! Let us out!”

“Your brain turns into maggot pie,

“Your liver starts to liquify.

“And for the living, they’re at rest…”

The song, for a brief moment, stopped altogether when everything became quiet. At first, the girls were confused as they looked around, trying to peer through the windows that the hearse had come to a brief stop on top of the hill. What’s more, they didn’t hear anything from the other two stallions. Not the stringing of the instrument nor the clip-clop of hooves. It was all still.

“Are they gonna let us out?” Violet asked until there was a heart-stopping thud from the glass door. The girls let out a shriek from the unexpected noise. It was the cloaked driver that had his hoof on the window. None of the fillies could make out his expression in the shadows. But at the same time, they’ve noticed that his hoof wasn’t near the latch, but rather in the center. Then he put both forehooves on the glass and started to push.

“H-Hey!” Autumn screamed at him. “What are you doing?!”

The driver gave a hard push to move the hearse forward. As it began to move, the strings began to pick up as the minstrel sang loud:

“As you sink further to Tartarus!”

“We’re gonna die!” Lily screamed as did the rest of the girls as within that tight space, there was a confusion of movement and fabrics that convulsed to bang and kick at the windows while the minstrel above them was singing hysterically.

“And the flames rise up to drag you down

“Into the fire where you will drown!

“Your skin melts off as you descend

“As Tirek tears you limb from limb!

“Your suffering will never end!”

The hearse was going faster than it ever did before as it raced steeply downward into the unknown. The girls try what they could to break the glass, but it stubbornly wouldn’t budge. The youngest was wailing as she clawed at the glass or cling onto her sister. As for the other three, their hearts set the tempo to a frightening pace as they screamed and panicked to get out while the musician’s voice screamed into the night.

“And the worms crawl in, the worms crawl out,

“The worms crawl all over your dirty snout!

“For when your bones begin to rot,

“The worms remain, but you do not!”

All of a sudden, the steep angle of the shifted as for a moment, the hearse felt weightless before there was an icy splash. They all realized that the hearse was driven into a boggy lake.

“HELP!!!” They screamed and cried as they continued to bang at the glass. However, at the door of the hearse, water was leaking in through the cracks of the door’s frame. Slowly filling the tight space with wintery cold, murky water. Like drowning rats, the four girls try to claw and cram towards one end of the death carriage at the one side that had air. They screamed for help as space was quickly becoming filled with water. The last thing they saw before it capsized into bog was a pair of stallions that stood at the water’s edge. And once submerged, the lit lanterns had gone out.

At the bottom of the hill but near the bog’s edge, the cloaked driver and minstrel watched as their hearse, with the terrified fillies inside descend into the smelly swamp water. Both of them had a satisfied look on their faces.

“How long do you think we have until we have to leave?” The cloaked driver asked.

Looking up at the moon, the minstrel hummed in thought. “Well, since they didn’t have an adult with them, and they were at the fair with what I can guess is everypony in town, I’d say we have a window of opportunity for… probably the whole night before they realize they’re missing. Still…” He turned around and began to walk up the hill, mandolin swung over his back. “That was rather fun. Expensive, but fun.”

“What? For that old hearse?” Asked the driver with a smirk. “Admit it, that was worth it.”

“Oh, indeed it was. Still, we got the whole night, and we don’t want to get too carried away. So…” He looked over his shoulder. “Caramel apples?”

“Why not. It’s Nightmare Night. Since we’ve got our main entertainment out of the way, let’s celebrate.”

As the two murderers reached to the top of the hill that looked over at the town and the fairgrounds, the minstrel sang the last verse of his song as they began to head towards it.

“Do you ever think as a hearse goes by

“That you’ll soon be the next to die?

“When your eyes fall out, and your teeth decay,

“That is the end of a perfect day.”

3: Psychosis

There is no life within the Crystal Mountain Range. Between the warmth of Equestria and the oasis of the Crystal Empire, there is nothing between the towering, snow-covered mountain range that stretches east to west. All year long, temperatures are always kept at a freezing rate – even in the summer months, the temperature never goes above to the point of thawing. Some consider this stretch of land as some of the loneliest places in the world as there is nothing up there except snow, rock, and wind.

