The Strange Ponies

2:10 A.M.

Mac laid upon his side in front of the roaring fireplace silently, dark green eyes lost in a sea of flames of this moment. Wondering how Sugar Belle was doing tonight, if Bloom and Jackie were in any need of assistance as well.

“Whatcha thinking about?” Marble crawled up onto the side of her friend's body, quickly deflating atop him holding a half drunk bottle of cider in her hooves.

“Family. Home.” Both gazed longingly into the dancing flames before them in silence, the ponies choosing their words wisely.

“Me too.” Marble yawned aloud with a cute squeak.

“I was wondering Marble…” Mac lifted his head to face the little mare.

“Mmhmm?” Her voice hummed.

“Perhaps we could still be friends? You are dear to my heart, I'd hate to lose you.” He flashed a tender smile to the petite mare.

“You'd still enjoy my company?” She spoke in a shocked tone of voice, her eyes lighting up almost as brightly as Celestia's sun.

“Of course Marble, you're like a sister to me!” He chuckled aloud before he rolled the mare off his side playfully.

Her squeals filled the room as she giggled in happiness, embracing her friend with the largest hug her tiny frame could muster.

“Thank you.” She whispered into his ear lovingly, nuzzling his cheek with her muzzle.

She was beyond happy to still have him in her life.

Thundering knocks exploded from the front door suddenly, Marble squealing aloud in complete surprise of the noise. Mac gave a reassuring hug to the trembling mare as she swallowed a large lump in her throat, the stallion cantered to the front door hastily to answer it.

“Is Cozy Cloud here!?” A earth pony mare spoke in front of the door sarcastically, features hidden behind a oversized beige hoodie.

All except a cream white muzzle stuck out from the lifted hood, her hooves stained near completely black from walking through wet soil all day. She was petite in shape from what he could see, at least half the size of the other mare or Marble for that matter.

“I think your friend came by earlier, she asked for Cozy…” Mac lifted a brow in surprise as the mare galloped off into the abyss, without as much as another word she too had vanished.

“Do you think everything is alright?” Marble hugged the bottle in her hooves worriedly from beside the fireplace.

“I'm not sure, I think maybe those two and this Cozy Cloud are lost in The Everfree!?” Mac gave a defeated sigh into the chill night air.

“Why do you look so flustered?” Marble spoke in a fearful quivering tone.

“I have to go out there, see if those mare's are fine.” Mac shook his head to the side, lighting up a small oil lantern hung on the wall near the door.

“You're going to leave!?” Marble could feel her chest tighten.

“I have too, if we do nothing and those mare's get hurt…” Mac lifted the lantern in his left hoof, knowing he could never forgive himself if something happened.

“But what if more come?” Marble questioned in a frightened voice.

“See if they will come in and wait, they might trust a mare more anyways!” Mac nuzzled Marble on the cheek before he rushed out into the darkness.

The cabin felt claustrophobic and darker when inside alone, the candles flickering back and forth in a small draft that found itself within. Marble stood petrified in front of the door praying Mac was back soon, forcing her hooves to move forward deeper into the silence.

Reaching the kitchen sink she picked up a dusty metal cup from cobwebs in the corner, twisting the sink knob a gentle stream of water cascaded forth to cleanse the dirt away. Filling the cup to half portions in the dead of night, needing some clean cool water to refresh her sudden case of cottonmouth.

A large lanky figure slowly stepped out from the far back bedroom behind the mare, gazing around the empty cabin in curiosity taking each step silently yet carefully. Marble sipping the cup daintily in deep thought, the strange pony behind her walked into the living area checking out a worn photo of Limestone and Marble on the wall.

It's head tilted to the side with unblinking eyes hidden behind a dark pair of flight goggles, Marble letting a soft loud huff escape her lips before the front door clicked open unexpectedly.

Marble gasped in shock heading over to the door swiftly, the living area behind her empty now just as it always had been. The mare swallowed hard coming close to the frame, keeping an ear out for any noise at all yet just hearing the wind billow.

Marble felt the icy chill of loneliness grasp her soul as she clicked the door shut, gazing around the silent room she made her way to the record player. Calmly putting on the old record once again for noise, prancing towards the kitchen afterwards in search of a snack.

“When I was just a filly, the world seemed so full.

When I was just a filly, is when I lifted the wool.

He came from deep in the night, trembling hooves bruised after the fight.

Momma told me he'd never treat me right, always distant full of spite.

But I still went outside to play, gave him my heart on that very day!

Anytime I tried to get him to stay, he'd push away, Celestia he'd push away!”

