Shadows of the Mindby AlchemicBlaze21ChaptersCh. 1 Summer is HereCh. 2 Off to the WoodsCh. 3 Nightmares IncarnateCh. 4 Slipping into the DepthsCh. 5 One Way Out of the AbyssCh. 1 Summer is HereWhen I first moved into town with my dad and enrolled at Canterlot High School, my only concerns were to settle in and try to fit in. That changed, however, when I met a girl named Sonata Dusk. As we got better acquainted, we became inseparable, in spite of a crisis that we barely averted. Jumping ahead to the last weekend before school let out for the summer, Sonata and I had made it our routine to train together on Saturday mornings. This time, however, her sister, Aria Blaze, decided to join us that day. “Alright, let's finish up with some blocking drills," I said to Sonata and Aria. “What? Seriously, that’s how you’re going to end class?” Aria nagged as she placed her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. “Lame. When are we going to fight?” “Sorry, but this was just drill training," I offered, trying not to let her get under my skin. "Besides, it's a bad idea to ‘practice' without the right gear. You know, on account of injury." As we were going back and forth, Sonata seemed uneasy, almost as if she was waiting for all hell to break loose. "Heh. You're just afraid that I'll whup you," Aria said smugly. I pinched the bridge of my nose as I exhaled profoundly trying not to lose my patience. "No. Not particularly." Sonata then stepped in and scolded Aria, “You know, you could’ve just stayed back at the apartment if all you wanted to do was be a jerk.” Aria narrowed her eyes at Sonata without breaking eye contact for a while before she started cracking up. When she saw the confused looks on our faces, she laughed even harder before she addressed both of us. "Heh, you guys need to lighten up. I'm just messing with you two. Anyways, I'll see you back at the apartment. Don't take forever though, unless you want Adagio to throw one of her hissy fits because you missed practice.” She gave a quick nonchalant wave to the both of us before she turned back towards the apartment building and began walking away. All the while we stood there still unsure of what exactly happened. I shook my head in exasperation before glancing at Sonata. The bright red flush on her cheeks betrayed her attempts to hide the embarrassment as she rubbed her forehead. She then turned to me and apologized. “I'm so sorry about that, Slate. When she said that she was bored and wanted to join us today, I didn’t think she’d act like that.” “It’s alright," I reassured her. "No harm no foul. Still, I have to ask. I know Aria acts like that around us and our friends, but is she always like that?" Sonata rubbed the back of her neck before replying, “She's always liked to push everyone's buttons. Since she started doing that program that Celestia had the three of us do, Aria had to stop being as aggressive as she used to be. I guess this is how she lets off steam now. But at least she hasn't done that to strangers, recently.” “Well, at least there's that. We can only hope Aria doesn't get any ideas. I'd hate to have to bail her out for something as dumb as that.” “Yeah,” Sonata agreed with a nod. With our Saturday morning training pretty much derailed, we decided to take a seat at one of the benches before continuing with our conversation. I took a deep breath and exhaled. " I can't help thinking that there might be some students like that when I start helping out at Mr. Will’s dojo this summer." Sonata thought about that for a second and then replied, "Well, you've done a great job teaching me, and you didn't blow up at Aria when she kept on trying to get on your nerves, so I think you’ll do fine. If it had been Adagio, she would've let her have it.” "Thanks, Sonata, I appreciate that, "I offered with a smile. "By the way, since you mentioned it, how’re things going with Adagio?" “Well she still has kind of a short temper, but she’s trying.” "Hmm, yeah I've seen how quickly she gets upset, especially whenever our friends bring up past events.” "That's true, but they kind of do that regularly," Sonata added. "I don't want to make a big deal out of it, but it seems like they do it on purpose." I thought about it for a minute or two. "Well, unfortunately, I think it's more of a bad habit of theirs, but I'm pretty sure that our friends aren't doing it to put anybody down. Still, it does seem like that sometimes." "Yeah. They even do it with Twilight ever since the Games." Sonata pointed out. "Huh? Oh yeah. That's true," I said remembering just then about that day. Asides from Sonata and her sisters, I had gotten to know a group of girls who were very involved at the school. They competed against our rivals, Crystal Prep, in an event called the Friendship Games, which was an oxymoron in itself since both schools were kind of at each other’s throats. As it turned out though, Twilight had been going to that school. Although according to our friends this wasn’t the same person that we had initially met. Asides from that, this Twilight caused a bunch of crazy stuff to happen during the games. Regardless of that, however, when everything came to a close, she transferred over to our school and thus became part of that group. I couldn't help asking Sonata out of curiosity, "Hey is it just me or does this school seem to draw strange things to it?" Sonata just shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe. Wait, are you calling me strange?” "Well if I am, that’d include me too." "You did stick around me when no one else would, so kind of," Sonata said with a smile while she played around with the necklace I had given her a while back. I gave her a sly look before replying, "But in all honesty, you are a bit strange." I then raised my hand with the index finger and thumb just half an inch apart for her to see. She giggled before lightly shoving me. “You jerk.” I couldn't help cracking a smile, and replied, "Hey, I meant in a cute way.” We shared a kiss right before we heard a familiar voice. “Aww, you two are adorable.” Thoroughly startled, we turned to find Rainbow Dash standing there as she realized just then that she had interrupted us. She sheepishly asked, “Is this a bad time?” I just sighed. "No." She rubbed the back of her neck and could only offer an apology. “Heh, sorry.” Sonata then spoke up, “It’s okay. So what’s up?” "Not much really," Rainbow answered. "But, I wanted to let you guys know everyone else was going to meet up at the mall to get a few things for the camping trip. Wanna come?” Sonata thought it over before asking me, “What do you think?” “Sure. I'm up for it. At what time, Rainbow?” “We were going to meet up at around two o’clock.” “Yeah, that works for me. What about you, Sonata?” She took one more moment to think it over before replying. "Yeah, I just need to take care of a few things before then." Rainbow nodded. “Well, then we’ll see you there.” "Okay, see you then, "I confirmed before she headed off towards the other end of the park. Sonata then turned to me. “We should probably get back to the apartment and get ready for that.” “Alright then, let’s go.” With that said we began the walk back to our apartment building so she could get to her singing practice with her sisters. When I made it to my apartment, I let Dad know about my plans right away. Without wasting any time, I helped him with whatever needed to be done around the apartment and we finished the chores by noon. With nothing else to do but wait till Sonata was ready to go, I decided to get showered and changed out. Having freshened up, I looked over at an application that I had on my desk. Mr. Iron Will had given it to me when I asked about helping out around his dojo over the summer. He said it would take a week at least to figure out if I was cut out for becoming an assistant. So I felt that I had to impress him with whatever I put onto that sheet. It would be great if I knew what he was looking for exactly. Well, I have to put something, I thought. I began filling out the form but didn't complete it. I wanted to make it as impressive as possible to give me the best chance. My phone suddenly blinked to life with a text from Sonata. “Hey, Slate. We finished our practice session. Are you ready to go?” With some quick tapping of my phone, I sent, "Yes, give me five minutes, and I'll meet you down by the entrance. See you soon." I said bye to Dad as I headed out the door and raced down the stairwell, skipping steps so I wouldn't be too late. Shortly after that, I burst through the entrance door. Sonata was standing there, shifting her weight between her heels and toes, seemingly out of boredom before she saw me. “Oh, there you are. Ready to go?” She asked. "Yeah, sorry to keep you waiting," I offered. “It’s alright,” she said as we started down the street towards downtown. “Still, what were you doing?” "Just working on my application for the dojo," I explained. “Oh. I really hope that you get the job,” Sonata reassured. "Thanks, I do too. But anyways, how was practice?" She seemed to be concentrating as if to recall what they went over precisely before she replied. "Well, for the most part, it went well. Although I don’t think Adagio or Aria had been expecting me to be back so soon for our practice. Either way, we got through a few scale exercises and part of one of our older songs.” "Hmm, it sounds like things are improving. Then again, I don't think I've heard Aria or Adagio sing before. At least not consciously.” She shrugged. “Yeah, they don’t like having an audience unless they sound perfect.” I raised an eyebrow at that statement. "Then how do they do it to practice at the school's music room along with the Rainbooms?” Without even a bit of hesitation, she said, "It's a necessary sacrifice." I wasn't sure how to react to that and just replied, "Wow." Upon hearing my response, she waved her hands in front of herself in a desperate attempt to clarify what she meant. “Aria’s words, n-not mine!” Her face began to glow bright red in embarrassment as she continued. “I actually do like practicing with them." Unable to suppress a slight chuckle I replied, "Heh, I figured that's what you meant. I didn't think that either of your sisters thought that exactly." “Ahem, yeah. I don't know, Adagio and Aria never liked letting go of grudges." Sonata rubbed the back of her neck. "Eh, don't worry about it too much. It just takes time.” Her only response to that was, “Hopefully.” We continued with our conversation, eventually arriving at the mall with a few minutes to spare. As we walked in through one of the department stores, I realized that we hadn't asked where they wanted to meet. Oh well, pretty sure we will run into them, I thought as we continued into the main mall with its brightly lit interior. I hadn't been to that mall more than maybe four times, but every time it seemed like new stores replaced the ones I saw previously. I could only assume that most of the mall's patrons were a fickle bunch and went along with the trends, but I guess that's just business. The only part that seemed to have remained unchanged was the food court. Coincidentally, that was where we found our friends waiting. “Slate. Sonata. There you guys are,” Rainbow called to us as we made our way over to where she and Sunset were seated. “ I was starting to think that you two probably had other plans.” "Nah, we just weren't sure where you all were going to meet, "I offered in response. "My bad." Sunset shook her head. “It’s alright. The point is you guys made it.” Sonata then asked, “So, what’s the plan?” “Lunch, for starters,” Applejack said as she set down a tray with a couple of pizza slices from the nearby pizza parlor. “Everyone else is picking out what to eat. Ain’t you two getting anything?” “Yeah. We’ll be right back,” Sonata nodded. We looked around and tried to decide on what we felt like getting. Eventually, we had settled on Tex-Mex food and made it back to the table. As everyone ate and conversed, Sonata turned to me. “So, after this, we’re going to be looking around for camping gear?” "Yeah, I guess there's an outdoors store here or something for that," I replied. Rarity upon hearing our conversation joined in. “Actually, darling, we were planning on looking for suitable outfits and clothing for the camping trip. There isn’t any real need for a lot of the usual camping supplies.” A bit confused, I asked, "Really, how so?” AJ then answered. “‘Cause we’re going to a campground that already has everything.” I turned to Rarity who nodded at AJs statement. She then added, "Since it's for the school camping trip, it makes more sense to have it at one of those campgrounds. Besides, it’s a bit of a school tradition to have it at Camp Everfree.” AJ then retorted, "Well if you ask me, it kinda takes the fun out of camping." Rainbow Dash leaned back in her chair with her hands behind her head. “As long as they have plenty of cool activities, who cares that we don’t have to rough it.” Fluttershy then softly added, “I just hope we get to see all the cute animals out there." Sonata nodded and then turned to our other friends before posing a question. “What about you three? What do you guys think about the trip?” Twilight a bit caught off guard sheepishly replied, “Well, it might be fun. I'm not all that fond of the outdoors.” Pinkie Pie in her usual excited tone answered with, "Ooh, ooh, I'm looking forward to the campfire songs and scary stories! And I'm especially looking forward to roasting marshmallows!" Sunset, still smiling at Pinkie's comment, added, “Personally, it’s a first for me.” She then asked us a question of her own, “And what about you two, what are you looking forward to on the trip?” Sonata and I shared a look before I turned back to Sunset. “Oh, um, the funny thing is neither of us signed up in time to go on the trip. Not that we didn’t want to, just that the list filled up pretty quickly.” Rarity apologetically offered, “That is a shame. It would have been nice for all of us to have gone on this trip together.” "Yeah, it would have been an experience," I said with a slight hint of disappointment. Sonata, trying to keep a positive outlook, then spoke up, " I'm sure that we can find something to do here in town." A few of our friends thoughtfully nodded while AJ seemed to be mulling something over. Either way, we finished up our lunch and started walking around the mall. We browsed a few clothing stores as the girls looked for stylish summer wear. In all honesty, since most of the stores that we checked out mainly catered to girls, it wasn't all that interesting to me. Still, Sonata seemed to be enjoying the shopping, so I endured. I guess that AJ noticed my mild disinterest because she came over and began talking to me. “You know, Slate, if you and Sonata are still interested in going camping, Big Mac was thinking of going on a trip of his own for a couple of days while we were out at Camp Everfree. He would have signed up for the school trip too, but he prefers actual camping trips in the woods instead of the whole campgrounds sort of deal.” "Huh, well that's a nice offer. I wouldn't want to impose though." AJ just shook her head and reassured me. “It isn’t a problem at all. Big Mac prefers to camp with others since it'll make the setup and teardown go a bit more smoothly. Plus it's always better to go in a group." Right at that moment Sonata and Pinkie Pie came strolling up to us with a couple of bags in hand. With a bit of curiosity, Sonata asked, "Hey, What are you two talking about?” Applejack took the opportunity to tell her herself. “Just letting Slate here know that Big Mac wanted to go on a camping trip of his own and seeing if you two would like to join him.” Just then Pinkie interjected excitedly, “Hey, do you think maybe Maud could join you guys? She was saying that she’d like Boulder to ‘get some fresh air’, so why not have her meet some friends as well.” Applejack shrugged and replied, “I'm pretty sure he wouldn’t mind.” She then turned to Sonata and me and asked once more, “So, whaddya say? All you’d need to bring is a tent and your sleeping bags.” Sonata gave me an uncertain look. “Well, it’s a bit sudden. Can we get back to you on that?” I had to agree with Sonata. "Yeah, I think we need a little time to decide for sure. You understand, right?” AJ nodded and said, “It’s alright. If you do decide that you want to go, let me know sometime this week.” With a nod, I told her, "Will do." For another half hour, we checked out a few other stores before everyone had found the clothes they wanted. Shortly after that, we said our goodbyes. As Sonata and I left the mall, she turned to me and spoke up. "So, what do you think of the whole camping thing?" I adjusted one of her shopping bags that I was carrying over my shoulder while putting together my thoughts on that. "Well, I'd like to see what the local forest is like first hand. It would be a good way to clear my head about starting work. What about you?” She seemed a bit uncertain. " I'd like to, but it also depends on what Adagio says. Our singing hasn't been improving as fast as she had wanted, so she has her mind set on making us practice harder while we’re out on vacation." Thinking quickly I suggested, "I guess I understand what she's trying to do, but there is such a thing as overdoing it. Taking a break for a couple of days from practice can be helpful. Either way, I get how you feel since I have to let Dad know about this if we want to go on this trip. So here’s hoping that he isn’t going to say no.” Sonata looked up at the sky before replying. “I just hope that she sees it that way." When we got back to the apartment building, it was nearly five o'clock, so we quickly took the stairs up to her floor. She got the door open before turning back to me. I handed back her bag, and she leaned in to give me a quick kiss. She then said, "Wish me luck. I'll let you know what happens in a while.” “Let him know about what?” Adagio said surprising Sonata. Still trying to gather her wits about her, Sonata turned to meet Adagio who was standing there with her arms crossed. “Hey, Adagio. What brings you over?” "Well, I saw the door open and you two just standing out here, so I decided to see what was going on," Adagio said in a deadpan manner. “Oh, well we can talk about that inside.” Sonata slipped past her into the apartment. “Talk to you later, Slate.” "Alright, talk to you then, Sonata," I replied to her as she shut her room door. I then turned to Adagio. "So… how have things been?" “They could be better.” She frowned. "Um, why's that?" I asked, wondering if she was upset. “Because our singing is still awful.” “Hmm. Sonata said that your rehearsals were starting to sound better.” She then furrowed her brow and in a huff replied, “Well, if we are improving, we’re doing it at a snail's pace.” Seeing that she was frustrated by the situation I tried to offer some encouragement. "Well, you know what they say, ‘Slow and steady wins the race.' I know the feeling of not seeing the results that you wanted right away." She rolled her eyes. “Easy enough for you to say.” As soon as she said that Aria walked out from the living room and loudly announced, “Adagio’s just upset that her voice was cracking during practice today. Like a guy hitting puberty.” She proceeded to head to the kitchen. Adagio, starting to blush, yelled back at Aria, “Shut up!” Her voice cracked as she raised her voice, to which Aria replied, “Just like that.” Adagio could only rub the ridge of her nose in frustration. "So, that barely started today?" I asked trying my damnedest not to smirk. Still visibly annoyed, Adagio replied, “Not exactly, my throat was bothering me earlier yesterday. Why?” I cleared my throat and tapped my chin, trying to decide whether or not to tell her what I thought. "Well, um, you may not want to hear this, but you might be coming down with something." I paused to study her expression and see if she wasn't going to fly off the handle. Luckily she seemed to be listening intently. “It might be a good idea to dial back your rehearsals, at least until you’re feeling better.” She narrowed her eyes at me before replying with, “Is that so?” I sighed and continued, "C'mon, Adagio. I'm not trying to keep you and the others from improving. All I meant was that it doesn't help to push yourself while you are sick. That might make your condition worse.” Adagio crossed her arms in contemplation of my advice. "Well just for the sake of argument say I was getting sick. So what if I keep on practicing while I'm sick? What's the worst that would come of it?" "Well," I began, "You could strain your voice and put yourself further back than if you had just given yourself time to recuperate. Like I said before, I'm just trying to offer some advice." She raised an eyebrow and then said, "Hmm… I'll keep that in mind." It became awkwardly silent, so I decided to shove off. "Well gotta get going. I hope you feel better. Later." Her only response was, “Later,” as she went inside and closed the door. Well, I can only hope that this plays out well, I thought as I went up to my apartment. When I got in, Dad was in the kitchen preparing dinner. "Hey, Dad. I'm back.” “Slate, perfect timing. Come over here and help me finish this up.” I washed my hands and got to cutting up some of the ingredients that he had set out on the counter before tossing them into the pan. We set the table with a couple of plates and sets of silverware so we could start eating as soon as the dish finished cooking. As I got us some glasses for our drinks, Dad asked, “So how was it at the mall?” I thought about it as I handed him his glass. "It was alright. We were mainly there for some window shopping.” Or at least I was, anyway. Rarity bought about three pairs of shoes. “Oh, sounds a bit boring,” Dad replied. “No. Well, maybe just a bit, "I reasoned as we began to eat. "But one of our friends was telling me that her brother was going on a camping trip. She asked if Sonata and I wanted to join him." He wore a quizzical look as he set aside his fork. “So, do you want to go along with them?” “It crossed my mind. But I wanted to make sure it'd be alright with you if I did." "Well, that depends on when that trip takes place." “It’s supposed to be during the first week of vacation. Y'know, to kick off the summer.” Dad pondered that a bit before finally saying, "Well if it's while you're out for vacation, I have no problem with you joining them." I breathed a sigh of relief as we finished up our dinner. I washed the dishes before I retired to my room where I found that I had a text from Sonata. “I hope it went well,” I thought aloud. Sonata: Adagio said I could go. I sent back: Glad to hear it. Sonata: Yeah, but she said that I should be looking forward to long practice sessions when I get back. Slate: Oh, sorry about that part. Not quite what I expected. Sonata: Yeah. I'll let you know if anything else changes. Slate: Alright, talk to you later. I put up my phone and started surfing the internet. I decided to go online one last time before going to bed and check my emails. To my surprise, there was a message that had been sent earlier that morning by my good friend from my hometown, Heavyweight. "Huh, wonder what he sent.” I wondered out loud, thinking back to the times we would hang out with our circle of friends after school and over at karate practice. We were extremely competitive, but we never let it get too out of hand, for the most part. On top of that, he was always reliable and happy to help out with any problems that any of our other friends were going through. I clicked the email and found a brief message. Hey, Slate, you still alive? Haven't heard anything from you in a while. I wrote up a quick message of my own. Yeah, sorry about that. Things have been pretty crazy around here. Mainly with school and getting ready to start at a new job. I wasn't expecting any response right away but was pleasantly surprised to find a new message of his within a few minutes of sending mine. Well hope the job pans out. Also, you're still in school? We got out last week around here. I typed up, I'm in school for one more week, and then I'll be heading out on a camping trip with a few other people from around here to kick off the summer. Neat, I made plans to go on a solo road trip. Maybe I might stop by to catch a few days out in the wilderness with you. When exactly are you going camping? You know what? I'm not entirely sure. I can ask so you can know more or less when to come by. Sounds good. I'll be waiting on that message. Talk to you later. Heavyweight signed off, leaving me to contemplate the last week of school. Since it was already getting late, I just turned in for the night. My vision slowly came into focus, and I found myself standing in front of someone. I wanted to rub my eyes and hopefully be able to see better but couldn't even manage a twitch. Hmm, mmm, err. Why can't I move? I can barely see anything. Is this a storage room? Wait a minute; Sonata's been right in front of me this whole time? “Slate, you've got to snap out of it!” She shook me by the shoulders frantically, but my whole body was numb. I couldn't feel a thing she did to try and get me to move. She then looked past me and that look of panic slowly crumbled into one of despair as her eyes were watering up as she looked at me directly once more. “I'm sorry, Slate.” She then planted a kiss on my lips, and to my surprise, I felt the warmth of it. Not only that but I could feel a jolt that surged through my body. Then just as suddenly as she had kissed me she shoved me to the ground. And when I hit the floor, I was suddenly back in bed. "Hah, ah. What? Uh, why did I dream of that night again?" I thought aloud as I sat up. I've tried not to dwell on past events, but that night was something entirely different that forced its way into the forefront of my mind. Still, I suppose it pushed me to train as hard as I could. Well, at least a little good has come of it, I thought. Skipping ahead to Monday we went through our morning classes like normal, although for the most part every teacher was pretty lax about us just talking amongst ourselves to pass the time. There never was that much to do on the last week anyway. At lunch Sonata and I found AJ as soon as we could. "Hey, Applejack," I greeted. “Hi, AJ. How was your Sunday?” Sonata asked as we sat at the table. “Hi, Slate. Hi, Sonata. Sunday was alright. Had to do the usual chores around the farm but it wasn’t too bad.” She took a bite out of her lunch before continuing. “What about you two?” "Well, I practiced with my sisters for a few hours." I then spoke up. "Pretty much just went grocery shopping during the afternoon. Nothing too exciting." AJ smiled. “Sounds relaxing.” I gave a slight shrug. " I suppose." She then asked, “So, have y’all settled on whether you’re going to go camping? Big Mac said that he was fine with having a small group go with him. Maud is going too.” “Yeah, we’re good to go,” Sonata said. "Pretty much, "I added in agreement. "Just one thing." “Sure, what is it?” AJ asked. “An old friend of mine from out of town was coming to visit. Would it be alright if he joined us? Pretty sure he’d be able to help with the transport as well.” She quickly responded, “Big Mac won’t mind. I'll let him know. He also said that he wanted to head out on Wednesday next week.” "So, next Wednesday. That’s plenty of time to gather what we need." “Yeah, it works out perfectly,” Sonata agreed. Applejack smiled. "Well, I'm glad to hear it." With that, we finished up our lunch and eventually headed on to our other classes. The day continued as usual, so by the time school ended I met with Sonata and her sisters. By this point in the year, they had managed to work off their detention requirements through community service and were able to do whatever they wanted after school. Of course, this meant that Adagio saw it as an opportunity to get in more practice. It had pretty much become a routine for the three former sirens. That still did nothing to keep Sonata from speculating how the trip was going to go. We discussed how we were hoping we’d be able to see some great views out there and enjoy the beautiful landscape. When we made it to our building, I gave Sonata a quick hug before all three sisters went to their apartment and got right to work. I usually would have left them to it, but I decided to stick around their hallway to see if I could hear how they sound together. As it turned out, they didn’t sound bad at all, even if there was the occasional out of tune note. Still, I only heard two voices for the most part and occasionally a third. I guess Adagio took my advice, I thought as they continued. I stuck around for a few more minutes before deciding to head up to my apartment where I found that Dad hadn't arrived back home yet. Upon that discovery, I took the opportunity to message Heavyweight. Hey, dude, the camping trip is going to be on Wednesday next week, so bring a sleeping bag for sure and maybe a tent if you have one. It took him a while to respond, but eventually, I got back, Cool, I guess I'll be there a day early so we can take off in time. We messaged back and forth for a while, and I also gave him the exact address of the apartment building, before I took off to help around the apartment and update Dad on the plans. I carried on with rest of my week as normal. I went to school, I went to karate a few times as well as turning in my application, and Sonata and her sisters stuck to their scheduled rehearsals. The last Friday of that school year was extremely laid back, although the anticipation of the upcoming holiday bubbled just underneath the surface. At the end of the day, while all the other students were leaving, we met up with our friends and hung out for a little. They discussed what their plans were for their trip before Applejack talked to me and Sonata. “So, just to let y’all know, Big Mac wanted you guys to meet up at our house before heading out on your camping trip since we’re closer to the edge of town.” Sonata excitedly said, "Alright, I can't wait." "Thanks again for extending that invitation to us," I added. "We'll see you guys later I suppose. But in case we don't, have fun over at Camp Everfree." Applejack smiled and replied, “Thanks. Take care you two.” "You too," Sonata said as we began heading back to our apartments. Hey, the school seems a lot more crowded than usual. They even pulled out the auxiliary bleachers to the front courtyard. Hmm, and Twilight’s walking out into the middle in her old school uniform. "What's she doing?" a student asked as Twilight stood in the middle of the courtyard, holding up a dark, round locket in both hands. I suddenly felt a slight nudge on my side. Sonata had been next to me when she whispered, "Something's off about this Twilight. Maybe we should go." Her sisters who were sitting next to us kept watching the lone girl along with everyone else in the stands until Twilight opened the locket. Suddenly she became enveloped in a ball of light. The next thing I knew was that she had turned into some winged creature. Everyone was in an uproar as she began blasting beams of light and tearing holes into another world. The first thing to go was the statue of our mascot sending rubble flying into the crowd. I couldn’t tell if anyone had gotten hurt but there was no time stick around, we had to move or be trampled by the crowd. Soon everything became a blur of motion and pandemonium as I could feel my heartbeat soar in fear. My eyes shot open to a dark room. Another memory played out like a dream. I had no explanation for why it was happening so frequently. Maybe it was stress related, but I couldn't say for sure. The next day Sonata and I went to the mall to pick up a tent along with a few other things. Mainly a couple of flashlights, a survival knife, compass, parachute cord, and a first aid kit. All in all, it wasn't too bad since we split the cost. On Monday morning, our friends left for Camp Everfree while Sonata and I met up with Big Mac to go over the details. When we arrived at the Apples’ farm, we found him preparing some tools for a few chores that day. “Hey, Big Mac." I called to him, "How's it going?" He looked up from the equipment and greeted both of us. "Morning. Doing good. And yourself?" “It’s going well," I offered, Sonata nodding in concurrence. “That’s good. Say, mind giving me a hand with a few boxes before we get to talking?” He asked, gesturing to a pile of empty cider crates lying beside his pickup truck. I gave a shrug. "Sure." Thanks to my training and his sheer size, we got those crates moved to the barn in no time between the two of us. He wiped a few beads of sweat from his brow before turning back to us. “Thanks. So, what brings you out here?” "Well I take it you heard about my friend joining us on our camping trip, right?" He merely answered with, "Eeyup." “Since he’s bringing his own car, we can help carry any other things that you may need for the camping trip. That way you don’t have to cram everything into your truck.” He rubbed his chin before responding with, “Sounds good.” I nodded and asked one final question. "So, do you need help with anything else right now?" He shook his head. “Nope.” “Then we will see you on Wednesday,” I replied. “See you then, Big Mac,” Sonata said as we were getting ready to head back home. “See ya.” We went to catch a bus back to our apartment. On the bus ride home Sonata pointed out, “He seems nice, although not very talkative.” "That's true," I agreed. As we neared our stop, Sonata spoke up with an idea. "Hey, Slate. Want to go to the rooftop today?" I gave a quick nod while we got up and exited the bus. "Yeah, there's nothing else going on." A short walk home and a quick climb up the stairwell and we had arrived at the top of the apartment block. Ever since we had begun living in that building, the other tenants, along with my dad, had put together a small garden area up there to add some color to an otherwise unremarkable rooftop. I'd even gotten involved with its upkeep by taking care of watering the plants when Dad wasn’t able to help with that. Anyway, Sonata glanced over a few of the blooming flowers while I stooped down to check if the plants had enough water. When I saw that nothing was needed, I got up stood next to Sonata. “It looks good so far, and I think a few of our neighbors were going to expand it a bit more though." “For realsies?” she asked. “What do you think they are going to plant?” I hemmed and hawed for a bit before replying with, “Not sure. Probably vegetables.” “Oh, that sounds boring,” Sonata said disappointedly. "Maybe, but it would mean fresh ingredients without having to go to the store." That didn't seem to satisfy her, so I offered, "Still I think it would be kind of neat if they set aside a spot for a few more flowering plants or bonsai trees." “What are those?” she asked. "They are those miniature trees that you can shape however you like.” “Oh. Hmm, that would be pretty cool.” We took a seat up there for a while before she asked me something else. “Hey, Slate. Could you tell me how my singing sounds?. Adagio said that I was a bit off the last time that we practiced." “Sure. I don't mind." I offered. "Start whenever you're ready." “Okay, I hope it doesn't sound too bad." She hummed a few notes anxiously as she tried to gauge the right pitch before she started singing. It had a nice rhythm and didn’t sound bad in the slightest. The only time that it might have been off was when she reached for notes of a higher register, at which point she sort of strained to sustain them. But all that was overshadowed by the fact that it was a love song. She finished up and looked to me expectantly. “So what do you think?” “I liked it, "I replied. "I honestly don't know what Adagio is talking about. It was beautiful, really romantic.” “Oh,” A rosy tint began to fill her cheeks, “Thank you.” "Hmm, I wasn't expecting something like that," I admitted to her starting to get the same color in my face. "Um, it isn't really my thing but would you mind if I show you how my singing has come along?" She had an intrigued look about her when she heard my offer. “You’ve been practicing too?” I shrugged and replied, "It was more along the lines of shower singing. Probably won't sound as great as you guys but I've taken some time to improve on the off chance that I get asked to do some karaoke." "Well, now I really want to hear you." She leaned forward attentively. "Alright," I exhaled trying to get rid of the jitters before I started singing for Sonata. I had decided to sing a rock ballad that I had heard last week. Unfortunately, since I still wasn't all that great at singing, I would drop from the higher octaves to keep it sounding passably decent. Nevertheless, I managed to remember all the lyrics, so at least there was that. By the end of it, I was glad that it was just both of us up there. Quite frankly I was expecting to hear a bit of laughter from her, but she never did. Instead, she was giving me a very enamored look. She scooted closer to me. “I loved it. Thank you." Author's Note It's been a while but I'm looking forward to posting this story. Ch. 2 Off to the WoodsWhy’re you even applying at the dojo? You know Will has his favourites already and you aren’t one of them. Why would he pick you, the new guy nobody listens to, over them? Face it, you’re not getting the job. I shot upright in my bed, and I swore I could hear whispers. I took a moment to let my breathing even out as my heartbeat steadied and the weird terror subsided. “Ugh, what was that about,” I muttered to an empty room as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I took a look at my phone and, to my annoyance, I found that I had woken up only five minutes before the alarm was set to go off. Tuesday morning I dragged myself out of bed and went to the kitchen for breakfast. As I went through my morning, I tried to remember what it was that I had dreamt throughout the night but found that my memories were fuzzy. By then, Dad had already left for work, but he had left a hand-written note on the kitchen table, that read: Had to go in early. Please water the garden as soon as you can, and make sure the apartment is clean. Without anything else to do, I went up to the rooftop garden, passing by and greeting a few neighbors as I made my way over. Twenty minutes later, I had watered every plant. While I wrapped up the hose, I noticed that the sun was barely peeking out over the horizon. As I headed back to the apartment, it occurred to me that the last time that I contacted Heavyweight was to let him know when our camping trip was. It might be a good idea to check on him, actually. “He should be here sometime today,” I mused, hoping that he hadn’t had any problems on the way into town. I decided to head down to the front of the building and see if Heavyweight hadn’t arrived during the night. There was no sign of him, I found while peeking over the rooftop. I shrugged at the sight and went back to the apartment to get my chores out of the way as quickly as possible. I was finishing up around the apartment, dusting a windowsill, when I heard a few knocks on the door, so of course, I dropped what I was doing to check it out. It turned out that Sonata was waiting on the other side along with, and a bit surprisingly, Aria. “Hey, Sonata. Hey, Aria. What’s up?” I greeted them with a hint of concern. “Did something happen? You usually call ahead.” Sonata nodded her head and answered with a concerned tone. "Yeah, when we got back from our walk a little while ago some guy drove up to us and asked if he was near the apartment's address." Aria then chimed in. "He also said he was looking for you, but Sonata didn't tell him anything. So what, do you owe him money or something? Would be a real shame if Sonata couldn't find you tomorrow." She said with a smirk. A bit bewildered by her remark, I shook my head before addressing her. “Okay, exactly why'd you come up here?” Aria stroked her chin. “Well I would've set up a chair down there and gotten some popcorn to watch you get beat up, but figured I might as well watch all the drama unfold.” “Uh-huh. I think I've figured out why Adagio has such a short temper.” She crossed her arms. "Consider it payback for that day under the stage." “Sure, for something I didn't even start. Anyways, did he give a name?” Sonata then spoke up. “I think he said his name was Heavyweight.” I couldn’t help smirking. "Ah, okay. Sorry, Aria, I think you're going to have to find your cheap entertainment elsewhere. Turns out he's one of my friends. You know you could watch random fights on the internet, right?" “Not with Adagio constantly nagging me.” I crossed my arms and just replied with, "Hmm, sounds like karma." Aria just grumbled under her breath. I then asked, “So did he take off or is he still down there?” Sonata placed a hand to her chin. “I think he might still be down there.” "Well, I better go check it out." I went and picked up my keys from the counter. "Care to join me?" Before Aria could give a snarky remark, Sonata spoke up. "Yeah, let's go." The three of us headed down to the first floor. Upon going out the door, Aria blurted out, "There, that's the car." She motioned to a silver, mid-size sedan. And it appeared that there was an occupant, so I walked on over to check. When I got next to the passenger side door, I saw a husky guy sitting in the driver's seat scrolling through something on his phone. I tapped the window to get his attention to which he looked up, and the flustered look changed to one of delighted recognition. He hopped out of the car and greeted me with, "Slate! It's been way too long, man." He came over onto the sidewalk and gave me a firm bro-hug. Compared to him, we were about the same height, but he had me beat in terms of width. Quite the hefty fellow. It was all muscle though; he could outlift me as well any day to boot. Then Heavyweight noticed Aria and Sonata. "Oh hey, it's those two girls that I spoke to earlier. So you do know each other then." He mentioned, as if it was more an accusation than just an observation. "Heh, yeah about that, long story short, there've been a few instances of shady people causing problems, so they were just being cautious. But this is Aria and Sonata," I pointed to each of them respectively. I then turned to the girls. “This is the friend from my hometown, Heavyweight.” He walked up to both of them and offered an outstretched hand. "It's very nice to meet both of you." Sonata shook his hand and with a smile replied, “It's nice to meet you too. Especially knowing that you aren't out to get anyone.” Aria, on the other hand, gave a slight huff and aloofly mentioned, "Great, another one." Sonata shot her a look of annoyance which she promptly ignored. I could only shake my head as Heavyweight stared at me in confusion. Trying to gloss past Aria’s negativity I spoke up, “So, it must have been a long trip. Feel free to come on up to my apartment and take care of anything you want done.” A look of relief washed over his face. “Thanks, man. You wouldn't believe how many of the rest stops along the way were disaster zones. Kind of a nightmare.” "Yeah, sounds almost like our trip out here," I recalled my and Dad's road trip to move into Canterlot with a slight shudder. "Well let's head on up." I said. "Alright, just give me a sec." He opened the passenger side door on his car and pulled out a backpack. "Okay, ready." As I got the door to the building, I asked Sonata, "So, I suppose I'll catch up with you a little later if you're not busy?" Sonata nodded. “Yeah, we were going to get to practice soon.” Aria added, “I’d rather not, Adagio always sucks the fun out of it. Like if she sucks hard enough, she’ll get her magic back.” Sonata then offered, "Well, I guess the first part’s true, but we wouldn't have made all the improvements that we have without her constantly pushing us. She really does care, you know." “Still pretty annoying.” Aria retorted. Sonata shrugged and turned back to me before saying, “Either way I’ll see you after practice.” With that, she came up to me and planted a quick kiss on my cheek before both of them headed up the stairwell. I then turned back to my friend. "Well come on let's head on up." As we climbed up the steps Heavyweight, incredulously asked, “You’re going out with Sonata? That was her name, right? The blue-haired girl?” With a slight grin I replied with, “Yeah, I wouldn’t have ever figured it would work out like this either. I’m not complaining though.” "One thing's for sure; I thought Aria might have been the girl you were going out with at first," he mentioned. “If I'd met her first, things might've been drastically different,” I explained. Once we arrived at my apartment, I gave Heavyweight a good tour; I was relieved that I’d finished most of the work around the place before he showed up. Dad hates it when we have visitors round and the place isn’t totally immaculate. “It’s pretty nice here, man,” he said with a slight smile. “So is it cool if I use the shower? It was a really long trip.” “Yeah. Its no problem at all.” I grabbed a towel out of one of the closets in the hall and handed it to him. “Have at it.” While he scrubbed the stench of a week’s sweat and a few beers out, I made sure that the apartment was spotless so that Dad wouldn't have anything to object to later. Just in case. When he finally finished, and probably used up all the hot water for the month, Heavyweight met me in the living room. After getting him a soda, we both took a seat on the sofa, facing the tv. A bit curious I asked, “So, how are things back home?” "Well, the family's doing well, and the rest of the guys have been alright. Although, a