The terrain is dangerous enough. Before the railroad, it would take ponies months to cross, and at great risk to themselves from starvation, hypothermia, or simply getting lost in the vale of eternal winter. But despite all the dangers attached to the border of Equestria and the Crystal Empire, there were some brave thrill seekers who are attracted to the isolation and adventure.

If anything, it was the very reason that this pure snow upon its mountainsides that attracted skiers as they provided a challenge among the unmarked territory. Such was the case for a group of friends that decided to spend their vacation among the slopes of the icy wilderness. They had gathered enough bits to rent a small cabin for a week and brought enough supplies to last them for three times that amount.

There were four of these ponies that had gotten off the lonely rail stop that was sandwiched between the Snowflake Pass. They gathered their supplies together, latched themselves to their toboggans to carry everything they had, and began to follow the trail of red flags upward. Of course, each one was prepared from the thick coats to the heavy food supply as they made their trek – while the snowstorm limited their vision from one flag to the next.

“How long will it be until we get to the cabin?” Asked a tall, yellow Pegasus stallion who the other three looked back to him.

“If I’m right, Golden,” the dark blue mare, Frost Trail said as she took out the map from underneath her wing, “it shouldn’t be that far away. Probably about half-an-hour or so if I have to guess. It shouldn’t be a long way from the station we got off from as it’s just up the mountain.” She folded the map back up just as the wind started to pick up. “In the meantime, we should keep going before our water freezes over.”

As they continued on, another mare, a green earth pony wondered aloud to the one that’s leading them: “So I take it that you’ve been here before?”

“Only once,” Frost told her. “Just remember that I haven’t been here since I was a teenager, Sprout. However, I do have fond memories of sledding down these slopes, especially when it was a clear day when the wind isn’t blowing a blizzard in your face.”

“Speaking of which.” The stallion between Golden and Sprout, a bright red unicorn called out. “Does anypony know when the weather should be good?”

“That’s what the weather reports said, Heat,” Frost said. “It’s supposed to be like this until after midnight tonight. But otherwise, the next couple of days should be a good deal calmer to ski. Still, given how unpredictable this side of Equestria can be, it doesn’t hurt to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. Trust me, in these mountains, things rarely go right if you don’t know what to expect.”

Through the blast of bitterly cold air that slapped against their faces with the falling snow nearly blinding them, they pressed on as they went from one red flag to the next. They climbed up steep and shallow slopes that took them higher up into the frigid air until they finally came across the lone cabin with the sharp angled roof. By the time they got to the front door, it was already covered halfway in the snow, so the four ponies had to dig their way in. After spending a good ten minutes to budge the door open, the four of them stumbled through the dark and cold cabin.

There wasn’t much from the wooden cabin as it had only the bare essentials such as an iron stove, a table with two rows of benches, a fireplace with a pile of kindling, a bathroom with enough room for a toilet and a sink, and on the second floor, only four quilted beds.

“My, this place is real homey, isn’t it?” Heat sarcastically commented as he closed the door.

“It’s not supposed to be a high-end hotel,” Frost said as she began to construct a fire from the hearth. “This place only gives what’s necessary to live out here. Besides, I’ve already brought some cards to occupy our time between meals and skiing. But for now, we should keep warm, and eat until tomorrow. That is, as long as the weather is agreeable.”

“Still, I can’t wait.” Sprout smiled as she took some of the firewood to put into the stove. “It’s really exciting to ski here. The snow is the purest and untouched that I’ve ever seen. No crowds around. No limitations. I can’t wait when we get out there tomorrow.”

“Hey as long as there’s excitement going on,” Heat Blaze said as he plotted near the growing fire in the hearth, “I’m pretty much game for anything.”

Golden looked out the only window that was near the door. “Is this really the only cabin-”

“The nearest neighbor we have is a good fifty miles away,” Frost replied. “Which means that although we’ll have some fun going down these slopes, we can’t get too cocky because the train only comes here once at noon if you flag it down. Sure, I brought my first aid kit, but if things get serious… well, it’ll just screw things up. But besides the train and somepony coming by to restock the kindling once a month... Yeah, we’re pretty much on our own at this point.”

The next day, the wind and the foggy snow had died down enough to where the four of them were able to see the landscape as it was. They found that above where their cabin was, there was plenty of room to ski from that was smooth while having a few places to jump from. However, they also noticed that the flagged trail they came up from was a maze of rocks, sharp cliffs, and a nearly completely uneven surface that could be proven lethal without the well-placed markers to guide them down.

