Seven Very Chilling Mare's Tales

"Awww, aren't you adorable?"

I said these words as I reached into the saddle bag on my back and offered the adorable bunny before me a nice juicy carrot. As it accepted the orange delicacy, I noticed it was a bit different than other bunnies I had seen before. The eyes on it were slightly bigger and appeared to be glowing a pulsing, almost rhythmic orange light. I found myself drawn to its pattern. How strange, I thought to myself.

I decided it must be a fairly uncommon species of bunny and turned my head for a second to grab my camera from the bag upon my back. I quickly snatched it up in my teeth and turned, only to find the peculiar bunny had vanished. I pawed the ground in annoyance at myself. "Darn, I must have been too slow."

I looked around, the shadows were beginning to creep along the rich soil of the forest. Glancing up I noticed the sun was slowly going down. Well, I thought to myself; I guess it's time to head back to Ponyville. I mused to myself as I slowly trotted out of the forest as the shadows got longer. I met a cute bunny. I fed him a carrot, it had been an extremely good day.

As I trotted down the path, I felt my thoughts slowly get distracted by a aromatic smell. It smelled like fresh cabbage! Oh how wonderful I thought as the smell made me happy. I continued on my way and found myself suddenly stopped in front of another pony. It was a pegasus, and she was waving her hooves before my eyes. "A-are you all, all right? Emerald, can you hear me?"

Her voice snapped me back to the present. I tried to respond, only to find my mouth was full. Strange, I thought as I swallowed, it tasted like cabbage. When did I get that? I replied in a slightly dazed tone. "Oh-hey-hey Fluttershy, how long have you been there?"

She looked at me for a moment before responding with a question. "Y-you didn't happen to feed any c-cuddly bun-bunnies in those w-w-woods did you?"

I'm not sure what made me do it. It was wrong, I know. I lied to Fluttershy. "No, I didn't feed any creatures in the woods Fluttershy. Why would you ask such an odd question?"

She pointed to the area around us. It had been ravaged, soil flung everywhere and a few heads of cabbage with huge bite marks were strewn about. Half the field was missing. My eyes slightly widened as I realized where we were. We were in the cabbage field of Ponyville. "I happened to be f-flying around wh-when I noticed you gathering c-cabbage off-season. I thought maybe you-you w-w-were feeding w-w-woodland creatures w-w-with it."

My mind was racing. When did I even get here? We weren't near the Everfree; We were on the wrong side of Ponyville. How was this even possible? My vision began to blur and soon my world turned to black as I felt a sudden jolt of fatigue. Right before I felt the impact of the soft loamy soil, I heard Fluttershy ask, "C-can you-you hear me? Emer-emerald? Emerald? Oh no!"

I awoke, my head was dully throbbing as I glanced at my surroundings. A white room. I was wearing a white gown. I was in some sort of bed with a railing at the bottom of it. Where am I? I thought this right before I heard a gentle voice say, "Oh good. You're awake! I'll let Dr. Starlight know."

My head was killing me. Ugh, make it stop! I screamed inside my mind as I heard a mature female voice say, "Don't worry you'll be fine! I'm Starlight Glimmer, call me Doctor Starlight. Nurse, I need 300 cc of Horsphine stat! You're very lucky Fluttershy found you in the field. What were you thinking eating all those cabbages?"

Cabbages? My brain felt hazy my thoughts were getting hard to focus. What's a Doctor Starlight? I thought in an almost silly stupor as my head finally stopped hurting. I tried to close my eyes only to find a pink foreleg shaking me awake once more. "Can you hear me, young mare? Focus! Can you hear me? Nurse, give them a saline drip, they appear dehydrated."

I felt a sharp poke in my left foreleg as a cool, refreshing feeling flooded my body. I was completely calm and relaxed and now feeling less dizzy. At that moment I heard over a loudspeaker. "All available personnel to the emergency bay, all available personnel to the emergency bay."

As I watched a yellow foreleg tapped Starlight on the shoulder and a familiar voice said, "I-I-I heard a nu-nurse call for you to a-a-assist Starlight."

Doctor Starlight lowered her head and in a frustrated grumble I heard her mutter, "Damn it Rainbow!"