few of them got bummed out that you didn't let them know you were taking off," he explained, after taking a sip of his coke. I breathed out a sigh at that last part. “I know that, man. It’s not like I wanted to up and disappear without a word. And to top it off when I did try getting in contact with the group some of them wouldn’t even reply.” He steepled his hands toward the floor. "I don't know maybe they took it a bit personally." "I guess so," I replied contemplatively. "Well, in that case, can I ask you just to let the guys know that I'd really like to get back in contact with them when you get back?" “Sure, Slate.” “Thanks, man.” “No problem. By the way, just out of curiosity, when did you meet that girl?” he asked, “She doesn’t really seem like the type you’d run into at a dojo. Her sister, maybe. But not her.” “You mean Sonata? Hm, I met her right around the time that we'd gotten settled in actually.” He nodded. “So what, like you met her while moving into the apartment, or was it over at school?” I almost laughed when I heard the question. “Heh, no. It was more along the lines of when I rescued her.” He was a bit thrown off by that. "What do you mean? Like you saved her life or something?" “That’s exactly it.” “Really, well don’t keep me waiting. What happened?” he asked, disbelief flashing across his face. “Some of the local wannabe tough guys cornered her near the dojo that I had enrolled in right when I was leaving. Luckily I was able to stop them before things got ugly.” Now with a bit more skepticism, he replied, "Oh yeah, sure. Mr. Superhero saved the day and got the girl." "Well, whether you believe me or not, that is what happened. Even got a little bit of proof." I showed him my right palm which had a scar across it. Granted, Aria gave me that one but I thought it would lend some credence to my story. His eyes went wide. “Holy crap, I thought you were joking.” I shook my head and shrugged it off. “Nah, man. Still, I can't believe that I’ve gotten into more fights around here than back home.” “Guess it's the whole new guy thing,” Heavyweight suggested. We continued to chat while I waited for Sonata to finish up with practice, him and I just catching up on each-other’s lives. After a while, Heavyweight and I decided to play each other in a few matches of King of the Iron First 6, one of our favourite fighting games. As we neared the end of our eighth bout, I got a text back from Sonata. Practice is over, mind if we hang out at your place? Not at all. Head on up whenever you want, I sent. As I was sitting there I wondered about the ambiguous wording. Did she mean just us hanging out or was she bringing her sisters along? I don’t really think introducing Heavyweight to Adagio would exactly help either party. I guess they’re pretty similar in how much they train, but too much intensity can be a bad thing, especially after I just cleaned the house. My thoughts were cut short when Sonata showed up, knocking a tune into the door. For better or for worse, she had decided to let Aria tag along. “Hello again,” I greeted while leading them into the apartment. “How’d it go?” “Boring.” Aria growled. Sonata replied in a better mood, “It was alright. I mean we’re still improving.” "Still boring and thanks to Miss Perfectionist, annoying as hell," Aria added. “Huh, oh yeah. Where is Adagio anyways?” I asked, genuinely curious as to the girl’s absence. I hoped saying her name didn’t jinx it or anything and she wouldn’t pop out from under the seat cushions the moment I looked away. Sonata quickly explained, “She felt like going out, so she headed to the mall. She said she wanted to clear her head or something.” “Well, whatever makes her happy.” I gave a quick shrug. Aria furrowed her brow in thought. “I don't think happy is in her vocabulary. You know she was probably just going to mooch cocktails off people.” I just responded with, “Eh, probably. Anyways, make yourselves at home.” They went and took a seat on the sofa while I picked up my controller to put it away. As I did Aria noticed the tv screen and spoke up. “Either of you any good at that?” I wasn’t sure but it sounded condescending to me. Heavyweight gave a bit of a snort as he replied, “I like to consider myself decent at it.” “I'm no professional if that's what you're getting at, but I think I’m alright.” I took a seat next to Sonata. “Care to play a few rounds?” “Yeah, I don’t mind” Sonata chimed in. “This should be fast, sure,” Aria said smugly. “Oh really, I call first round.” There was a fire in Heavyweight’s eyes at that statement. “How about this?” I suggested. “The winner stays in, while the loser switches out. First one to three consecutive victories against everyone else wins.” They all nodded in agreement as we kicked off our little competition, starting with Heavyweight vs. Aria. He managed to win the first round but lost the following two by a large margin. Next, Heavyweight passed the controller off to Sonata who, unfortunately, promptly got demolished in all three rounds against Aria. It was my turn, with the first round going to Aria with half a life bar intact. I barely managed to win the next one with a pixel of health. And our final round, I'm ashamed to say, ended in a win for me by sudden death. I went on to lose to Heavyweight, which led to us swapping out for a good while. Laughs were had, slight raging on all our parts happened now and then. It almost seemed like there was no end in sight to all the matches, but Aria did indeed win against the three of us eventually. “Damn it!” Heavyweight exclaimed in frustration. I turned to Sonata and mentioned in confusion, “I thought you said your sisters didn’t play any games.” Sonata became defensive and corrected me. “I said Adagio hates video games. And this is the reason why.” “Heh. Lame. I thought you guys would have been more of a challenge.” Aria gloated with a smirk across her smug face. “Pfft, whatever,” Heavyweight retorted. “It’s not like you beat us right off the bat.” “Still mopped the floor with the three of you,” Aria mentioned. “Good for you” Feeling a bit fed up by her remarks, I decided to head to the kitchen. “I’m going to get some water. Do any of you want anything?” "I guess some water would be fine. I’m out of coke anyway." Heavyweight huffed. Aria, of course, had something else to add. “I’ll take some too. Need to rehydrate after all that salt.” Plastering on a forced smile, I just responded with, "Sure, be right back." “Let me give you a hand,” Sonata offered as she followed me to the kitchen. I pulled the fridge door open and pulled out a few water bottles, and another soda for Heavyweight, before Sonata took a couple of them into her hands. She let out a light sigh before replying, "Sorry, about Aria." I replied, “Sonata, you don't have to apologize for her every time she does something rude. Besides it was just trash talk, even if it was getting a bit grating.” “Even so, I brought her along, so…” she said abashedly. “Trust me, it's not a big deal,” I reassured her. “She does seem to be coming around more often now though. It's a little weird to me.” Sonata tilted her head and briefly mentioned, “I guess she just got bored with what she does to pass the time.” “Hmm, maybe,” I mused aloud as we headed back to the living room. We passed the bottles to everyone and sat back down. Heavyweight, having cooled off from our little tourney, asked us, “So, are you guys looking forward to tomorrow?” "Yeah man, I've been anticipating it since last week," I answered. “It will be a nice break from the day to day grind.” Sonata took the opportunity to recline back into the sofa. Heavyweight nodded before replying, “I just hope it's more manageable than camping out near the mountains back home.” "How was that anyway?" I asked. "Hmm, the setup and hiking were alright. Got a few good shots of the scenery out there too, but with it being the desert and all that, it wasn't exactly great for a stay longer than a couple of days." "Weather-wise, it should be slightly better out here, even if it is the start of summer," I mentioned. “Yeah, now you've got a better chance of becoming a bear’s lunch,” Aria said mockingly; it seems she likes trash talking even when the game’s paused. "Well, it's a shame that you won't be gracing us with your presence. Would've helped us save on bear repellant," I replied disinterestedly. “You wouldn’t want to join us out there would you?” Sonata asked Aria. She smirked and then shook her head before responding, “Sure, stranding myself in the wilderness with a bunch of losers sounds like fun. Yeah right.” “Good, I think I’ll count that as a freaking huge bullet dodged in my book.” Heavyweight retorted. “You read?” Aria jabbed. “That's a shock.” Not wanting an argument to break out amongst my guests I feigned a loud yawn. "Okay. This is some great parlor talk and all, but it's getting late. We really should get ready for tomorrow's early start. Right guys?" “You're right Slate,” Sonata replied in agreement. “Gotta make sure we have everything ready to go as soon as we get up.” "Speak for yourselves." Aria was still trying to put up an air of aloofness as she headed over to the door. "See you when you all get back if you get back." Heavyweight and I shook our heads, but Sonata got my attention. "See you guys tomorrow," she said sweetly before giving me a quick kiss and leaving out the door with Aria. “Huh, and you're sure that they are related?” Heavyweight asked. “You think they clash, you should meet their other sister.” I closed the door and took my seat once more. “Nah man, if she's anything like Aria, I’d rather not.” He looked at the entryway nervously as if Adagio just might show up. I could only respond with, “Good call.” We relaxed till Dad got back. He was quite nostalgic about greeting my friend; he and Heavyweight’s parents had been good friends too. “Heavyweight, it's good to see you again. How are things going? How’s the family?” dad asked as if he had run into a long lost relative. Heavyweight a bit more bashfully answered, “Hello, Mr. Steel. Everything’s been going great, and the family is doing fine too.” "Ah, good to hear. Well, give Slate and me a bit to get dinner ready then. I hope penne ala arrabiata sounds good." Heavyweight just grinned. He’d eat anything, but after a week on the road, I’d imagine that real, home-cooked, food tasted like heaven. The prep time for the meal was relatively short, penne cooks fast after all, and we got to eating dinner along with some banter not soon afterward. We mainly discussed everything that we had already explained earlier, mostly so Dad could catch up on our old town's news. When we finished, Heavyweight and I washed the dishes, before he left to go and find a place to sleep. You know for wanting to teach others how to defend themselves, you sure couldn’t do so against two girls. Didn’t think to call for help or plan out before leaping into a bad situation. And the Games, you were useless while everyone was in danger, especially to Sonata. How do you even expect to defend others if you can’t protect yourself? My eyes shot wide open, but I fought the urge to jump out of my bed. I looked all around my room and found it to be as dark as the night before. "Another nightmare," I muttered as I rubbed my face. "What is with these dreams?" I tried to see if I could make any sense out of the dream, but it was a pointless endeavor. The details were too blurry to get any real value out of them, and I was too tired to spend that much time obsessing over that right now. I glanced at my phone and found out that I had woken up an hour earlier than I expected. I tried closing my eyes but couldn't fall back asleep either. Wednesday morning The day of the trip had arrived. I helped Heavyweight pack our things into the back of his car. Between his and my stuff, there was still plenty of room in the trunk for Sonata’s own things, whenever she decided to come down anyway. "Okay, all that's missing now is your girlfriend, and we can get on the road." Heavyweight took a moment to push the luggage closer together, freeing up as much room as he could. “Yeah, normally she would have already been out here.” I surveyed the front of the apartments. “Wonder if I should go get her?” Speak of the Siren, Sonata then pushed the foyer doors open, backpack and sleeping bag in hand. “Ah, there she is.” Turning from Heavyweight back to her I asked, “Are you ready to head out?” With an enthusiastic nod of the head, she replied with, "Yup. Um, you guys weren't waiting long were you?" “Nah, we barely got out here a few minutes ago,” I said, before taking her things and placing them into the trunk. Right before I closed it though, Aria walked out of the front doors. She stood there, leaning against the wall, arms crossed and glaring uncomfortably at… something. “Morning, Aria,” Heavyweight greeted, unable to properly hide the displeasure in his voice. “Come by to see us off?” Aria sighed before answering in an embarrassed tone, “I wanted to ask you guys something.” “What is it, Aria?” Sonata asked. Aria sighed. “Is there room for one more in that car?” Heavyweight, now far more than just skeptical, asked, “Are you serious? Didn't you say yesterday that you weren't interested in camping? Is this some kind of joke” She rolled her eyes and shot back, “Well, between the local wildlife and Adagio, I think I would rather take my chances with grizzly bears and rattlesnakes than trying to survive her pestering me to master singing. Again. Especially when I know Sonata’s goofing off.” Sonata, taking offense at the insult, retorted, “Oh yeah, I asked her ahead of time.” I shrugged over to Heavyweight and asked, “I don’t know, shall we show her a little mercy?” He sighed heavily and turned to Aria. “I hope you brought down everything you’ll need out there. We’re on a bit of a schedule.” “Yeah, no. Give me like two hours,” Aria snarked. Without skipping a beat, Heavyweight told us, "I'm leaving her. Let's go." Aria quickly pulled out a sleeping bag and backpack from the entrance. “Relax, I have everything here. How about learning to take a joke?” “If you ask me, you need better material,” I responded as I gestured to the open trunk. She frowned a bit as she brought her things over and chucked them in. With a slam of the trunk we piled into the car, Sonata and Aria in the back, and me and Heavyweight in the front. We made our way to Sweet Apple Acres and eventually came to the barn where Big Mac was loading an ice chest into his truck bed. We parked right next to him, and I called to him through rolled down windows, "Morning, Big Mac. Are we ready to go?" “Almost,” He replied. “Still waiting on Maud.” “So much for being on a schedule,” Aria muttered from the back seat. “Yeah, sure, whatever,” I replied from the passenger side seat. I then turned back to Big Mac and asked, “So, do you need help with anything else before we go?” “Could use a little help with the last ice chest.” He pointed over his shoulder to the large container near the barn doors. "Sure thing" Between Heavyweight and myself, the box was easily loaded onto the truck. On closer inspection, we saw that besides from the more obvious camping gear, like his tent and a coil of rope, Big Mac had packed a hand ax, as well as a fishing pole. Heavyweight then asked, “So, is there good fishing up where we're going?” He then nodded giving a brief, “Eeyup.” “Neat,” was all that I could come up with, having never actually fished myself. “A stream flows from the mountain and feeds into a small lake near the campsite,” he added. Scratching my chin, I added, "Sounds a bit crowded setting up camp right next to a mountain." Big Mac just shook his head, “Nope, the mountains are several miles away from the lake.” "Oh, well that sounds a bit better." I closed the liftgate. Just then a small car rolled up and parked behind us. Shortly after a girl stepped out and in a genuine monotone greeted us with, “Hello everyone. Sorry for running late, Boulder had to make an emergency stop on the way over. I’m really looking forward to this trip.” Honestly, I had no idea whether or not she was sincere. I'm pretty sure at that moment I wasn't the only one who was hoping that Aria wouldn't give any attention, but I guess that would have been asking for too much. She smirked. "Woah, gonna need you to reign in that enthusiasm." She said. "Sorry, I'm just really excited," the girl droned. Trying to keep Aria from going overboard with the taunting, I then spoke up. “Hi, I don't think we've met before, I’m Slate, this is Heavyweight and the two girls over there are Aria and Sonata. You must be the Maud that I’ve heard Pinkie talking about. No offense, but you’re not what I imagined her sister would be like.” “Oh, yes. Pinkie also mentioned you guys a few times. Nice to meet you all in person.” Big Mac then jumped into the conversation, "Welp, now that everyone's here we should really start heading to the campsite. It's a bit of a ways off." “Right. We’ll follow your lead then.” With that, we piled back into the car, backed out of the farm and were soon following Big Mac along the highway, trees and strip malls flashing by as we drove. Heavyweight flicked on the radio. None of us felt like talking. Sonata suggested a pop station, Aria slapped her head with a palm. I soon learned why. I don't mind most pop artists like Sapphire Shores or Countess Coloratura, but there's only so much a man can take. After an hour I started to reach for the stereo, aiming to throw the thing out the window. Only then did Aria speak up, and request a different station. I didn’t like rap much better than pop, not at all really. But Sonata did at least. Neither Heavyweight nor I were too happy after the first song came and went, and I thought that the steering wheel was going to crack with how hard the guy gripped it. I guess it was his stereo after all. He probably did not want it smashed on the side of the road. I flicked it over to a rock station around when I heard the plastic frame creak. Thank god I did because I think I was about to have an aneurysm. Canterlot 409 played a good mix of classic and modern rock, like Cheval. At this point I was convinced that Sonata had an eclectic taste in music since she was rocking out to it; Aria seemed a bit tortured. At the three hour mark, our train of vehicles had finally reached the forest's edge and the radio signal had become dead air and feedback shortly afterwards. Finally we reached a compromise on the radio. Nobody liked static. Everyone liked silence. At least, more than the 18th pop ballad in a row anyway. Even though the sun was making its way up into the sky, the height of the gigantic red-wood trees managed to block out most of its rays. One thing was sure, it was a pretty scenic route, if not a tad intimidating. We had followed Big Mac for a while down the main road past the point that we could see where we had entered when he turned down an unmarked dirt road. Heavyweight then gave me an anxious glance. “Hope we don't wind up getting lost out here.” Aria sarcastically added, "Come a few days from now the newspaper headlines are gonna read 'Teens found gruesomely murdered by mutant hillbillies.'” I turned back to Aria with a raised eyebrow. “Wasn’t that the plot of a movie like several years back? How original.” I honestly thought it was a good movie, but basically being in the exact same setting was not the place I wanted to be reminded of it. She smirked and replied, “So? It'd make the whole trip more interesting.” Sonata, on the other hand, didn't seem all that thrilled with the subject matter of the conversation. "Do you have to bring up those horror movies?" She grimaced. Aria, seeing that she had struck a nerve, decided to tease Sonata a bit. “Aww, what's the matter Sonata, are you s-scared? Need a blankie?” Sonata after becoming more flustered shot back, “NO! That movie just sucked, like you do at practice.” Aria grinned defiantly and proclaimed, “Them’s fighting words!” I was about to facepalm. "Really?" I then took notice of Sonata who was getting ready to smack Aria. "Oh come on!" All I can say is Aria takes pride in making others drop to her level. Finally Heavyweight announced, “Kids! Don’t make me turn this car around!” Aria then shot back, "Who are you calling 'kid,' I'm older than you!" “Could've fooled me.” Everyone calmed down after that, leaving only the muted radio to fill the silence. At nine-thirty we finally came to a stop on the side of the dirt road. Everyone scrambled out a second afterwards to stretch. Big Mac asked us, “How’re you all holding up?” Maud answered in the usual monotone, “Pretty good. I liked the basalt formation along the way.” I responded with, “Other than a little cabin fever, okay. We’re all getting along pretty well.” Oh man, I couldn't help feeling that was a bold faced lie. Aria then stated, “I blame the company.” Sonata pouted, “You would.” Tensions were still running high from the car ride over and I'm sure it was written all over mine and Heavyweights' faces. "Well it's a good thing that we aren't cooped up in there anymore, so why don't we start unloading the supplies. Right, Big Mac?" "Uh, eeyup." Before long we had unloaded all of our supplies and followed Big Mac on a short hike away from the vehicles; he ensured us that they’d be fine locked on the roadside. It wasn’t like anybody would try to steal a car out here, in the middle of nowhere. About half an hour later, we came to a small clearing in the trees that seemed to be the site of multiple excursions, judging by the spot in the rough centre stained dark with ash. Just after I had set my stuff down, Big Mac called me and Heavyweight over. “You guys mind helping me get the ice chests over here?” He asked, pointing to the chest. For the amount of hauling I’ve done for those, I sure hope that there’s something good inside them. “No problem,” Heavyweight answered. We walked back to his truck and got the chests out of the truck bed. To save a bit of time, Heavyweight got between both of them and took hold of the handles while Big Mac and I grabbed either end. After another short trek back, we were able to start on the camp set up. “Best to start pitching the tents while the sun's still out,” Big Mac suggested. While the instructions blatantly lied about the ease of assembly I managed to put together Sonata’s tent. Everyone else had finished setting up before I did. I blame the fact that I can’t speak Flemish, which the instructions were written in. For some reason. Heavyweight stood back as he held back his laughter. “I thought you might wind up needing some help with that.” Aria snidely remarked, “I was preparing to sleep under the stars tonight anyway.” I could feel my face burning up with embarrassment. “Aria, for you that can still be arranged. As for the tent, I'm a bit rusty.” “Whatever,” Heavyweight replied. I rolled my eyes and asked, “So, should we be getting some stuff for tonight?” Big Mac hemmed and hawed for a while before he started listing off duties. “Well, we’re going to have to make a fire pit; gather up plenty of firewood and find some large logs to sit on, unless y’all don’t mind sitting on the floor.” Maud spoke up and dryly stated, “I’ll find us some stones for the fire pit. And some to keep Boulder company. He gets lonely outside the city.” Aria walked over and stood next to Maud before saying, “I think I’ll join the statue on her rock hunt.” I slapped my forehead with a smack while Heavyweight let out a sigh. Sonata scolded her sister, “Aria, knock it off!” I'm not sure what Big Mac was thinking but based on his annoyed expression it probably wasn't anything flattering. To our surprise, however, Maud in her signature dry tone just replied with, “I’ve always seen myself more as unworked granite, thanks for the compliment.” Aria shot Sonata, Heavyweight and me a triumphant grin. “Don’t mention it.” Heavyweight, shaking his head in disbelief just replied, "Okay, fine. I guess I'll help bring some logs back to the camp." Big Mac nodded in agreement. “Eeyup. We’ll get that done in no time.” He then hung the hand ax on his side and patted it. “Just in case we need to cut them smaller.” I looked over to Sonata and then back to the rest of them with a shrug, "I guess we'll get the firewood then." She gave me a quick smile. “It’ll be easy.” “Alright, let's get to it,” Big Mac announced. Before Sonata and I began our task like the others, I rummaged through my backpack and retrieved a survival knife along with some parachute cords and our compass. We started heading away from the clearing all the while picking up decently sized sticks along the way. It was probably going to take a good while to find enough good kindling, and within several minutes I noticed that we were barely able to see the campsite. “Whoa, hold on a second, I think we may be getting too far away from the camp.” Sonata looked up from a stick on the ground and surveyed the area around us. When she saw how far we had gotten, she stammered, "I didn't even notice, good thing we stopped. Hmm, I guess we should stick around here then." I wiped a bead of sweat from my brow before I noticed the disappointed look that she had at the thought of merely staying near the camp the entire time. Admittedly playing it safe was my intention but figured maybe we could ignore it just this once. No harm in living dangerously, once every so often. “That would be the safe thing to do, but I think we could go a bit further. That way we can see a little more of the forest.” Sonata immediately cheered up at that. “Just need to do one thing.” I quickly got behind a tree and checked to see if the view of the camp was blocked by it. I then pulled out my knife and started removing a chunk of bark from the side of the tree. Sonata simply watched in confusion. “What are you doing?” she asked as I removed one final piece and placed it in my pocket. Turning my attention from the tree to her, I explained, “Just making a mark to tell where we've been. This way, the further we go we can follow them back, kind of like a trail of breadcrumbs.” “Oh, that's really clever,” she said with a smile. “Well, as long as it keeps us from getting lost, I guess it is,” I joked before gesturing to the way ahead. “Shall we?” Every so often, as we grew our firewood collection, I would check the compass and debark a tree every twenty or so meters. The ambiance of woodpeckers drilling away at the trees every so often and chirping insects accompanied our walk. Eventually, we got up to our eighth tree when we couldn't hold the wood properly anymore. “Hey, Sonata. Bring the sticks you've got over here," I huffed out as I laid my pile on the ground. She put hers right next to mine. “Why, what's up?” “I'm gonna make this a little easier on us.” I got out the role of cord and wrapped it around both piles of sticks until it was a single large bundle. Once it was tied, I held it under my arm. “There we go,” I declared while adjusting the sticks. “Pretty sure we have enough for tonight.” “Okay, so should we head back now?” she asked while shaking off the soreness from her arms. I nodded, “Yeah, it'd probably be best.” It was a good thing that the markings on the trees were distinguishable enough from a distance; otherwise, we might have wound up going in circles. When we arrived back at camp, we found a half completed ring of rocks and a log big enough to seat two. I placed the bundle next to the trunk and the bark shavings I had collected in the soon to be completed fire pit. Sonata took a seat on the log and pulled her foot onto her knee as she rotated her ankle. “Do your feet hurt as much as mine?” “I don't know, I mean they're a little sore but nothing some rest can’t cure.” “I guess you're right, thanks for carrying my load by the way.” “It was nothing,” I smiled back, taking a seat beside her. Once done, I pulled out a whetstone and started sharpening my camp knife. Sonata brushed her bangs into place with her hand as she watched me work. “It’s pretty calm out here.” "Yeah, it's got a serene vibe to it." I finished up with the blade and putting it away. "Nothing but birds from what I can hear." Almost as if on cue a bird sang a short tune as it flew overhead. Sonata looked up to catch a glimpse of the bird which had already flown away, but could still hear an echo. She then asked, “I thought that we would've seen more animals around, though.” “I guess not. Then again I’m not familiar with the habits of the local wildlife,” I shrugged a bit. “I'm not even sure which particular animals live in these woods.” Sonata then began to look uneasy. “What if there's a bunch of wolves or bears nearby?” “I mean that's a possibility,” I hesitantly chuckled. “But I'm sure that Big Mac and his family wouldn't have made this their go-to camping spot if it was full of predators." *snap* Hello, Murphy, my old friend. Why'd I even open my mouth? Sonatas eyes went wide at the sound. Before either of us could ask what that was, a blur came rushing out at us from behind one of the tents with a loud “RAAAAHHHRR!!!” Sonata managed to deliver an equally loud, "AAAAHHHHH!!!" Right as she threw herself onto me and clung on for dear life. I might have screamed too had Sonata not been crushing the wind out of me as she sent me toppling off the log. I gasped out, "Sonata... can't breathe…" but she remained hugging onto me with her eyes shut tight until we heard some laughter coming from over the log. Sonata opened her eyes and sat up on top of me. Looking over the log, she pointed accusingly, "Aria, you jerk! You always have to do this kind of crap!" Aria walked closer, still laughing. “True, heh heh, but it isn’t all bad. I mean you do seem to be pretty comfy where you are. Right?” She then waggled her eyebrows at Sonata. Sonata, a bit confused, looked down at me. “Not that I'm complaining but maybe let me up before you start arguing with someone else,” I mentioned uneasily, knowing that my face was slowly getting red from being in such a compromising position. Sonata quickly got up looking beet red herself. "Sorry, Slate." She quickly offered me her hand back up. Taking her hand, I reassured her, “ It's fine." It was impossible not to notice Aria still snickering at the both of us, and so I gave a defeated sigh. "As annoying as you're being, I have to give it to you. When you got us, you got us." Aria, still grinning at us merely replied with "Thanks." A brief moment later everyone else came running back with legitimate concern strewn on their faces, except for Maud who was stoic as ever. Heavyweight hurriedly asked, “What happened? We heard a scream.” Aria right away answered unceremoniously, “Just pranking a few love birds, or should I say chickens? That's all.” “We thought someone was seriously hurt,” Maud droned to Aria. “Eeyup,” Big Mac added. “Yeah, it was definitely convincing, but it was a joke. No one was hurt. Right Sonata?" I asked hoping she would be willing to let this one slide. She was still miffed but managed to at least give a brief “Right.” I nodded at her and then turned to Aria, “Besides, Aria was going to reel it back on the pranks for now.” Almost as if to sabotage my attempts to keep things amicable Aria responded with, “Can't make any promises.” I couldn't help shooting her glare at that point even if it was for the briefest moment. Luckily she caught it and proceeded to roll her eyes before conceding with, "Fine. I'll stop with the pranks.” At the very least I could feel that Maud and Big Mac were satisfied to hear her say that. "Okay, now that that's over and done with, perhaps we should finish with the camp set up," Heavyweight suggested. Big Mac agreed. “Eeyup. We were pretty close to bringing the second log into camp when we heard that scream. Mind giving us a hand with the third log, Slate.” “Not a problem,” I agreed. “Hey, Sonata, will you be okay here?” She narrowed her eyes at Aria and replied, “I should be.” Maud then tapped her on the shoulder. “You can come with us if you'd like. We only need a few more rocks for that fire pit.” “Sure, I’ll help with that.” Big Mac, Heavyweight, and I headed east and found the log that they had been lugging towards the camp earlier. Between the three of us, it was hardly a challenge to get it back to camp. The last log that Big Mac decided to bring back, however, was a different story. It was bigger than the other two logs and was quite a distance away from camp. At first, we tried to lift it completely whole, but the weight and our growing fatigue, forced us to stop not even halfway back. “Hold up,” Big Mac told us, “Might be a good idea to lighten the load.” We let the log drop to the ground with a thud against the soil. He then took his ax and started hacking off a section of the log. Heavyweight and I stood there watching as Big Mac cut into the wood for about ten minutes when he got to the center. “If you want, I can take care of the chopping from here,” Heavyweight offered. “I’d appreciate it.” Big Mac passed off his ax to him. Another ten or so minutes had passed before Heavyweight finished cutting through the log. “There. Let’s see if we can get it back without as much trouble now.” We lifted the log onto our shoulders and continued back to the camp. Thankfully, it was a bit more manageable that time around, even if it did take a while to get back. We placed the log down near the completed fire pit, and by that time the sun had already begun its descent from directly overhead. The girls sat nearby, while Sonata came over to me and asked, “What took you guys so long?” “Eh, long story short: that log was a bit too heavy, so we had to cut it," I explained. Heavyweight then interjected, “You mean ‘we’ had to cut it,” all the while pointing his thumb between himself and Big Mac. “Okay, still helped to carry it before and after you guys cut it,” I replied with a shrug. “The main thing is it's here.” Big Mac stated while wiping away some sweat from his forehead. “Anyway, we should probably stop for lunch.” “Finally!” Aria exclaimed. “Took you guys long enough to decide on that.” “Alright, alright. So I take it that the coolers have all the food?” I asked Big Mac. As per usual he gave a concise, “Eeyup.” I nodded and headed over to the ice chests to check what there was. Heavyweight walked up behind me and said, “So, looks like we can make some sandwiches right now.” We took out some packets of cold cuts, cheese slices, bottles of condiments, and a loaf of bread and placed them all on the other ice chest. We got a few paper plates and handed them out to everyone so they could make their sandwiches. While it wasn't anything too fancy, we enjoyed the meal and made small talk. Maud pulled out a pebble from her pocket before tearing off a piece of bread from her sandwich and placing it next to that rock. With the others around I asked, "What's with the rock?" She simply told us, "Making sure Boulder is fed." She proceeded to gently pet it. Heavyweight and I shared a confused look before he gestured to her with his thumb as if asking for an explanation. All I could do was raise both hands in an equally confused shrug. When we turned back the piece of bread was gone. She then pointed over to firepit and said, "I don't feel that any of the rocks would get along with Boulder." Heavyweight still unsure of how to respond said, "Sorry, to hear that?” She tore off another piece of bread and said, “Perhaps the ones near the lake will be more friendly.” While we were still perplexed by Mauds’ odd behavior I overheard Aria teasing Sonata about her reaction earlier. “You know, had something been going after you earlier you would have been a goner.” Sonata then muttered to Aria, "It's not like I came out here for a survival show, you psycho." Their conversation soon devolved into bickering between the both of them. Big Mac whispered to me and Heavyweight, "They always like that?" Heavyweight answered with, "I have no clue." I replied with a hushed, "It's a safe bet." Big Mac shook his head as he recounted about his family. "They remind me of a few of my relatives that butt heads whenever they're together. Wound up forcing us to cancel one of our family camping trips." "That's rough, man. I'd hate to have to bail on a planned trip because of a disagreement." Heavyweight then turned to look at Aria and Sonata still going back and forth. I sighed, "Well, they argue often, but I've seen them come to agreements when it counted." When we finished, Big Mac got a plastic bag and gathered up the used plates into it. He then placed it into the ice chest. “So, any reason why you stuck the trash in there?” Aria asked. "Eeyup" he answered. "Just making sure we don't leave any trash behind." Then while Aria and Sonata weren't listening, he whispered to me, "and to keep away any varmints.” With a raised eyebrow I whispered, “What kind of ‘varmints’ live in the area, by the way?” I can’t believe I used the word varmints. Even Heavyweight gave me a strange look. He listed off quietly, “Raccoons, foxes, bears.” Big Mac noticed my look of concern as he continued with, “but those are few and far between. Hardly ever seen any in person on my camping trips.” Heavyweight quickly quipped, “Hope that doesn't change this time.” I nodded as I got up and helped get everything else put away. With the campsite prepped for the night, Big Mac decided to take all of us to the lake before it got too late and show us around. The hike over to the lake took some effort since the path that he lead us through was partially crowded with a slightly denser growth of trees. But it was well worth it. The expanse of the water made it easy to see beyond the trees and catch a glimpse of the mountains in the distance. The mouth of the stream that flowed into the lake even revealed a winding path further into the woods. We took some photos and explored around the lake for a while. After a while, we returned to camp with the sun already on its way over the horizon. The first thing I did was untie the cord around the bundle of wood and arranged some of it in the middle of the fire pit while everyone one else put away their things. Big Mac got some lighter fluid and a lighter to start the fire. Once that was going we gathered around and made ourselves comfortable on the logs to have dinner that consisted of hot dogs, chips and sodas. Truly a meal for the health conscious. Big Mac sat next to Maud on one log, I sat with Sonata on another, and Heavyweight sat as far as he could away from Aria on the last available log. Big Mac then said, “It’s been a pretty good first day of camping. There weren't any problems with the setup, didn't have to worry about the night sneaking up on us, and no camping trip would be complete without a fire.” “True, but there's nothing special about that,” Aria mentioned with hardly a shred of interest. Big Mac taking Arias attitude in stride smiled before answering, “Eeyup. But maybe the surprise I brought along for the occasion will make up for that.” He then reached around to pull out a couple of large bottles from his backpack. He also pulled out some plastic cups from one of the coolers. “What is that?” Sonata asked. Big Mac poured some of the liquid into a cup. “Apple cider.” Upon hearing that I began to feel a hint of apprehension as he handed off the container to Sonata. As soon as it was in her hands, she took a huge gulp from it before tearing up and coughing. We all turned to look at Big Mac who was now wearing a bashful grin as he explained, “It’s of the hard variety.” “Extremely hard apparently,” I posited. Sonata catching her breath barely managed to get out, “I’m good. Wasn’t expecting that though.” Aria then replied, “And this is why Adagio and I only let you have fruit punch.” “Well, I’m learning a whole bunch of things during this trip,” I mentioned awkwardly as Big Mac had poured out enough cider for the rest of us. He handed me a cup, which I took hesitantly while examining the liquid. Aria seeing my reaction to the drink decided to point it out in an annoyed tone. “What’s the problem, boy scout? Not going to let that go to waste are you?” I glanced at everyone else who was sipping their drinks except for Sonata who was swirling it around in the cup not really showing any interest in it and Heavyweight who gave me a shrug. He then replied with, "Well, when in Rome,” before taking a swig. “Not like we’re going to be on the road right now or anything.” I quickly mentioned, "It's never really been something on the top of my to-do list." Aria was about to give me more flack on my remark, but she stopped when I took a drink. I cleared my throat and nudged Sonata. "Oof, this stuff is strong." She replied, “Yeah, I’m not sure I like it all that much.” “Heh, glad there aren't such things as undead murderers, otherwise we might have been on the top his list,” I mentioned as I contemplated whether to finish my drink. Heavyweight scratched his chin and asked, “Well, now that you bring it up, anyone know any good ghost stories.” "I don't know about any ghost stories, but I've heard about a strange meteorite found a couple of years back," Maud mentioned. Sonata seemingly relieved to hear that sighed, “At least it isn't anything creepy.” Maud continued, “The team of researchers that went to collect some samples of the space rock went crazy and began to turn on each other. It got to the point that one of them cannibalized the rest of their colleagues, all while offering pieces of them up to the meteorite.” “That got intense,” Heavyweight added. “But the worst part is that some scientists believe that there are other meteorites with the same properties that have landed all over the world. And they figure those meteorites could be anywhere.” Sonata, now a shade paler, weakly mumbled, “This is gonna be a long night.” I leaned in and wrapped an arm around her. "It's part of the camping experience. But it's all made up, and besides, I'll be right here next to you." Big Mac cleared his throat. “Not bad, but I think this one will be a bit scarier.” he leaned forward as he prepared to spin us a yarn. “Everyone knows that every national park and forest has had cases of people going missing. And this forest is no different from all the others.” Aria chimed in, “Well, yeah it's bound to happen, especially if people are unprepared for the outdoors.” Big Mac nodded, “Eeyup, ‘cept in recent years a lot of the people that disappeared had been very experienced outdoorsmen and women and left no trace of themselves. At least according to the ones who reported them to be missing. And most of those times they were in these woods all by themselves. Although a few lone campers that have stayed by themselves and made it back to civilization have said that on nights when there is hardly a sign of wind and the moon cannot be seen, voices could barely be heard calling out to them in the darkness of the woods and shadows could be seen at the edges of their camps.” “Hold it,” I interrupted. “So you were planning on coming out here by yourself before AJ invited us to join you?” He shook his head, "Nope if you guys had canceled I would have just waited for another chance to go with someone else. In all honesty, I've never been in these here woods without a few family members or friends to join me. I think those people who say they heard or saw something were enjoying themselves something quite a bit stronger than apple cider." Heavyweight then joined in, “Well, what if there is something in the woods?” “If there is I’ve never noticed,” Big Mac replied. “Still, I wonder what it could’ve been,” Heavyweight pondered. Aria then said, “Well it couldn’t have been timber wolves. Those wouldn’t have hesitated to rip every single one of those campers to shreds if they could and leave massacres to find.” Heavyweight then retorted with, “That’s pretty obvious. Besides, plain old wolves couldn't imitate voices like Big Mac said was heard.” She rolled her eyes and started to explain, “I wasn’t talking about normal wolves. Where Sonata and I came from there were these wolves made out of fallen tree branches, bark, and other pieces of wood. No matter how much you managed to harm them they would just pull themselves back together and chase down their prey until they gave in to exhaustion, not that we ever had to deal with them.” Heavyweight got my attention before subtly making a smoking gesture and darting his eyes from me to Aria. I gave him a smirk and slightly shook my head. When Aria saw me shaking my head, she asked in an accusing tone, "Oh what, not scary enough?" “I didn't say anything,” I remarked. “It would definitely be pretty strange to have something like that right on my heels, but I don’t know. It seems a bit far fetched to be believable.” Aria raised an eyebrow before asking, “Oh really, then what would you say would be more 'believable.'” “I think it could have been a skinwalker,” I offered. “That sounds familiar,” Big Mac thought aloud. Aria then stated, “What a terrifying name. What does it do, trace its fingers over your back when you aren't looking.” “According to some native peoples, they were either human witch doctors that gained the ability to take the form of animals and other people or an evil spirit that inhabits the forests,” I explained. “Still not seeing what's so scary about that,” Aria said while crossing her arms. "Yeah, it doesn't sound so bad, that is until you hear what people claim to have seen when they've come face to face with a skinwalker. They say that when skinwalkers disguise themselves as animals, there's always something unsettlingly off about them. Then when they go to get a closer look at those so-called animals, they find them to be a horrible rotting amalgamation of man and animal. Sometimes it's a deer that started chasing someone while running on its hind legs, other times what appeared