However, they did manage to have a fun day on the upper half of the mountain. By the time that sunlight was setting, they returned to the cabin to set their coats up to dry while they sat near the fireplace.

“I think we can all agree that was the best ski trip ever.” Sprout said, and the others agreed. “And you all got to give Goldie here for having such a knack at it.”

“Oh stop…” the golden stallion whined, waving a hoof, “I kept falling down a few times.”

“Really?” Heat raised an eyebrow. “Did you not see the rest of us tumbling over into a mini avalanche?”

“But I get what Sprout is saying.” Frost pointed out. “For being a first timer, you were able to pick up skiing rather quickly. That’s something to be proud of.”

“W-Well I gu-” Golden was about to say but was quickly interrupted.

“So, what are you gonna do while dinner is cooking?” The Heat looked over to the stove. “We’ve got a good hour or so. While we’re still getting dry-ish.”

“Ooh! Ooh!” Sprout exclaimed. “We could tell ghost stories.” The others looked at one another. Seeing that there was nothing better to do anyway, they all thought that it would give the rest of them some entertainment.

“So, who’s going first?” Frost asked.

“Well, actually I-” Golden started but was interrupted.

“How about the story I’ve heard about a haunted asylum?” Sprout raised a hoof excitedly.

“Well, I have-”

“I know the one about a silent movie that made a guy disappear,” Frost interjected, not taking notice of Golden.

“Guys I-”

“Those are nothing,” Heatwave a dismissal hoof while rolling his eyes, “I got a story about how a kid in Ponyville used an ax to kill of his par-”

“GUYS!” Golden snapped at them, in which all three ponies now took notice of him. After taking a calming breath, he resumed. “I was going to say that I’ve brought with me some stories that I think you guys would be interested in because of how dark they are.”

“You brought a book?” Frost questioned.

“Well… I pretty much have to. It’s for a literature class, but I’ve come across some seriously messed up stuff while I was reading it. Here, I’ll go get it.” After getting up and disappearing into the second floor, he returned with the thick green, gilded book.

“‘The Complete Brothers Grimm Fairytales?’” Heat raised an eyebrow. “You had to read fairytales for a college class?”

“Yeah, I won’t lie,” Golden said as he plopped down between them, “I was rather skeptical too. But after reading a few of these, original stories, they’re really messed up. My professor said that these stories were designed to scare the foals into learning good morals. I mean, it’s got the original twisted endings like both the step-sisters and mother were decapitated by the prince in Cindershy. Or how Hansel and Gretel’s step-mother sent them into the woods to die because there wasn’t enough food to go around.”

“Seriously?” Frost asked.

“And that’s the thing. There are dozens of these stories that, although teach a moral, they are super dark, even for foals I think. But what interested me was that there are lesser-known stories that were forgotten over time.”

“Like what?” Sprout inquired.

“Mind if I read you all just one? If anything, the setting is within the Crystal Mountains.”

“This I gotta hear.” Heat commented.

Golden flipped through the pages of the book in which he began to read:

The Wendigo

There was once upon a time poor but modest family who lived in a cottage that was between a bright forest and the icy Crystal Mountains. In this cottage lived a mother, a father, and their twin children. The colt was called Wolfgang, and the filly was called Hannah. While the father would chop threes to collect firewood to sell to the market, the mother would be busy cooking whatever scraps of food she could find and turn it into a feast for the four of them.

The children would often play outside of the cottage to play games they invent while their father was away. Although the mother did not mind, she has given them two simple rules that they must obey at all times.

“Do not stray away out of sight of the house.” Their mother would say. “And never go up to the mountains without me or your father.”

The twins were good and so they obeyed these simple rules.

Then, on a cold winter’s day as the two foals played while the snow came down heavily, the children heard a voice coming from the mountainside.

“Children! My children! Come up to the mountain with me! For I have something wondrous to show thee!”

The children paused. This was surely their mother’s voice, but neither of them could see her anywhere. So they called out where she was and the voice repeated the same as before.

“Children! My Children! Come up to the mountain with me! For I have something wondrous to show thee!”

Not wanting to disobey their mother, the two children turned towards the chilled rocky mountainside in which they began to climb. However, as they did so, they couldn’t see any sign of their mother except for her voice that calls out to them.