Marble listened to the music with a small sniffle, holding back a few tears of her own as she searched the kitchen. Rising up onto her hind hooves she opened a small cabinet, hidden inside was a small bag of oats and berries. Taking the bag in hoof she flashed a tiny smile, Limestone had hidden these here a bit ago as a secret snack during a layover trip to Ponyville.

“Bang, Bang!”

A loud bashing noise came from the door, the whole frame nearly exploding off the hinges as the mare screamed in horror. The oats fell across the floor in hundreds of directions, her heart racing wildly in her chest as eyes locked on the door.

“Hel…” Marble tried to speak in a worried voice full of anxiety.

“BANG, BANG!!”

The door shook in place as if somepony were bucking it, a small piece of wood flying off the door into the corner as Marble shrieked in utter disbelief. The record player skipping in place suddenly from the vibrations, Marble unsure what to do as the powerful bucks continued.

“Outside...to...play…
Outside...to...play…
Outside…to...play…

Outside…
Outside…
Outside….
Outside……..”

The music scratched across the player wildly in the background.

“Go away, your friends aren't here!!” Marble placed hooves over her ears in terror, screaming as loud as she could towards the shaking door.

“Outside….to...play…”

The music turned to static silence just as the bucking came to a sudden stop, Marble quivered uncontrollably in place. Pale crystalline tears cascaded down her round cheeks softly, tiny hooves taking each step slowly towards the door unsure what was to come.

Static poured across every inch of the cabin, sending a cold chill down the mare's backside before she placed her ear upon the wooden frame. The sound of complete isolation her only reply, a gentle tap slowly coming from the window on the right.

It was delicate and frail, as if a baby bird had found its way to the cabin lost and in search of aid. Marble taking her steps with care as she slid over to the window, a cute pink curtain hiding away the horrors of the night bravely.

Using her hoof she lifted back the frilly fabric cautiously.

“BANG!!!”

A large lanky yellow pegasus mare smashed her hoof against the window destructively, a crack forming easily across the dusty window. She wore a homemade looking Shadowbolt uniform with dark rose colored goggles, a wild curly untamed orange mane cascaded around her face as an unwavering scowl was plastered across her muzzle.

“Ahhhh!” Marble screamed as loud as she could muster, falling back from the window before crashing to the floor with a thud.

“Play…
Play…
Pla…
Pl…
Ay…
Ay…
Ay…”

The record player sprang back to life in a echoing loop of nonsense, the mare scrambled to her feet the window pony gone from her view. Her body quivering uncontrollably she watched helpless as the front door creaked open wide, Marble flinging herself across the room to slam it shut.

Before she could reach it a copper unicorn pushed her muzzle through the opening, face hidden by a red pull up hood of a jacket, dark forest green mane pushing out from the darkness.

“Nooo!” Marble tripped smashing onto the floor, her body slid against the door roughly as it slammed shut.

The record player stuck in a deafening loop it could not break as Marble watched with tear soaked eyes the living room window shattering open, her screams echoing across the forest as a beige hooded earth pony flashed a smile from the opening.

“Leave me alone!!” Marble wept in despair picking up a the nearby cider bottle, tossing it towards the mare as hard as possible only to miss.

Glass and cider splashing across the wall in a pungent mess of terror, Marble sobbing into her hooves as the front door exploded open. Icy night air flowed wildly into the cabin as it blew out two candles, Marble dashing off at full speed into the backroom her hoof crunching loudly on a sharp piece of glass.

“Help!” She sobbed limping into a dark room with a torn down cot, warm crimson blood dripping over the filthy floor.

Whimpering in place she curled up into a small ball near the cot, the loud loop suddenly being silenced by somepony their hoofsteps could be heard coming ever closer.

Marble let herself break down completely in fear, tears washing over her cheeks painfully while watching a towering figure enter the room.

“Are you ok!?” Mac spoke in a worried tone of voice, rushing to the side of the petrified mare crying loudly.

“Mare's! Outside! The window!” Marble spoke in a panic stricken voice unable to catch her breath.

“Who!?” Mac looked over the mare for injuries as she trembled uncontrollably, his large hooves caressing her silken mane.

“She wore a mask!!!” Marble’s voice suddenly screamed out loudly in a explosion of emotion.

“Mask?, What kind of mask!?” Mac scrunched his nose confused.

“A BUCKING MASK!!” Marble broke down crying into the shoulder of the stallion for protection.

“You're bleeding?” Mac gave a calm reply, his tender strong hoof lifting her own upward.

“The glass from them…” Marble sniffled cutely in place her hoof torn open wide, Mac easily pulling the shimmering shard of glass free from her flesh.

“Mmhmm.” Marble gave a soft whimper in pain, the stallion grabbed a old rag before tying it firmly around her hoof.

“Now Marble, what happened?” He asked in a calm collected voice.