to be a roadkill coyote got up and attacked a passerby who went to check on it. But the worst incident that I heard about was when a group of friends went out into the woods to camp. While they were sitting around the campfire, they realized that there was a stranger among them. When they confronted the stranger, it went running into the forest letting out a scream, which was followed by whispering voices that surrounded their campsite. The thing had impersonated a camper, and there were more of them just out of sight trying to lure them away from the group into the woods." Aria looked a bit unsettled at that point. “Heh, and you said what I brought up was farfetched. That’s got to have been the lamest thing…” She stopped mid-sentence and went almost completely pale right before she leaped off of the log. “SOMETHING CLAWED MY BACK!!!” While almost everyone else was looking at her with concern Heavyweight was snickering while I couldn’t help doing the same. “Calm down everything is okay.” Still, in hysterics, Aria yelled at him. "What part of clawed don't you get?!" He smiled and replied, “Well it might have to do with the fact that I barely even brushed these against your back.” He then raised three sticks spread out like a hand for her to see. “Sorry, I couldn't resist.” She angrily snatched the sticks from him and threw them into the fire. “Stop being an idiot.” “Well, glass houses and all that, “Maud pointed out. Aria huffed out, “Whatever.” Sonata realizing what had happened spoke up. “It was deserved.” Before anything else happened, Big Mac said, "Alright, I think we've all been wound up by those stories. Maybe we should call it a night." "Before we do, does anyone want some of these marshmallows?" Maud asked while holding up a bag full of fluffy treats. "Pinkie Pie insisted that I bring them along, otherwise it wouldn't be an official camping trip, but I'm not all that into sweets." We all shared perplexed looks at her seemingly silly question before accepting her offer. Several minutes later we were toasting marshmallows over the dying fire before we put away the leftover snacks into the ice chest. From there we got ready to sleep. “G’night. See y’all in the morning,” Big Mac then slipped into his tent. “Good night,” Maud replied as she entered hers. "Goodnight, Slate," Sonata said as she came over kissed my cheek. Aria, of course, had to comment. "Gag, well if monsters don't kill me, the both of your PDA will." The both of them went into Sonatas tent. Heavyweight shook his head. “Well guess we should try to get comfortable, just let me douse the fire. Don't need any accidental blazes torching down the whole place.” Once he finished, we both got into his tent and slid into our sleeping bags before we finally nodded off. Author's Note As always, feel free to leave any kind of feedback. Ch. 3 Nightmares IncarnateWhat will you do when the next disaster strikes at school? When some crazed lunatic decides to use strange powers and puts everyone around you in danger? All you’ll be able to do is stand by and watch, just like this. “Hey…” “Mmm?” “Follow me…” “Huh, who said that?” "Mmmm, go back to sleep Sonata." “Follow me…” "Who's there? I need a light. Um. That isn't it. Aha." *click* “I want to show you something...” "Who said that? It's too dark out here." “This way...” "Slate, is that you?" “This way…” "Slate is that…" "What?" I mumbled in my sleeping bag before I sat up and rubbed my eyes. I yawned while asking, "Did someone call me?" But I got no response except for some snoring from Heavyweight. Just then, the call of nature hit and forced me to get up. "Man, I can't see anything." I hurriedly dug a flashlight out of my backpack before rushing out of the tent. I went maybe fifteen feet away from camp to take a leak before heading back. When I got back to our campsite, I swung the light over the other tents when I saw Sonatas' tent flap hanging open. Still a bit tired, I went to check on them. "Psst. Hey, everything alright, you two?" I asked while pointing my flashlight into the tent. "Hmmm. Sonata, I swear if you're trying to pull something this late…" Aria mumbled when the light hit her. I quickly sobered up to the fact that she was alone. "Aria, wake up." Now more visibly annoyed, she shot up in her sleeping bag. "Slate? What the hell are you doing opening our tent in the middle of the night, you freak?!" "Aria, the tent was already open before I peeked in, and Sonata isn't here," I explained as calmly as I could. "Do you know where she is?" She took a moment to look at the empty sleeping bag next to her. "I don't know. Maybe she went to use the restroom." "Aria, it's pitch black right now, and I didn't see any other lights out there. You didn't notice that she left?" I mentioned with rising frustration. She took a moment to think. "She was mumbling something earlier, but I didn't catch what she said." I shot her a scowl to which she retorted, "I was still half asleep." She then checked in Sonatas' backpack. "Her flashlight isn't here. So at least she isn't walking around completely blind." Just then, a scream came from somewhere in the forest. It turned out to be loud enough that everyone in camp was now up and getting out of their tents. "What's going on?" Big Mac asked, still not entirely awake. "What was that sound?" I explained, "I'm not sure, but it sounded like a person. And Sonata's gone missing." Heavyweight came up to me and asked, "Are you serious?" "Dude, no one knows where she is, and that scream can't be anything good. We need to go find her now." I went back to Heavyweights' tent and put on my backpack. Big Mac nodded and replied, "Alright," before turning to the girls. "Maud, Aria. Can you two relight the fire? I think we're going to need it when we get back." He then turned to me and asked, "So which way did you hear the scream come from?" I shone my flashlight first at Big Macs' tent, then to the woods right behind it. "It wasn't nearby, but I'm pretty sure it came from that direction." He followed the beam and stated, "Sounds like it came from the trail leading to the lake then. Heavyweight come with Slate and me, and bring a flashlight." My friend quickly went to get a flashlight while Big Mac did the same as well as bringing his hand ax. "Just in case we run into any animals out there. I'd rather not be caught empty-handed," he explained. "Fine, now let's go. Quickly." I urged. "We'll be back soon," Heavyweight reassured the girls. And with that, we made our way into the darkness of the night. All three of us scanned back and forth with our flashlights as we walked along the trail. We called out for Sonata, hoping to get some response, but we weren't able to turn up any sign of her. Where is she? I thought while still searching with the limited amount of light. "Sonata, where are you?!" Big Mac sighed before telling both of us, "We're about halfway to the lake. If she had been this far out, we would have at least seen her flashlight by now." Feeling the growing pit in my stomach, I crossed my arms and slowly came to a stop as I mulled over big macs words. They both stopped and turned back to me. Heavyweight was about to tell me something but just kept from breaking the silence. I then noticed that he seemed to be spooked by something, which slowly made me even more concerned. He whispered to the both of us, "Guys, shouldn't there be some sound right now? Like, any sound?" Big Mac and I looked at each other and then to our surroundings. We kept quiet and listened. Disturbingly enough, we found that he wasn't exaggerating, it was dead silent. No crickets chirping, no owls hooting, not even the rustling of leaves from the breeze. I whispered to Big Mac, "What the hell is going on, this can't be normal." Before we could keep on discussing the strange happenings, we suddenly heard crying coming from the left of the trail. I called out, "Sonata?!" to where I heard crying, but it just continued. "Come on. She might be hurt!" I ran off the trail and past several trees. "Slate, hold up," Heavyweight called after me as he followed along. It was hard to tell how far I had gone off the path. I'd hazard a guess that it was probably about twenty-some feet. As I swung my flashlight in search of the source of the crying, Big Mac and Heavyweight soon caught up. "Slate!" Big Mac scolded. "We have to stick together. It won't do anyone good if we get lost too." Unfortunately, I wasn't giving him my full attention, thanks to what I had caught in the beam of my flashlight. There was a kid squatted in front of a tree no less than ten feet away, hugging their knees to their chest and bowing their head away from us. They heaved with every sob as they continued to cry pitifully. The kid looked to be a young boy with a shaven head. He was wearing an old tattered shirt, torn jeans, and was barefoot. I called out to the kid, "Hey, are you alright? What are you doing out here by yourself?" The boy stopped crying only briefly. "I can't find my family." Walking over to the boy, I placed a hand on his shoulder. "We'll do what we can to help. But can you tell us if you've seen a girl out here? We're trying to help her too." "I can't find my family," the boy repeated in the same tone as before. At first, I thought he was in shock or something but soon realized something else was wrong. Being right next to him, I noticed a sickening stench. It wasn't one of being unbathed but more along the lines of rotting meat. The boy was now taking labored breaths as he gasped, "I can't… find. My family." What I thought to be sobbing heaves were violent twitches. Suddenly, the boy twisted his head to look over his shoulder at me, and what I saw chilled me to the core. Two dark pits stared at me for what felt like an eternity, and then out of nowhere, his arm jerked back at me as a searing pain shot down my left arm. I lost my footing and fell onto my backside while the momentum of the boys swing made him fall flat on his face. "Urgh! What the hell!" I yelled as I slid myself away from the kid. "Slate! "Heavyweight called as he came up behind me and quickly picked me up from underneath the armpits and onto my feet. "What happened?" Big Mac asked while shining his flashlight on me. When I looked at my shoulder, there were three red gashes across it. All the while, the boy on the floor began wheezing even harder as he struggled to get back up. We turned our flashlights to the boy as he unsteadily stood up. But at that point, "boy" was the wrong term to describe what stood in front of us on unsteady legs. As it hobbled back, trying to stay upright, we could see ashy gray skin with putrid discolored splotches appearing irregularly all over through its torn shirt. Its hands end in exposed bony tips, a few tinged slightly red with my blood. Finally, the most disturbing part that seemed to fly in the face of logic and sanity was its head. The face had been stripped of any flesh and was missing it's lower jaw while some ruddy brown vines were sprouting out of the throat. They snaked their way all over the head and through the empty sockets and nostrils. It was also dripping a dark, almost tar-like substance from its' nonexistent eyes. As we stood there gawking at the twitching corpse in terror, it lurched forward and wheezed. "... I can't find it. Can't…" It took another step and another. Before we knew it, it let out a strained scream as it started to stumble towards the three of us at an alarmingly fast rate. "Shit!" I exclaimed as I snapped out of my shock and threw a kick at the creature's chest as it jumped straight for us. It had barely missed us with its claws and gasped out a short hiss as it toppled to the ground. It writhed around, flailing its arms, trying to stand back up when Big Mac yelled, "Nope!" He pulled out the hand ax and slammed it into the creatures' exposed skull and sent shards of it splintering off into the dark. It wailed and twitched sporadically for a moment before growing entirely still. "Is it… dead?" I asked, feeling slightly queasy. Big Mac poked the body with his ax, but it remained still. He turned to both of us and nodded, "Eeyup." "This doesn't make any sense," Heavyweight mumbled as we examined the dead monster. "Nothing like this should exist, it can't be real." "Maybe, but it's right there in front of us." I took a second to grasp my shoulder and put pressure on the wound. Looking over to the tree it had been under earlier, we passed our lights across the ground around it. At first, nothing noticeable was visible, but the flashlights' beams glinted off of something metallic. When I went to get a closer look at that spot, I found a musical note pendant in the grass. "This is part of her necklace," I said as I picked it up. As soon as I did, however, something strange happened. What's this? Why is my vision off? I asked in a haze. "Hmm, where'd that voice go? I never even saw who was calling. I should head back to camp…" That voice has to be Sonata. Is this what she saw? Was she chasing a voice? "Now, which way was it? O-oh no. I think I'm lost. Okay, okay, stay calm. If I walk back the same way, I came then-" The words, however, caught in her throat when a sudden noise got her attention. *crack* *crunch* "What was that?!" A small bald child had walked into view with its hands clasped to its face while it sniffled. "Huh? A kid?" Sonata said in confusion. "Help. *sob* I'm lost," it pleaded, still never showing its face. That sounds like that thing from earlier. “Y-you are?” "I can't find my family…" it replied. "Maybe my friends can help you... as soon as I can find them," she said in an attempt to be reassuring. "L-lost… I can't find it. C-c-c…" its speech was suddenly breaking down as it shuddered. "Um, are you alright?" Sonata, get out of there! Don't go near it! I yelled, knowing what it was about to do. “...c-c-ca-a-a-A… AAAAAAAHHHH!” It dropped onto all fours and rapidly crawled right at her. "Wha-what are you doing?! Stop!" she yelled, freaking out and trying to back away from the thing. It suddenly leaped up with its clawed hands extended for her neck. Luckily she had stepped back enough for it to miss anything vital. Its claws did manage to hook her necklace chain, however, and with a violent yank broke it. *snap* *clink* were the only things that rang out as she caught a single charm from the broken necklace. The creature looked up at her, showing her its missing features. With that, she screamed, "AAAAHHH! Someone help me!" and ran deeper into the forest. "Slate!" Heavyweight yelled as he snapped his fingers in front of my face. "Dude, snap out of it!" "What?! Why are you yelling?" I asked, tremendously confused at the moment. "Dude, you were staring at that thing in your hand for a good ten minutes. I thought you were having a mental breakdown or something." I glanced at the pendant and then back to Heavyweight before pointing out into the dark. "Listen, she's still out there. I don't know how, but I saw which way she went. If we hurry, we should be able to catch up and-" "Slate, Big Mac thinks that we've gotten in way over our heads and..." Heavyweight began before Big Mac came up next to us. "We should head back." "Big Mac, we're close to finding her," I argued. He sighed heavily and replied, "You don't know that for sure, Slate." "We can't leave her out here!" I yelled. "We won't. But first, we have to get your shoulder taken care of," Big Mac suggested. I looked down at my blood-streaked shoulder. "Fine, let's make this quick." We left the corpse of that monster and made our way back to camp, where we found Aria and Maud sitting around a roaring fire. Aria, looking a bit more concerned, came over to us and asked, "Where's Sonata?" She then saw my shoulder. "And what the hell happened to your arm?" "It doesn't matter. Just need to get this cleaned, and then we're heading back out there to find Sonata," I said, wincing as I adjusted the torn shirt sleeve. I then turned to Big Mac and asked, "Hey, is there any more of that cider?" He went to his tent and pulled out a half-empty bottle while Heavyweight attempted to make a call on his phone." Eeyup. I get that our nerves are frazzled right now, but this isn't the best time for a drink." "Not for drinking, the first aid kit that I brought doesn't have any alcohol, and I never expected anything like this to happen." He removed the cap and then turned to me. "You ready?" "Just go ahead." I steeled myself for the burn that would soon follow. "This is going to suck." When he poured out some of the liquid onto the cuts, searing pain re-surged right through my arm. "Urgh! Son of a-Gahh!" What took about five seconds felt agonizingly longer. He recapped the bottle before patting me on the back. "Done." Suddenly Heavyweight exclaimed, "Ah, what the hell!" He had jerked the phone away from his ear. We all turned to him in concern. "What's wrong?" "I got a signal, but as soon as they picked up my call, a loud screech nearly blew out my ear!" All the while, he wiggled his finger within his ear. "Let me try." Maud pulled out her phone and tried to call the authorities before putting it on the speaker. What came out of the phone was a mix of static, and the screams of many people. We were at a loss for words throughout the call. When it ended, I could only sum up what we were all thinking. "What's going on?" I shook my head and sighed as I reached into my backpack and pulled out my first aid kit. From there, I got a roll of gauze and tried to apply it to my shoulder, but it proved to be a bit tricky. "Here, give me that," Aria said before snatching the gauze roll away and brusquely wrapping it around my shoulder. "There, now let's go find Sonata." I winced as I put the kit back in my backpack and pulled out my survival knife. "For once, I fully agree with you." Big Mac then interjected with a "Nope," while crossing his arms. Aria walked up to him and demanded, "What do you mean 'nope?'" Baffled, I joined her. "Wait a minute. You told me we would head back out there to find her." "We will. But in the morning." Now feeling betrayed, I yelled, "You saw that thing earlier, and we don't know if there are more out there! And you want to leave her out there!" Big Mac then replied, "That's exactly why we should wait till morning to look for her." "Well, it won't matter if she winds up dead before then," I argued. "And if all of us end up dead, no one will find her!" He said, raising his voice. "I need to make sure all of you make it back safely, and this is the best way I can think of to do just that," Big Mac explained. "What did that 'thing' look like?" Maud asked all of a sudden. "It looked like a walking, rotting corpse," I spat out. "Why?" "Sort of like that?" she asked calmly while pointing at a deformed shadow that was shambling in towards camp. It was as big as a human adult. The skull wasn't fully exposed, but it did have some old vines growing out of it. It also had that black liquid that dripped out of its mouth. "Man, there are more of them," Heavyweight lamented as he hurriedly picked up a large stick from the firewood pile. Big Mac then pulled out his hand ax as the creature unsteadily made its way into the firelight. "I'm sorry, but we need to go," he said as he backed away. "Well, I'm not about to abandon her out here," I muttered right before I picked up a baseball-sized rock from the fire pit and chucked it at the things face. It reeled back with a hiss as the rock connected with a crunch. It swung its arms blindly, trying to claw anything. Heavyweight saw his opportunity and struck it on the knee, forcing it to crumple to the ground as the stick snapped from the impact. In retaliation, it swiped at his legs. Fortunately, he was able to jump out of the way of its claws. Enraged, it quickly crawled towards Maud, hacking up the black bile with each loping step. With a surprising bit of agility, it lunged and slashed at her. It caught her off guard as it managed to graze the side of her thigh as she tried to move out of the way and lost her balance, falling onto her shoulder. Without thinking, I threw myself onto its back and stabbed my knife into the base of its skull, hoping that would be enough to stop it. It feebly dragged itself a few more inches before it finally collapsed and, with a single wheeze, rasped out, "You're all…lost." I yanked out the blade and quickly helped Maud back up and away from the creature as the black, putrid liquid began to pool around it. "That's it! We're leaving now!" Big Mac exclaimed as he picked up his backpack. "No, we're not!" Aria shot back. They were about to start arguing until we heard the car alarms off in the distance. We all went silent as we shared a look of dread before we turned our flashlights towards the direction of the vehicles. Out in the range, flashing yellow lights blinked on and off while at least a dozen silhouettes bobbed erratically while slowly growing. "No way." My words dully hung in the air. "There's too many to get to the cars safely," Maud stated with the slightest hint of pain. We stood there paralyzed by fear before my growing dread for Sonata snapped me out of my shock. "Now we have no choice. Quickly gather up as many essentials into your bags as you can. We won't last long if we stay here." "Where to? They could come out from anywhere," Big Mac pointed out. "We'll keep going towards the lake. That has to be where Sonata went. Unless you plan for us to stay and fight all of those things." "Fine," he conceded while everyone else got their things into their bags. All the while, murmurs, screeches, and rasps gradually grew closer to the camp. "Hurry, let's go!" Heavyweight called to us as he turned his flashlight towards the hoard of creatures. Big Mac got to the front of the group and led the way as we put as much distance as we could between us and those things. While we desperately made our way further into the dark, we could see shadows moving between the trees along the path. Regardless, we pushed on knowing that if we stopped, those things would surround us without a doubt. By the time we arrived at the lake, we were exhausted. On the plus side, though, there was no sign of anything that wanted to kill us. We were still understandably on edge. We helped Maud with the first aid and bandaged her leg while we even could. "Alright, we're here at the lake! Now what?!" Aria yelled in frustration at me. I shone my light all around the surrounding lakeshore in hopes of finding Sonata somewhere nearby. But all that I saw was the beams' reflection off the water's edge and rocks that covered the ground around the lake. "I-I don't know," I hesitantly admitted. "I only saw which way she ran when I found this." I pulled out Sonatas' lone pendant. Aria, in disbelief, screamed angrily back at me, "You saw her and didn't stop her from going further into the woods?! What, you forgot how to yell or something you idiot." "Look, I saw her in a vision when I picked up the pendant! She wasn't even there when we arrived!" "A vision?! We're out here because of a hallucination you had?! We're just waiting for something to come along and kill us, and we're no closer to finding Sonata!" "I know that, Aria! By the way, I hope those few extra minutes of sleep you got when you let her leave come in handy!" I flung back at her in exasperation. Heavyweight cut in and said, "Well, it wouldn't have mattered if we stayed back there. But maybe if we can last till morning, they will leave us alone." "Oh yeah, and what proof do you have that they won't catch us when they can see us in broad daylight?!" Aria shot back. "They only started showing up at night," he reasoned. While we started going back and forth on what we should do, Maud looked around with her flashlight. She then turned the torch to us and blinked it on and off to get our attention. "Hey, knock it off!" Aria growled at her. "I think one of those things may be nearby," Maud said while focusing the light on some pitch-black sludge. "Keep an eye out then," Big Mac replied. I went to get a closer look at the goo before looking around the surrounding area. To our concern, we found a trail of the stuff. It led to the stream that flowed into the lake. "I get the feeling that one of those things is still trailing her," I mentioned to the group while shining a light down the path that ran alongside the stream, glinting off more of that dark substance. "Then we should hurry after her," Heavyweight said. Suddenly those monsters broke past the tree line near the trail back to camp. "Not these things again!" Aria yelled in a mix of exasperation and aggravation. She then flipped them off, ineffectually and screamed, "Go burn in Hell!" They stopped for a second before turning in our direction. "Great, if they didn't know where we were, they do now!" I growled at Aria. "Time to go." Big Mac motioned toward the stream while giving us an anxious look. "Hopefully, she's somewhere up ahead!" Heavyweight said as he waved us along before following right behind us. We ran alongside that stream for maybe twenty minutes till we couldn't hear those things anymore. We slowed our pace down to a cautious stroll as we continued to follow the trail left by one of those monsters, hoping to find where Sonata had gone. At first, there was a drop or two every few feet, but as we followed along the stream, we began to notice the dark liquid speckling the ground slowly became more frequent until we came across a lone arm in a pool of black. "Oh, God," I said while covering my mouth and nose with the front of my shirt. "Holy shit, what did this?" Aria asked in disbelief. "The only thing she was carrying in the vision was a flashlight. And I doubt she would've been able to do this kind of damage to anything." I posited while looking closely at the limb. The skin and muscle seemed shredded raggedly while the bone was crushed and splintered in the middle of that. At the very least, it wasn't Sonatas'. "Well, whatever did this must've been huge," Big Mac added. We then noticed some large paw prints and long black drag marks that veered away from the disembodied arm into the dark trees and underbrush. "Let's keep going. Hopefully, whatever did this is long gone," I said, turning my flashlight back to the path running alongside the stream. No one argued against that, and we quickly kept going. There was an uneasy tension in the air as we made our way. There was no telling what else was lurking out in the dark, and it felt like we weren't getting anywhere fast. However, I did notice some trees missing some bark as we walked, so that at least filled me with some hope that Sonata had found a way to leave behind some markers. We probably spent close to an hour on that path before we could make out the outline of the mountain that grew ever closer with each step. "She better be at the end of this," Aria groaned. "Hopefully safe," Maud added. I would have replied, but the brief swish of the nearby foliage made my hair stand on end. "Did anyone else hear that?" "Maybe the wind just picked up," Heavyweight said. Big Mac licked his fingertip and stuck it into the air before shaking his head. "Nope." We probably would have overlooked it after that, but a low rumbling sound was now emanating from the darkness. The grumbling was so startling to us that we pointed our lights at it almost instinctively to see what was causing it. Two large green orbs were reflecting the light right back at us and sat on top of a snarling snout. That face came out of the brush to reveal a giant wolf that stood about five feet tall with dark fur. More disturbingly than that, however, were the bloody sticks that protruded grotesquely all over its back. The grumble soon became a baritone growl as the fur and sticks bristled. With fear gripping my chest, I pulled out my knife and slowly raised it. Then with everything that I had, I threw it right at its face. It managed to hit the wolf's eye, causing it to recoil as it used its paw to rub its eye in pain. Unfortunately, it only hit with the handle and clattered to the floor. In a crazed panic, I yelled, "Run!" We all broke out into a sprint alongside the stream while the wolf recomposed itself. Suddenly we could hear it letting out a snarl as it began to give chase. "Don't stop!" Big Mac yelled as the sound of massive paws were gaining on us. Its panting was only a few feet away. In a split second, I yelled, "Into the trees!" We made a sharp turn into the foliage as the wolf barked and snapped at Heavyweight, barely missing him and skidding past us. We kept running through the trees, but we could still hear that wolf's panting and sniffing from a distance. It didn't seem like we were losing it at all, so Big Mac yelled, "Keep heading for the mountains!" as he went back in the opposite direction towards the wolf. Heavyweight and I turned back around and followed. We wound up finding him leaning against a tree with his ax at the ready. We shut our lights off and hid behind a tree a few feet away from him. "You two should…" he began but stopped mid-thought. "Never mind, take this." he had pulled out a rope from his backpack and tossed over one of the ends to us. "We'll pull it taut between these trees and hopefully trip it so we can try and kill it." I quickly asked, "What if it misses the rope?" Big Mac was thinking pretty hard, but his silence said it all. A thought then popped into my head, which made me shudder, but we were out of options. "Alright, but don't pull the rope tight until I give the signal." I got a few feet back from both trees and stood myself where I was visible between the both of them. For a brief second, I saw those glowing eyes off in the distance as that wolf searched and sniffed the air. I took a deep breath before turning on my flashlight in its direction. It immediately focused on me as it bared its teeth. It then ran full tilt, utterly intent on sinking those fangs into me. As it neared the trees Big Mac and Heavyweight were hiding behind, I yelled, "Now!" There was a distinct twang as its front paws caught on the rope. It tumbled towards me, so I had to fling myself out of the way as it nearly crushed me. As it crashed on by, there were loud snaps that came from the branches sticking out of its back. Before it could stand back up, Big Mac ran over and swung his ax at its head, lodging the blade in its eye socket with a sickening squelch. It swung its head violently, trying to dislodge the ax and knocked Big Mac down. It then lunged and bit down on his leg. All he could do was yell in pain as he tried to kick its face with his free foot. I turned to Heavyweight and yelled, "Come on!" as I got up and ran to the back of the beast. I grabbed onto one of the longer branches sticking out of the wolf's back and told Heavyweight, "Help me break this off!" "Right!" He grabbed onto the branch too. With a hard yank and jerk, we managed to break it off, and to our disgust blood sprayed out of the piece still embedded in its skin. It yelped and let go of Big Mac to snarl at us. "Quick, jab it forward!" Heavyweight yelled. We ran the branch straight into its remaining eye. Pained yowls soon replaced its growls and snarls as it writhed on the ground while it swiped at the new injury. Without wasting any time, we got Big Mac up and held him up while we ran towards the mountain. That wolf unable to follow, disturbingly let out a long ghostly howl. At first, I thought it was a sign of it giving up. Once it had stopped, there was a brief moment of silence before cries resounded from all around the forest. "We've got to go faster," Big Mac said as the adrenaline numbed him to the injury. We picked up the pace as best as we could and finally made it to a clearing at the foot the mountain. It was still surprisingly dark in the open space, so Heavyweight and I swept our flashlights around until we saw Maud standing next to a boarded-up entryway and waving at us to get over to her quickly. When we got there, she asked, "What happened?" "We barely got away from that wolf, and I think it just called for help," I mentioned. "Where's Aria, wasn't she with you?" "While we were waiting for you three, Aria saw all this near this blockade." Her flashlight shone over the floor around the entrance. There seemed to be shreds of some material as well as an almost fully intact shoe sole, fortunately though, no blood. "I tried to get her to stay put, but she said 'we'll never find her at this rate if we wait for you guys.' and crawled under the boards before I could stop her." On closer inspection, there was just enough space between the floor and the very bottom boards for us to crawl in one at a time. I then looked up at the rest of the barricade seeing scratch marks and some slobber before I saw a plank nailed on top of it all that had the words, "DANGER KEEP OUT," written in black paint. Several howls could be heard further into the woods that let us know we didn't have time to debate going in. "Well, it looks like we're going in after her," Heavyweight mentioned hesitantly. Maud quickly pulled herself through the opening, before Heavyweight followed in. I turned to Big Mac and said, "Alright, your turn." I then turned to the opening and called "help him in!" I helped lower him to the opening as the others grabbed him by the hands and began pulling him in. All the while, glowing eyes were gathering at the forest's edge. "Hurry, those wolves found us!" I yelled, past Big Mac. He started slipping in faster when one of the wolves broke past the tree line in a sprint. My adrenaline kicked as I yelled, "Hurry! Go! Go!" and shoved Big Mac under the boards. I tried to follow as close behind as I could into the opening with the sound of clawed feet scraping towards us. As soon as I was halfway underneath the boards, the others grabbed hold of me and dragged me in right as a pair of nasty jaws nicked the soles of my shoes. We quickly stepped away from the hole where a dark snout tried to force its way into the entrance. It eventually pulled itself away as more of those wolves began to gnaw and scratch at the barricade. "I don't know if those boards are going to hold," Big Mac said while turning his flashlight towards the darkness of what I could only assume was a mine. "We've got to keep going." Author's Note Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this chapter after a long hiatus. As always, feel free to leave your thoughts and questions on the chapter or the story as a whole so far. Ch. 4 Slipping into the DepthsWith a pack of bloodthirsty wolves trying to force their way into the mineshaft, we were up the creek without a paddle. To top it off, Aria went on ahead of us without so much as a warning. Our only path was straight forward into the darkness. We began heading away from the entrance, slowly leaving behind the sound of growling and scraping. We'd pass by the occasional support beam, but other than that, it was pretty bare. It seemed to go on forever before we reached a fork in the tunnel. "Which way now?" Heavyweight asked. We all took a moment to use our flashlights to look down each of the tunnels, but they went on further than the beams could reach. There was a slight sound of dust and pebbles falling from the ceiling as Big Mac gave us a startled look. "We need to find a way out of here fast. Otherwise, we may get caught in a cave in." Maud then spoke up to get our attention. "There's a door over here, but it's jammed." I walked over to the old wooden door and grabbed onto the latch. Try as I might though, the thing was stuck tight. I shone my light along the edges trying to find its hinges, but there was no sign of them. Damn, they must be on the other side. "Alright, move aside. Hopefully, this works." I pulled back my right leg and threw a hard kick that landed right next to the latch with a slight creak. I pulled back once more and landed my foot in the same spot, this time with more of a crack. Heavyweight then stepped forward and tapped me on the shoulder. "Alright, 'scuse me." He got into position right before he threw himself, shoulder first, into the door. The latch broke off, and the whole thing slammed into the wall. There was a loud echo for a few seconds before we were engulfed in silence once again. After that, we cautiously checked around the room. There was an old-looking cot directly opposite the door along with a dusty oil lamp that hung in the right corner from a bolted chain. We went to check it out and found that it could still hold weight, so we helped Big Mac onto it and used the last of the bandages from our first aid to wrap up his injured calf as best we could. There was a musty bookshelf to the left of the door. And pressed up against the left wall was a small writer's desk. "Feels pretty cramped in here," Heavyweight mentioned. Big Mac looked from the cot to the surrounding walls of the room and back to the door before saying, "Eeyup." "Maybe there's a map of the mines that we can use to find another way out," Heavyweight suggested. "Probably." Maud walked over to the bookshelf. While she was busy with that, I went to the desk. Luckily it was unlocked, so I checked to see what it hid inside. There, a large folded and yellowed paper sat in the middle of the desk. "Hey, I think I found something," I called to the others. As I carefully unfolded the sheet, Heavyweight helped Big Mac over to the desk while Maud was preoccupied with a book she had pulled off of the shelf. Once the page was open and on full display, we could see a diagram of branching tunnels. At first, I thought we had finally had a stroke of luck, but as I looked over the map, little details slowly ate away at my confidence. "What's with this map? Some of the paths look to be scratched out or end in an 'x.'" Heavyweight pointed out. "I think this might explain all that. It's a journal that belonged to one of the miners." Maud carefully flipped through the pages to one of the last entries before relaying what she read to us. "According to this miner, during the mines last few years of operation, several of the miners would wind up rushing for the exit like madmen bloodied and missing bits of skin. It became a common occurrence, especially when they went further into the mines' lower levels, but eventually, it even began happening closer to the surface too. Once miners began to go missing and were presumed dead, the mines shut down. Many of the miners who survived the attacks said they heard skittering along the walls. That's why there are so many unfinished tunnel mappings and xs marking off dangerous parts of the mine." "Let's see. There has to be a clear pathway through these mines." My eyes scanned over the map once more as I traced the tunnels with my finger. It was beginning to seem hopeless until I managed to pick out a route through to the other side. "Well, this looks like it should get us through safely. But we have no clue if Aria made it through, or…" I began to contemplate the fact that both Aria and Sonata could be dead. Not wanting to dwell on that too long, though, I shook my head and forced myself to push forward. I folded up the map and placed it in my pocket. "We've got no time to waste." We left the room and started heading down the tunnel to the right. With our flashlights illuminating the way ahead, every single step we took reverberated deep into the adjoining passages. We navigated the dark with caution. No one dared to talk while we were in there as we tried to listen for anything dangerous and Aria. We were about midway through when something glinted in the dark as we passed the beams of light across the floor. "Guys, hold up," I said, while I brought an arm up to stop everyone. The group came to a stop at one of the many splits in the path. "What is that?" Big Mac asked. We got up to the spot where that glistening came from and found out that it was a piece of Sonata's yin and yang charm. It looked like something forcefully snapped it in half based on the bent up edge of the break. For the most part, however, the white coloring and black dot were still intact. Is this going to cause one of those visions again? I thought as I hesitated to grab it. With a deep breath, I reached down and picked it up. I flipped it over to find her name engraved in the shiny metallic back. I have to know if she's okay. As soon as that thought ran through my head, I blacked out. Still, a bit blurred but no longer blind, I could see the stream passing by on the left and trees on the right. All the while, heavy breathing was a constant sound as my vision bobbed up and down. That soon came to an end when I leaned up against a tree with a forearm. Soon I could hear the uneven breathing give way to short sobs, "I can't…I can't keep going." There was no doubt that it was Sonatas' voice that I heard, but there were also gurgling sounds that were coming from behind. My vision shifted to look over her shoulder and caught sight of a disgustingly bloated, deformed corpse bringing down its claws right at her. She threw herself to the ground as the monster scraped off a chunk of bark. She crawled back up to her feet in a panic before turning to see the creature was quickly approaching her with outstretched arms and honed claws. When it was nearly an arm's length away, a giant wolf suddenly leaped out of the trees and sunk its fangs into the corpse's shoulder. The wolf savagely thrashed around and slammed the corpse to the ground while it clawed at the wolf's face. The creature shrieked in pain when the wolf bit down even harder and snapped off one of its arms in a gusher of black ooze before it dragged the monster into the woods. Sonata began running alongside the stream once more and away from the grizzly scene. A while passed before the mountainside was visible from the tree line. "Why is this happening?" she asked desperately. "I thought it was just those, those 'people,' but then that timber wolf came out of nowhere… I thought I was going to die." She walked out past the trees and looked up the sheer mountainside when a hushed voice slithered its way through the silence. Good thing that wolf went after that thing instead. That voice sounds familiar. It's almost like mine, I thought feeling more perturbed. In her surprise and terror, she began looking all around. "Who said that?!" The voice came through again. I would suggest checking out that tunnel. "Tunnel?" Sonata asked, not sure from where the voice had come. She shone her flashlight all along the foot of the mountain before finally seeing the boarded-up entrance. She went to check it out and tried to get a better look inside by peering in between the boards, but could only see a couple of feet even with the flashlight. "This doesn't feel right…" A low guttural growl began to sound from the tree line about twenty meters away, startling Sonata. When she turned to look, the growling grew more intense. The voice whispered more directly this time, Get in the tunnel if you want to live. That growling soon turned into barks and snarls as a wolf ran out of the trees towards Sonata. She quickly began looking all over the barricade for any opening before noticing the gap at the very bottom. She dropped to the ground and pulled herself underneath the board. She had almost made it entirely inside when a pair of jaws clamped onto her right shoe. It then began jerking her around and nearly pulled her back out. "Ahh, let go!" she screamed as she swung her free foot blindly, trying to get the beast to release her. She had landed a few hits on it when her shoe came loose in its mouth. With that brief opportunity, she finished pulling herself back into the tunnel. On the other side of the barricade, the wolf ripped apart her shoe before it realized it hadn't gotten anything and began to claw and gnaw at the boards. Sonata quickly got up to her feet and stepped away from the planks only to immediately feel a stinging pain radiate across the top of her foot. She shone her light at it but didn't see any blood staining her sock, so she removed it to reveal some nasty bruising around the ankle. "Ow! I won't be able to move very fast like this." While she slipped her sock back on, a thought occurred to her. "What if the others run into those monsters? Slate, this wouldn't have happened if I had stayed put in the camp." They would have shown up regardless of what you did.But, if you want to help your friends, then I need you to follow my voice. I have something that can drive those things away. "Who are you, and where are you trying to take me?" That doesn't matter. I'm just trying to help you. Unless, of course, you would like to stay with the wolves. She hesitated before reaching into her pant pocket to pull out the yin and yang charm I had given her. She shook her head and replied to the empty tunnel, "Fine, if it will help to get rid of these monsters." So, if you're ready then, follow the sound of my voice. I'll get you out of here. Without another word, she began limping her way down the tunnels as best she could, going down whichever direction the voice instructed her to follow. From what I could tell, it led her down a path not laid out on the map, so I was beginning to grow more anxious by the second. It took some time, but eventually, the marginally lighter hues of the outside world were slowly coming into view. Just a few more steps and she would have passed through the lip of the tunnel entrance when a voice from within the tunnel weakly echoed. Sonata stopped and turned around to see what was happening but wasn't able to catch sight of anything. Right as she was about to continue on her way, the echo got slightly louder and more precise. "Sonata!" the voice echoed from further in the dark, noticeably feminine in tone. She was shocked to hear anyone else in those tunnels, especially a familiar voice. "Aria?!" she called out to the inky blackness. There was silence for a