As they helped one another up the mountain, the children began to wonder what their mother could be doing up here in such merciless cold. “Perhaps she has found a cave of gold.” Said, Wolfgang. “One so large that we shall never be poor again!”

“Or maybe,” thought Hannah aloud, “that she has found a hot spring where we shall be kept warm through the winter.”

The voice of their mother beckoned them to climb further up until eventually, they came across a dark cave. Even when they tried to peer through, it was so dark that they could not make out anything, not even their mother. And yet, they still heard her voice, clear as a bell, coming from the abyss of the cave.

“Come forth my children!” Exclaimed the voice. “I must show you something quite marvelous!”

And so, holding hooves, the brother and sister step forward, walking blindly into the darkness. It became so dark that they could not see one another. With each step they took, the air became as cold as death, more than the outside. Then, when they could not even see the light of the entrance, they then started to hear something snapping with every step they took. They told each other that they must be walking on sticks as they crunched and crackled underneath them.

“Mother?” Asked Hannah. “Where are you?”

“Just a little closer.” The two children paused. While it was indeed the voice of their mother that echoed off the cavern walls, there was something not quite right with it, as if another was whispering loudly at the same time she spoke.

“Why are you in the dark?” Wolfgang asked.

“Take another step forward, and you will see why.”

And so, the children obeyed. They suddenly felt a thin foreleg being wrapped around them before being pressed up against something that was as cold as ice. Neither child could get out of its tight grasp when suddenly, a candle was lit in which the foals let out a shriek. They were in the foreleg of a creature who was very tall and lean, with a coat of ice and a face that was long but dreadfully no more than skin and bone. It had antlers made of ice with glowing red eyes. The children screamed, not only because they were in the forelegs of a wendigo, but the floor of the cave was a carpet of bones.

“You should have heeded the warning to never come up my mountain, children.” The creature said, with a voice of winter itself. “At least now I shall have my dinner.” Thus, with a touch of its hoof, the terrified children were turned into ice statues. With them petrified, the wendigo began to feast upon their frost-covered flesh until nothing remained of them except for their bones.

So, take heed of this tale, children. Be aware of those who pretend to be those who you love. For if they make you stray from home or wish evil upon you, then you may walk into the forehooves of the Wendigo.

Golden looked up from his book at the other three ponies that stared at him.

“They actually read this to children?” Frost asked.

“Like I said,” Golden closed the book, “it’s not exactly a well-known story.”

“I can see why.” Said Heat. “I don’t know if I would read it to my kid if I had one.”

“Might be enough to give young foals nightmares.” Sprout commented. “I mean… the wendigo here is a whole lot darker than the Hearth's Warming tale.”

“You have to remember,” Golden pointed out, “is that stories, like fairy tales, tend to be rewritten over time to suit audiences tastes. But that’s pretty much what I got. So what about all of you then?”

For the next few days, the four ponies repeated this day of skiing, followed up by resting next to the warm fire for a few stories to tell. But on the day that they meant to make their departure back down the mountain, the clouds gathered with the wind blowing harshly with heavy clumps of snow coming down like snowballs from the sky. On that morning, Frost once again leads the way, using the markers of the bright red flags to guide them.

But as they began to make their way down through the maze of rock and snow, they realize that they couldn’t see the next marker. To this, Frost forced them to stop. “Wait,” she said holding up a blue wing, “something’s not right… where’s the next marker?”

As much as the other three tried to peer through the veil of snow, they could not see much, not even a shadow of a waving flag. Besides the snow and dark rocks that dotted nearby, everything around them was completely white.

“Where is it?” Heat asked.

“I can’t see anything,” Golden said.

“Which way do we go?” Sprout called out.

But for a moment, Frost wasn’t exactly sure herself. However, taking out a long line of rope, she went over to the previous marker to tie it and herself to each end. “I’m gonna go out and look for it. Since each marker is placed about a stone’s throw away, I think I should be able to find it. Maybe the flag had ripped off and the pole is probably still there nearby. Now all of you stay right here, I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

And so, the three other ponies watched as Frost disappeared into the cloud of white. At first, the rope went straight ahead until it became tight. Then it moved this way and that too where it went into the opposite direction. Then came Frost as she emerged back in their sights.

“Oh Celestia, don’t tell me…” Heat said but the sigh from their leader confirmed their worst fears.