With that she was gone leaving me alone in the room with Fluttershy. I tried to speak, to tell her thank you. "Thank y-"

My words died as I felt a sharp poke in my thigh and a hot feeling began to enter my body. "Ssssh, there's no need for thank yous."

Her words sounded strange almost as if being said by a completely new pony. I blinked and opened my mouth to speak to ask what was going on. My body was getting hot. It burns! I tried to scream, but no sound came out. I suddenly felt very sleepy and as my eyes closed I heard the words. "Why don't you, and I take a trip to the Everfree?"

I awoke to the most amazing aroma. Opening my eyes, I spotted a bowl of carrots. I found myself unable to get to them. Though I did try. I appeared to be strapped to a strange chair. My hindlegs and my forelegs were strapped in. Looking around I noticed I was in a wooden building. Where was I? What was going on? I heard the sound of movement behind me as Fluttershy calmly stepped into view. I opened my mouth to talk to her but no sound issued from my muzzle. She slowly shook her head and spoke in a soft and silky voice, her stutter gone. "You probably want to know why you are here. I'll tell you but first let's get you something to eat. Your appetite must be rising to insatiable levels surrounded by such lovely carrots."

At the word carrot I began to struggle against my bindings, fiercely trying to get to them. She continued. "Calm down, calm down. No need to get upset, here you go sweetie."

She held out a carrot in her hoof. My eyes focused on it. It filled my sight. I wanted it! I needed it! I couldn't resist that aroma, that crisp. I had to have it. I eagerly opened my muzzle, reached out and began to chomp happily on the carrot as she held it. The carrot made a delightfully crisp crunching sound. She laughed, and her voice became gentler, almost apologetic. "Awww, that carrot tastes really nice doesn't it?"

My nose twitched at the smell as another carrot was held before me. Once more I began to munch on it using my muzzle. She continued her tone kind and gentle. "That's a good girl. I know what you did, sweetie. It's alright though, I forgive you. Those bunnies in the woods can be very persuasive when they are hungry."

Another carrot. My nose began to twitch happily as I opened my muzzle and nibbled on the carrot with my two large incisors. The straps felt considerably looser. She gently scratched behind one of my large ears with her hoof. It felt so good. She spoke softly to me as she sat there. Her voice felt very pleasant. "You know, for artificial lifeforms, I would say Starlight did a wonderful job creating them. Even if they were made purely to create my own army for our takeover back then."

Starlight? The name sounded familiar. I scratched under my chin with my left paw in thought but saw another carrot and began to happily nibble away at it. All thoughts in my mind began to vanish. I decided to listen to mother; her voice was so angelic and soothing. "They would only activate their primary function when fed food from a pony."

She slowly stroked my furry back as she handed me some lettuce. "That's enough carrots for now sweetie, here have some lettuce. Now where was I? Oh yes, hypnotic signals would be sent in the form of light waves from their eyes. These waves would cause a genetic mutation while at the same time giving them the mindset of a bunny. Such adorable creatures, who would suspect a thing?"

She seemed taller. She scooped me up in her hooves and gave me a gentle tummy rub as she sat down in a rocking chair. Her voice now sounded sad. "After our takeover I was told to exterminate them all. I couldn't do that! I had raised and cared for them. I couldn't kill my babies."

She grabbed a small baby bottle filled with water when I began to fidget and gently rested it on my teeth. I happily drank the cold refreshing liquid, holding the bottle in my paws. Mommy continued talking, her tone still sad, almost remorseful. "I set them loose in the Everfree. I warned ponies don't feed them when I could. Everypony heeded my advice. Well everypony but you. When I saw you pass out after eating so many cabbages; I was worried you weren't going to make it. Like a good mother should, I rushed you to the horsepital to visit Starlight."

She tickled a tuft of fur on my belly, causing me to kick with my tiny foot paws. "We are so lucky she was able to fix you right up, aren't we? Now you're healthy, happy, and cute as a button. Isn't that right my adorable little girl?"

I yawned, not understanding a single word. I curled up into a content little ball of fluff. My cottontail sticking out as she whispered to me in a loving tone tinged with the sound of tears. "Don't worry, mommy will protect you from now on. Sleep well. Goodnight Emerald, my sweet baby bunny."