minute before another echo reached Sonatas' ears. "Where are you?!" Sonata was about to take a step back into the tunnels and reply to the echo when an elongated hand with black claws wrapped around her mouth. Soon another slender, spindly arm wrapped around her midsection and violently lifted her off the floor as it began running out of the tunnel. She tried to scream and struggle against the creature, but nothing fazed it. Then without warning, the thing threw her carelessly to the floor, causing her to see double. The emaciated figure reached a clawed hand into Sonatas' pocket before pulling out her charm. It looked it over before snapping it in half. Then as it swallowed a piece of the charm, Aria's voice was coming out of the tunnel. The last thing that I saw through her eyes was the blurry vision of piercing yellow eyes as its neck snapped towards the mine, and a smile grew on its face before she passed out. Everything went dark, but I didn't return to the others immediately. That same voice from the vision slithered its way into my mind. You see, you want to protect others, but you don't have the means. It must be frustrating. I came to again in the tunnels as Maud, Heavyweight, and Big Mac stood by, giving me worried looks. I asked them, "What's wrong?" "You were just standing there for the past five minutes," Maud said in her usual tone. "Sorry. When I picked this up off the ground, I had another vision." I showed them the half of a pendant Big Mac then asked, "Well, what happened?" "Someone or something was leading Sonata through the marked off paths out of the tunnels. And it was at this split in the mine that she went off the safe path. On top of that, Aria was somewhere in the mines when Sonata was reaching the exit." "Well, what should we do?" Heavyweight asked. "Maybe they got lucky and managed not to disturb whatever else is in here." "Maybe," Big Mac said while he nervously scratched his head. I tried to think of anything that could give us a solid idea of which way to go. I pulled out the map and showed it to everyone, "If we take the same tunnels that Sonata did, then maybe we'll find Aria since she was near enough to call out to her and get a response from Sonata while she was in here. It's also more of a direct path to the exit than the safe one." Maud just plainly said, "If your vision was correct and Sonata was able to make it through, despite using a dangerous path, then hopefully we should be able to follow her steps and make it through too." There was an air of uneasiness as I pointed my flashlight down the leftmost tunnel. "That's the way we want to go then." I grimaced as we followed the tunnel that Sonata took. We spent probably close to ten minutes of walking down that path and taking several blind-turns down those tunnels before something stood out to us. Midway down one of the longer mine shafts, we could see a flashlight flickering on the floor, and it was casting an odd shadow against the wall. We focused all our lights on the source of that shadow before we realized that it had two long purple pigtails. "It's Aria!" We quickly made our way over to our collapsed companion. Unfortunately, on closer inspection, my heart sank like a rock. Her clothes were stained red, and patches of skin were missing all over her arms, exposing the muscle and sinew. There also appeared to be holes that bored into the tissues. "Oh God, she's dead," Heavyweight said, sounding full of regret. In a horrible lapse of judgment and denial, I tried to reassure everyone. "Come on. We need to get Aria out of here. We can still save her." I then grabbed her shoulder and turned her over only to reveal the full extent of her condition. There was a crimson puddle where she had been laying. While her clothes remained intact for the most part, save for tearing on the edges, it did little to hide the fact something had split her abdomen. We reeled back in horror and disgust at the sight. I turned away and steadied myself against the wall as I retched and puked my guts out. I could hear the others becoming sick as well before turning back to Arias' corpse. More skin and muscle had been removed from her neck and chest as I shone the light on the rest of the grizzly scene. The beam finally came to rest on her face. Most of her left cheek had been ripped and shredded, leaving a ghastly half-grin for us to see while her eyes were rolled back into her head. My head was spinning from all the emotions that were boiling up inside. The guilt of how I had openly called her out at the lake and letting her die. The anger towards whatever had killed her—the uncertainty of pushing on any further. And finally, the fear of anything else happening to the others and especially to Sonata. We stood there, not sure what to do. The only sound to be heard was a few sniffles. Then, when we thought that things couldn't get any worse, we noticed an odd bulge in Arias' throat. It moved ever so slightly before it disappeared up into her mouth. "What was that?" Big Mac asked everyone, but before anyone could respond, something forced Arias' mouth open. It looked like a black insect with a segmented body. It had six needlelike legs and a head that seemed to end in a flat, white protrusion. The longer we kept our lights on it, the more agitated it seemed to get until it finally had enough and split open the protrusion. It turned out that the white spot on its face was its four fang-tipped mandibles closed tightly together. It let out a nauseatingly shrill screech, and all at once, the silent tunnel became filled with a cacophony of a million skittering feet and shrieks. When we focused our flashlights further down the tunnel, we could see a formless mass creeping its way towards us all along the floor and up the walls. There must have been thousands of those bugs moving in unison while a couple more began crawling out of Aria. The closer ones made a beeline for us as they attempted to sink those fangs in. One of them jumped at Maud only to end up a bloody smear under her foot. She stoically announced, "Get going," as she began running back past us. With one last glance at Aria, Heavyweight, Big Mac, and I followed Maud back the way we came. No matter how fast we moved, though, we couldn't shake the pursuing swarm of creatures. We made it back to the fork in the tunnel, where the vision diverged from the map and tried to catch our breath. However, those bugs had not given up the chase. Maud asked, "Which way, Slate?" and I pulled out the map and hurriedly discerned the safe path. Meanwhile, Big Mac had frantically been throwing stuff out of his backpack before pulling out a lighter and popping open his last bottle of cider. He then tore off a strip from a spare shirt. I pointed down one of the middle tunnels and yelled, "Go that way!" while he stuffed the fabric into the bottleneck. "Dude, whatever you're doing, do it fast. We don't have a whole lot of time." Heavyweight grabbed Big Mac and yanked him in the right direction. Those bugs were now just a few feet away as we began to run as fast as we could, but with Big Macs' injury, he was slowly falling behind. "Come on," he muttered while trying to ignite the cloth hanging out of the bottle as he ran. In the brief moment that the fabric caught on fire, several of those insects had jumped onto him. They tore into his leg. He began to scream as more of them sunk their fangs into him. "No, no, no! Not again!" I went back to help him and crushed several of those bugs. Heavyweight and Maud saw this and did the same. I grabbed him by the hand and tried to pull him out of the insects' tangled mass, but there were too many clinging to him. He wanted to scare them off with the lit cloth, but they would only retreat a few inches before climbing even further onto him. Soon the others were helping me pull him, but it was still no use as those pests inched their way up to his back. Then to all of our horror, the bottle accidentally slipped out of his hand and shattered on the floor. Within a matter of seconds, the mine shaft was awash in the glow of firelight. Try as we might, we weren't able to pull Big Mac from the mass of writhing vermin. The heat became too intense to handle, and we had to let go. Big Mac, along with those monsters, became completely engulfed in flames, and soon we could only hear the roar of the inferno. We were in utter shock as the flames consumed Big Mac but had no time to process the whole tragedy as the fire had started to burn at some of the surrounding support beams. The next thing we knew, they were giving off an ominous crackling. Soon there was a loud scraping of rock that shifted as the shaft became increasingly unstable. I grabbed Heavyweight and Maud and yelled, "Run!" With each step, rubble and debris were falling from the collapsing ceiling. We barely escaped the mineshaft as the sound of rocks and boulders crashed down, echoing out to us. We got a few more feet away from the mine before we let ourselves drop to the floor. "We made it out." Heavyweight gasped out of breath as he stood there, hunched over and sucking in air. "What now, Slate?" Maud asked coldly. While she wasn't showing any signs of distress, I couldn't help but wonder how messed up she or any of us for that matter was after everything that had happened. "At this point, I don't know," I admitted shamefully. "Thanks to my decisions Big Mac and Aria are dead." my eyes were becoming blurred thanks to the newly forming tears. "If I had gotten him to come along instead of trying to kill that wolf, we would have been right behind you and Aria. Then she wouldn't have wound up going off on her own." "Dude, there was no way to know that any of this was ever going to happen," Heavyweight offered to try to get me to snap out of it. "That doesn't change the fact that everyone back home is going to question how all this happened," I answered in frustration and guilt. "Adagio and Big Mac's family aren't going to buy a story that monsters in the middle of nowhere killed them. At best, they'll think we're crazy and, at worst, blame us for it." Maud still calm as ever then asked, "So then the plan is to do what, give up and die out here?" I wasn't able to answer her as my head was pounding. Asides from that, I wasn't in my right mind at that moment. "Slate, I get it, but dying out here won't help anything. We have to make it back at the very least for the sake of Aria and Big Mac. Their families have to know what happened to them. Besides, we all have family that's waiting for us to get back." Confidence was the last thing I was feeling, especially about our current predicament, but I couldn't argue with what my friend said. I got back up, stuck my hands in my pockets, and took a deep breath. My hand then brushed across the two pendants from Sonatas' necklace. A mix of urgency and anger suddenly filled me to the core. "Fine, you're right," I agreed begrudgingly. "Before anything else, we have to find Sonata." "Then perhaps we should check down that way," Maud suggested, pointing her flashlight down a cleared path. "Anything is better than just staying here," Heavyweight agreed, then took a moment to adjust his backpack. "Alright, then." I took a moment to wipe my face with the front of my shirt. The path was quite a bit longer than it appeared at first, which I assumed was due to the darkness, but regardless, we followed it all the way through. To our surprise, we found ourselves at the edge of a small abandoned frontier town that consisted of a few old buildings. The first thing we passed by was a stable that had long since fallen apart and connected to a small house. There were at least three other tiny houses nearby, a large lodge looking place as well as a bar, and the outer skeleton of what I could only assume was a town hall. They stood around a well in the center of the quiet town. "Well, I wasn't expecting to go back in time," Heavyweight remarked. "I've never heard of any abandoned town out in this area," Maud said in what I assumed was a puzzled tone for her. "I suppose it must have been in use before Canterlot was even a thing," I offered, more concerned with finding Sonata than anything else. We continued walking past the small homes towards the lodge when a voice weakly called to me. "Slate, help me…" "Wait," I said, halting the other two before asking, "You heard that, right?" Maud nodded while Heavyweight replied with a quiet, "Yeah." The voice called out again, and this time I was able to recognize it. "Slate, help…" it had come from the lodge. We pointed the flashlights all along the exterior when I saw a set of curtains in a second-floor window near the right end of the lodge flow as if someone had brushed past them. "Sonata!" I yelled, trying to elicit a response, but received none. Without a second thought, I ran up to the double doors and flung them open. The reception area I had entered was a gloomy mess; dusty furniture, destroyed tables, and cobwebs everywhere. And towards the opposite side of the room was a fireplace. Before I could check the rest of the place, Heavyweight and Maud came in after me. "Slate, we should stick together." Heavyweight mentioned. "Well, keep up then," I said with a hint of impatience. "We have to find Sonata soon." They nodded and followed behind as I turned to the staircase near the entrance. When I placed my foot on the first step, it let out a loud creak in protest to having any weight placed on it. We carefully climbed the stairs up to the second-floor landing only to find dark hallways on either side. I thought I saw someone in one of the windows closer to the right end of the lodge, so that's where I wanted to start the search. We quietly made our way to the last door, but when we checked out the room, it was empty. Without another option, we began checking every door as we went back through the hallway but only found maybe three doors that would open, all of which were disappointingly empty. All the rest, however, were jammed or blocked up on the inside. We went and checked the other hallway, but found nothing. We had no clue if the whole place was going to be empty, but we still had the first floor, so we went back to the staircase. When we got there, something went clicking around the floor below. I looked back to Heavyweight and Maud and pressed a finger to my lips before turning off my flashlight. They followed my lead, and we cautiously made our way down the stairs, wincing when the second to last step creaked. I held my breath as I squinted, trying to catch sight of what could have made that sound. But to my relief, the room was empty. We turned our flashlights back on and looked around. "What was down here?" Heavyweight whispered to the both of us. "I don't know, man. But there are two more hallways that we gotta check." We went down the left-wing and found a whole lot of nothing, so we were left with the right hallway. We went through the usual process of checking the rooms individually, but I was getting the feeling that we would need to check the other buildings when out of nowhere, a door slammed shut at the end of the hallway. I ran into the hall and found Heavyweight outside a door messing with the handle. "Heavyweight, what happened?" Before he could answer, a loud crash came from inside the room. "Maud went in to check for Sonata," Heavyweight explained while trying to get the door open. "But something shut the door with her in it." We tried to break down the door, but something was barring our entry. "Maud, hang on, we're going to get you out of there!" Heavyweight called through the door. The ruckus that had been going on while we attempted to get into the room abruptly stopped. I gave it one more shove, but it remained shut. "Give me a minute. Maybe we can use something from the entrance to pry it open. See what you can do here, though." "Alright." Without wasting any time, I ran back to the main entrance. There was a stone fireplace with a dusty mantle right above it with a couple of decorations along with some old-style candleholders. On the floor, next to the chimney, was an overturned and empty rack. I then noticed a handle sticking out of the fireplace from underneath a mound of ashes. When i pulled it out, the handle turned out to be a part of a fire iron. "This poker should do it," I said while I examined it, getting ashes on my hands. Then without warning, Sonatas' voice called to me from a window that was just a few feet to the left of the fireplace. "Slate, help me..." Startled, I flicked my flashlight up to the window and caught sight of something very odd. What looked like a big cat, on account of the lynx-like face, peered over the window sill and stared directly at me. I leaned the poker up against the fireplace as I focused my flashlight on the big cat. Then the next thing I knew, a spindly, blood-soaked hand slapped against that same window. The cats' eyes began to emanate a piercing yellow glow as it slowly rose. That cat-like head sat upon a thin gray body with patches of fur hanging off of its slender frame. The hand was attached to a long arm that pressed up against the glass to stand up. Once it had reached its full height, it was nearly going past the top of the window frame. All the while, it never broke eye contact with me. That was right up until it looked beyond where I was standing. It then took off running to the left side of the lodge. I turned to see the front doors slightly cracked open. Before I could even begin to move towards it, that thing slammed one of the doors wide open and completely off its hinges as it stood right in the doorway. The creature was at least eight feet tall, give or take a foot thanks to its crooked stance. Its arms practically reached down to the floor as it took a few steps towards me. My heart began racing at the sight of that thing when its neck snapped and cracked as it tilted its head as if to show curiosity. The vision I had in the mine suddenly flooded into the forefront of my mind. That was the thing that had dragged Sonata out of the tunnel. In fear and rage, I barely managed to whisper, "You took her." It stopped about 18 feet away from me and froze suddenly for a few seconds before it straightened out its posture. It then hunched forward and placed its hands against the wood floor before it mimicked my voice in a distorted tone. "Took her…" it then tilted its head to the other side, and in an eerie imitation of Sonatas' voice asked, "Why didn't you save me, Slate?" It then flashed a toothy smile. It killed Aria I glanced at the poker as I prepared myself to fight. It noticed and in an unsettling combination of both mine and Sonatas' voices, it laughed, all the while taking slow, plodding steps forward. I turned and picked up the poker as fast as i could, but in the split second that I turned back to face it, it had closed the distance from the middle of the room. It took a swing at me with its long, thin arm, but I barely managed to raise the iron to try and block the hit. While it took the brunt of the blow, I still got sent rolling into a broken sofa with a loud crash, and I lost my grip on the poker. I pulled myself up from the debris only to find my whole body was swimming in colors of pain as I tried to keep my balance. It laughed again as it crawled closer before rearing up with a clawed hand poised to strike. "What happened, I heard a…" Heavyweight called to me as he ran out of the hallway and saw the monster. It had stopped to look and size him up before turning back to me. Luckily he managed to throw his full weight at it with a tackle as it swung, forcing it to barely miss my head by mere inches with an audible whoosh. In a spastic jerk of its arms, it knocked my friend across the floor. It then turned to grab Heavyweight by the leg, but I took a broken table leg and jammed the sharp end straight into its back. The impact of the strike shot through my wrists as the wood collided against its spine. It gave me a bit of confidence that we could fight off the slender creature, but then its head made a one-eighty degree turn to face me with a sickening crack. It then shot its freehand towards me and wrapped it around my neck before slamming me up against the wall. It then let go of Heavyweight and turned completely to face me as it slowly began to reach its other sharp claws right for my stomach. It was deliberately taking its time as it watched me struggle against it, seemingly deriving some sick joy from my efforts. There was little I could do other than hitting its arm and wrist, but that had little effect. But as soon as I grabbed onto its forearm, it completely stopped to watch as smoke began coming out of it. It recoiled with a screech as it let me go. Without a second to lose, I grabbed the poker and swung it at its face. More smoke began rising from the beast as it backed away. I wasn't sure what I had done, but the creature was desperately wiping at its face and where I had grabbed its arm as if trying to remove something. I then noticed a burn mark on its forearm in the shape of a handprint. I looked at my hand and saw that the ash had rubbed off. I realized at that moment that the ash was causing it to react. While it tried to get the ash off of it, I quickly stuck the poker into the ashes and took a handful. The creature growled as it leaped forward and swung its claws at me once more. Luckily I was able to roll out of the way of its wide arc. I quickly got up, and I threw the ashes I was carrying right in its face. It began gasping and choking as smoke billowed from its skin. I ran at it with the poker at the ready. It was about to swing its other arm, but I managed to stab the metal into its gut. It staggered back and yowled in pain as it attempted to remove the poker, but instead recoiled when its hand touched the ash-covered handle, which was causing smoke to come out of the wound. Not wanting to give it the chance to gain the upper hand again, I yelled, "No, you don't!" before landing a hard kick right on the handle, burying it deeper into its stomach. It toppled over as it squirmed and pushed itself away from me. I quickly checked on Heavyweight, who was woozy but otherwise alive and got him back up, all the while that thing managed to yank out the fire iron and to drag itself out the front. "Dude, are you alright?" I asked Heavyweight, trying to get him to focus. "Yeah, I think so," He replied, "What was that thing?" "I'm not sure," was the only thing I could say for sure. "But I don't want to find out. Come on, let's get Maud out of that room." We took the poker back over to the room. We wedged the tool into the edge of the door, and with a few hard shoves against the poker, the door finally gave way with a loud crack and splintering. Unsurprisingly, furniture and the bed had been wrecked or flipped over. What was worse was the blood spatter all over the room. There was no sign of Maud; all we found was a single pebble in the middle of the room. "No. Maud's gone," I said, realizing that only my friend and I were left. "That thing did this." "But where is the body?" Heavyweight asked now more troubled than ever. He then tried checking under the wreckage but couldn't find anything. "Why aren't you helping?" I shook my head and answered, feeling the pit in my stomach worsen by the second. "She isn't here; just look at the window." Blood dripped from the windowsill, so we went to check it out. There was a trail of red leading around the side of the lodge. "Come on." After clearing the glass from the window frame, I jumped out of the window. With my flashlight, I followed the trail of gore. Heavyweight followed me over to the window where the monster had left a bloody handprint. "If that thing came straight to this window, then there's no way it could have taken her that far, "I reasoned before following the rest of the trail. It went out past the front of the lodge and up to the well. Right on the edge of it laid a black teardrop-shaped piece of metal — the other half of the yin and yang charm. I reached out and picked it up to examine it closer. It still had the white dot, and on the reverse side was my name. I stared at it intensely, just waiting for a new vision to come to me, but nothing did. "Why isn't anything happening?" I asked, shaking the pendant. Heavyweight, noticeably more concerned than before, placed a hand on my shoulder. "Slate, something doesn't seem right." I didn't pay any attention to what he said and pointed my flashlight down into the well. It was pitch black, and no matter how hard I strained my eyes, I could not see the bottom. "They have to be down there." Suddenly the sound of fast, heavy footsteps were coming straight towards us. Heavyweight, in a panic, yelled, "It's back!" When I turned around, the monster had grabbed Heavyweight by the face and slammed him headfirst into the ground. Without stopping, it raised its deformed hand slashed straight down at me. I barely managed to lift my arms to protect my head, but its claws ripped into my left forearm. The force of the hit sent me reeling into the well, and whatever ambient light I was able to see was soon swallowed up by the darkness. Ch. 5 One Way Out of the AbyssAs I fell down that shaft, the sheer darkness seemed to fog my consciousness. It felt like I had been falling for hours even though I knew I had just been shoved into the well a moment ago, and my flashlight did nothing to illuminate my descent. I didn't even notice gravity's effect anymore except for the sound of air flowing past me. As confused as I felt, the only thing that I could do was think. Soon my mind began to wander to old and recent memories. I relived the morning that I learned about my mothers' death and how it felt like someone told a cruel joke that I couldn't grasp. I thought for some reason that dad was trying to scare me, that was until he sat next to me and broke down crying. It was just one of those times that even if she took the proper precautions, an outside influence proved to be more than enough to change our lives. And while the guy that caused the accident did get what was coming to him, it still did nothing to change what had transpired. Several months passed, and my attitude had changed at school, most of my friends noticed and drifted away. All except for Heavyweight, who stuck by me through those times. As time went on, he even got me into karate when he started. I recalled all the time I spent getting to know Sonata, how we first met, and the struggles that we had together. Looking back at those times from the outside in really began to show me how naive I had been. It made me realize that I should've been more aware and cautious of what her sisters were planning. Maybe then we wouldn't have been on the razor's edge as far as our friends went. I could've done more to investigate about them and possibly prevented any of it from escalating the way it did. Still, I never regretted meeting Sonata in the least, only that I was clueless as to what was going on. I suppose there was only so much an average person could do. I then drifted forward to when I experienced first hand what it was like to be a part of the terrified and untrusting crowd when this world's Twilight came to our school. For a while, it was difficult to separate the person she was trying to be from the one that we encountered during the games. I hate to admit it, but after what happened, I could understand why others treated Sonata and her sisters the way they did since my main concern was with who I could have lost thanks to another situation that no one could have foreseen. While the school and I managed to forgive her just like they did with the Dazzlings, it made me wonder, "When will it happen again?" My mind flashed through all the horrors that had relentlessly hunted my companions and me that night. One by one, they had been snuffed out in the most gruesome of ways possible. There had to have been something, anything that I could've done to prevent them from dying. As I ran through all the what-ifs that I could, an image of Sonata sitting with her knees pulled up to her face as she cried softly began materializing in my mind. I could've sworn that she was right in front of me even though I knew my mind had to be playing tricks on me. Little by little, however, her body contorted and elongated. She began to look very similar to the creature that knocked me into the cistern. It began reaching a hand right for my face, and I could feel my heart threatening to leap right out of my chest. My eyes shot open with my heartbeat racing in my ears. I soon realized that I was lying against a cold stone floor, so I pushed myself up. That turned out to be a painful task as my left arm began to sting with pain from the gashes along the top. I couldn't see anything within an inch of my nose, so I felt around in the dark to find my flashlight. Several minutes passed before my fingertips nudged it. When I tried to switch the flashlight on, it was flickering badly and threatening to leave me stranded in the dark. I smacked it a couple of times before getting it to stay on for the most part. At least with some visibility restored, I could check the claw marks that the monster had left on me. The sight was pretty jarring, on account of the drying blood caked on to my arm. Taking a deep breath, I carefully removed my backpack and took out a spare shirt. I wrapped and tied it as best as I could around my forearm, if for no other reason than to try and protect it. With that taken care of, I got up and looked around the area. It seemed that I had stumbled into a cave system underneath that abandoned town. I then pointed the flashlight directly above me only to see a small dot of light that pierced the darkness, and to be quite frank, I was utterly baffled. "How am I still alive?" How indeed, something emanated from the dark. "Ah hell, that thing followed me down here." I swung my flashlight, attempting to find where the voice originated. Make no mistake, that miserable bag of flesh and fur could never compare to any of my capabilities. Still, it does have its use, albeit with a rough touch. "So, if you sent that thing after us, then that means you have Sonata." I accused the emptiness. You are correct, it responded. "Let her go!" I yelled. You are genuinely one tracked in your desires. You are just going to wind up like the rest of your friends as soon as you both escape. But if you follow my instructions, you may make it out alive. "Shut up and let her go!" I repeated. "If you're the cause of all this, we're dead anyway, so I'll take my chances." Hmm, I sense that you're going to be difficult, the voice said more disappointed. Perhaps it should have been expected, seeing the sacrifices you made. Still, anyone will do anything with the proper motivation. Everything went silent as I checked around, trying to track whatever was down there with me. Suddenly from further within the caverns' depths, a scream rang out. It was Sonata, but she wasn't calling out for help, just yelling in agony. As this went on, the voice then said. If you want this to stop, you'll cooperate. I wanted to get her out of there, but I had no idea what this thing wanted. Sonatas' screams got even louder as she shouted, "Stop! Stop! Aaaahhh!!" "Alright! Alright! Leave her alone. I'll do what you want!" I cried out. Shortly after that, it was as if something had covered her mouth as her cries became muffled. Good. Now look for a large crack in the wall with your light. Without any other options, I followed its orders. Towards the far end of the chamber, there was a split in the rock, just big enough for someone to crouch in. Go through. I went over and checked inside the passageway to find that it went further into the earth. I took a deep breath before I pressed on through. I had no idea where it was leading but knew that I had to keep a level head. It's fascinating seeing how far you're willing to push yourself to save this girl — recklessly searching while throwing your companions to the wind. As I made my way through the narrow tunnel, I responded, "I didn't know any of this was going to happen. I never wanted any of them to end up dying." Then why didn't you listen to your friends? It gleefully pointed out. Surely creatures one could only find in nightmares would have been a clear sign that death was just around the corner. "Because I couldn't let her die out here, and I wasn't the only one who felt that way!" Yes, this girl's sister. The voice acknowledged. She might have been a better candidate, but she wasn't as aware as I would have hoped and was ultimately not as easily manipulated. I continued through the passage as it widened a bit more. The voice went silent, waiting for me to reply, but I just contemplated what it had mentioned. You are very similar to others that have crossed my path. It continued. So determined to find someone, something spirited away. But the girl you've been looking for is entirely different. I was beginning to wonder what this thing was getting at. I could see a dim green glow that was barely even visible further off in the tunnel. I could sense a power almost like my own, albeit much weaker. It's something that I could use. Probably even more adeptly than this girl could. I had finally reached the end of the tunnel and found myself in a large chamber dotted with a glowing green moss-like substance that clung to the walls. Since it only hung closer to the ceiling, it gave off a sickly glow that left the floor in the inky darkness. There was, however, a section of the wall that lacked any of the moss. It was just as dark as the floor. "Enough, where is she!" I demanded. Almost as if it came up from the shadows, the voice said, Right in front of you. Suddenly, the shadows that obscured that one part of the wall slid off to reveal some moss higher up. As it wriggled away, I could see Sonata secured to the wall by black tendrils that wrapped around her and even covered her mouth. I shone my light at her and saw long cuts up along her legs and her tearstained face. She flinched at the brightness before she tried to scream out to me. "Sonata!" I broke into a full-on sprint. I could see Sonata shaking her head as she continued to try and yell but was only able to make a muffled cry. Before I was less than fifteen feet away from her, something pulled itself up from out of the shadows between Sonata and me. It was huge, too big to have laid merely flat against the ground and not be seen. It was as big as a large van. I shone my light directly on it and could see scaly frills running along its spine. Its head looked horse-like and even had a front pair of hooves. Its hind legs, however, were fused into a finned tail. Its whole body was black except for its eyes, which were dark red, and its pearly white serrated teeth. And right in the middle of its chest was an obsidian sphere. It focused its stare directly at me before speaking. Now, now. Don't get ahead of yourself. "What the hell is this," I said with a noticeable quiver. The thing pushed itself up with its forelegs and gave a broad, toothy grin. This form is what that girl is. It's fantastic, not once in my entire existence have I encountered a creature so ideally suited for hiding amongst such unsuspecting prey. My legs would not move as the large shadow that towered over me began to circle me. It then let out a frustrated sigh. That's why it infuriates me to no end that this girl refused my offer so adamantly. She would have had all my power and been able to save all of your companions. But she said no. Can you believe that? Still, that is why I anticipated at least one of you making it to me. "Then, this whole night was a sick vetting process?" I asked. The dark creature didn't reply but instead flashed a sickeningly gleeful smile. "I'm going to get Sonata out of here. But first, I'm going to kill you." Its eyes flashed with excitement. Do you mean that? Soon, the creature collapsed in on itself into the black orb. It then reformed itself into a more humanoid shape right next to Sonata. It was at least a foot taller than me and had a thin muscular build, but it still had those red eyes and serrated teeth. I'd like to see what you're capable of first hand, it said. It then turned to look at Sonata and stroked her cheek with its forefinger as she flinched at its touch. And to ensure you don't decide to run or lose that fire. Its fingertips then morphed into vicious-looking talons. As it placed them to her neck, her eyes went wide with fear. When I saw what was about to happen to her, I ran as fast as I could towards them. It then merely stated with a hint of indifference, What a pity. I was just a foot away from grabbing it by the arm, but it had already raked its claws through her throat. It laughed as it melted back into the dark. "No!" was all I could get out as a warm spray of red spattered my face and shirt. I stopped in sheer disbelief. Her eyes welled up with tears before they rolled back. Her head dropped to her chest as her blood flowed out and drenched her shirt. The tendrils suddenly released her, letting her fall forward. I quickly grabbed her and laid her gently on the floor. I tried to stop the bleeding by pulling off the shirt on my forearm and held it against her neck. "Come on," I pleaded. "You've gotta make it! Please..." Unfortunately, there was nothing that I could do. That creature came up behind me and whispered, Do you still have the will to kill me? Without thinking, I spun around and threw an uppercut and landed it on its chin. The creature recoiled only slightly and replied, Ah. Very good. It jumped back and gave one last response as I got ready. Don’t disappoint me. I gave one more glance at Sonata's body before I took the charms I had found and used the last of the parachute cord to wrap my right hand and hold them in place between my fingers. As soon as I stood up, it ran forward and threw a massive right back punch that crashed into both my forearms as I barely managed to protect my head. It then threw a strike with its left hand and caught me on my right side, knocking me onto the ground. I stood back up and wrapped my arm around my side, and found some blood staining my palm. The flashlight glinted off the creature's extended claws and its toothy grin. You know, most people who have sought me out came with weapons, and yet you decide to face me with some scraps of metal. Not very bright. It said while walking towards me. It then swung with its claws once more at my head. Luckily, I ducked past its attack and caught it with my right elbow to where I assumed its floating rib was. Ha, that was an excellent- it began, but I spun out of that first strike and threw a right cross and embedded the charms in its face. "Shut up!" I yelled as I threw a sidekick to its knee and brought it down lower before using the back of the flashlight as a baton on its head. I was about to hit it again when it caught my left arm. My oh my. Such anger. It stood back up and lifted me off the ground by my arm. Perhaps there is some potential in you. It slowly tightened its grip on my arm. Then again, you did manage to get all of your group killed. Little by little, the bones in my forearm were starting to bend. I tried to pull my arm free with my right hand, but that did nothing. I landed a hard kick on its side, still nothing. The bones were starting to bow, so I threw a roundhouse into its belly, and it hardly moved it. I swore the bones were beginning to rub against each other as my wrist involuntarily twisted. With very little hope left, I threw one more roundhouse into its chest and felt a hard bump against my shin as soon as I felt that it let me drop to the floor as it gasped and held its chest. It took a couple of steps back, trying to recompose itself. I checked my left arm with the light and found blood trickling from the reopened wound. And very gradually, I was starting to feel dizzy. Suddenly the thing raised both its hands over its head and clasped them together before it swung them down. My arms were practically screaming when I crossed them overhead and blocked the hit while it forced me to drop to a knee. It then threw a front kick right at my head. With a quick pivot of my knee, I let it pass right on by before I grabbed it by the crook of its leg and shot forward. Using the momentum of my whole body, I pulled its legs from underneath it and threw that thing onto the ground. The next thing I knew, I had jumped over its legs and stomped down on its stomach and chest. Suddenly, several sharp points dug into my right calf. It had wrapped its claws around my leg and said Gotcha. It lifted my foot off its chest and rolled over, slamming me onto my back. It grabbed me by the shoulders and picked me up. It then let out a low, Aahh, as it opened its jaws wide. It felt like time had slowed down as those teeth drew closer to me, so I quickly jammed the flashlight handle into the back of its mouth. In its surprise, it jerked back and shoved me away. Using the newly gained space, I lunged forward, and with an open hand, struck the blinding light as hard as I could, ramming it even further down its throat. It wheezed as it reached a clawed hand up to the lodged flashlight, but I was far from finished. I used a left palm strike on its chin, sending a few of its teeth clattering to the cavern floor before it let out an angry growl. I then yanked out the flickering flashlight and struck the monster across the chest. There was a loud clack as the metal hit that black orb. The creature recoiled from the strike. It became clear that that was the best way to try and kill it, so I readied the flashlight once more, but before I could swing, a sudden sharp pain erupted from my abdomen. I looked down to see that the thing had thrust its claws through the muscle up to its wrist. I couldn't even scream due to the immeasurable pain as I dropped my only weapon. It then used its other hand to grab me by the neck and pin me to the ground. It got in close and panted out. This was more entertaining than I expected. But I'm still alive. Perhaps this just wasn't meant to be. While it taunted, I had been feeling around the floor for something, anything that I could to try and kill it. Right when I thought I was slipping away, I brushed across one of its teeth I had knocked out. Oh well, perhaps someone else will come looking for all of yo- it stopped as I stabbed the tooth between the obsidian orb and its dark flesh. I yanked the tooth downward, making the cut even wider before I forced my hand into it, and with whatever strength I had left tore that stone from its chest as I coughed up blood. I barely managed rasp out, "You're probably right." as my vision blurred. The moss that clung to walls and ceiling began to look like stars dotting the night sky as I heard weak laughter. The last thing I managed to see was the outline of Sonata lying there in the dark before everything faded out. I suppose another human is acceptable, for now. I felt the air enter my lungs as I began to stir and suddenly realized that I wasn't dead. I shot straight up and found myself back in my sleeping bag in Heavyweight's tent, but no sign of Heavyweight. I then checked my body but didn't see any gashes, cuts, or wounds. "What the hell," I mumbled before putting on my shoes. When I stepped out of the tent, I nearly had a heart attack when I saw everyone. They were up and about in the morning light, but they retained all their injuries from the whole night. Heavyweight came over to me and asked, "You alright, Slate? You look really out of it." I rubbed my eyes and screamed internally. Oh, God! It all did happen! When I opened them again, everyone was back to normal. "What?" I asked in confusion. Aria came over and scowled at me. "If he hasn't thrown up, he's fine." She then placed a hand over her mouth before she ran behind a tree. Looking around, everyone seemed a little green around the gills. Even my stomach was gurgling in protest to any movement. I went to sit at one of the logs next to Sonata. "Morning, Sonata. Are you feeling sick too?" She nodded before replying, "My stomach is killing me." "Hang on. Maybe some water will help." I went to the cooler and asked Big Mac, "Hey, did everyone wake up sick today?" Big Mac answered as best he could, "Ee-*hurp*-yup. Maybe the cider was a might too strong." Maud walked over to us with the bag of marshmallows in hand. "Sorry, it turned out that the marshmallows that Pinkie Pie gave us were slightly expired." "So, dumb question, but did anyone else have any nightmares?" I asked a bit queasy. Heavyweight answered while holding his stomach, "If I had to guess, this is it. And I'd honestly have to chalk it up to the booze and food poisoning." Everyone else halfheartedly nodded while I took a couple of water bottles and went back to sit with Sonata. While everyone was recuperating, Sonata whispered to me, "Hey, Slate. Did you call me last night?" I was absolutely at a loss for words. After everyone had just told me that nothing happened, I wasn't sure how to respond. I just gave the best answer I could, "I don't think so." "Hmm, I guess I must have dreamt that then," she said a bit confused. After we were able to recover from that marshmallow mishap, we carried on with the rest of the camping trip just like the day before. We got in some swimming, Big Mac caught some fish, we did some hiking, and there was no sign of anything out of the ordinary during the day or night. The one thing that did leave me wondering, however, was when I could have sworn that I saw a black bump on my palm for a second. But when I checked my hand thoroughly, there was nothing. I just guessed it was a trick of the light and enjoyed the rest of the trip with my friends. Both subjects are still alive, as well as the other campers. A new host was selected. Further observation is required to determine if the process was successful.