“Yep. We’re stuck up here.”

“Are you kidding me?” Golden objected. “You didn’t find anything?”

“Not even a pole. Either it’s been buried in the snow or something had broken it off because I couldn’t find a thing, even with me flying around.”

The three other ponies were shocked at this revelation. “But…” Sprout spoke up. “What if we use our other ropes so you could-”

“That’s beside the point.” Frost interrupted. “If one marker has gone missing, who’s to say that others are too? We cannot go any further down until we know for absolute certainty where we’re going. You all saw what it looks like from above, one wrong turn could send us tumbling over. I’m sorry everypony, but until the weather clears up, we’re getting off this mountain.”

“But…” Golden objected, “my classes, I have to get-”

“No, you don’t get it.” Frost snapped at him. “Us getting down safely from this mountain is more important than your college courses. I’m sorry, but until we know where we’re going, there’s nothing we can do but wait. Besides, we’ve all prepared for this. We have enough food to last us a couple more weeks. And by then, the weather should be clear enough to see. For now, we have to turn back.”

Several days went by where the four of them waited in the cabin. The constant white noise of the arctic wind blew on relentlessly. Every so often, snow had to be removed from the front door to prevent from being snowed in. However, despite keeping warm, eating and sleeping, there was very little for any of them to do except wait. Wait for the thick veil of winter to be lifted again. But as the days went by, it became evident that it might not come to pass for a very long time.

Golden had his spot on the second floor, wrapped in a blanket, facing towards the blank canvas of a window. His ears listening to the ebb and flow of the wind against the cabin as it creaked. Beside him on the bed was a bowl of half-eaten stew – the same kind that he had yesterday, and the day before.

Eventually, Sprout came up to the second floor. “I wanted to see how you’re doing.” She said.

“I’m fine,” Golden muttered.

“Are you done with the stew?” He nudged the bowl away in which picked it up with her hoof. Before she left, she heard him adding: “Could you make something else?”

“Huh?”

“I mean… Not that I don’t like your cooking, but just to have stew day in and day out is rather… repetitive. Is it possible for you to make something else?”

“We have a limited supply as it is. We don’t have anything like flour or sugar to make some like bread or cake. There’re only cans of veggies and plenty of water. If I could make something else, I would.” She tried to hug him, but he blocked her with a wing.

“You don’t have to baby me, you know.”

“Hey, I’m just trying to look after everyone here. I know it hasn’t been easy on any of us, but I’m sure that we’ll get off the mountain sooner or later. I’m just trying to keep everyone’s spirits up.”

Golden adjusted his blanked. “I just… want to be alone right now.”

With a nod, she left the second floor. Leaving the yellow Pegasus to listen to the whispering of the wind.

Days later and the blizzard still hasn’t cleared up, Sprout returned to the ground floor with a bowl of full but cold stew. “I’m starting to get worried guys.”

The other three looked over to her. “How so?” Frost asked as she placed a card down on the table across from Heat Blaze.

“He hasn’t eaten in two days now.” She said as she placed the bowl into the sink. “I can’t figure out why he refuses to eat all of a sudden. I tried giving him the stew, even what few energy bars I had in my bag, but it’s all gone untouched.”

Heat raised an eyebrow. “That is pretty weird.”

“That’s not even the half of it, even with all the food being set right in front of him, he refuses to eat while complaining that he’s hungry.”

“Did Golden turn into an anorexic?” Heat asked without thinking

“Heat!” Frost scolded, “That’s not something to joke about.”

“Sorry, but what can I say? We’re a stressful situation in which I have to rely on my humor as a defense mechanism.” After placing a card down, Heat added. “Besides, I do get that he’s our newest friend and this is his first skiing trip – but can you blame me when we don’t know when we’re getting off the mountain?”

Frost sighed. “Look, I get it. If I had any idea where to go, I’d probably pick everypony here and fly down to the station. But since I haven’t been here in years and there’s a blinding blizzard outside, I might as well fly blindfolded.”

“But what should we do with Goldie?” Sprout asked. “Clearly something is wrong.”

“I…” The blue Pegasus shrugged defeatedly. “I wish I knew. Perhaps, for now, we should just keep him company. That last thing we want right now is for anypony to go mad.”