Ch. 1 Summer is HereWhen I first moved into town with my dad and enrolled at Canterlot High School, my only concerns were to settle in and try to fit in. That changed, however, when I met a girl named Sonata Dusk. As we got better acquainted, we became inseparable, in spite of a crisis that we barely averted. Jumping ahead to the last weekend before school let out for the summer, Sonata and I had made it our routine to train together on Saturday mornings. This time, however, her sister, Aria Blaze, decided to join us that day. “Alright, let's finish up with some blocking drills," I said to Sonata and Aria. “What? Seriously, that’s how you’re going to end class?” Aria nagged as she placed her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. “Lame. When are we going to fight?” “Sorry, but this was just drill training," I offered, trying not to let her get under my skin. "Besides, it's a bad idea to ‘practice' without the right gear. You know, on account of injury." As we were going back and forth, Sonata seemed uneasy, almost as if she was waiting for all hell to break loose. "Heh. You're just afraid that I'll whup you," Aria said smugly. I pinched the bridge of my nose as I exhaled profoundly trying not to lose my patience. "No. Not particularly." Sonata then stepped in and scolded Aria, “You know, you could’ve just stayed back at the apartment if all you wanted to do was be a jerk.” Aria narrowed her eyes at Sonata without breaking eye contact for a while before she started cracking up. When she saw the confused looks on our faces, she laughed even harder before she addressed both of us. "Heh, you guys need to lighten up. I'm just messing with you two. Anyways, I'll see you back at the apartment. Don't take forever though, unless you want Adagio to throw one of her hissy fits because you missed practice.” She gave a quick nonchalant wave to the both of us before she turned back towards the apartment building and began walking away. All the while we stood there still unsure of what exactly happened. I shook my head in exasperation before glancing at Sonata. The bright red flush on her cheeks betrayed her attempts to hide the embarrassment as she rubbed her forehead. She then turned to me and apologized. “I'm so sorry about that, Slate. When she said that she was bored and wanted to join us today, I didn’t think she’d act like that.” “It’s alright," I reassured her. "No harm no foul. Still, I have to ask. I know Aria acts like that around us and our friends, but is she always like that?" Sonata rubbed the back of her neck before replying, “She's always liked to push everyone's buttons. Since she started doing that program that Celestia had the three of us do, Aria had to stop being as aggressive as she used to be. I guess this is how she lets off steam now. But at least she hasn't done that to strangers, recently.” “Well, at least there's that. We can only hope Aria doesn't get any ideas. I'd hate to have to bail her out for something as dumb as that.” “Yeah,” Sonata agreed with a nod. With our Saturday morning training pretty much derailed, we decided to take a seat at one of the benches before continuing with our conversation. I took a deep breath and exhaled. " I can't help thinking that there might be some students like that when I start helping out at Mr. Will’s dojo this summer." Sonata thought about that for a second and then replied, "Well, you've done a great job teaching me, and you didn't blow up at Aria when she kept on trying to get on your nerves, so I think you’ll do fine. If it had been Adagio, she would've let her have it.” "Thanks, Sonata, I appreciate that, "I offered with a smile. "By the way, since you mentioned it, how’re things going with Adagio?" “Well she still has kind of a short temper, but she’s trying.” "Hmm, yeah I've seen how quickly she gets upset, especially whenever our friends bring up past events.” "That's true, but they kind of do that regularly," Sonata added. "I don't want to make a big deal out of it, but it seems like they do it on purpose." I thought about it for a minute or two. "Well, unfortunately, I think it's more of a bad habit of theirs, but I'm pretty sure that our friends aren't doing it to put anybody down. Still, it does seem like that sometimes." "Yeah. They even do it with Twilight ever since the Games." Sonata pointed out. "Huh? Oh yeah. That's true," I said remembering just then about that day. Asides from Sonata and her sisters, I had gotten to know a group of girls who were very involved at the school. They competed against our rivals, Crystal Prep, in an event called the Friendship Games, which was an oxymoron in itself since both schools were kind of at each other’s throats. As it turned out though, Twilight had been going to that school. Although according to our friends this wasn’t the same person that we had initially met. Asides from that, this Twilight caused a bunch of crazy stuff to happen during the games. Regardless of that, however, when everything came to a close, she transferred over to our school and thus became part of that group. I couldn't help asking Sonata out of curiosity, "Hey is it just me or does this school seem to draw strange things to it?" Sonata just shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe. Wait, are you calling me strange?” "Well if I am, that’d include me too." "You did stick around me when no one else would, so kind of," Sonata said with a smile while she played around with the necklace I had given her a while back. I gave her a sly look before replying, "But in all honesty, you are a bit strange." I then raised my hand with the index finger and thumb just half an inch apart for her to see. She giggled before lightly shoving me. “You jerk.” I couldn't help cracking a smile, and replied, "Hey, I meant in a cute way.” We shared a kiss right before we heard a familiar voice. “Aww, you two are adorable.” Thoroughly startled, we turned to find Rainbow Dash standing there as she realized just then that she had interrupted us. She sheepishly asked, “Is this a bad time?” I just sighed. "No." She rubbed the back of her neck and could only offer an apology. “Heh, sorry.” Sonata then spoke up, “It’s okay. So what’s up?” "Not much really," Rainbow answered. "But, I wanted to let you guys know everyone else was going to meet up at the mall to get a few things for the camping trip. Wanna come?” Sonata thought it over before asking me, “What do you think?” “Sure. I'm up for it. At what time, Rainbow?” “We were going to meet up at around two o’clock.” “Yeah, that works for me. What about you, Sonata?” She took one more moment to think it over before replying. "Yeah, I just need to take care of a few things before then." Rainbow nodded. “Well, then we’ll see you there.” "Okay, see you then, "I confirmed before she headed off towards the other end of the park. Sonata then turned to me. “We should probably get back to the apartment and get ready for that.” “Alright then, let’s go.” With that said we began the walk back to our apartment building so she could get to her singing practice with her sisters. When I made it to my apartment, I let Dad know about my plans right away. Without wasting any time, I helped him with whatever needed to be done around the apartment and we finished the chores by noon. With nothing else to do but wait till Sonata was ready to go, I decided to get showered and changed out. Having freshened up, I looked over at an application that I had on my desk. Mr. Iron Will had given it to me when I asked about helping out around his dojo over the summer. He said it would take a week at least to figure out if I was cut out for becoming an assistant. So I felt that I had to impress him with whatever I put onto that sheet. It would be great if I knew what he was looking for exactly. Well, I have to put something, I thought. I began filling out the form but didn't complete it. I wanted to make it as impressive as possible to give me the best chance. My phone suddenly blinked to life with a text from Sonata. “Hey, Slate. We finished our practice session. Are you ready to go?” With some quick tapping of my phone, I sent, "Yes, give me five minutes, and I'll meet you down by the entrance. See you soon." I said bye to Dad as I headed out the door and raced down the stairwell, skipping steps so I wouldn't be too late. Shortly after that, I burst through the entrance door. Sonata was standing there, shifting her weight between her heels and toes, seemingly out of boredom before she saw me. “Oh, there you are. Ready to go?” She asked. "Yeah, sorry to keep you waiting," I offered. “It’s alright,” she said as we started down the street towards downtown. “Still, what were you doing?” "Just working on my application for the dojo," I explained. “Oh. I really hope that you get the job,” Sonata reassured. "Thanks, I do too. But anyways, how was practice?" She seemed to be concentrating as if to recall what they went over precisely before she replied. "Well, for the most part, it went well. Although I don’t think Adagio or Aria had been expecting me to be back so soon for our practice. Either way, we got through a few scale exercises and part of one of our older songs.” "Hmm, it sounds like things are improving. Then again, I don't think I've heard Aria or Adagio sing before. At least not consciously.” She shrugged. “Yeah, they don’t like having an audience unless they sound perfect.” I raised an eyebrow at that statement. "Then how do they do it to practice at the school's music room along with the Rainbooms?” Without even a bit of hesitation, she said, "It's a necessary sacrifice." I wasn't sure how to react to that and just replied, "Wow." Upon hearing my response, she waved her hands in front of herself in a desperate attempt to clarify what she meant. “Aria’s words, n-not mine!” Her face began to glow bright red in embarrassment as she continued. “I actually do like practicing with them." Unable to suppress a slight chuckle I replied, "Heh, I figured that's what you meant. I didn't think that either of your sisters thought that exactly." “Ahem, yeah. I don't know, Adagio and Aria never liked letting go of grudges." Sonata rubbed the back of her neck. "Eh, don't worry about it too much. It just takes time.” Her only response to that was, “Hopefully.” We continued with our conversation, eventually arriving at the mall with a few minutes to spare. As we walked in through one of the department stores, I realized that we hadn't asked where they wanted to meet. Oh well, pretty sure we will run into them, I thought as we continued into the main mall with its brightly lit interior. I hadn't been to that mall more than maybe four times, but every time it seemed like new stores replaced the ones I saw previously. I could only assume that most of the mall's patrons were a fickle bunch and went along with the trends, but I guess that's just business. The only part that seemed to have remained unchanged was the food court. Coincidentally, that was where we found our friends waiting. “Slate. Sonata. There you guys are,” Rainbow called to us as we made our way over to where she and Sunset were seated. “ I was starting to think that you two probably had other plans.” "Nah, we just weren't sure where you all were going to meet, "I offered in response. "My bad." Sunset shook her head. “It’s alright. The point is you guys made it.” Sonata then asked, “So, what’s the plan?” “Lunch, for starters,” Applejack said as she set down a tray with a couple of pizza slices from the nearby pizza parlor. “Everyone else is picking out what to eat. Ain’t you two getting anything?” “Yeah. We’ll be right back,” Sonata nodded. We looked around and tried to decide on what we felt like getting. Eventually, we had settled on Tex-Mex food and made it back to the table. As everyone ate and conversed, Sonata turned to me. “So, after this, we’re going to be looking around for camping gear?” "Yeah, I guess there's an outdoors store here or something for that," I replied. Rarity upon hearing our conversation joined in. “Actually, darling, we were planning on looking for suitable outfits and clothing for the camping trip. There isn’t any real need for a lot of the usual camping supplies.” A bit confused, I asked, "Really, how so?” AJ then answered. “‘Cause we’re going to a campground that already has everything.” I turned to Rarity who nodded at AJs statement. She then added, "Since it's for the school camping trip, it makes more sense to have it at one of those campgrounds. Besides, it’s a bit of a school tradition to have it at Camp Everfree.” AJ then retorted, "Well if you ask me, it kinda takes the fun out of camping." Rainbow Dash leaned back in her chair with her hands behind her head. “As long as they have plenty of cool activities, who cares that we don’t have to rough it.” Fluttershy then softly added, “I just hope we get to see all the cute animals out there." Sonata nodded and then turned to our other friends before posing a question. “What about you three? What do you guys think about the trip?” Twilight a bit caught off guard sheepishly replied, “Well, it might be fun. I'm not all that fond of the outdoors.” Pinkie Pie in her usual excited tone answered with, "Ooh, ooh, I'm looking forward to the campfire songs and scary stories! And I'm especially looking forward to roasting marshmallows!" Sunset, still smiling at Pinkie's comment, added, “Personally, it’s a first for me.” She then asked us a question of her own, “And what about you two, what are you looking forward to on the trip?” Sonata and I shared a look before I turned back to Sunset. “Oh, um, the funny thing is neither of us signed up in time to go on the trip. Not that we didn’t want to, just that the list filled up pretty quickly.” Rarity apologetically offered, “That is a shame. It would have been nice for all of us to have gone on this trip together.” "Yeah, it would have been an experience," I said with a slight hint of disappointment. Sonata, trying to keep a positive outlook, then spoke up, " I'm sure that we can find something to do here in town." A few of our friends thoughtfully nodded while AJ seemed to be mulling something over. Either way, we finished up our lunch and started walking around the mall. We browsed a few clothing stores as the girls looked for stylish summer wear. In all honesty, since most of the stores that we checked out mainly catered to girls, it wasn't all that interesting to me. Still, Sonata seemed to be enjoying the shopping, so I endured. I guess that AJ noticed my mild disinterest because she came over and began talking to me. “You know, Slate, if you and Sonata are still interested in going camping, Big Mac was thinking of going on a trip of his own for a couple of days while we were out at Camp Everfree. He would have signed up for the school trip too, but he prefers actual camping trips in the woods instead of the whole campgrounds sort of deal.” "Huh, well that's a nice offer. I wouldn't want to impose though." AJ just shook her head and reassured me. “It isn’t a problem at all. Big Mac prefers to camp with others since it'll make the setup and teardown go a bit more smoothly. Plus it's always better to go in a group." Right at that moment Sonata and Pinkie Pie came strolling up to us with a couple of bags in hand. With a bit of curiosity, Sonata asked, "Hey, What are you two talking about?” Applejack took the opportunity to tell her herself. “Just letting Slate here know that Big Mac wanted to go on a camping trip of his own and seeing if you two would like to join him.” Just then Pinkie interjected excitedly, “Hey, do you think maybe Maud could join you guys? She was saying that she’d like Boulder to ‘get some fresh air’, so why not have her meet some friends as well.” Applejack shrugged and replied, “I'm pretty sure he wouldn’t mind.” She then turned to Sonata and me and asked once more, “So, whaddya say? All you’d need to bring is a tent and your sleeping bags.” Sonata gave me an uncertain look. “Well, it’s a bit sudden. Can we get back to you on that?” I had to agree with Sonata. "Yeah, I think we need a little time to decide for sure. You understand, right?” AJ nodded and said, “It’s alright. If you do decide that you want to go, let me know sometime this week.” With a nod, I told her, "Will do." For another half hour, we checked out a few other stores before everyone had found the clothes they wanted. Shortly after that, we said our goodbyes. As Sonata and I left the mall, she turned to me and spoke up. "So, what do you think of the whole camping thing?" I adjusted one of her shopping bags that I was carrying over my shoulder while putting together my thoughts on that. "Well, I'd like to see what the local forest is like first hand. It would be a good way to clear my head about starting work. What about you?” She seemed a bit uncertain. " I'd like to, but it also depends on what Adagio says. Our singing hasn't been improving as fast as she had wanted, so she has her mind set on making us practice harder while we’re out on vacation." Thinking quickly I suggested, "I guess I understand what she's trying to do, but there is such a thing as overdoing it. Taking a break for a couple of days from practice can be helpful. Either way, I get how you feel since I have to let Dad know about this if we want to go on this trip. So here’s hoping that he isn’t going to say no.” Sonata looked up at the sky before replying. “I just hope that she sees it that way." When we got back to the apartment building, it was nearly five o'clock, so we quickly took the stairs up to her floor. She got the door open before turning back to me. I handed back her bag, and she leaned in to give me a quick kiss. She then said, "Wish me luck. I'll let you know what happens in a while.” “Let him know about what?” Adagio said surprising Sonata. Still trying to gather her wits about her, Sonata turned to meet Adagio who was standing there with her arms crossed. “Hey, Adagio. What brings you over?” "Well, I saw the door open and you two just standing out here, so I decided to see what was going on," Adagio said in a deadpan manner. “Oh, well we can talk about that inside.” Sonata slipped past her into the apartment. “Talk to you later, Slate.” "Alright, talk to you then, Sonata," I replied to her as she shut her room door. I then turned to Adagio. "So… how have things been?" “They could be better.” She frowned. "Um, why's that?" I asked, wondering if she was upset. “Because our singing is still awful.” “Hmm. Sonata said that your rehearsals were starting to sound better.” She then furrowed her brow and in a huff replied, “Well, if we are improving, we’re doing it at a snail's pace.” Seeing that she was frustrated by the situation I tried to offer some encouragement. "Well, you know what they say, ‘Slow and steady wins the race.' I know the feeling of not seeing the results that you wanted right away." She rolled her eyes. “Easy enough for you to say.” As soon as she said that Aria walked out from the living room and loudly announced, “Adagio’s just upset that her voice was cracking during practice today. Like a guy hitting puberty.” She proceeded to head to the kitchen. Adagio, starting to blush, yelled back at Aria, “Shut up!” Her voice cracked as she raised her voice, to which Aria replied, “Just like that.” Adagio could only rub the ridge of her nose in frustration. "So, that barely started today?" I asked trying my damnedest not to smirk. Still visibly annoyed, Adagio replied, “Not exactly, my throat was bothering me earlier yesterday. Why?” I cleared my throat and tapped my chin, trying to decide whether or not to tell her what I thought. "Well, um, you may not want to hear this, but you might be coming down with something." I paused to study her expression and see if she wasn't going to fly off the handle. Luckily she seemed to be listening intently. “It might be a good idea to dial back your rehearsals, at least until you’re feeling better.” She narrowed her eyes at me before replying with, “Is that so?” I sighed and continued, "C'mon, Adagio. I'm not trying to keep you and the others from improving. All I meant was that it doesn't help to push yourself while you are sick. That might make your condition worse.” Adagio crossed her arms in contemplation of my advice. "Well just for the sake of argument say I was getting sick. So what if I keep on practicing while I'm sick? What's the worst that would come of it?" "Well," I began, "You could strain your voice and put yourself further back than if you had just given yourself time to recuperate. Like I said before, I'm just trying to offer some advice." She raised an eyebrow and then said, "Hmm… I'll keep that in mind." It became awkwardly silent, so I decided to shove off. "Well gotta get going. I hope you feel better. Later." Her only response was, “Later,” as she went inside and closed the door. Well, I can only hope that this plays out well, I thought as I went up to my apartment. When I got in, Dad was in the kitchen preparing dinner. "Hey, Dad. I'm back.” “Slate, perfect timing. Come over here and help me finish this up.” I washed my hands and got to cutting up some of the ingredients that he had set out on the counter before tossing them into the pan. We set the table with a couple of plates and sets of silverware so we could start eating as soon as the dish finished cooking. As I got us some glasses for our drinks, Dad asked, “So how was it at the mall?” I thought about it as I handed him his glass. "It was alright. We were mainly there for some window shopping.” Or at least I was, anyway. Rarity bought about three pairs of shoes. “Oh, sounds a bit boring,” Dad replied. “No. Well, maybe just a bit, "I reasoned as we began to eat. "But one of our friends was telling me that her brother was going on a camping trip. She asked if Sonata and I wanted to join him." He wore a quizzical look as he set aside his fork. “So, do you want to go along with them?” “It crossed my mind. But I wanted to make sure it'd be alright with you if I did." "Well, that depends on when that trip takes place." “It’s supposed to be during the first week of vacation. Y'know, to kick off the summer.” Dad pondered that a bit before finally saying, "Well if it's while you're out for vacation, I have no problem with you joining them." I breathed a sigh of relief as we finished up our dinner. I washed the dishes before I retired to my room where I found that I had a text from Sonata. “I hope it went well,” I thought aloud. Sonata: Adagio said I could go. I sent back: Glad to hear it. Sonata: Yeah, but she said that I should be looking forward to long practice sessions when I get back. Slate: Oh, sorry about that part. Not quite what I expected. Sonata: Yeah. I'll let you know if anything else changes. Slate: Alright, talk to you later. I put up my phone and started surfing the internet. I decided to go online one last time before going to bed and check my emails. To my surprise, there was a message that had been sent earlier that morning by my good friend from my hometown, Heavyweight. "Huh, wonder what he sent.” I wondered out loud, thinking back to the times we would hang out with our circle of friends after school and over at karate practice. We were extremely competitive, but we never let it get too out of hand, for the most part. On top of that, he was always reliable and happy to help out with any problems that any of our other friends were going through. I clicked the email and found a brief message. Hey, Slate, you still alive? Haven't heard anything from you in a while. I wrote up a quick message of my own. Yeah, sorry about that. Things have been pretty crazy around here. Mainly with school and getting ready to start at a new job. I wasn't expecting any response right away but was pleasantly surprised to find a new message of his within a few minutes of sending mine. Well hope the job pans out. Also, you're still in school? We got out last week around here. I typed up, I'm in school for one more week, and then I'll be heading out on a camping trip with a few other people from around here to kick off the summer. Neat, I made plans to go on a solo road trip. Maybe I might stop by to catch a few days out in the wilderness with you. When exactly are you going camping? You know what? I'm not entirely sure. I can ask so you can know more or less when to come by. Sounds good. I'll be waiting on that message. Talk to you later. Heavyweight signed off, leaving me to contemplate the last week of school. Since it was already getting late, I just turned in for the night. My vision slowly came into focus, and I found myself standing in front of someone. I wanted to rub my eyes and hopefully be able to see better but couldn't even manage a twitch. Hmm, mmm, err. Why can't I move? I can barely see anything. Is this a storage room? Wait a minute; Sonata's been right in front of me this whole time? “Slate, you've got to snap out of it!” She shook me by the shoulders frantically, but my whole body was numb. I couldn't feel a thing she did to try and get me to move. She then looked past me and that look of panic slowly crumbled into one of despair as her eyes were watering up as she looked at me directly once more. “I'm sorry, Slate.” She then planted a kiss on my lips, and to my surprise, I felt the warmth of it. Not only that but I could feel a jolt that surged through my body. Then just as suddenly as she had kissed me she shoved me to the ground. And when I hit the floor, I was suddenly back in bed. "Hah, ah. What? Uh, why did I dream of that night again?" I thought aloud as I sat up. I've tried not to dwell on past events, but that night was something entirely different that forced its way into the forefront of my mind. Still, I suppose it pushed me to train as hard as I could. Well, at least a little good has come of it, I thought. Skipping ahead to Monday we went through our morning classes like normal, although for the most part every teacher was pretty lax about us just talking amongst ourselves to pass the time. There never was that much to do on the last week anyway. At lunch Sonata and I found AJ as soon as we could. "Hey, Applejack," I greeted. “Hi, AJ. How was your Sunday?” Sonata asked as we sat at the table. “Hi, Slate. Hi, Sonata. Sunday was alright. Had to do the usual chores around the farm but it wasn’t too bad.” She took a bite out of her lunch before continuing. “What about you two?” "Well, I practiced with my sisters for a few hours." I then spoke up. "Pretty much just went grocery shopping during the afternoon. Nothing too exciting." AJ smiled. “Sounds relaxing.” I gave a slight shrug. " I suppose." She then asked, “So, have y’all settled on whether you’re going to go camping? Big Mac said that he was fine with having a small group go with him. Maud is going too.” “Yeah, we’re good to go,” Sonata said. "Pretty much, "I added in agreement. "Just one thing." “Sure, what is it?” AJ asked. “An old friend of mine from out of town was coming to visit. Would it be alright if he joined us? Pretty sure he’d be able to help with the transport as well.” She quickly responded, “Big Mac won’t mind. I'll let him know. He also said that he wanted to head out on Wednesday next week.” "So, next Wednesday. That’s plenty of time to gather what we need." “Yeah, it works out perfectly,” Sonata agreed. Applejack smiled. "Well, I'm glad to hear it." With that, we finished up our lunch and eventually headed on to our other classes. The day continued as usual, so by the time school ended I met with Sonata and her sisters. By this point in the year, they had managed to work off their detention requirements through community service and were able to do whatever they wanted after school. Of course, this meant that Adagio saw it as an opportunity to get in more practice. It had pretty much become a routine for the three former sirens. That still did nothing to keep Sonata from speculating how the trip was going to go. We discussed how we were hoping we’d be able to see some great views out there and enjoy the beautiful landscape. When we made it to our building, I gave Sonata a quick hug before all three sisters went to their apartment and got right to work. I usually would have left them to it, but I decided to stick around their hallway to see if I could hear how they sound together. As it turned out, they didn’t sound bad at all, even if there was the occasional out of tune note. Still, I only heard two voices for the most part and occasionally a third. I guess Adagio took my advice, I thought as they continued. I stuck around for a few more minutes before deciding to head up to my apartment where I found that Dad hadn't arrived back home yet. Upon that discovery, I took the opportunity to message Heavyweight. Hey, dude, the camping trip is going to be on Wednesday next week, so bring a sleeping bag for sure and maybe a tent if you have one. It took him a while to respond, but eventually, I got back, Cool, I guess I'll be there a day early so we can take off in time. We messaged back and forth for a while, and I also gave him the exact address of the apartment building, before I took off to help around the apartment and update Dad on the plans. I carried on with rest of my week as normal. I went to school, I went to karate a few times as well as turning in my application, and Sonata and her sisters stuck to their scheduled rehearsals. The last Friday of that school year was extremely laid back, although the anticipation of the upcoming holiday bubbled just underneath the surface. At the end of the day, while all the other students were leaving, we met up with our friends and hung out for a little. They discussed what their plans were for their trip before Applejack talked to me and Sonata. “So, just to let y’all know, Big Mac wanted you guys to meet up at our house before heading out on your camping trip since we’re closer to the edge of town.” Sonata excitedly said, "Alright, I can't wait." "Thanks again for extending that invitation to us," I added. "We'll see you guys later I suppose. But in case we don't, have fun over at Camp Everfree." Applejack smiled and replied, “Thanks. Take care you two.” "You too," Sonata said as we began heading back to our apartments. Hey, the school seems a lot more crowded than usual. They even pulled out the auxiliary bleachers to the front courtyard. Hmm, and Twilight’s walking out into the middle in her old school uniform. "What's she doing?" a student asked as Twilight stood in the middle of the courtyard, holding up a dark, round locket in both hands. I suddenly felt a slight nudge on my side. Sonata had been next to me when she whispered, "Something's off about this Twilight. Maybe we should go." Her sisters who were sitting next to us kept watching the lone girl along with everyone else in the stands until Twilight opened the locket. Suddenly she became enveloped in a ball of light. The next thing I knew was that she had turned into some winged creature. Everyone was in an uproar as she began blasting beams of light and tearing holes into another world. The first thing to go was the statue of our mascot sending rubble flying into the crowd. I couldn’t tell if anyone had gotten hurt but there was no time stick around, we had to move or be trampled by the crowd. Soon everything became a blur of motion and pandemonium as I could feel my heartbeat soar in fear. My eyes shot open to a dark room. Another memory played out like a dream. I had no explanation for why it was happening so frequently. Maybe it was stress related, but I couldn't say for sure. The next day Sonata and I went to the mall to pick up a tent along with a few other things. Mainly a couple of flashlights, a survival knife, compass, parachute cord, and a first aid kit. All in all, it wasn't too bad since we split the cost. On Monday morning, our friends left for Camp Everfree while Sonata and I met up with Big Mac to go over the details. When we arrived at the Apples’ farm, we found him preparing some tools for a few chores that day. “Hey, Big Mac." I called to him, "How's it going?" He looked up from the equipment and greeted both of us. "Morning. Doing good. And yourself?" “It’s going well," I offered, Sonata nodding in concurrence. “That’s good. Say, mind giving me a hand with a few boxes before we get to talking?” He asked, gesturing to a pile of empty cider crates lying beside his pickup truck. I gave a shrug. "Sure." Thanks to my training and his sheer size, we got those crates moved to the barn in no time between the two of us. He wiped a few beads of sweat from his brow before turning back to us. “Thanks. So, what brings you out here?” "Well I take it you heard about my friend joining us on our camping trip, right?" He merely answered with, "Eeyup." “Since he’s bringing his own car, we can help carry any other things that you may need for the camping trip. That way you don’t have to cram everything into your truck.” He rubbed his chin before responding with, “Sounds good.” I nodded and asked one final question. "So, do you need help with anything else right now?" He shook his head. “Nope.” “Then we will see you on Wednesday,” I replied. “See you then, Big Mac,” Sonata said as we were getting ready to head back home. “See ya.” We went to catch a bus back to our apartment. On the bus ride home Sonata pointed out, “He seems nice, although not very talkative.” "That's true," I agreed. As we neared our stop, Sonata spoke up with an idea. "Hey, Slate. Want to go to the rooftop today?" I gave a quick nod while we got up and exited the bus. "Yeah, there's nothing else going on." A short walk home and a quick climb up the stairwell and we had arrived at the top of the apartment block. Ever since we had begun living in that building, the other tenants, along with my dad, had put together a small garden area up there to add some color to an otherwise unremarkable rooftop. I'd even gotten involved with its upkeep by taking care of watering the plants when Dad wasn’t able to help with that. Anyway, Sonata glanced over a few of the blooming flowers while I stooped down to check if the plants had enough water. When I saw that nothing was needed, I got up stood next to Sonata. “It looks good so far, and I think a few of our neighbors were going to expand it a bit more though." “For realsies?” she asked. “What do you think they are going to plant?” I hemmed and hawed for a bit before replying with, “Not sure. Probably vegetables.” “Oh, that sounds boring,” Sonata said disappointedly. "Maybe, but it would mean fresh ingredients without having to go to the store." That didn't seem to satisfy her, so I offered, "Still I think it would be kind of neat if they set aside a spot for a few more flowering plants or bonsai trees." “What are those?” she asked. "They are those miniature trees that you can shape however you like.” “Oh. Hmm, that would be pretty cool.” We took a seat up there for a while before she asked me something else. “Hey, Slate. Could you tell me how my singing sounds?. Adagio said that I was a bit off the last time that we practiced." “Sure. I don't mind." I offered. "Start whenever you're ready." “Okay, I hope it doesn't sound too bad." She hummed a few notes anxiously as she tried to gauge the right pitch before she started singing. It had a nice rhythm and didn’t sound bad in the slightest. The only time that it might have been off was when she reached for notes of a higher register, at which point she sort of strained to sustain them. But all that was overshadowed by the fact that it was a love song. She finished up and looked to me expectantly. “So what do you think?” “I liked it, "I replied. "I honestly don't know what Adagio is talking about. It was beautiful, really romantic.” “Oh,” A rosy tint began to fill her cheeks, “Thank you.” "Hmm, I wasn't expecting something like that," I admitted to her starting to get the same color in my face. "Um, it isn't really my thing but would you mind if I show you how my singing has come along?" She had an intrigued look about her when she heard my offer. “You’ve been practicing too?” I shrugged and replied, "It was more along the lines of shower singing. Probably won't sound as great as you guys but I've taken some time to improve on the off chance that I get asked to do some karaoke." "Well, now I really want to hear you." She leaned forward attentively. "Alright," I exhaled trying to get rid of the jitters before I started singing for Sonata. I had decided to sing a rock ballad that I had heard last week. Unfortunately, since I still wasn't all that great at singing, I would drop from the higher octaves to keep it sounding passably decent. Nevertheless, I managed to remember all the lyrics, so at least there was that. By the end of it, I was glad that it was just both of us up there. Quite frankly I was expecting to hear a bit of laughter from her, but she never did. Instead, she was giving me a very enamored look. She scooted closer to me. “I loved it. Thank you." Author's Note It's been a while but I'm looking forward to posting this story.
Ch. 2 Off to the WoodsWhy’re you even applying at the dojo? You know Will has his favourites already and you aren’t one of them. Why would he pick you, the new guy nobody listens to, over them? Face it, you’re not getting the job. I shot upright in my bed, and I swore I could hear whispers. I took a moment to let my breathing even out as my heartbeat steadied and the weird terror subsided. “Ugh, what was that about,” I muttered to an empty room as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I took a look at my phone and, to my annoyance, I found that I had woken up only five minutes before the alarm was set to go off. Tuesday morning I dragged myself out of bed and went to the kitchen for breakfast. As I went through my morning, I tried to remember what it was that I had dreamt throughout the night but found that my memories were fuzzy. By then, Dad had already left for work, but he had left a hand-written note on the kitchen table, that read: Had to go in early. Please water the garden as soon as you can, and make sure the apartment is clean. Without anything else to do, I went up to the rooftop garden, passing by and greeting a few neighbors as I made my way over. Twenty minutes later, I had watered every plant. While I wrapped up the hose, I noticed that the sun was barely peeking out over the horizon. As I headed back to the apartment, it occurred to me that the last time that I contacted Heavyweight was to let him know when our camping trip was. It might be a good idea to check on him, actually. “He should be here sometime today,” I mused, hoping that he hadn’t had any problems on the way into town. I decided to head down to the front of the building and see if Heavyweight hadn’t arrived during the night. There was no sign of him, I found while peeking over the rooftop. I shrugged at the sight and went back to the apartment to get my chores out of the way as quickly as possible. I was finishing up around the apartment, dusting a windowsill, when I heard a few knocks on the door, so of course, I dropped what I was doing to check it out. It turned out that Sonata was waiting on the other side along with, and a bit surprisingly, Aria. “Hey, Sonata. Hey, Aria. What’s up?” I greeted them with a hint of concern. “Did something happen? You usually call ahead.” Sonata nodded her head and answered with a concerned tone. "Yeah, when we got back from our walk a little while ago some guy drove up to us and asked if he was near the apartment's address." Aria then chimed in. "He also said he was looking for you, but Sonata didn't tell him anything. So what, do you owe him money or something? Would be a real shame if Sonata couldn't find you tomorrow." She said with a smirk. A bit bewildered by her remark, I shook my head before addressing her. “Okay, exactly why'd you come up here?” Aria stroked her chin. “Well I would've set up a chair down there and gotten some popcorn to watch you get beat up, but figured I might as well watch all the drama unfold.” “Uh-huh. I think I've figured out why Adagio has such a short temper.” She crossed her arms. "Consider it payback for that day under the stage." “Sure, for something I didn't even start. Anyways, did he give a name?” Sonata then spoke up. “I think he said his name was Heavyweight.” I couldn’t help smirking. "Ah, okay. Sorry, Aria, I think you're going to have to find your cheap entertainment elsewhere. Turns out he's one of my friends. You know you could watch random fights on the internet, right?" “Not with Adagio constantly nagging me.” I crossed my arms and just replied with, "Hmm, sounds like karma." Aria just grumbled under her breath. I then asked, “So did he take off or is he still down there?” Sonata placed a hand to her chin. “I think he might still be down there.” "Well, I better go check it out." I went and picked up my keys from the counter. "Care to join me?" Before Aria could give a snarky remark, Sonata spoke up. "Yeah, let's go." The three of us headed down to the first floor. Upon going out the door, Aria blurted out, "There, that's the car." She motioned to a silver, mid-size sedan. And it appeared that there was an occupant, so I walked on over to check. When I got next to the passenger side door, I saw a husky guy sitting in the driver's seat scrolling through something on his phone. I tapped the window to get his attention to which he looked up, and the flustered look changed to one of delighted recognition. He hopped out of the car and greeted me with, "Slate! It's been way too long, man." He came over onto the sidewalk and gave me a firm bro-hug. Compared to him, we were about the same height, but he had me beat in terms of width. Quite the hefty fellow. It was all muscle though; he could outlift me as well any day to boot. Then Heavyweight noticed Aria and Sonata. "Oh hey, it's those two girls that I spoke to earlier. So you do know each other then." He mentioned, as if it was more an accusation than just an observation. "Heh, yeah about that, long story short, there've been a few instances of shady people causing problems, so they were just being cautious. But this is Aria and Sonata," I pointed to each of them respectively. I then turned to the girls. “This is the friend from my hometown, Heavyweight.” He walked up to both of them and offered an outstretched hand. "It's very nice to meet both of you." Sonata shook his hand and with a smile replied, “It's nice to meet you too. Especially knowing that you aren't out to get anyone.” Aria, on the other hand, gave a slight huff and aloofly mentioned, "Great, another one." Sonata shot her a look of annoyance which she promptly ignored. I could only shake my head as Heavyweight stared at me in confusion. Trying to gloss past Aria’s negativity I spoke up, “So, it must have been a long trip. Feel free to come on up to my apartment and take care of anything you want done.” A look of relief washed over his face. “Thanks, man. You wouldn't believe how many of the rest stops along the way were disaster zones. Kind of a nightmare.” "Yeah, sounds almost like our trip out here," I recalled my and Dad's road trip to move into Canterlot with a slight shudder. "Well let's head on up." I said. "Alright, just give me a sec." He opened the passenger side door on his car and pulled out a backpack. "Okay, ready." As I got the door to the building, I asked Sonata, "So, I suppose I'll catch up with you a little later if you're not busy?" Sonata nodded. “Yeah, we were going to get to practice soon.” Aria added, “I’d rather not, Adagio always sucks the fun out of it. Like if she sucks hard enough, she’ll get her magic back.” Sonata then offered, "Well, I guess the first part’s true, but we wouldn't have made all the improvements that we have without her constantly pushing us. She really does care, you know." “Still pretty annoying.” Aria retorted. Sonata shrugged and turned back to me before saying, “Either way I’ll see you after practice.” With that, she came up to me and planted a quick kiss on my cheek before both of them headed up the stairwell. I then turned back to my friend. "Well come on let's head on up." As we climbed up the steps Heavyweight, incredulously asked, “You’re going out with Sonata? That was her name, right? The blue-haired girl?” With a slight grin I replied with, “Yeah, I wouldn’t have ever figured it would work out like this either. I’m not complaining though.” "One thing's for sure; I thought Aria might have been the girl you were going out with at first," he mentioned. “If I'd met her first, things might've been drastically different,” I explained. Once we arrived at my apartment, I gave Heavyweight a good tour; I was relieved that I’d finished most of the work around the place before he showed up. Dad hates it when we have visitors round and the place isn’t totally immaculate. “It’s pretty nice here, man,” he said with a slight smile. “So is it cool if I use the shower? It was a really long trip.” “Yeah. Its no problem at all.” I grabbed a towel out of one of the closets in the hall and handed it to him. “Have at it.” While he scrubbed the stench of a week’s sweat and a few beers out, I made sure that the apartment was spotless so that Dad wouldn't have anything to object to later. Just in case. When he finally finished, and probably used up all the hot water for the month, Heavyweight met me in the living room. After getting him a soda, we both took a seat on the sofa, facing the tv. A bit curious I asked, “So, how are things back home?” "Well, the family's doing well, and the rest of the guys have been alright. Although, a few of them got bummed out that you didn't let them know you were taking off," he explained, after taking a sip of his coke. I breathed out a sigh at that last part. “I know that, man. It’s not like I wanted to up and disappear without a word. And to top it off when I did try getting in contact with the group some of them wouldn’t even reply.” He steepled his hands toward the floor. "I don't know maybe they took it a bit personally." "I guess so," I replied contemplatively. "Well, in that case, can I ask you just to let the guys know that I'd really like to get back in contact with them when you get back?" “Sure, Slate.” “Thanks, man.” “No problem. By the way, just out of curiosity, when did you meet that girl?” he asked, “She doesn’t really seem like the type you’d run into at a dojo. Her sister, maybe. But not her.” “You mean Sonata? Hm, I met her right around the time that we'd gotten settled in actually.” He nodded. “So what, like you met her while moving into the apartment, or was it over at school?” I almost laughed when I heard the question. “Heh, no. It was more along the lines of when I rescued her.” He was a bit thrown off by that. "What do you mean? Like you saved her life or something?" “That’s exactly it.” “Really, well don’t keep me waiting. What happened?” he asked, disbelief flashing across his face. “Some of the local wannabe tough guys cornered her near the dojo that I had enrolled in right when I was leaving. Luckily I was able to stop them before things got ugly.” Now with a bit more skepticism, he replied, "Oh yeah, sure. Mr. Superhero saved the day and got the girl." "Well, whether you believe me or not, that is what happened. Even got a little bit of proof." I showed him my right palm which had a scar across it. Granted, Aria gave me that one but I thought it would lend some credence to my story. His eyes went wide. “Holy crap, I thought you were joking.” I shook my head and shrugged it off. “Nah, man. Still, I can't believe that I’ve gotten into more fights around here than back home.” “Guess it's the whole new guy thing,” Heavyweight suggested. We continued to chat while I waited for Sonata to finish up with practice, him and I just catching up on each-other’s lives. After a while, Heavyweight and I decided to play each other in a few matches of King of the Iron First 6, one of our favourite fighting games. As we neared the end of our eighth bout, I got a text back from Sonata. Practice is over, mind if we hang out at your place? Not at all. Head on up whenever you want, I sent. As I was sitting there I wondered about the ambiguous wording. Did she mean just us hanging out or was she bringing her sisters along? I don’t really think introducing Heavyweight to Adagio would exactly help either party. I guess they’re pretty similar in how much they train, but too much intensity can be a bad thing, especially after I just cleaned the house. My thoughts were cut short when Sonata showed up, knocking a tune into the door. For better or for worse, she had decided to let Aria tag along. “Hello again,” I greeted while leading them into the apartment. “How’d it go?” “Boring.” Aria growled. Sonata replied in a better mood, “It was alright. I mean we’re still improving.” "Still boring and thanks to Miss Perfectionist, annoying as hell," Aria added. “Huh, oh yeah. Where is Adagio anyways?” I asked, genuinely curious as to the girl’s absence. I hoped saying her name didn’t jinx it or anything and she wouldn’t pop out from under the seat cushions the moment I looked away. Sonata quickly explained, “She felt like going out, so she headed to the mall. She said she wanted to clear her head or something.” “Well, whatever makes her happy.” I gave a quick shrug. Aria furrowed her brow in thought. “I don't think happy is in her vocabulary. You know she was probably just going to mooch cocktails off people.” I just responded with, “Eh, probably. Anyways, make yourselves at home.” They went and took a seat on the sofa while I picked up my controller to put it away. As I did Aria noticed the tv screen and spoke up. “Either of you any good at that?” I wasn’t sure but it sounded condescending to me. Heavyweight gave a bit of a snort as he replied, “I like to consider myself decent at it.” “I'm no professional if that's what you're getting at, but I think I’m alright.” I took a seat next to Sonata. “Care to play a few rounds?” “Yeah, I don’t mind” Sonata chimed in. “This should be fast, sure,” Aria said smugly. “Oh really, I call first round.” There was a fire in Heavyweight’s eyes at that statement. “How about this?” I suggested. “The winner stays in, while the loser switches out. First one to three consecutive victories against everyone else wins.” They all nodded in agreement as we kicked off our little competition, starting with Heavyweight vs. Aria. He managed to win the first round but lost the following two by a large margin. Next, Heavyweight passed the controller off to Sonata who, unfortunately, promptly got demolished in all three rounds against Aria. It was my turn, with the first round going to Aria with half a life bar intact. I barely managed to win the next one with a pixel of health. And our final round, I'm ashamed to say, ended in a win for me by sudden death. I went on to lose to Heavyweight, which led to us swapping out for a good while. Laughs were had, slight raging on all our parts happened now and then. It almost seemed like there was no end in sight to all the matches, but Aria did indeed win against the three of us eventually. “Damn it!” Heavyweight exclaimed in frustration. I turned to Sonata and mentioned in confusion, “I thought you said your sisters didn’t play any games.” Sonata became defensive and corrected me. “I said Adagio hates video games. And this is the reason why.” “Heh. Lame. I thought you guys would have been more of a challenge.” Aria gloated with a smirk across her smug face. “Pfft, whatever,” Heavyweight retorted. “It’s not like you beat us right off the bat.” “Still mopped the floor with the three of you,” Aria mentioned. “Good for you” Feeling a bit fed up by her remarks, I decided to head to the kitchen. “I’m going to get some water. Do any of you want anything?” "I guess some water would be fine. I’m out of coke anyway." Heavyweight huffed. Aria, of course, had something else to add. “I’ll take some too. Need to rehydrate after all that salt.” Plastering on a forced smile, I just responded with, "Sure, be right back." “Let me give you a hand,” Sonata offered as she followed me to the kitchen. I pulled the fridge door open and pulled out a few water bottles, and another soda for Heavyweight, before Sonata took a couple of them into her hands. She let out a light sigh before replying, "Sorry, about Aria." I replied, “Sonata, you don't have to apologize for her every time she does something rude. Besides it was just trash talk, even if it was getting a bit grating.” “Even so, I brought her along, so…” she said abashedly. “Trust me, it's not a big deal,” I reassured her. “She does seem to be coming around more often now though. It's a little weird to me.” Sonata tilted her head and briefly mentioned, “I guess she just got bored with what she does to pass the time.” “Hmm, maybe,” I mused aloud as we headed back to the living room. We passed the bottles to everyone and sat back down. Heavyweight, having cooled off from our little tourney, asked us, “So, are you guys looking forward to tomorrow?” "Yeah man, I've been anticipating it since last week," I answered. “It will be a nice break from the day to day grind.” Sonata took the opportunity to recline back into the sofa. Heavyweight nodded before replying, “I just hope it's more manageable than camping out near the mountains back home.” "How was that anyway?" I asked. "Hmm, the setup and hiking were alright. Got a few good shots of the scenery out there too, but with it being the desert and all that, it wasn't exactly great for a stay longer than a couple of days." "Weather-wise, it should be slightly better out here, even if it is the start of summer," I mentioned. “Yeah, now you've got a better chance of becoming a bear’s lunch,” Aria said mockingly; it seems she likes trash talking even when the game’s paused. "Well, it's a shame that you won't be gracing us with your presence. Would've helped us save on bear repellant," I replied disinterestedly. “You wouldn’t want to join us out there would you?” Sonata asked Aria. She smirked and then shook her head before responding, “Sure, stranding myself in the wilderness with a bunch of losers sounds like fun. Yeah right.” “Good, I think I’ll count that as a freaking huge bullet dodged in my book.” Heavyweight retorted. “You read?” Aria jabbed. “That's a shock.” Not wanting an argument to break out amongst my guests I feigned a loud yawn. "Okay. This is some great parlor talk and all, but it's getting late. We really should get ready for tomorrow's early start. Right guys?" “You're right Slate,” Sonata replied in agreement. “Gotta make sure we have everything ready to go as soon as we get up.” "Speak for yourselves." Aria was still trying to put up an air of aloofness as she headed over to the door. "See you when you all get back if you get back." Heavyweight and I shook our heads, but Sonata got my attention. "See you guys tomorrow," she said sweetly before giving me a quick kiss and leaving out the door with Aria. “Huh, and you're sure that they are related?” Heavyweight asked. “You think they clash, you should meet their other sister.” I closed the door and took my seat once more. “Nah man, if she's anything like Aria, I’d rather not.” He looked at the entryway nervously as if Adagio just might show up. I could only respond with, “Good call.” We relaxed till Dad got back. He was quite nostalgic about greeting my friend; he and Heavyweight’s parents had been good friends too. “Heavyweight, it's good to see you again. How are things going? How’s the family?” dad asked as if he had run into a long lost relative. Heavyweight a bit more bashfully answered, “Hello, Mr. Steel. Everything’s been going great, and the family is doing fine too.” "Ah, good to hear. Well, give Slate and me a bit to get dinner ready then. I hope penne ala arrabiata sounds good." Heavyweight just grinned. He’d eat anything, but after a week on the road, I’d imagine that real, home-cooked, food tasted like heaven. The prep time for the meal was relatively short, penne cooks fast after all, and we got to eating dinner along with some banter not soon afterward. We mainly discussed everything that we had already explained earlier, mostly so Dad could catch up on our old town's news. When we finished, Heavyweight and I washed the dishes, before he left to go and find a place to sleep. You know for wanting to teach others how to defend themselves, you sure couldn’t do so against two girls. Didn’t think to call for help or plan out before leaping into a bad situation. And the Games, you were useless while everyone was in danger, especially to Sonata. How do you even expect to defend others if you can’t protect yourself? My eyes shot wide open, but I fought the urge to jump out of my bed. I looked all around my room and found it to be as dark as the night before. "Another nightmare," I muttered as I rubbed my face. "What is with these dreams?" I tried to see if I could make any sense out of the dream, but it was a pointless endeavor. The details were too blurry to get any real value out of them, and I was too tired to spend that much time obsessing over that right now. I glanced at my phone and found out that I had woken up an hour earlier than I expected. I tried closing my eyes but couldn't fall back asleep either. Wednesday morning The day of the trip had arrived. I helped Heavyweight pack our things into the back of his car. Between his and my stuff, there was still plenty of room in the trunk for Sonata’s own things, whenever she decided to come down anyway. "Okay, all that's missing now is your girlfriend, and we can get on the road." Heavyweight took a moment to push the luggage closer together, freeing up as much room as he could. “Yeah, normally she would have already been out here.” I surveyed the front of the apartments. “Wonder if I should go get her?” Speak of the Siren, Sonata then pushed the foyer doors open, backpack and sleeping bag in hand. “Ah, there she is.” Turning from Heavyweight back to her I asked, “Are you ready to head out?” With an enthusiastic nod of the head, she replied with, "Yup. Um, you guys weren't waiting long were you?" “Nah, we barely got out here a few minutes ago,” I said, before taking her things and placing them into the trunk. Right before I closed it though, Aria walked out of the front doors. She stood there, leaning against the wall, arms crossed and glaring uncomfortably at… something. “Morning, Aria,” Heavyweight greeted, unable to properly hide the displeasure in his voice. “Come by to see us off?” Aria sighed before answering in an embarrassed tone, “I wanted to ask you guys something.” “What is it, Aria?” Sonata asked. Aria sighed. “Is there room for one more in that car?” Heavyweight, now far more than just skeptical, asked, “Are you serious? Didn't you say yesterday that you weren't interested in camping? Is this some kind of joke” She rolled her eyes and shot back, “Well, between the local wildlife and Adagio, I think I would rather take my chances with grizzly bears and rattlesnakes than trying to survive her pestering me to master singing. Again. Especially when I know Sonata’s goofing off.” Sonata, taking offense at the insult, retorted, “Oh yeah, I asked her ahead of time.” I shrugged over to Heavyweight and asked, “I don’t know, shall we show her a little mercy?” He sighed heavily and turned to Aria. “I hope you brought down everything you’ll need out there. We’re on a bit of a schedule.” “Yeah, no. Give me like two hours,” Aria snarked. Without skipping a beat, Heavyweight told us, "I'm leaving her. Let's go." Aria quickly pulled out a sleeping bag and backpack from the entrance. “Relax, I have everything here. How about learning to take a joke?” “If you ask me, you need better material,” I responded as I gestured to the open trunk. She frowned a bit as she brought her things over and chucked them in. With a slam of the trunk we piled into the car, Sonata and Aria in the back, and me and Heavyweight in the front. We made our way to Sweet Apple Acres and eventually came to the barn where Big Mac was loading an ice chest into his truck bed. We parked right next to him, and I called to him through rolled down windows, "Morning, Big Mac. Are we ready to go?" “Almost,” He replied. “Still waiting on Maud.” “So much for being on a schedule,” Aria muttered from the back seat. “Yeah, sure, whatever,” I replied from the passenger side seat. I then turned back to Big Mac and asked, “So, do you need help with anything else before we go?” “Could use a little help with the last ice chest.” He pointed over his shoulder to the large container near the barn doors. "Sure thing" Between Heavyweight and myself, the box was easily loaded onto the truck. On closer inspection, we saw that besides from the more obvious camping gear, like his tent and a coil of rope, Big Mac had packed a hand ax, as well as a fishing pole. Heavyweight then asked, “So, is there good fishing up where we're going?” He then nodded giving a brief, “Eeyup.” “Neat,” was all that I could come up with, having never actually fished myself. “A stream flows from the mountain and feeds into a small lake near the campsite,” he added. Scratching my chin, I added, "Sounds a bit crowded setting up camp right next to a mountain." Big Mac just shook his head, “Nope, the mountains are several miles away from the lake.” "Oh, well that sounds a bit better." I closed the liftgate. Just then a small car rolled up and parked behind us. Shortly after a girl stepped out and in a genuine monotone greeted us with, “Hello everyone. Sorry for running late, Boulder had to make an emergency stop on the way over. I’m really looking forward to this trip.” Honestly, I had no idea whether or not she was sincere. I'm pretty sure at that moment I wasn't the only one who was hoping that Aria wouldn't give any attention, but I guess that would have been asking for too much. She smirked. "Woah, gonna need you to reign in that enthusiasm." She said. "Sorry, I'm just really excited," the girl droned. Trying to keep Aria from going overboard with the taunting, I then spoke up. “Hi, I don't think we've met before, I’m Slate, this is Heavyweight and the two girls over there are Aria and Sonata. You must be the Maud that I’ve heard Pinkie talking about. No offense, but you’re not what I imagined her sister would be like.” “Oh, yes. Pinkie also mentioned you guys a few times. Nice to meet you all in person.” Big Mac then jumped into the conversation, "Welp, now that everyone's here we should really start heading to the campsite. It's a bit of a ways off." “Right. We’ll follow your lead then.” With that, we piled back into the car, backed out of the farm and were soon following Big Mac along the highway, trees and strip malls flashing by as we drove. Heavyweight flicked on the radio. None of us felt like talking. Sonata suggested a pop station, Aria slapped her head with a palm. I soon learned why. I don't mind most pop artists like Sapphire Shores or Countess Coloratura, but there's only so much a man can take. After an hour I started to reach for the stereo, aiming to throw the thing out the window. Only then did Aria speak up, and request a different station. I didn’t like rap much better than pop, not at all really. But Sonata did at least. Neither Heavyweight nor I were too happy after the first song came and went, and I thought that the steering wheel was going to crack with how hard the guy gripped it. I guess it was his stereo after all. He probably did not want it smashed on the side of the road. I flicked it over to a rock station around when I heard the plastic frame creak. Thank god I did because I think I was about to have an aneurysm. Canterlot 409 played a good mix of classic and modern rock, like Cheval. At this point I was convinced that Sonata had an eclectic taste in music since she was rocking out to it; Aria seemed a bit tortured. At the three hour mark, our train of vehicles had finally reached the forest's edge and the radio signal had become dead air and feedback shortly afterwards. Finally we reached a compromise on the radio. Nobody liked static. Everyone liked silence. At least, more than the 18th pop ballad in a row anyway. Even though the sun was making its way up into the sky, the height of the gigantic red-wood trees managed to block out most of its rays. One thing was sure, it was a pretty scenic route, if not a tad intimidating. We had followed Big Mac for a while down the main road past the point that we could see where we had entered when he turned down an unmarked dirt road. Heavyweight then gave me an anxious glance. “Hope we don't wind up getting lost out here.” Aria sarcastically added, "Come a few days from now the newspaper headlines are gonna read 'Teens found gruesomely murdered by mutant hillbillies.'” I turned back to Aria with a raised eyebrow. “Wasn’t that the plot of a movie like several years back? How original.” I honestly thought it was a good movie, but basically being in the exact same setting was not the place I wanted to be reminded of it. She smirked and replied, “So? It'd make the whole trip more interesting.” Sonata, on the other hand, didn't seem all that thrilled with the subject matter of the conversation. "Do you have to bring up those horror movies?" She grimaced. Aria, seeing that she had struck a nerve, decided to tease Sonata a bit. “Aww, what's the matter Sonata, are you s-scared? Need a blankie?” Sonata after becoming more flustered shot back, “NO! That movie just sucked, like you do at practice.” Aria grinned defiantly and proclaimed, “Them’s fighting words!” I was about to facepalm. "Really?" I then took notice of Sonata who was getting ready to smack Aria. "Oh come on!" All I can say is Aria takes pride in making others drop to her level. Finally Heavyweight announced, “Kids! Don’t make me turn this car around!” Aria then shot back, "Who are you calling 'kid,' I'm older than you!" “Could've fooled me.” Everyone calmed down after that, leaving only the muted radio to fill the silence. At nine-thirty we finally came to a stop on the side of the dirt road. Everyone scrambled out a second afterwards to stretch. Big Mac asked us, “How’re you all holding up?” Maud answered in the usual monotone, “Pretty good. I liked the basalt formation along the way.” I responded with, “Other than a little cabin fever, okay. We’re all getting along pretty well.” Oh man, I couldn't help feeling that was a bold faced lie. Aria then stated, “I blame the company.” Sonata pouted, “You would.” Tensions were still running high from the car ride over and I'm sure it was written all over mine and Heavyweights' faces. "Well it's a good thing that we aren't cooped up in there anymore, so why don't we start unloading the supplies. Right, Big Mac?" "Uh, eeyup." Before long we had unloaded all of our supplies and followed Big Mac on a short hike away from the vehicles; he ensured us that they’d be fine locked on the roadside. It wasn’t like anybody would try to steal a car out here, in the middle of nowhere. About half an hour later, we came to a small clearing in the trees that seemed to be the site of multiple excursions, judging by the spot in the rough centre stained dark with ash. Just after I had set my stuff down, Big Mac called me and Heavyweight over. “You guys mind helping me get the ice chests over here?” He asked, pointing to the chest. For the amount of hauling I’ve done for those, I sure hope that there’s something good inside them. “No problem,” Heavyweight answered. We walked back to his truck and got the chests out of the truck bed. To save a bit of time, Heavyweight got between both of them and took hold of the handles while Big Mac and I grabbed either end. After another short trek back, we were able to start on the camp set up. “Best to start pitching the tents while the sun's still out,” Big Mac suggested. While the instructions blatantly lied about the ease of assembly I managed to put together Sonata’s tent. Everyone else had finished setting up before I did. I blame the fact that I can’t speak Flemish, which the instructions were written in. For some reason. Heavyweight stood back as he held back his laughter. “I thought you might wind up needing some help with that.” Aria snidely remarked, “I was preparing to sleep under the stars tonight anyway.” I could feel my face burning up with embarrassment. “Aria, for you that can still be arranged. As for the tent, I'm a bit rusty.” “Whatever,” Heavyweight replied. I rolled my eyes and asked, “So, should we be getting some stuff for tonight?” Big Mac hemmed and hawed for a while before he started listing off duties. “Well, we’re going to have to make a fire pit; gather up plenty of firewood and find some large logs to sit on, unless y’all don’t mind sitting on the floor.” Maud spoke up and dryly stated, “I’ll find us some stones for the fire pit. And some to keep Boulder company. He gets lonely outside the city.” Aria walked over and stood next to Maud before saying, “I think I’ll join the statue on her rock hunt.” I slapped my forehead with a smack while Heavyweight let out a sigh. Sonata scolded her sister, “Aria, knock it off!” I'm not sure what Big Mac was thinking but based on his annoyed expression it probably wasn't anything flattering. To our surprise, however, Maud in her signature dry tone just replied with, “I’ve always seen myself more as unworked granite, thanks for the compliment.” Aria shot Sonata, Heavyweight and me a triumphant grin. “Don’t mention it.” Heavyweight, shaking his head in disbelief just replied, "Okay, fine. I guess I'll help bring some logs back to the camp." Big Mac nodded in agreement. “Eeyup. We’ll get that done in no time.” He then hung the hand ax on his side and patted it. “Just in case we need to cut them smaller.” I looked over to Sonata and then back to the rest of them with a shrug, "I guess we'll get the firewood then." She gave me a quick smile. “It’ll be easy.” “Alright, let's get to it,” Big Mac announced. Before Sonata and I began our task like the others, I rummaged through my backpack and retrieved a survival knife along with some parachute cords and our compass. We started heading away from the clearing all the while picking up decently sized sticks along the way. It was probably going to take a good while to find enough good kindling, and within several minutes I noticed that we were barely able to see the campsite. “Whoa, hold on a second, I think we may be getting too far away from the camp.” Sonata looked up from a stick on the ground and surveyed the area around us. When she saw how far we had gotten, she stammered, "I didn't even notice, good thing we stopped. Hmm, I guess we should stick around here then." I wiped a bead of sweat from my brow before I noticed the disappointed look that she had at the thought of merely staying near the camp the entire time. Admittedly playing it safe was my intention but figured maybe we could ignore it just this once. No harm in living dangerously, once every so often. “That would be the safe thing to do, but I think we could go a bit further. That way we can see a little more of the forest.” Sonata immediately cheered up at that. “Just need to do one thing.” I quickly got behind a tree and checked to see if the view of the camp was blocked by it. I then pulled out my knife and started removing a chunk of bark from the side of the tree. Sonata simply watched in confusion. “What are you doing?” she asked as I removed one final piece and placed it in my pocket. Turning my attention from the tree to her, I explained, “Just making a mark to tell where we've been. This way, the further we go we can follow them back, kind of like a trail of breadcrumbs.” “Oh, that's really clever,” she said with a smile. “Well, as long as it keeps us from getting lost, I guess it is,” I joked before gesturing to the way ahead. “Shall we?” Every so often, as we grew our firewood collection, I would check the compass and debark a tree every twenty or so meters. The ambiance of woodpeckers drilling away at the trees every so often and chirping insects accompanied our walk. Eventually, we got up to our eighth tree when we couldn't hold the wood properly anymore. “Hey, Sonata. Bring the sticks you've got over here," I huffed out as I laid my pile on the ground. She put hers right next to mine. “Why, what's up?” “I'm gonna make this a little easier on us.” I got out the role of cord and wrapped it around both piles of sticks until it was a single large bundle. Once it was tied, I held it under my arm. “There we go,” I declared while adjusting the sticks. “Pretty sure we have enough for tonight.” “Okay, so should we head back now?” she asked while shaking off the soreness from her arms. I nodded, “Yeah, it'd probably be best.” It was a good thing that the markings on the trees were distinguishable enough from a distance; otherwise, we might have wound up going in circles. When we arrived back at camp, we found a half completed ring of rocks and a log big enough to seat two. I placed the bundle next to the trunk and the bark shavings I had collected in the soon to be completed fire pit. Sonata took a seat on the log and pulled her foot onto her knee as she rotated her ankle. “Do your feet hurt as much as mine?” “I don't know, I mean they're a little sore but nothing some rest can’t cure.” “I guess you're right, thanks for carrying my load by the way.” “It was nothing,” I smiled back, taking a seat beside her. Once done, I pulled out a whetstone and started sharpening my camp knife. Sonata brushed her bangs into place with her hand as she watched me work. “It’s pretty calm out here.” "Yeah, it's got a serene vibe to it." I finished up with the blade and putting it away. "Nothing but birds from what I can hear." Almost as if on cue a bird sang a short tune as it flew overhead. Sonata looked up to catch a glimpse of the bird which had already flown away, but could still hear an echo. She then asked, “I thought that we would've seen more animals around, though.” “I guess not. Then again I’m not familiar with the habits of the local wildlife,” I shrugged a bit. “I'm not even sure which particular animals live in these woods.” Sonata then began to look uneasy. “What if there's a bunch of wolves or bears nearby?” “I mean that's a possibility,” I hesitantly chuckled. “But I'm sure that Big Mac and his family wouldn't have made this their go-to camping spot if it was full of predators." *snap* Hello, Murphy, my old friend. Why'd I even open my mouth? Sonatas eyes went wide at the sound. Before either of us could ask what that was, a blur came rushing out at us from behind one of the tents with a loud “RAAAAHHHRR!!!” Sonata managed to deliver an equally loud, "AAAAHHHHH!!!" Right as she threw herself onto me and clung on for dear life. I might have screamed too had Sonata not been crushing the wind out of me as she sent me toppling off the log. I gasped out, "Sonata... can't breathe…" but she remained hugging onto me with her eyes shut tight until we heard some laughter coming from over the log. Sonata opened her eyes and sat up on top of me. Looking over the log, she pointed accusingly, "Aria, you jerk! You always have to do this kind of crap!" Aria walked closer, still laughing. “True, heh heh, but it isn’t all bad. I mean you do seem to be pretty comfy where you are. Right?” She then waggled her eyebrows at Sonata. Sonata, a bit confused, looked down at me. “Not that I'm complaining but maybe let me up before you start arguing with someone else,” I mentioned uneasily, knowing that my face was slowly getting red from being in such a compromising position. Sonata quickly got up looking beet red herself. "Sorry, Slate." She quickly offered me her hand back up. Taking her hand, I reassured her, “ It's fine." It was impossible not to notice Aria still snickering at the both of us, and so I gave a defeated sigh. "As annoying as you're being, I have to give it to you. When you got us, you got us." Aria, still grinning at us merely replied with "Thanks." A brief moment later everyone else came running back with legitimate concern strewn on their faces, except for Maud who was stoic as ever. Heavyweight hurriedly asked, “What happened? We heard a scream.” Aria right away answered unceremoniously, “Just pranking a few love birds, or should I say chickens? That's all.” “We thought someone was seriously hurt,” Maud droned to Aria. “Eeyup,” Big Mac added. “Yeah, it was definitely convincing, but it was a joke. No one was hurt. Right Sonata?" I asked hoping she would be willing to let this one slide. She was still miffed but managed to at least give a brief “Right.” I nodded at her and then turned to Aria, “Besides, Aria was going to reel it back on the pranks for now.” Almost as if to sabotage my attempts to keep things amicable Aria responded with, “Can't make any promises.” I couldn't help shooting her glare at that point even if it was for the briefest moment. Luckily she caught it and proceeded to roll her eyes before conceding with, "Fine. I'll stop with the pranks.” At the very least I could feel that Maud and Big Mac were satisfied to hear her say that. "Okay, now that that's over and done with, perhaps we should finish with the camp set up," Heavyweight suggested. Big Mac agreed. “Eeyup. We were pretty close to bringing the second log into camp when we heard that scream. Mind giving us a hand with the third log, Slate.” “Not a problem,” I agreed. “Hey, Sonata, will you be okay here?” She narrowed her eyes at Aria and replied, “I should be.” Maud then tapped her on the shoulder. “You can come with us if you'd like. We only need a few more rocks for that fire pit.” “Sure, I’ll help with that.” Big Mac, Heavyweight, and I headed east and found the log that they had been lugging towards the camp earlier. Between the three of us, it was hardly a challenge to get it back to camp. The last log that Big Mac decided to bring back, however, was a different story. It was bigger than the other two logs and was quite a distance away from camp. At first, we tried to lift it completely whole, but the weight and our growing fatigue, forced us to stop not even halfway back. “Hold up,” Big Mac told us, “Might be a good idea to lighten the load.” We let the log drop to the ground with a thud against the soil. He then took his ax and started hacking off a section of the log. Heavyweight and I stood there watching as Big Mac cut into the wood for about ten minutes when he got to the center. “If you want, I can take care of the chopping from here,” Heavyweight offered. “I’d appreciate it.” Big Mac passed off his ax to him. Another ten or so minutes had passed before Heavyweight finished cutting through the log. “There. Let’s see if we can get it back without as much trouble now.” We lifted the log onto our shoulders and continued back to the camp. Thankfully, it was a bit more manageable that time around, even if it did take a while to get back. We placed the log down near the completed fire pit, and by that time the sun had already begun its descent from directly overhead. The girls sat nearby, while Sonata came over to me and asked, “What took you guys so long?” “Eh, long story short: that log was a bit too heavy, so we had to cut it," I explained. Heavyweight then interjected, “You mean ‘we’ had to cut it,” all the while pointing his thumb between himself and Big Mac. “Okay, still helped to carry it before and after you guys cut it,” I replied with a shrug. “The main thing is it's here.” Big Mac stated while wiping away some sweat from his forehead. “Anyway, we should probably stop for lunch.” “Finally!” Aria exclaimed. “Took you guys long enough to decide on that.” “Alright, alright. So I take it that the coolers have all the food?” I asked Big Mac. As per usual he gave a concise, “Eeyup.” I nodded and headed over to the ice chests to check what there was. Heavyweight walked up behind me and said, “So, looks like we can make some sandwiches right now.” We took out some packets of cold cuts, cheese slices, bottles of condiments, and a loaf of bread and placed them all on the other ice chest. We got a few paper plates and handed them out to everyone so they could make their sandwiches. While it wasn't anything too fancy, we enjoyed the meal and made small talk. Maud pulled out a pebble from her pocket before tearing off a piece of bread from her sandwich and placing it next to that rock. With the others around I asked, "What's with the rock?" She simply told us, "Making sure Boulder is fed." She proceeded to gently pet it. Heavyweight and I shared a confused look before he gestured to her with his thumb as if asking for an explanation. All I could do was raise both hands in an equally confused shrug. When we turned back the piece of bread was gone. She then pointed over to firepit and said, "I don't feel that any of the rocks would get along with Boulder." Heavyweight still unsure of how to respond said, "Sorry, to hear that?” She tore off another piece of bread and said, “Perhaps the ones near the lake will be more friendly.” While we were still perplexed by Mauds’ odd behavior I overheard Aria teasing Sonata about her reaction earlier. “You know, had something been going after you earlier you would have been a goner.” Sonata then muttered to Aria, "It's not like I came out here for a survival show, you psycho." Their conversation soon devolved into bickering between the both of them. Big Mac whispered to me and Heavyweight, "They always like that?" Heavyweight answered with, "I have no clue." I replied with a hushed, "It's a safe bet." Big Mac shook his head as he recounted about his family. "They remind me of a few of my relatives that butt heads whenever they're together. Wound up forcing us to cancel one of our family camping trips." "That's rough, man. I'd hate to have to bail on a planned trip because of a disagreement." Heavyweight then turned to look at Aria and Sonata still going back and forth. I sighed, "Well, they argue often, but I've seen them come to agreements when it counted." When we finished, Big Mac got a plastic bag and gathered up the used plates into it. He then placed it into the ice chest. “So, any reason why you stuck the trash in there?” Aria asked. "Eeyup" he answered. "Just making sure we don't leave any trash behind." Then while Aria and Sonata weren't listening, he whispered to me, "and to keep away any varmints.” With a raised eyebrow I whispered, “What kind of ‘varmints’ live in the area, by the way?” I can’t believe I used the word varmints. Even Heavyweight gave me a strange look. He listed off quietly, “Raccoons, foxes, bears.” Big Mac noticed my look of concern as he continued with, “but those are few and far between. Hardly ever seen any in person on my camping trips.” Heavyweight quickly quipped, “Hope that doesn't change this time.” I nodded as I got up and helped get everything else put away. With the campsite prepped for the night, Big Mac decided to take all of us to the lake before it got too late and show us around. The hike over to the lake took some effort since the path that he lead us through was partially crowded with a slightly denser growth of trees. But it was well worth it. The expanse of the water made it easy to see beyond the trees and catch a glimpse of the mountains in the distance. The mouth of the stream that flowed into the lake even revealed a winding path further into the woods. We took some photos and explored around the lake for a while. After a while, we returned to camp with the sun already on its way over the horizon. The first thing I did was untie the cord around the bundle of wood and arranged some of it in the middle of the fire pit while everyone one else put away their things. Big Mac got some lighter fluid and a lighter to start the fire. Once that was going we gathered around and made ourselves comfortable on the logs to have dinner that consisted of hot dogs, chips and sodas. Truly a meal for the health conscious. Big Mac sat next to Maud on one log, I sat with Sonata on another, and Heavyweight sat as far as he could away from Aria on the last available log. Big Mac then said, “It’s been a pretty good first day of camping. There weren't any problems with the setup, didn't have to worry about the night sneaking up on us, and no camping trip would be complete without a fire.” “True, but there's nothing special about that,” Aria mentioned with hardly a shred of interest. Big Mac taking Arias attitude in stride smiled before answering, “Eeyup. But maybe the surprise I brought along for the occasion will make up for that.” He then reached around to pull out a couple of large bottles from his backpack. He also pulled out some plastic cups from one of the coolers. “What is that?” Sonata asked. Big Mac poured some of the liquid into a cup. “Apple cider.” Upon hearing that I began to feel a hint of apprehension as he handed off the container to Sonata. As soon as it was in her hands, she took a huge gulp from it before tearing up and coughing. We all turned to look at Big Mac who was now wearing a bashful grin as he explained, “It’s of the hard variety.” “Extremely hard apparently,” I posited. Sonata catching her breath barely managed to get out, “I’m good. Wasn’t expecting that though.” Aria then replied, “And this is why Adagio and I only let you have fruit punch.” “Well, I’m learning a whole bunch of things during this trip,” I mentioned awkwardly as Big Mac had poured out enough cider for the rest of us. He handed me a cup, which I took hesitantly while examining the liquid. Aria seeing my reaction to the drink decided to point it out in an annoyed tone. “What’s the problem, boy scout? Not going to let that go to waste are you?” I glanced at everyone else who was sipping their drinks except for Sonata who was swirling it around in the cup not really showing any interest in it and Heavyweight who gave me a shrug. He then replied with, "Well, when in Rome,” before taking a swig. “Not like we’re going to be on the road right now or anything.” I quickly mentioned, "It's never really been something on the top of my to-do list." Aria was about to give me more flack on my remark, but she stopped when I took a drink. I cleared my throat and nudged Sonata. "Oof, this stuff is strong." She replied, “Yeah, I’m not sure I like it all that much.” “Heh, glad there aren't such things as undead murderers, otherwise we might have been on the top his list,” I mentioned as I contemplated whether to finish my drink. Heavyweight scratched his chin and asked, “Well, now that you bring it up, anyone know any good ghost stories.” "I don't know about any ghost stories, but I've heard about a strange meteorite found a couple of years back," Maud mentioned. Sonata seemingly relieved to hear that sighed, “At least it isn't anything creepy.” Maud continued, “The team of researchers that went to collect some samples of the space rock went crazy and began to turn on each other. It got to the point that one of them cannibalized the rest of their colleagues, all while offering pieces of them up to the meteorite.” “That got intense,” Heavyweight added. “But the worst part is that some scientists believe that there are other meteorites with the same properties that have landed all over the world. And they figure those meteorites could be anywhere.” Sonata, now a shade paler, weakly mumbled, “This is gonna be a long night.” I leaned in and wrapped an arm around her. "It's part of the camping experience. But it's all made up, and besides, I'll be right here next to you." Big Mac cleared his throat. “Not bad, but I think this one will be a bit scarier.” he leaned forward as he prepared to spin us a yarn. “Everyone knows that every national park and forest has had cases of people going missing. And this forest is no different from all the others.” Aria chimed in, “Well, yeah it's bound to happen, especially if people are unprepared for the outdoors.” Big Mac nodded, “Eeyup, ‘cept in recent years a lot of the people that disappeared had been very experienced outdoorsmen and women and left no trace of themselves. At least according to the ones who reported them to be missing. And most of those times they were in these woods all by themselves. Although a few lone campers that have stayed by themselves and made it back to civilization have said that on nights when there is hardly a sign of wind and the moon cannot be seen, voices could barely be heard calling out to them in the darkness of the woods and shadows could be seen at the edges of their camps.” “Hold it,” I interrupted. “So you were planning on coming out here by yourself before AJ invited us to join you?” He shook his head, "Nope if you guys had canceled I would have just waited for another chance to go with someone else. In all honesty, I've never been in these here woods without a few family members or friends to join me. I think those people who say they heard or saw something were enjoying themselves something quite a bit stronger than apple cider." Heavyweight then joined in, “Well, what if there is something in the woods?” “If there is I’ve never noticed,” Big Mac replied. “Still, I wonder what it could’ve been,” Heavyweight pondered. Aria then said, “Well it couldn’t have been timber wolves. Those wouldn’t have hesitated to rip every single one of those campers to shreds if they could and leave massacres to find.” Heavyweight then retorted with, “That’s pretty obvious. Besides, plain old wolves couldn't imitate voices like Big Mac said was heard.” She rolled her eyes and started to explain, “I wasn’t talking about normal wolves. Where Sonata and I came from there were these wolves made out of fallen tree branches, bark, and other pieces of wood. No matter how much you managed to harm them they would just pull themselves back together and chase down their prey until they gave in to exhaustion, not that we ever had to deal with them.” Heavyweight got my attention before subtly making a smoking gesture and darting his eyes from me to Aria. I gave him a smirk and slightly shook my head. When Aria saw me shaking my head, she asked in an accusing tone, "Oh what, not scary enough?" “I didn't say anything,” I remarked. “It would definitely be pretty strange to have something like that right on my heels, but I don’t know. It seems a bit far fetched to be believable.” Aria raised an eyebrow before asking, “Oh really, then what would you say would be more 'believable.'” “I think it could have been a skinwalker,” I offered. “That sounds familiar,” Big Mac thought aloud. Aria then stated, “What a terrifying name. What does it do, trace its fingers over your back when you aren't looking.” “According to some native peoples, they were either human witch doctors that gained the ability to take the form of animals and other people or an evil spirit that inhabits the forests,” I explained. “Still not seeing what's so scary about that,” Aria said while crossing her arms. "Yeah, it doesn't sound so bad, that is until you hear what people claim to have seen when they've come face to face with a skinwalker. They say that when skinwalkers disguise themselves as animals, there's always something unsettlingly off about them. Then when they go to get a closer look at those so-called animals, they find them to be a horrible rotting amalgamation of man and animal. Sometimes it's a deer that started chasing someone while running on its hind legs, other times what appeared to be a roadkill coyote got up and attacked a passerby who went to check on it. But the worst incident that I heard about was when a group of friends went out into the woods to camp. While they were sitting around the campfire, they realized that there was a stranger among them. When they confronted the stranger, it went running into the forest letting out a scream, which was followed by whispering voices that surrounded their campsite. The thing had impersonated a camper, and there were more of them just out of sight trying to lure them away from the group into the woods." Aria looked a bit unsettled at that point. “Heh, and you said what I brought up was farfetched. That’s got to have been the lamest thing…” She stopped mid-sentence and went almost completely pale right before she leaped off of the log. “SOMETHING CLAWED MY BACK!!!” While almost everyone else was looking at her with concern Heavyweight was snickering while I couldn’t help doing the same. “Calm down everything is okay.” Still, in hysterics, Aria yelled at him. "What part of clawed don't you get?!" He smiled and replied, “Well it might have to do with the fact that I barely even brushed these against your back.” He then raised three sticks spread out like a hand for her to see. “Sorry, I couldn't resist.” She angrily snatched the sticks from him and threw them into the fire. “Stop being an idiot.” “Well, glass houses and all that, “Maud pointed out. Aria huffed out, “Whatever.” Sonata realizing what had happened spoke up. “It was deserved.” Before anything else happened, Big Mac said, "Alright, I think we've all been wound up by those stories. Maybe we should call it a night." "Before we do, does anyone want some of these marshmallows?" Maud asked while holding up a bag full of fluffy treats. "Pinkie Pie insisted that I bring them along, otherwise it wouldn't be an official camping trip, but I'm not all that into sweets." We all shared perplexed looks at her seemingly silly question before accepting her offer. Several minutes later we were toasting marshmallows over the dying fire before we put away the leftover snacks into the ice chest. From there we got ready to sleep. “G’night. See y’all in the morning,” Big Mac then slipped into his tent. “Good night,” Maud replied as she entered hers. "Goodnight, Slate," Sonata said as she came over kissed my cheek. Aria, of course, had to comment. "Gag, well if monsters don't kill me, the both of your PDA will." The both of them went into Sonatas tent. Heavyweight shook his head. “Well guess we should try to get comfortable, just let me douse the fire. Don't need any accidental blazes torching down the whole place.” Once he finished, we both got into his tent and slid into our sleeping bags before we finally nodded off. Author's Note As always, feel free to leave any kind of feedback.