Even though moved to the ground floor where everypony could see him, Golden still insisted of sitting in front of the window towards the monotonous snow. And even still, his ration of food had gone untouched. It seemed that the yellow Pegasus was more focused on listening to the wind than the conversations of his friends – or his health for that matter. With each passing hour and passing day, the stallion seemed to wither away. The fat and even the muscle of his appearance seemed to slowly shrink right before his friend’s eyes. As if he was becoming a living skeleton the longer time passed. Especially when his constantly empty stomach was screaming in agony at him to fill it with something – anything to ease the pain.

One day, Frost walked up to him with a bowl of cold stew by his side. “You have got to eat something Golden.”

“No thanks.” He said in a soft voice.

With a grumpy moan, she marched over to fetch her bowl that was still warm, came back with a spoon in her wing and trusted the broth into his mouth in which he spat out.

“Golden, this is getting ridiculous! If you don’t eat something soon, you’re going to die!”

The stallion, at last, looked up to her with shrunken eyes. “You don’t think I know that?” He asked barely above a whisper. “Of course, I want to eat. I couldn’t think of anything else for the past week or so.”

“Then why in Celestia’s name don’t you?!”

At first, Golden didn’t respond as the cabin became silent except for the wind outside.

“Just… not that.” He gestured a weak hoof to the cold bowl. “It’s become disgusting to me that I just can’t eat it. I know you all want to help me, but… I’ve been craving something else that we don’t have here. Something more… robust… something hearty… something… cold.”

“What?”

“Huh?” Golden blinked. “Sorry… what did I say?”

“You wanted something cold?”

He looked up with confusion. “Did I say that? Why would I say that?”

Frost puts a hoof to his forehead and froze. “Celestia, you’re freezing. Crap this isn’t good…”

By now the other two ponies approached her. “What is it?” Sprout asked.

The blue Pegasus meditated over the harsh predicament for a moment. “Guys… I think we need to get him to a hospital. If he doesn’t get any food or something nutritious soon, he’s going to die.”

“What do we do?” Heat questioned. “The blizzard still hasn’t lent up, and you said so yourself that it’s dangerous going out–”

“I know what I said,” Frost said sternly. “But right now, Golden’s life is in serious danger. I don’t know why he doesn’t want to eat, but if I allow continuing this any further, he might not be alive tomorrow.” Suddenly, with a determined look, she began marching towards the stairs. “I must get him onto that train.”

Heat and Sprout looked at each other, not know what exactly to say until Golden spoke. “I’m afraid.”

The green mare nuzzled him. “It’s gonna be okay, Goldie.”

He shook his head. “No… Not that… I’m afraid of what the wind is telling me. What I… want to do but… I really don’t want to.”

Both ponies turned pale. “Dude…” Heat said with caution. “What are you talking about.”

At first, the yellow Pegasus didn’t respond as he looked down at his foreleg. “Have you ever wondered… what… tasting a foreleg, or your withers or anything else would be like?” Suddenly, he put two hooves against his forehead with a disgusted look. “I know, I know it’s a sick idea. I don’t want to do something like that. But… each day it just gets harder. And that curiosity… that craving is just getting stronger. But I don’t want to…”

“Then don’t.” Sprout said, patting his back. “You are much stronger than you give yourself credit for.”

“Let’s get you into your coat.” Frost cut in with Golden’s winter coat while wearing her own. “I’m gonna try to fly you over to the station.”

“I thought you said it was risky.” Heat pointed out.

“It is. But given his condition, we don’t have much of a choice.”

Despite all the years of experience and survival training, Frost knew that she was taking up a very big risk. Guided with only a compass and her memory, she carried the weak stallion on her back as she flew blindly into the snow, even though it was almost noon. Every direction she looked, it was as if she was flying through a void of white, all the while the wind swirled around and changed direction without warning. As much as she tried to fly in a straight line, even using a compass, she wasn’t exactly sure where she was.

At the same time, she had trouble keeping Golden on her back. Not because he was heavy, as he became so skinny that he was light to carry. Rather, because he was so weak that his forelegs that were wrapped around her barely held on, so she had to have one hoof on her compass and the other to try to keep him there.

“C’mon, where is it?” Frost muttered while the wind roared in her face. “It can’t be this far off.”

Her ears thought that it picked up Golden muttering something, but she couldn’t exactly tell. Everything was disorienting. She didn’t know how high she was if she was going straight or curving off course. Even when squinting her eyes among the flurry of snowflakes, she could see nothing but a blank canvas of white. And then, without warning, a gust of strong wind hit her like a dragon where she found herself spinning out of control. Her senses went into overdrive as she was trying to make out which way was up as her wings flung this way and that.

And then, there was a sudden, skull-cracking thud. Golden was tossed aside into a snow bank, his mind trying to process what had just happened. For a long time, nothing but the wind remained silent. Even the weak stallion wasn’t sure how long he lay there in the snow. However, when he did get up, he saw the vivid color of dark red splattered upon the white snow and the black rock. It was as if he was looking at a minimal painting in which the center of it was the slumped corpse of his friend with her head bashed in.

Part of Golden was too shocked to speak. He was horrified that the one that has guided them all this time and had the most experience in the wilderness was dead. That from here, he had no hope of getting off the mountain or back to the cabin alive.

At the same time… there was another part of him, a primal roar in his ears and in his stomach that demanded to do the only thing that would help him survive.

Eat.

Slowly, Golden got up and stripped himself of that hot, sweaty overcoat into the cool air with that welcoming snow towards the body. As much as part of him was horrified of what he was about to do, he was so hungry. So empty. And the frosted flesh of the mare seemed… inviting.

He lifted up an iced foreleg and whispering an apology to Frost from what little-civilized part of him that was dying – he took a bite. And another… And another… And another…

Night had fallen on the mountain, and still, there was no sign of Frost returning to the cabin. Heat and Sprout could do nothing but wait by the fire. Wrapped in blankets, they silently worrying about what was taking their friend so long and if she managed to find the station.

“What if she’s not coming back?” Heat asked.

“Oh, don’t think like that.” Sprout patted his back. “This is Frost we’re talking about. She’s been in worst situations before and I’m sure that she’ll come back here anytime now.”

“Yeah…” The stallion adjusted his blanket. “If only we knew where she is right now.”

Then, a moment later, their ears picked up something above the wind outside. At first, neither of them could make out what it was. But bit by bit, they realized they were hearing a voice.

“Help! Heat! Sprout! Help me!”

Heat instantly got up. “That’s Frost!” Grabbing Sprout by the hoof, he dragged her to fetch their winter clothes. “We’ve gotta help her!”

The two of them rushed to put on their hats, overcoats, and scarves before galloping outside into the night, armed with nothing except a pair of lanterns.

“Frost!” Heat screamed. “Frost! Where are you?!”

“Come here.”

So, into the frigid night, they began to head down the mountain. They would call out their friend’s name in which the only reply was to “Come here.” But as they got closer to the source of the voice, there was something… off about it. While it did sound like Frost’s voice, every time they heard, “Come here” it was getting slower and… deeper with each call.

At one point, into the maze of cliffs and slopes, Sprout stopped Heat. “Wait!” She pointed her lantern off to the side. “What’s that?”

Her light touched a figure in the darkness. Heat cast his lantern on it too as the two got closer. And when they were able to make it out what it was, they gasped in horror. There is a shallow grave of snow was what remained of Frost. For they found there among the overcoat that was torn off of her, that what remained of her was nothing but a pile of blood-soaked bones.

“Oh Celestia!” Sprout screamed, and her voice echoed in the night.

“What happened to her?” Heat asked in a state of shock. “W-Wait… If she’s here… Who was calling for help?”

“Come here.” Both of them froze as they heard Frost’s voice again. This time, it was coming from behind them. Then, in Golden’s voice, it added: “And allow me to feast.”

Heat screamed as he felt something stabbed his cutie mark before the icy feeling spread throughout his body – freezing him into place.

Sprout quickly turned around and she too screamed as she saw the pony she knew as Golden… and at the same time, it also wasn’t him… to be behind her. His coat had become a ghostly pale yellow to the point that it was nearly white. He somehow became unnaturally taller that seemed to tower over her. Yet, the face of Golden looked demonic with a longer face that held a skeletal, bloodstained grin, antlers of ice that pointed down like spears at her. But the worst of all, was the eyes as they were corpse-like blue.

The last thing that went through her mind as the creature froze her over with a jab of his antler before turning to her petrified friend to begin feasting was a single word. One that knew what Golden had now become, upon the slopes of the lonely Crystal Mountains.

Wendigo.