Ch. 3 Nightmares IncarnateWhat will you do when the next disaster strikes at school? When some crazed lunatic decides to use strange powers and puts everyone around you in danger? All you’ll be able to do is stand by and watch, just like this. “Hey…” “Mmm?” “Follow me…” “Huh, who said that?” "Mmmm, go back to sleep Sonata." “Follow me…” "Who's there? I need a light. Um. That isn't it. Aha." *click* “I want to show you something...” "Who said that? It's too dark out here." “This way...” "Slate, is that you?" “This way…” "Slate is that…" "What?" I mumbled in my sleeping bag before I sat up and rubbed my eyes. I yawned while asking, "Did someone call me?" But I got no response except for some snoring from Heavyweight. Just then, the call of nature hit and forced me to get up. "Man, I can't see anything." I hurriedly dug a flashlight out of my backpack before rushing out of the tent. I went maybe fifteen feet away from camp to take a leak before heading back. When I got back to our campsite, I swung the light over the other tents when I saw Sonatas' tent flap hanging open. Still a bit tired, I went to check on them. "Psst. Hey, everything alright, you two?" I asked while pointing my flashlight into the tent. "Hmmm. Sonata, I swear if you're trying to pull something this late…" Aria mumbled when the light hit her. I quickly sobered up to the fact that she was alone. "Aria, wake up." Now more visibly annoyed, she shot up in her sleeping bag. "Slate? What the hell are you doing opening our tent in the middle of the night, you freak?!" "Aria, the tent was already open before I peeked in, and Sonata isn't here," I explained as calmly as I could. "Do you know where she is?" She took a moment to look at the empty sleeping bag next to her. "I don't know. Maybe she went to use the restroom." "Aria, it's pitch black right now, and I didn't see any other lights out there. You didn't notice that she left?" I mentioned with rising frustration. She took a moment to think. "She was mumbling something earlier, but I didn't catch what she said." I shot her a scowl to which she retorted, "I was still half asleep." She then checked in Sonatas' backpack. "Her flashlight isn't here. So at least she isn't walking around completely blind." Just then, a scream came from somewhere in the forest. It turned out to be loud enough that everyone in camp was now up and getting out of their tents. "What's going on?" Big Mac asked, still not entirely awake. "What was that sound?" I explained, "I'm not sure, but it sounded like a person. And Sonata's gone missing." Heavyweight came up to me and asked, "Are you serious?" "Dude, no one knows where she is, and that scream can't be anything good. We need to go find her now." I went back to Heavyweights' tent and put on my backpack. Big Mac nodded and replied, "Alright," before turning to the girls. "Maud, Aria. Can you two relight the fire? I think we're going to need it when we get back." He then turned to me and asked, "So which way did you hear the scream come from?" I shone my flashlight first at Big Macs' tent, then to the woods right behind it. "It wasn't nearby, but I'm pretty sure it came from that direction." He followed the beam and stated, "Sounds like it came from the trail leading to the lake then. Heavyweight come with Slate and me, and bring a flashlight." My friend quickly went to get a flashlight while Big Mac did the same as well as bringing his hand ax. "Just in case we run into any animals out there. I'd rather not be caught empty-handed," he explained. "Fine, now let's go. Quickly." I urged. "We'll be back soon," Heavyweight reassured the girls. And with that, we made our way into the darkness of the night. All three of us scanned back and forth with our flashlights as we walked along the trail. We called out for Sonata, hoping to get some response, but we weren't able to turn up any sign of her. Where is she? I thought while still searching with the limited amount of light. "Sonata, where are you?!" Big Mac sighed before telling both of us, "We're about halfway to the lake. If she had been this far out, we would have at least seen her flashlight by now." Feeling the growing pit in my stomach, I crossed my arms and slowly came to a stop as I mulled over big macs words. They both stopped and turned back to me. Heavyweight was about to tell me something but just kept from breaking the silence. I then noticed that he seemed to be spooked by something, which slowly made me even more concerned. He whispered to the both of us, "Guys, shouldn't there be some sound right now? Like, any sound?" Big Mac and I looked at each other and then to our surroundings. We kept quiet and listened. Disturbingly enough, we found that he wasn't exaggerating, it was dead silent. No crickets chirping, no owls hooting, not even the rustling of leaves from the breeze. I whispered to Big Mac, "What the hell is going on, this can't be normal." Before we could keep on discussing the strange happenings, we suddenly heard crying coming from the left of the trail. I called out, "Sonata?!" to where I heard crying, but it just continued. "Come on. She might be hurt!" I ran off the trail and past several trees. "Slate, hold up," Heavyweight called after me as he followed along. It was hard to tell how far I had gone off the path. I'd hazard a guess that it was probably about twenty-some feet. As I swung my flashlight in search of the source of the crying, Big Mac and Heavyweight soon caught up. "Slate!" Big Mac scolded. "We have to stick together. It won't do anyone good if we get lost too." Unfortunately, I wasn't giving him my full attention, thanks to what I had caught in the beam of my flashlight. There was a kid squatted in front of a tree no less than ten feet away, hugging their knees to their chest and bowing their head away from us. They heaved with every sob as they continued to cry pitifully. The kid looked to be a young boy with a shaven head. He was wearing an old tattered shirt, torn jeans, and was barefoot. I called out to the kid, "Hey, are you alright? What are you doing out here by yourself?" The boy stopped crying only briefly. "I can't find my family." Walking over to the boy, I placed a hand on his shoulder. "We'll do what we can to help. But can you tell us if you've seen a girl out here? We're trying to help her too." "I can't find my family," the boy repeated in the same tone as before. At first, I thought he was in shock or something but soon realized something else was wrong. Being right next to him, I noticed a sickening stench. It wasn't one of being unbathed but more along the lines of rotting meat. The boy was now taking labored breaths as he gasped, "I can't… find. My family." What I thought to be sobbing heaves were violent twitches. Suddenly, the boy twisted his head to look over his shoulder at me, and what I saw chilled me to the core. Two dark pits stared at me for what felt like an eternity, and then out of nowhere, his arm jerked back at me as a searing pain shot down my left arm. I lost my footing and fell onto my backside while the momentum of the boys swing made him fall flat on his face. "Urgh! What the hell!" I yelled as I slid myself away from the kid. "Slate! "Heavyweight called as he came up behind me and quickly picked me up from underneath the armpits and onto my feet. "What happened?" Big Mac asked while shining his flashlight on me. When I looked at my shoulder, there were three red gashes across it. All the while, the boy on the floor began wheezing even harder as he struggled to get back up. We turned our flashlights to the boy as he unsteadily stood up. But at that point, "boy" was the wrong term to describe what stood in front of us on unsteady legs. As it hobbled back, trying to stay upright, we could see ashy gray skin with putrid discolored splotches appearing irregularly all over through its torn shirt. Its hands end in exposed bony tips, a few tinged slightly red with my blood. Finally, the most disturbing part that seemed to fly in the face of logic and sanity was its head. The face had been stripped of any flesh and was missing it's lower jaw while some ruddy brown vines were sprouting out of the throat. They snaked their way all over the head and through the empty sockets and nostrils. It was also dripping a dark, almost tar-like substance from its' nonexistent eyes. As we stood there gawking at the twitching corpse in terror, it lurched forward and wheezed. "... I can't find it. Can't…" It took another step and another. Before we knew it, it let out a strained scream as it started to stumble towards the three of us at an alarmingly fast rate. "Shit!" I exclaimed as I snapped out of my shock and threw a kick at the creature's chest as it jumped straight for us. It had barely missed us with its claws and gasped out a short hiss as it toppled to the ground. It writhed around, flailing its arms, trying to stand back up when Big Mac yelled, "Nope!" He pulled out the hand ax and slammed it into the creatures' exposed skull and sent shards of it splintering off into the dark. It wailed and twitched sporadically for a moment before growing entirely still. "Is it… dead?" I asked, feeling slightly queasy. Big Mac poked the body with his ax, but it remained still. He turned to both of us and nodded, "Eeyup." "This doesn't make any sense," Heavyweight mumbled as we examined the dead monster. "Nothing like this should exist, it can't be real." "Maybe, but it's right there in front of us." I took a second to grasp my shoulder and put pressure on the wound. Looking over to the tree it had been under earlier, we passed our lights across the ground around it. At first, nothing noticeable was visible, but the flashlights' beams glinted off of something metallic. When I went to get a closer look at that spot, I found a musical note pendant in the grass. "This is part of her necklace," I said as I picked it up. As soon as I did, however, something strange happened. What's this? Why is my vision off? I asked in a haze. "Hmm, where'd that voice go? I never even saw who was calling. I should head back to camp…" That voice has to be Sonata. Is this what she saw? Was she chasing a voice? "Now, which way was it? O-oh no. I think I'm lost. Okay, okay, stay calm. If I walk back the same way, I came then-" The words, however, caught in her throat when a sudden noise got her attention. *crack* *crunch* "What was that?!" A small bald child had walked into view with its hands clasped to its face while it sniffled. "Huh? A kid?" Sonata said in confusion. "Help. *sob* I'm lost," it pleaded, still never showing its face. That sounds like that thing from earlier. “Y-you are?” "I can't find my family…" it replied. "Maybe my friends can help you... as soon as I can find them," she said in an attempt to be reassuring. "L-lost… I can't find it. C-c-c…" its speech was suddenly breaking down as it shuddered. "Um, are you alright?" Sonata, get out of there! Don't go near it! I yelled, knowing what it was about to do. “...c-c-ca-a-a-A… AAAAAAAHHHH!” It dropped onto all fours and rapidly crawled right at her. "Wha-what are you doing?! Stop!" she yelled, freaking out and trying to back away from the thing. It suddenly leaped up with its clawed hands extended for her neck. Luckily she had stepped back enough for it to miss anything vital. Its claws did manage to hook her necklace chain, however, and with a violent yank broke it. *snap* *clink* were the only things that rang out as she caught a single charm from the broken necklace. The creature looked up at her, showing her its missing features. With that, she screamed, "AAAAHHH! Someone help me!" and ran deeper into the forest. "Slate!" Heavyweight yelled as he snapped his fingers in front of my face. "Dude, snap out of it!" "What?! Why are you yelling?" I asked, tremendously confused at the moment. "Dude, you were staring at that thing in your hand for a good ten minutes. I thought you were having a mental breakdown or something." I glanced at the pendant and then back to Heavyweight before pointing out into the dark. "Listen, she's still out there. I don't know how, but I saw which way she went. If we hurry, we should be able to catch up and-" "Slate, Big Mac thinks that we've gotten in way over our heads and..." Heavyweight began before Big Mac came up next to us. "We should head back." "Big Mac, we're close to finding her," I argued. He sighed heavily and replied, "You don't know that for sure, Slate." "We can't leave her out here!" I yelled. "We won't. But first, we have to get your shoulder taken care of," Big Mac suggested. I looked down at my blood-streaked shoulder. "Fine, let's make this quick." We left the corpse of that monster and made our way back to camp, where we found Aria and Maud sitting around a roaring fire. Aria, looking a bit more concerned, came over to us and asked, "Where's Sonata?" She then saw my shoulder. "And what the hell happened to your arm?" "It doesn't matter. Just need to get this cleaned, and then we're heading back out there to find Sonata," I said, wincing as I adjusted the torn shirt sleeve. I then turned to Big Mac and asked, "Hey, is there any more of that cider?" He went to his tent and pulled out a half-empty bottle while Heavyweight attempted to make a call on his phone." Eeyup. I get that our nerves are frazzled right now, but this isn't the best time for a drink." "Not for drinking, the first aid kit that I brought doesn't have any alcohol, and I never expected anything like this to happen." He removed the cap and then turned to me. "You ready?" "Just go ahead." I steeled myself for the burn that would soon follow. "This is going to suck." When he poured out some of the liquid onto the cuts, searing pain re-surged right through my arm. "Urgh! Son of a-Gahh!" What took about five seconds felt agonizingly longer. He recapped the bottle before patting me on the back. "Done." Suddenly Heavyweight exclaimed, "Ah, what the hell!" He had jerked the phone away from his ear. We all turned to him in concern. "What's wrong?" "I got a signal, but as soon as they picked up my call, a loud screech nearly blew out my ear!" All the while, he wiggled his finger within his ear. "Let me try." Maud pulled out her phone and tried to call the authorities before putting it on the speaker. What came out of the phone was a mix of static, and the screams of many people. We were at a loss for words throughout the call. When it ended, I could only sum up what we were all thinking. "What's going on?" I shook my head and sighed as I reached into my backpack and pulled out my first aid kit. From there, I got a roll of gauze and tried to apply it to my shoulder, but it proved to be a bit tricky. "Here, give me that," Aria said before snatching the gauze roll away and brusquely wrapping it around my shoulder. "There, now let's go find Sonata." I winced as I put the kit back in my backpack and pulled out my survival knife. "For once, I fully agree with you." Big Mac then interjected with a "Nope," while crossing his arms. Aria walked up to him and demanded, "What do you mean 'nope?'" Baffled, I joined her. "Wait a minute. You told me we would head back out there to find her." "We will. But in the morning." Now feeling betrayed, I yelled, "You saw that thing earlier, and we don't know if there are more out there! And you want to leave her out there!" Big Mac then replied, "That's exactly why we should wait till morning to look for her." "Well, it won't matter if she winds up dead before then," I argued. "And if all of us end up dead, no one will find her!" He said, raising his voice. "I need to make sure all of you make it back safely, and this is the best way I can think of to do just that," Big Mac explained. "What did that 'thing' look like?" Maud asked all of a sudden. "It looked like a walking, rotting corpse," I spat out. "Why?" "Sort of like that?" she asked calmly while pointing at a deformed shadow that was shambling in towards camp. It was as big as a human adult. The skull wasn't fully exposed, but it did have some old vines growing out of it. It also had that black liquid that dripped out of its mouth. "Man, there are more of them," Heavyweight lamented as he hurriedly picked up a large stick from the firewood pile. Big Mac then pulled out his hand ax as the creature unsteadily made its way into the firelight. "I'm sorry, but we need to go," he said as he backed away. "Well, I'm not about to abandon her out here," I muttered right before I picked up a baseball-sized rock from the fire pit and chucked it at the things face. It reeled back with a hiss as the rock connected with a crunch. It swung its arms blindly, trying to claw anything. Heavyweight saw his opportunity and struck it on the knee, forcing it to crumple to the ground as the stick snapped from the impact. In retaliation, it swiped at his legs. Fortunately, he was able to jump out of the way of its claws. Enraged, it quickly crawled towards Maud, hacking up the black bile with each loping step. With a surprising bit of agility, it lunged and slashed at her. It caught her off guard as it managed to graze the side of her thigh as she tried to move out of the way and lost her balance, falling onto her shoulder. Without thinking, I threw myself onto its back and stabbed my knife into the base of its skull, hoping that would be enough to stop it. It feebly dragged itself a few more inches before it finally collapsed and, with a single wheeze, rasped out, "You're all…lost." I yanked out the blade and quickly helped Maud back up and away from the creature as the black, putrid liquid began to pool around it. "That's it! We're leaving now!" Big Mac exclaimed as he picked up his backpack. "No, we're not!" Aria shot back. They were about to start arguing until we heard the car alarms off in the distance. We all went silent as we shared a look of dread before we turned our flashlights towards the direction of the vehicles. Out in the range, flashing yellow lights blinked on and off while at least a dozen silhouettes bobbed erratically while slowly growing. "No way." My words dully hung in the air. "There's too many to get to the cars safely," Maud stated with the slightest hint of pain. We stood there paralyzed by fear before my growing dread for Sonata snapped me out of my shock. "Now we have no choice. Quickly gather up as many essentials into your bags as you can. We won't last long if we stay here." "Where to? They could come out from anywhere," Big Mac pointed out. "We'll keep going towards the lake. That has to be where Sonata went. Unless you plan for us to stay and fight all of those things." "Fine," he conceded while everyone else got their things into their bags. All the while, murmurs, screeches, and rasps gradually grew closer to the camp. "Hurry, let's go!" Heavyweight called to us as he turned his flashlight towards the hoard of creatures. Big Mac got to the front of the group and led the way as we put as much distance as we could between us and those things. While we desperately made our way further into the dark, we could see shadows moving between the trees along the path. Regardless, we pushed on knowing that if we stopped, those things would surround us without a doubt. By the time we arrived at the lake, we were exhausted. On the plus side, though, there was no sign of anything that wanted to kill us. We were still understandably on edge. We helped Maud with the first aid and bandaged her leg while we even could. "Alright, we're here at the lake! Now what?!" Aria yelled in frustration at me. I shone my light all around the surrounding lakeshore in hopes of finding Sonata somewhere nearby. But all that I saw was the beams' reflection off the water's edge and rocks that covered the ground around the lake. "I-I don't know," I hesitantly admitted. "I only saw which way she ran when I found this." I pulled out Sonatas' lone pendant. Aria, in disbelief, screamed angrily back at me, "You saw her and didn't stop her from going further into the woods?! What, you forgot how to yell or something you idiot." "Look, I saw her in a vision when I picked up the pendant! She wasn't even there when we arrived!" "A vision?! We're out here because of a hallucination you had?! We're just waiting for something to come along and kill us, and we're no closer to finding Sonata!" "I know that, Aria! By the way, I hope those few extra minutes of sleep you got when you let her leave come in handy!" I flung back at her in exasperation. Heavyweight cut in and said, "Well, it wouldn't have mattered if we stayed back there. But maybe if we can last till morning, they will leave us alone." "Oh yeah, and what proof do you have that they won't catch us when they can see us in broad daylight?!" Aria shot back. "They only started showing up at night," he reasoned. While we started going back and forth on what we should do, Maud looked around with her flashlight. She then turned the torch to us and blinked it on and off to get our attention. "Hey, knock it off!" Aria growled at her. "I think one of those things may be nearby," Maud said while focusing the light on some pitch-black sludge. "Keep an eye out then," Big Mac replied. I went to get a closer look at the goo before looking around the surrounding area. To our concern, we found a trail of the stuff. It led to the stream that flowed into the lake. "I get the feeling that one of those things is still trailing her," I mentioned to the group while shining a light down the path that ran alongside the stream, glinting off more of that dark substance. "Then we should hurry after her," Heavyweight said. Suddenly those monsters broke past the tree line near the trail back to camp. "Not these things again!" Aria yelled in a mix of exasperation and aggravation. She then flipped them off, ineffectually and screamed, "Go burn in Hell!" They stopped for a second before turning in our direction. "Great, if they didn't know where we were, they do now!" I growled at Aria. "Time to go." Big Mac motioned toward the stream while giving us an anxious look. "Hopefully, she's somewhere up ahead!" Heavyweight said as he waved us along before following right behind us. We ran alongside that stream for maybe twenty minutes till we couldn't hear those things anymore. We slowed our pace down to a cautious stroll as we continued to follow the trail left by one of those monsters, hoping to find where Sonata had gone. At first, there was a drop or two every few feet, but as we followed along the stream, we began to notice the dark liquid speckling the ground slowly became more frequent until we came across a lone arm in a pool of black. "Oh, God," I said while covering my mouth and nose with the front of my shirt. "Holy shit, what did this?" Aria asked in disbelief. "The only thing she was carrying in the vision was a flashlight. And I doubt she would've been able to do this kind of damage to anything." I posited while looking closely at the limb. The skin and muscle seemed shredded raggedly while the bone was crushed and splintered in the middle of that. At the very least, it wasn't Sonatas'. "Well, whatever did this must've been huge," Big Mac added. We then noticed some large paw prints and long black drag marks that veered away from the disembodied arm into the dark trees and underbrush. "Let's keep going. Hopefully, whatever did this is long gone," I said, turning my flashlight back to the path running alongside the stream. No one argued against that, and we quickly kept going. There was an uneasy tension in the air as we made our way. There was no telling what else was lurking out in the dark, and it felt like we weren't getting anywhere fast. However, I did notice some trees missing some bark as we walked, so that at least filled me with some hope that Sonata had found a way to leave behind some markers. We probably spent close to an hour on that path before we could make out the outline of the mountain that grew ever closer with each step. "She better be at the end of this," Aria groaned. "Hopefully safe," Maud added. I would have replied, but the brief swish of the nearby foliage made my hair stand on end. "Did anyone else hear that?" "Maybe the wind just picked up," Heavyweight said. Big Mac licked his fingertip and stuck it into the air before shaking his head. "Nope." We probably would have overlooked it after that, but a low rumbling sound was now emanating from the darkness. The grumbling was so startling to us that we pointed our lights at it almost instinctively to see what was causing it. Two large green orbs were reflecting the light right back at us and sat on top of a snarling snout. That face came out of the brush to reveal a giant wolf that stood about five feet tall with dark fur. More disturbingly than that, however, were the bloody sticks that protruded grotesquely all over its back. The grumble soon became a baritone growl as the fur and sticks bristled. With fear gripping my chest, I pulled out my knife and slowly raised it. Then with everything that I had, I threw it right at its face. It managed to hit the wolf's eye, causing it to recoil as it used its paw to rub its eye in pain. Unfortunately, it only hit with the handle and clattered to the floor. In a crazed panic, I yelled, "Run!" We all broke out into a sprint alongside the stream while the wolf recomposed itself. Suddenly we could hear it letting out a snarl as it began to give chase. "Don't stop!" Big Mac yelled as the sound of massive paws were gaining on us. Its panting was only a few feet away. In a split second, I yelled, "Into the trees!" We made a sharp turn into the foliage as the wolf barked and snapped at Heavyweight, barely missing him and skidding past us. We kept running through the trees, but we could still hear that wolf's panting and sniffing from a distance. It didn't seem like we were losing it at all, so Big Mac yelled, "Keep heading for the mountains!" as he went back in the opposite direction towards the wolf. Heavyweight and I turned back around and followed. We wound up finding him leaning against a tree with his ax at the ready. We shut our lights off and hid behind a tree a few feet away from him. "You two should…" he began but stopped mid-thought. "Never mind, take this." he had pulled out a rope from his backpack and tossed over one of the ends to us. "We'll pull it taut between these trees and hopefully trip it so we can try and kill it." I quickly asked, "What if it misses the rope?" Big Mac was thinking pretty hard, but his silence said it all. A thought then popped into my head, which made me shudder, but we were out of options. "Alright, but don't pull the rope tight until I give the signal." I got a few feet back from both trees and stood myself where I was visible between the both of them. For a brief second, I saw those glowing eyes off in the distance as that wolf searched and sniffed the air. I took a deep breath before turning on my flashlight in its direction. It immediately focused on me as it bared its teeth. It then ran full tilt, utterly intent on sinking those fangs into me. As it neared the trees Big Mac and Heavyweight were hiding behind, I yelled, "Now!" There was a distinct twang as its front paws caught on the rope. It tumbled towards me, so I had to fling myself out of the way as it nearly crushed me. As it crashed on by, there were loud snaps that came from the branches sticking out of its back. Before it could stand back up, Big Mac ran over and swung his ax at its head, lodging the blade in its eye socket with a sickening squelch. It swung its head violently, trying to dislodge the ax and knocked Big Mac down. It then lunged and bit down on his leg. All he could do was yell in pain as he tried to kick its face with his free foot. I turned to Heavyweight and yelled, "Come on!" as I got up and ran to the back of the beast. I grabbed onto one of the longer branches sticking out of the wolf's back and told Heavyweight, "Help me break this off!" "Right!" He grabbed onto the branch too. With a hard yank and jerk, we managed to break it off, and to our disgust blood sprayed out of the piece still embedded in its skin. It yelped and let go of Big Mac to snarl at us. "Quick, jab it forward!" Heavyweight yelled. We ran the branch straight into its remaining eye. Pained yowls soon replaced its growls and snarls as it writhed on the ground while it swiped at the new injury. Without wasting any time, we got Big Mac up and held him up while we ran towards the mountain. That wolf unable to follow, disturbingly let out a long ghostly howl. At first, I thought it was a sign of it giving up. Once it had stopped, there was a brief moment of silence before cries resounded from all around the forest. "We've got to go faster," Big Mac said as the adrenaline numbed him to the injury. We picked up the pace as best as we could and finally made it to a clearing at the foot the mountain. It was still surprisingly dark in the open space, so Heavyweight and I swept our flashlights around until we saw Maud standing next to a boarded-up entryway and waving at us to get over to her quickly. When we got there, she asked, "What happened?" "We barely got away from that wolf, and I think it just called for help," I mentioned. "Where's Aria, wasn't she with you?" "While we were waiting for you three, Aria saw all this near this blockade." Her flashlight shone over the floor around the entrance. There seemed to be shreds of some material as well as an almost fully intact shoe sole, fortunately though, no blood. "I tried to get her to stay put, but she said 'we'll never find her at this rate if we wait for you guys.' and crawled under the boards before I could stop her." On closer inspection, there was just enough space between the floor and the very bottom boards for us to crawl in one at a time. I then looked up at the rest of the barricade seeing scratch marks and some slobber before I saw a plank nailed on top of it all that had the words, "DANGER KEEP OUT," written in black paint. Several howls could be heard further into the woods that let us know we didn't have time to debate going in. "Well, it looks like we're going in after her," Heavyweight mentioned hesitantly. Maud quickly pulled herself through the opening, before Heavyweight followed in. I turned to Big Mac and said, "Alright, your turn." I then turned to the opening and called "help him in!" I helped lower him to the opening as the others grabbed him by the hands and began pulling him in. All the while, glowing eyes were gathering at the forest's edge. "Hurry, those wolves found us!" I yelled, past Big Mac. He started slipping in faster when one of the wolves broke past the tree line in a sprint. My adrenaline kicked as I yelled, "Hurry! Go! Go!" and shoved Big Mac under the boards. I tried to follow as close behind as I could into the opening with the sound of clawed feet scraping towards us. As soon as I was halfway underneath the boards, the others grabbed hold of me and dragged me in right as a pair of nasty jaws nicked the soles of my shoes. We quickly stepped away from the hole where a dark snout tried to force its way into the entrance. It eventually pulled itself away as more of those wolves began to gnaw and scratch at the barricade. "I don't know if those boards are going to hold," Big Mac said while turning his flashlight towards the darkness of what I could only assume was a mine. "We've got to keep going." Author's Note Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this chapter after a long hiatus. As always, feel free to leave your thoughts and questions on the chapter or the story as a whole so far.
Ch. 4 Slipping into the DepthsWith a pack of bloodthirsty wolves trying to force their way into the mineshaft, we were up the creek without a paddle. To top it off, Aria went on ahead of us without so much as a warning. Our only path was straight forward into the darkness. We began heading away from the entrance, slowly leaving behind the sound of growling and scraping. We'd pass by the occasional support beam, but other than that, it was pretty bare. It seemed to go on forever before we reached a fork in the tunnel. "Which way now?" Heavyweight asked. We all took a moment to use our flashlights to look down each of the tunnels, but they went on further than the beams could reach. There was a slight sound of dust and pebbles falling from the ceiling as Big Mac gave us a startled look. "We need to find a way out of here fast. Otherwise, we may get caught in a cave in." Maud then spoke up to get our attention. "There's a door over here, but it's jammed." I walked over to the old wooden door and grabbed onto the latch. Try as I might though, the thing was stuck tight. I shone my light along the edges trying to find its hinges, but there was no sign of them. Damn, they must be on the other side. "Alright, move aside. Hopefully, this works." I pulled back my right leg and threw a hard kick that landed right next to the latch with a slight creak. I pulled back once more and landed my foot in the same spot, this time with more of a crack. Heavyweight then stepped forward and tapped me on the shoulder. "Alright, 'scuse me." He got into position right before he threw himself, shoulder first, into the door. The latch broke off, and the whole thing slammed into the wall. There was a loud echo for a few seconds before we were engulfed in silence once again. After that, we cautiously checked around the room. There was an old-looking cot directly opposite the door along with a dusty oil lamp that hung in the right corner from a bolted chain. We went to check it out and found that it could still hold weight, so we helped Big Mac onto it and used the last of the bandages from our first aid to wrap up his injured calf as best we could. There was a musty bookshelf to the left of the door. And pressed up against the left wall was a small writer's desk. "Feels pretty cramped in here," Heavyweight mentioned. Big Mac looked from the cot to the surrounding walls of the room and back to the door before saying, "Eeyup." "Maybe there's a map of the mines that we can use to find another way out," Heavyweight suggested. "Probably." Maud walked over to the bookshelf. While she was busy with that, I went to the desk. Luckily it was unlocked, so I checked to see what it hid inside. There, a large folded and yellowed paper sat in the middle of the desk. "Hey, I think I found something," I called to the others. As I carefully unfolded the sheet, Heavyweight helped Big Mac over to the desk while Maud was preoccupied with a book she had pulled off of the shelf. Once the page was open and on full display, we could see a diagram of branching tunnels. At first, I thought we had finally had a stroke of luck, but as I looked over the map, little details slowly ate away at my confidence. "What's with this map? Some of the paths look to be scratched out or end in an 'x.'" Heavyweight pointed out. "I think this might explain all that. It's a journal that belonged to one of the miners." Maud carefully flipped through the pages to one of the last entries before relaying what she read to us. "According to this miner, during the mines last few years of operation, several of the miners would wind up rushing for the exit like madmen bloodied and missing bits of skin. It became a common occurrence, especially when they went further into the mines' lower levels, but eventually, it even began happening closer to the surface too. Once miners began to go missing and were presumed dead, the mines shut down. Many of the miners who survived the attacks said they heard skittering along the walls. That's why there are so many unfinished tunnel mappings and xs marking off dangerous parts of the mine." "Let's see. There has to be a clear pathway through these mines." My eyes scanned over the map once more as I traced the tunnels with my finger. It was beginning to seem hopeless until I managed to pick out a route through to the other side. "Well, this looks like it should get us through safely. But we have no clue if Aria made it through, or…" I began to contemplate the fact that both Aria and Sonata could be dead. Not wanting to dwell on that too long, though, I shook my head and forced myself to push forward. I folded up the map and placed it in my pocket. "We've got no time to waste." We left the room and started heading down the tunnel to the right. With our flashlights illuminating the way ahead, every single step we took reverberated deep into the adjoining passages. We navigated the dark with caution. No one dared to talk while we were in there as we tried to listen for anything dangerous and Aria. We were about midway through when something glinted in the dark as we passed the beams of light across the floor. "Guys, hold up," I said, while I brought an arm up to stop everyone. The group came to a stop at one of the many splits in the path. "What is that?" Big Mac asked. We got up to the spot where that glistening came from and found out that it was a piece of Sonata's yin and yang charm. It looked like something forcefully snapped it in half based on the bent up edge of the break. For the most part, however, the white coloring and black dot were still intact. Is this going to cause one of those visions again? I thought as I hesitated to grab it. With a deep breath, I reached down and picked it up. I flipped it over to find her name engraved in the shiny metallic back. I have to know if she's okay. As soon as that thought ran through my head, I blacked out. Still, a bit blurred but no longer blind, I could see the stream passing by on the left and trees on the right. All the while, heavy breathing was a constant sound as my vision bobbed up and down. That soon came to an end when I leaned up against a tree with a forearm. Soon I could hear the uneven breathing give way to short sobs, "I can't…I can't keep going." There was no doubt that it was Sonatas' voice that I heard, but there were also gurgling sounds that were coming from behind. My vision shifted to look over her shoulder and caught sight of a disgustingly bloated, deformed corpse bringing down its claws right at her. She threw herself to the ground as the monster scraped off a chunk of bark. She crawled back up to her feet in a panic before turning to see the creature was quickly approaching her with outstretched arms and honed claws. When it was nearly an arm's length away, a giant wolf suddenly leaped out of the trees and sunk its fangs into the corpse's shoulder. The wolf savagely thrashed around and slammed the corpse to the ground while it clawed at the wolf's face. The creature shrieked in pain when the wolf bit down even harder and snapped off one of its arms in a gusher of black ooze before it dragged the monster into the woods. Sonata began running alongside the stream once more and away from the grizzly scene. A while passed before the mountainside was visible from the tree line. "Why is this happening?" she asked desperately. "I thought it was just those, those 'people,' but then that timber wolf came out of nowhere… I thought I was going to die." She walked out past the trees and looked up the sheer mountainside when a hushed voice slithered its way through the silence. Good thing that wolf went after that thing instead. That voice sounds familiar. It's almost like mine, I thought feeling more perturbed. In her surprise and terror, she began looking all around. "Who said that?!" The voice came through again. I would suggest checking out that tunnel. "Tunnel?" Sonata asked, not sure from where the voice had come. She shone her flashlight all along the foot of the mountain before finally seeing the boarded-up entrance. She went to check it out and tried to get a better look inside by peering in between the boards, but could only see a couple of feet even with the flashlight. "This doesn't feel right…" A low guttural growl began to sound from the tree line about twenty meters away, startling Sonata. When she turned to look, the growling grew more intense. The voice whispered more directly this time, Get in the tunnel if you want to live. That growling soon turned into barks and snarls as a wolf ran out of the trees towards Sonata. She quickly began looking all over the barricade for any opening before noticing the gap at the very bottom. She dropped to the ground and pulled herself underneath the board. She had almost made it entirely inside when a pair of jaws clamped onto her right shoe. It then began jerking her around and nearly pulled her back out. "Ahh, let go!" she screamed as she swung her free foot blindly, trying to get the beast to release her. She had landed a few hits on it when her shoe came loose in its mouth. With that brief opportunity, she finished pulling herself back into the tunnel. On the other side of the barricade, the wolf ripped apart her shoe before it realized it hadn't gotten anything and began to claw and gnaw at the boards. Sonata quickly got up to her feet and stepped away from the planks only to immediately feel a stinging pain radiate across the top of her foot. She shone her light at it but didn't see any blood staining her sock, so she removed it to reveal some nasty bruising around the ankle. "Ow! I won't be able to move very fast like this." While she slipped her sock back on, a thought occurred to her. "What if the others run into those monsters? Slate, this wouldn't have happened if I had stayed put in the camp." They would have shown up regardless of what you did.But, if you want to help your friends, then I need you to follow my voice. I have something that can drive those things away. "Who are you, and where are you trying to take me?" That doesn't matter. I'm just trying to help you. Unless, of course, you would like to stay with the wolves. She hesitated before reaching into her pant pocket to pull out the yin and yang charm I had given her. She shook her head and replied to the empty tunnel, "Fine, if it will help to get rid of these monsters." So, if you're ready then, follow the sound of my voice. I'll get you out of here. Without another word, she began limping her way down the tunnels as best she could, going down whichever direction the voice instructed her to follow. From what I could tell, it led her down a path not laid out on the map, so I was beginning to grow more anxious by the second. It took some time, but eventually, the marginally lighter hues of the outside world were slowly coming into view. Just a few more steps and she would have passed through the lip of the tunnel entrance when a voice from within the tunnel weakly echoed. Sonata stopped and turned around to see what was happening but wasn't able to catch sight of anything. Right as she was about to continue on her way, the echo got slightly louder and more precise. "Sonata!" the voice echoed from further in the dark, noticeably feminine in tone. She was shocked to hear anyone else in those tunnels, especially a familiar voice. "Aria?!" she called out to the inky blackness. There was silence for a minute before another echo reached Sonatas' ears. "Where are you?!" Sonata was about to take a step back into the tunnels and reply to the echo when an elongated hand with black claws wrapped around her mouth. Soon another slender, spindly arm wrapped around her midsection and violently lifted her off the floor as it began running out of the tunnel. She tried to scream and struggle against the creature, but nothing fazed it. Then without warning, the thing threw her carelessly to the floor, causing her to see double. The emaciated figure reached a clawed hand into Sonatas' pocket before pulling out her charm. It looked it over before snapping it in half. Then as it swallowed a piece of the charm, Aria's voice was coming out of the tunnel. The last thing that I saw through her eyes was the blurry vision of piercing yellow eyes as its neck snapped towards the mine, and a smile grew on its face before she passed out. Everything went dark, but I didn't return to the others immediately. That same voice from the vision slithered its way into my mind. You see, you want to protect others, but you don't have the means. It must be frustrating. I came to again in the tunnels as Maud, Heavyweight, and Big Mac stood by, giving me worried looks. I asked them, "What's wrong?" "You were just standing there for the past five minutes," Maud said in her usual tone. "Sorry. When I picked this up off the ground, I had another vision." I showed them the half of a pendant Big Mac then asked, "Well, what happened?" "Someone or something was leading Sonata through the marked off paths out of the tunnels. And it was at this split in the mine that she went off the safe path. On top of that, Aria was somewhere in the mines when Sonata was reaching the exit." "Well, what should we do?" Heavyweight asked. "Maybe they got lucky and managed not to disturb whatever else is in here." "Maybe," Big Mac said while he nervously scratched his head. I tried to think of anything that could give us a solid idea of which way to go. I pulled out the map and showed it to everyone, "If we take the same tunnels that Sonata did, then maybe we'll find Aria since she was near enough to call out to her and get a response from Sonata while she was in here. It's also more of a direct path to the exit than the safe one." Maud just plainly said, "If your vision was correct and Sonata was able to make it through, despite using a dangerous path, then hopefully we should be able to follow her steps and make it through too." There was an air of uneasiness as I pointed my flashlight down the leftmost tunnel. "That's the way we want to go then." I grimaced as we followed the tunnel that Sonata took. We spent probably close to ten minutes of walking down that path and taking several blind-turns down those tunnels before something stood out to us. Midway down one of the longer mine shafts, we could see a flashlight flickering on the floor, and it was casting an odd shadow against the wall. We focused all our lights on the source of that shadow before we realized that it had two long purple pigtails. "It's Aria!" We quickly made our way over to our collapsed companion. Unfortunately, on closer inspection, my heart sank like a rock. Her clothes were stained red, and patches of skin were missing all over her arms, exposing the muscle and sinew. There also appeared to be holes that bored into the tissues. "Oh God, she's dead," Heavyweight said, sounding full of regret. In a horrible lapse of judgment and denial, I tried to reassure everyone. "Come on. We need to get Aria out of here. We can still save her." I then grabbed her shoulder and turned her over only to reveal the full extent of her condition. There was a crimson puddle where she had been laying. While her clothes remained intact for the most part, save for tearing on the edges, it did little to hide the fact something had split her abdomen. We reeled back in horror and disgust at the sight. I turned away and steadied myself against the wall as I retched and puked my guts out. I could hear the others becoming sick as well before turning back to Arias' corpse. More skin and muscle had been removed from her neck and chest as I shone the light on the rest of the grizzly scene. The beam finally came to rest on her face. Most of her left cheek had been ripped and shredded, leaving a ghastly half-grin for us to see while her eyes were rolled back into her head. My head was spinning from all the emotions that were boiling up inside. The guilt of how I had openly called her out at the lake and letting her die. The anger towards whatever had killed her—the uncertainty of pushing on any further. And finally, the fear of anything else happening to the others and especially to Sonata. We stood there, not sure what to do. The only sound to be heard was a few sniffles. Then, when we thought that things couldn't get any worse, we noticed an odd bulge in Arias' throat. It moved ever so slightly before it disappeared up into her mouth. "What was that?" Big Mac asked everyone, but before anyone could respond, something forced Arias' mouth open. It looked like a black insect with a segmented body. It had six needlelike legs and a head that seemed to end in a flat, white protrusion. The longer we kept our lights on it, the more agitated it seemed to get until it finally had enough and split open the protrusion. It turned out that the white spot on its face was its four fang-tipped mandibles closed tightly together. It let out a nauseatingly shrill screech, and all at once, the silent tunnel became filled with a cacophony of a million skittering feet and shrieks. When we focused our flashlights further down the tunnel, we could see a formless mass creeping its way towards us all along the floor and up the walls. There must have been thousands of those bugs moving in unison while a couple more began crawling out of Aria. The closer ones made a beeline for us as they attempted to sink those fangs in. One of them jumped at Maud only to end up a bloody smear under her foot. She stoically announced, "Get going," as she began running back past us. With one last glance at Aria, Heavyweight, Big Mac, and I followed Maud back the way we came. No matter how fast we moved, though, we couldn't shake the pursuing swarm of creatures. We made it back to the fork in the tunnel, where the vision diverged from the map and tried to catch our breath. However, those bugs had not given up the chase. Maud asked, "Which way, Slate?" and I pulled out the map and hurriedly discerned the safe path. Meanwhile, Big Mac had frantically been throwing stuff out of his backpack before pulling out a lighter and popping open his last bottle of cider. He then tore off a strip from a spare shirt. I pointed down one of the middle tunnels and yelled, "Go that way!" while he stuffed the fabric into the bottleneck. "Dude, whatever you're doing, do it fast. We don't have a whole lot of time." Heavyweight grabbed Big Mac and yanked him in the right direction. Those bugs were now just a few feet away as we began to run as fast as we could, but with Big Macs' injury, he was slowly falling behind. "Come on," he muttered while trying to ignite the cloth hanging out of the bottle as he ran. In the brief moment that the fabric caught on fire, several of those insects had jumped onto him. They tore into his leg. He began to scream as more of them sunk their fangs into him. "No, no, no! Not again!" I went back to help him and crushed several of those bugs. Heavyweight and Maud saw this and did the same. I grabbed him by the hand and tried to pull him out of the insects' tangled mass, but there were too many clinging to him. He wanted to scare them off with the lit cloth, but they would only retreat a few inches before climbing even further onto him. Soon the others were helping me pull him, but it was still no use as those pests inched their way up to his back. Then to all of our horror, the bottle accidentally slipped out of his hand and shattered on the floor. Within a matter of seconds, the mine shaft was awash in the glow of firelight. Try as we might, we weren't able to pull Big Mac from the mass of writhing vermin. The heat became too intense to handle, and we had to let go. Big Mac, along with those monsters, became completely engulfed in flames, and soon we could only hear the roar of the inferno. We were in utter shock as the flames consumed Big Mac but had no time to process the whole tragedy as the fire had started to burn at some of the surrounding support beams. The next thing we knew, they were giving off an ominous crackling. Soon there was a loud scraping of rock that shifted as the shaft became increasingly unstable. I grabbed Heavyweight and Maud and yelled, "Run!" With each step, rubble and debris were falling from the collapsing ceiling. We barely escaped the mineshaft as the sound of rocks and boulders crashed down, echoing out to us. We got a few more feet away from the mine before we let ourselves drop to the floor. "We made it out." Heavyweight gasped out of breath as he stood there, hunched over and sucking in air. "What now, Slate?" Maud asked coldly. While she wasn't showing any signs of distress, I couldn't help but wonder how messed up she or any of us for that matter was after everything that had happened. "At this point, I don't know," I admitted shamefully. "Thanks to my decisions Big Mac and Aria are dead." my eyes were becoming blurred thanks to the newly forming tears. "If I had gotten him to come along instead of trying to kill that wolf, we would have been right behind you and Aria. Then she wouldn't have wound up going off on her own." "Dude, there was no way to know that any of this was ever going to happen," Heavyweight offered to try to get me to snap out of it. "That doesn't change the fact that everyone back home is going to question how all this happened," I answered in frustration and guilt. "Adagio and Big Mac's family aren't going to buy a story that monsters in the middle of nowhere killed them. At best, they'll think we're crazy and, at worst, blame us for it." Maud still calm as ever then asked, "So then the plan is to do what, give up and die out here?" I wasn't able to answer her as my head was pounding. Asides from that, I wasn't in my right mind at that moment. "Slate, I get it, but dying out here won't help anything. We have to make it back at the very least for the sake of Aria and Big Mac. Their families have to know what happened to them. Besides, we all have family that's waiting for us to get back." Confidence was the last thing I was feeling, especially about our current predicament, but I couldn't argue with what my friend said. I got back up, stuck my hands in my pockets, and took a deep breath. My hand then brushed across the two pendants from Sonatas' necklace. A mix of urgency and anger suddenly filled me to the core. "Fine, you're right," I agreed begrudgingly. "Before anything else, we have to find Sonata." "Then perhaps we should check down that way," Maud suggested, pointing her flashlight down a cleared path. "Anything is better than just staying here," Heavyweight agreed, then took a moment to adjust his backpack. "Alright, then." I took a moment to wipe my face with the front of my shirt. The path was quite a bit longer than it appeared at first, which I assumed was due to the darkness, but regardless, we followed it all the way through. To our surprise, we found ourselves at the edge of a small abandoned frontier town that consisted of a few old buildings. The first thing we passed by was a stable that had long since fallen apart and connected to a small house. There were at least three other tiny houses nearby, a large lodge looking place as well as a bar, and the outer skeleton of what I could only assume was a town hall. They stood around a well in the center of the quiet town. "Well, I wasn't expecting to go back in time," Heavyweight remarked. "I've never heard of any abandoned town out in this area," Maud said in what I assumed was a puzzled tone for her. "I suppose it must have been in use before Canterlot was even a thing," I offered, more concerned with finding Sonata than anything else. We continued walking past the small homes towards the lodge when a voice weakly called to me. "Slate, help me…" "Wait," I said, halting the other two before asking, "You heard that, right?" Maud nodded while Heavyweight replied with a quiet, "Yeah." The voice called out again, and this time I was able to recognize it. "Slate, help…" it had come from the lodge. We pointed the flashlights all along the exterior when I saw a set of curtains in a second-floor window near the right end of the lodge flow as if someone had brushed past them. "Sonata!" I yelled, trying to elicit a response, but received none. Without a second thought, I ran up to the double doors and flung them open. The reception area I had entered was a gloomy mess; dusty furniture, destroyed tables, and cobwebs everywhere. And towards the opposite side of the room was a fireplace. Before I could check the rest of the place, Heavyweight and Maud came in after me. "Slate, we should stick together." Heavyweight mentioned. "Well, keep up then," I said with a hint of impatience. "We have to find Sonata soon." They nodded and followed behind as I turned to the staircase near the entrance. When I placed my foot on the first step, it let out a loud creak in protest to having any weight placed on it. We carefully climbed the stairs up to the second-floor landing only to find dark hallways on either side. I thought I saw someone in one of the windows closer to the right end of the lodge, so that's where I wanted to start the search. We quietly made our way to the last door, but when we checked out the room, it was empty. Without another option, we began checking every door as we went back through the hallway but only found maybe three doors that would open, all of which were disappointingly empty. All the rest, however, were jammed or blocked up on the inside. We went and checked the other hallway, but found nothing. We had no clue if the whole place was going to be empty, but we still had the first floor, so we went back to the staircase. When we got there, something went clicking around the floor below. I looked back to Heavyweight and Maud and pressed a finger to my lips before turning off my flashlight. They followed my lead, and we cautiously made our way down the stairs, wincing when the second to last step creaked. I held my breath as I squinted, trying to catch sight of what could have made that sound. But to my relief, the room was empty. We turned our flashlights back on and looked around. "What was down here?" Heavyweight whispered to the both of us. "I don't know, man. But there are two more hallways that we gotta check." We went down the left-wing and found a whole lot of nothing, so we were left with the right hallway. We went through the usual process of checking the rooms individually, but I was getting the feeling that we would need to check the other buildings when out of nowhere, a door slammed shut at the end of the hallway. I ran into the hall and found Heavyweight outside a door messing with the handle. "Heavyweight, what happened?" Before he could answer, a loud crash came from inside the room. "Maud went in to check for Sonata," Heavyweight explained while trying to get the door open. "But something shut the door with her in it." We tried to break down the door, but something was barring our entry. "Maud, hang on, we're going to get you out of there!" Heavyweight called through the door. The ruckus that had been going on while we attempted to get into the room abruptly stopped. I gave it one more shove, but it remained shut. "Give me a minute. Maybe we can use something from the entrance to pry it open. See what you can do here, though." "Alright." Without wasting any time, I ran back to the main entrance. There was a stone fireplace with a dusty mantle right above it with a couple of decorations along with some old-style candleholders. On the floor, next to the chimney, was an overturned and empty rack. I then noticed a handle sticking out of the fireplace from underneath a mound of ashes. When i pulled it out, the handle turned out to be a part of a fire iron. "This poker should do it," I said while I examined it, getting ashes on my hands. Then without warning, Sonatas' voice called to me from a window that was just a few feet to the left of the fireplace. "Slate, help me..." Startled, I flicked my flashlight up to the window and caught sight of something very odd. What looked like a big cat, on account of the lynx-like face, peered over the window sill and stared directly at me. I leaned the poker up against the fireplace as I focused my flashlight on the big cat. Then the next thing I knew, a spindly, blood-soaked hand slapped against that same window. The cats' eyes began to emanate a piercing yellow glow as it slowly rose. That cat-like head sat upon a thin gray body with patches of fur hanging off of its slender frame. The hand was attached to a long arm that pressed up against the glass to stand up. Once it had reached its full height, it was nearly going past the top of the window frame. All the while, it never broke eye contact with me. That was right up until it looked beyond where I was standing. It then took off running to the left side of the lodge. I turned to see the front doors slightly cracked open. Before I could even begin to move towards it, that thing slammed one of the doors wide open and completely off its hinges as it stood right in the doorway. The creature was at least eight feet tall, give or take a foot thanks to its crooked stance. Its arms practically reached down to the floor as it took a few steps towards me. My heart began racing at the sight of that thing when its neck snapped and cracked as it tilted its head as if to show curiosity. The vision I had in the mine suddenly flooded into the forefront of my mind. That was the thing that had dragged Sonata out of the tunnel. In fear and rage, I barely managed to whisper, "You took her." It stopped about 18 feet away from me and froze suddenly for a few seconds before it straightened out its posture. It then hunched forward and placed its hands against the wood floor before it mimicked my voice in a distorted tone. "Took her…" it then tilted its head to the other side, and in an eerie imitation of Sonatas' voice asked, "Why didn't you save me, Slate?" It then flashed a toothy smile. It killed Aria I glanced at the poker as I prepared myself to fight. It noticed and in an unsettling combination of both mine and Sonatas' voices, it laughed, all the while taking slow, plodding steps forward. I turned and picked up the poker as fast as i could, but in the split second that I turned back to face it, it had closed the distance from the middle of the room. It took a swing at me with its long, thin arm, but I barely managed to raise the iron to try and block the hit. While it took the brunt of the blow, I still got sent rolling into a broken sofa with a loud crash, and I lost my grip on the poker. I pulled myself up from the debris only to find my whole body was swimming in colors of pain as I tried to keep my balance. It laughed again as it crawled closer before rearing up with a clawed hand poised to strike. "What happened, I heard a…" Heavyweight called to me as he ran out of the hallway and saw the monster. It had stopped to look and size him up before turning back to me. Luckily he managed to throw his full weight at it with a tackle as it swung, forcing it to barely miss my head by mere inches with an audible whoosh. In a spastic jerk of its arms, it knocked my friend across the floor. It then turned to grab Heavyweight by the leg, but I took a broken table leg and jammed the sharp end straight into its back. The impact of the strike shot through my wrists as the wood collided against its spine. It gave me a bit of confidence that we could fight off the slender creature, but then its head made a one-eighty degree turn to face me with a sickening crack. It then shot its freehand towards me and wrapped it around my neck before slamming me up against the wall. It then let go of Heavyweight and turned completely to face me as it slowly began to reach its other sharp claws right for my stomach. It was deliberately taking its time as it watched me struggle against it, seemingly deriving some sick joy from my efforts. There was little I could do other than hitting its arm and wrist, but that had little effect. But as soon as I grabbed onto its forearm, it completely stopped to watch as smoke began coming out of it. It recoiled with a screech as it let me go. Without a second to lose, I grabbed the poker and swung it at its face. More smoke began rising from the beast as it backed away. I wasn't sure what I had done, but the creature was desperately wiping at its face and where I had grabbed its arm as if trying to remove something. I then noticed a burn mark on its forearm in the shape of a handprint. I looked at my hand and saw that the ash had rubbed off. I realized at that moment that the ash was causing it to react. While it tried to get the ash off of it, I quickly stuck the poker into the ashes and took a handful. The creature growled as it leaped forward and swung its claws at me once more. Luckily I was able to roll out of the way of its wide arc. I quickly got up, and I threw the ashes I was carrying right in its face. It began gasping and choking as smoke billowed from its skin. I ran at it with the poker at the ready. It was about to swing its other arm, but I managed to stab the metal into its gut. It staggered back and yowled in pain as it attempted to remove the poker, but instead recoiled when its hand touched the ash-covered handle, which was causing smoke to come out of the wound. Not wanting to give it the chance to gain the upper hand again, I yelled, "No, you don't!" before landing a hard kick right on the handle, burying it deeper into its stomach. It toppled over as it squirmed and pushed itself away from me. I quickly checked on Heavyweight, who was woozy but otherwise alive and got him back up, all the while that thing managed to yank out the fire iron and to drag itself out the front. "Dude, are you alright?" I asked Heavyweight, trying to get him to focus. "Yeah, I think so," He replied, "What was that thing?" "I'm not sure," was the only thing I could say for sure. "But I don't want to find out. Come on, let's get Maud out of that room." We took the poker back over to the room. We wedged the tool into the edge of the door, and with a few hard shoves against the poker, the door finally gave way with a loud crack and splintering. Unsurprisingly, furniture and the bed had been wrecked or flipped over. What was worse was the blood spatter all over the room. There was no sign of Maud; all we found was a single pebble in the middle of the room. "No. Maud's gone," I said, realizing that only my friend and I were left. "That thing did this." "But where is the body?" Heavyweight asked now more troubled than ever. He then tried checking under the wreckage but couldn't find anything. "Why aren't you helping?" I shook my head and answered, feeling the pit in my stomach worsen by the second. "She isn't here; just look at the window." Blood dripped from the windowsill, so we went to check it out. There was a trail of red leading around the side of the lodge. "Come on." After clearing the glass from the window frame, I jumped out of the window. With my flashlight, I followed the trail of gore. Heavyweight followed me over to the window where the monster had left a bloody handprint. "If that thing came straight to this window, then there's no way it could have taken her that far, "I reasoned before following the rest of the trail. It went out past the front of the lodge and up to the well. Right on the edge of it laid a black teardrop-shaped piece of metal — the other half of the yin and yang charm. I reached out and picked it up to examine it closer. It still had the white dot, and on the reverse side was my name. I stared at it intensely, just waiting for a new vision to come to me, but nothing did. "Why isn't anything happening?" I asked, shaking the pendant. Heavyweight, noticeably more concerned than before, placed a hand on my shoulder. "Slate, something doesn't seem right." I didn't pay any attention to what he said and pointed my flashlight down into the well. It was pitch black, and no matter how hard I strained my eyes, I could not see the bottom. "They have to be down there." Suddenly the sound of fast, heavy footsteps were coming straight towards us. Heavyweight, in a panic, yelled, "It's back!" When I turned around, the monster had grabbed Heavyweight by the face and slammed him headfirst into the ground. Without stopping, it raised its deformed hand slashed straight down at me. I barely managed to lift my arms to protect my head, but its claws ripped into my left forearm. The force of the hit sent me reeling into the well, and whatever ambient light I was able to see was soon swallowed up by the darkness.
Ch. 5 One Way Out of the AbyssAs I fell down that shaft, the sheer darkness seemed to fog my consciousness. It felt like I had been falling for hours even though I knew I had just been shoved into the well a moment ago, and my flashlight did nothing to illuminate my descent. I didn't even notice gravity's effect anymore except for the sound of air flowing past me. As confused as I felt, the only thing that I could do was think. Soon my mind began to wander to old and recent memories. I relived the morning that I learned about my mothers' death and how it felt like someone told a cruel joke that I couldn't grasp. I thought for some reason that dad was trying to scare me, that was until he sat next to me and broke down crying. It was just one of those times that even if she took the proper precautions, an outside influence proved to be more than enough to change our lives. And while the guy that caused the accident did get what was coming to him, it still did nothing to change what had transpired. Several months passed, and my attitude had changed at school, most of my friends noticed and drifted away. All except for Heavyweight, who stuck by me through those times. As time went on, he even got me into karate when he started. I recalled all the time I spent getting to know Sonata, how we first met, and the struggles that we had together. Looking back at those times from the outside in really began to show me how naive I had been. It made me realize that I should've been more aware and cautious of what her sisters were planning. Maybe then we wouldn't have been on the razor's edge as far as our friends went. I could've done more to investigate about them and possibly prevented any of it from escalating the way it did. Still, I never regretted meeting Sonata in the least, only that I was clueless as to what was going on. I suppose there was only so much an average person could do. I then drifted forward to when I experienced first hand what it was like to be a part of the terrified and untrusting crowd when this world's Twilight came to our school. For a while, it was difficult to separate the person she was trying to be from the one that we encountered during the games. I hate to admit it, but after what happened, I could understand why others treated Sonata and her sisters the way they did since my main concern was with who I could have lost thanks to another situation that no one could have foreseen. While the school and I managed to forgive her just like they did with the Dazzlings, it made me wonder, "When will it happen again?" My mind flashed through all the horrors that had relentlessly hunted my companions and me that night. One by one, they had been snuffed out in the most gruesome of ways possible. There had to have been something, anything that I could've done to prevent them from dying. As I ran through all the what-ifs that I could, an image of Sonata sitting with her knees pulled up to her face as she cried softly began materializing in my mind. I could've sworn that she was right in front of me even though I knew my mind had to be playing tricks on me. Little by little, however, her body contorted and elongated. She began to look very similar to the creature that knocked me into the cistern. It began reaching a hand right for my face, and I could feel my heart threatening to leap right out of my chest. My eyes shot open with my heartbeat racing in my ears. I soon realized that I was lying against a cold stone floor, so I pushed myself up. That turned out to be a painful task as my left arm began to sting with pain from the gashes along the top. I couldn't see anything within an inch of my nose, so I felt around in the dark to find my flashlight. Several minutes passed before my fingertips nudged it. When I tried to switch the flashlight on, it was flickering badly and threatening to leave me stranded in the dark. I smacked it a couple of times before getting it to stay on for the most part. At least with some visibility restored, I could check the claw marks that the monster had left on me. The sight was pretty jarring, on account of the drying blood caked on to my arm. Taking a deep breath, I carefully removed my backpack and took out a spare shirt. I wrapped and tied it as best as I could around my forearm, if for no other reason than to try and protect it. With that taken care of, I got up and looked around the area. It seemed that I had stumbled into a cave system underneath that abandoned town. I then pointed the flashlight directly above me only to see a small dot of light that pierced the darkness, and to be quite frank, I was utterly baffled. "How am I still alive?" How indeed, something emanated from the dark. "Ah hell, that thing followed me down here." I swung my flashlight, attempting to find where the voice originated. Make no mistake, that miserable bag of flesh and fur could never compare to any of my capabilities. Still, it does have its use, albeit with a rough touch. "So, if you sent that thing after us, then that means you have Sonata." I accused the emptiness. You are correct, it responded. "Let her go!" I yelled. You are genuinely one tracked in your desires. You are just going to wind up like the rest of your friends as soon as you both escape. But if you follow my instructions, you may make it out alive. "Shut up and let her go!" I repeated. "If you're the cause of all this, we're dead anyway, so I'll take my chances." Hmm, I sense that you're going to be difficult, the voice said more disappointed. Perhaps it should have been expected, seeing the sacrifices you made. Still, anyone will do anything with the proper motivation. Everything went silent as I checked around, trying to track whatever was down there with me. Suddenly from further within the caverns' depths, a scream rang out. It was Sonata, but she wasn't calling out for help, just yelling in agony. As this went on, the voice then said. If you want this to stop, you'll cooperate. I wanted to get her out of there, but I had no idea what this thing wanted. Sonatas' screams got even louder as she shouted, "Stop! Stop! Aaaahhh!!" "Alright! Alright! Leave her alone. I'll do what you want!" I cried out. Shortly after that, it was as if something had covered her mouth as her cries became muffled. Good. Now look for a large crack in the wall with your light. Without any other options, I followed its orders. Towards the far end of the chamber, there was a split in the rock, just big enough for someone to crouch in. Go through. I went over and checked inside the passageway to find that it went further into the earth. I took a deep breath before I pressed on through. I had no idea where it was leading but knew that I had to keep a level head. It's fascinating seeing how far you're willing to push yourself to save this girl — recklessly searching while throwing your companions to the wind. As I made my way through the narrow tunnel, I responded, "I didn't know any of this was going to happen. I never wanted any of them to end up dying." Then why didn't you listen to your friends? It gleefully pointed out. Surely creatures one could only find in nightmares would have been a clear sign that death was just around the corner. "Because I couldn't let her die out here, and I wasn't the only one who felt that way!" Yes, this girl's sister. The voice acknowledged. She might have been a better candidate, but she wasn't as aware as I would have hoped and was ultimately not as easily manipulated. I continued through the passage as it widened a bit more. The voice went silent, waiting for me to reply, but I just contemplated what it had mentioned. You are very similar to others that have crossed my path. It continued. So determined to find someone, something spirited away. But the girl you've been looking for is entirely different. I was beginning to wonder what this thing was getting at. I could see a dim green glow that was barely even visible further off in the tunnel. I could sense a power almost like my own, albeit much weaker. It's something that I could use. Probably even more adeptly than this girl could. I had finally reached the end of the tunnel and found myself in a large chamber dotted with a glowing green moss-like substance that clung to the walls. Since it only hung closer to the ceiling, it gave off a sickly glow that left the floor in the inky darkness. There was, however, a section of the wall that lacked any of the moss. It was just as dark as the floor. "Enough, where is she!" I demanded. Almost as if it came up from the shadows, the voice said, Right in front of you. Suddenly, the shadows that obscured that one part of the wall slid off to reveal some moss higher up. As it wriggled away, I could see Sonata secured to the wall by black tendrils that wrapped around her and even covered her mouth. I shone my light at her and saw long cuts up along her legs and her tearstained face. She flinched at the brightness before she tried to scream out to me. "Sonata!" I broke into a full-on sprint. I could see Sonata shaking her head as she continued to try and yell but was only able to make a muffled cry. Before I was less than fifteen feet away from her, something pulled itself up from out of the shadows between Sonata and me. It was huge, too big to have laid merely flat against the ground and not be seen. It was as big as a large van. I shone my light directly on it and could see scaly frills running along its spine. Its head looked horse-like and even had a front pair of hooves. Its hind legs, however, were fused into a finned tail. Its whole body was black except for its eyes, which were dark red, and its pearly white serrated teeth. And right in the middle of its chest was an obsidian sphere. It focused its stare directly at me before speaking. Now, now. Don't get ahead of yourself. "What the hell is this," I said with a noticeable quiver. The thing pushed itself up with its forelegs and gave a broad, toothy grin. This form is what that girl is. It's fantastic, not once in my entire existence have I encountered a creature so ideally suited for hiding amongst such unsuspecting prey. My legs would not move as the large shadow that towered over me began to circle me. It then let out a frustrated sigh. That's why it infuriates me to no end that this girl refused my offer so adamantly. She would have had all my power and been able to save all of your companions. But she said no. Can you believe that? Still, that is why I anticipated at least one of you making it to me. "Then, this whole night was a sick vetting process?" I asked. The dark creature didn't reply but instead flashed a sickeningly gleeful smile. "I'm going to get Sonata out of here. But first, I'm going to kill you." Its eyes flashed with excitement. Do you mean that? Soon, the creature collapsed in on itself into the black orb. It then reformed itself into a more humanoid shape right next to Sonata. It was at least a foot taller than me and had a thin muscular build, but it still had those red eyes and serrated teeth. I'd like to see what you're capable of first hand, it said. It then turned to look at Sonata and stroked her cheek with its forefinger as she flinched at its touch. And to ensure you don't decide to run or lose that fire. Its fingertips then morphed into vicious-looking talons. As it placed them to her neck, her eyes went wide with fear. When I saw what was about to happen to her, I ran as fast as I could towards them. It then merely stated with a hint of indifference, What a pity. I was just a foot away from grabbing it by the arm, but it had already raked its claws through her throat. It laughed as it melted back into the dark. "No!" was all I could get out as a warm spray of red spattered my face and shirt. I stopped in sheer disbelief. Her eyes welled up with tears before they rolled back. Her head dropped to her chest as her blood flowed out and drenched her shirt. The tendrils suddenly released her, letting her fall forward. I quickly grabbed her and laid her gently on the floor. I tried to stop the bleeding by pulling off the shirt on my forearm and held it against her neck. "Come on," I pleaded. "You've gotta make it! Please..." Unfortunately, there was nothing that I could do. That creature came up behind me and whispered, Do you still have the will to kill me? Without thinking, I spun around and threw an uppercut and landed it on its chin. The creature recoiled only slightly and replied, Ah. Very good. It jumped back and gave one last response as I got ready. Don’t disappoint me. I gave one more glance at Sonata's body before I took the charms I had found and used the last of the parachute cord to wrap my right hand and hold them in place between my fingers. As soon as I stood up, it ran forward and threw a massive right back punch that crashed into both my forearms as I barely managed to protect my head. It then threw a strike with its left hand and caught me on my right side, knocking me onto the ground. I stood back up and wrapped my arm around my side, and found some blood staining my palm. The flashlight glinted off the creature's extended claws and its toothy grin. You know, most people who have sought me out came with weapons, and yet you decide to face me with some scraps of metal. Not very bright. It said while walking towards me. It then swung with its claws once more at my head. Luckily, I ducked past its attack and caught it with my right elbow to where I assumed its floating rib was. Ha, that was an excellent- it began, but I spun out of that first strike and threw a right cross and embedded the charms in its face. "Shut up!" I yelled as I threw a sidekick to its knee and brought it down lower before using the back of the flashlight as a baton on its head. I was about to hit it again when it caught my left arm. My oh my. Such anger. It stood back up and lifted me off the ground by my arm. Perhaps there is some potential in you. It slowly tightened its grip on my arm. Then again, you did manage to get all of your group killed. Little by little, the bones in my forearm were starting to bend. I tried to pull my arm free with my right hand, but that did nothing. I landed a hard kick on its side, still nothing. The bones were starting to bow, so I threw a roundhouse into its belly, and it hardly moved it. I swore the bones were beginning to rub against each other as my wrist involuntarily twisted. With very little hope left, I threw one more roundhouse into its chest and felt a hard bump against my shin as soon as I felt that it let me drop to the floor as it gasped and held its chest. It took a couple of steps back, trying to recompose itself. I checked my left arm with the light and found blood trickling from the reopened wound. And very gradually, I was starting to feel dizzy. Suddenly the thing raised both its hands over its head and clasped them together before it swung them down. My arms were practically screaming when I crossed them overhead and blocked the hit while it forced me to drop to a knee. It then threw a front kick right at my head. With a quick pivot of my knee, I let it pass right on by before I grabbed it by the crook of its leg and shot forward. Using the momentum of my whole body, I pulled its legs from underneath it and threw that thing onto the ground. The next thing I knew, I had jumped over its legs and stomped down on its stomach and chest. Suddenly, several sharp points dug into my right calf. It had wrapped its claws around my leg and said Gotcha. It lifted my foot off its chest and rolled over, slamming me onto my back. It grabbed me by the shoulders and picked me up. It then let out a low, Aahh, as it opened its jaws wide. It felt like time had slowed down as those teeth drew closer to me, so I quickly jammed the flashlight handle into the back of its mouth. In its surprise, it jerked back and shoved me away. Using the newly gained space, I lunged forward, and with an open hand, struck the blinding light as hard as I could, ramming it even further down its throat. It wheezed as it reached a clawed hand up to the lodged flashlight, but I was far from finished. I used a left palm strike on its chin, sending a few of its teeth clattering to the cavern floor before it let out an angry growl. I then yanked out the flickering flashlight and struck the monster across the chest. There was a loud clack as the metal hit that black orb. The creature recoiled from the strike. It became clear that that was the best way to try and kill it, so I readied the flashlight once more, but before I could swing, a sudden sharp pain erupted from my abdomen. I looked down to see that the thing had thrust its claws through the muscle up to its wrist. I couldn't even scream due to the immeasurable pain as I dropped my only weapon. It then used its other hand to grab me by the neck and pin me to the ground. It got in close and panted out. This was more entertaining than I expected. But I'm still alive. Perhaps this just wasn't meant to be. While it taunted, I had been feeling around the floor for something, anything that I could to try and kill it. Right when I thought I was slipping away, I brushed across one of its teeth I had knocked out. Oh well, perhaps someone else will come looking for all of yo- it stopped as I stabbed the tooth between the obsidian orb and its dark flesh. I yanked the tooth downward, making the cut even wider before I forced my hand into it, and with whatever strength I had left tore that stone from its chest as I coughed up blood. I barely managed rasp out, "You're probably right." as my vision blurred. The moss that clung to walls and ceiling began to look like stars dotting the night sky as I heard weak laughter. The last thing I managed to see was the outline of Sonata lying there in the dark before everything faded out. I suppose another human is acceptable, for now. I felt the air enter my lungs as I began to stir and suddenly realized that I wasn't dead. I shot straight up and found myself back in my sleeping bag in Heavyweight's tent, but no sign of Heavyweight. I then checked my body but didn't see any gashes, cuts, or wounds. "What the hell," I mumbled before putting on my shoes. When I stepped out of the tent, I nearly had a heart attack when I saw everyone. They were up and about in the morning light, but they retained all their injuries from the whole night. Heavyweight came over to me and asked, "You alright, Slate? You look really out of it." I rubbed my eyes and screamed internally. Oh, God! It all did happen! When I opened them again, everyone was back to normal. "What?" I asked in confusion. Aria came over and scowled at me. "If he hasn't thrown up, he's fine." She then placed a hand over her mouth before she ran behind a tree. Looking around, everyone seemed a little green around the gills. Even my stomach was gurgling in protest to any movement. I went to sit at one of the logs next to Sonata. "Morning, Sonata. Are you feeling sick too?" She nodded before replying, "My stomach is killing me." "Hang on. Maybe some water will help." I went to the cooler and asked Big Mac, "Hey, did everyone wake up sick today?" Big Mac answered as best he could, "Ee-*hurp*-yup. Maybe the cider was a might too strong." Maud walked over to us with the bag of marshmallows in hand. "Sorry, it turned out that the marshmallows that Pinkie Pie gave us were slightly expired." "So, dumb question, but did anyone else have any nightmares?" I asked a bit queasy. Heavyweight answered while holding his stomach, "If I had to guess, this is it. And I'd honestly have to chalk it up to the booze and food poisoning." Everyone else halfheartedly nodded while I took a couple of water bottles and went back to sit with Sonata. While everyone was recuperating, Sonata whispered to me, "Hey, Slate. Did you call me last night?" I was absolutely at a loss for words. After everyone had just told me that nothing happened, I wasn't sure how to respond. I just gave the best answer I could, "I don't think so." "Hmm, I guess I must have dreamt that then," she said a bit confused. After we were able to recover from that marshmallow mishap, we carried on with the rest of the camping trip just like the day before. We got in some swimming, Big Mac caught some fish, we did some hiking, and there was no sign of anything out of the ordinary during the day or night. The one thing that did leave me wondering, however, was when I could have sworn that I saw a black bump on my palm for a second. But when I checked my hand thoroughly, there was nothing. I just guessed it was a trick of the light and enjoyed the rest of the trip with my friends. Both subjects are still alive, as well as the other campers. A new host was selected. Further observation is required to determine if the process was successful.
