Pitching tents and Getting Scared
"Chapter three is where it gets interesting, and helpful too!"
Twilight was waving an open book around with her magic, trying to get the attention of her blue pegasus friend. Cyan flashed by as Rainbow Dash blitzed around to collect various objects to shove into her open saddlebag. Today she and her best pink friend were heading out on their "Super Camping Extravaganza", as Pinkie called it, where they were going to traipse out into the middle of the woods and stay there for a week, living off the land and what little they could bring. Dash had thought a few days out in the wilderness would toughen her up, giving her much needed survival skills. What would she do if her friends needed to fend for themselves out in the unknown? Be the best at it, of course. Flying over to her bathroom, Dash took a small box of bandages in her hooves, studying the words printed on the front for a moment. Hoof steps sounded behind her.
"Look! 'Several simple ways to start a small fire', don't you think you'll need that information?" Her princess friend asked, worrying her about that book for the fifth time today.
"We'll be fine." She dragged, turning away from her medicine cabinet to look at the other pony. "Some little survival book has nothing on the skills Pinkie and I already have."
The alicorn flashed a small look of concern. "But what if there's something out there you don't know how to handle? Like a wasps nest, or a bear? This book will help you fend off touchy wildlife!"
With a roll of her eyes Dash trotted past Twilight, bandages in tow, back into the living area to pack the small box away. Twilight quickly followed, eyes trained on pages as she flipped through chapters swiftly. Dash nearly flinched when her friend suddenly exclaimed.
"AHA! 'The importance of water', listen here." She began, catching Dash's sigh as she turned to listen. "Water is used throughout the body to regulate body temperature and help the body function. Drinking plenty of water is important, as you'll perish of dehydration long before starvation."
"Riiiight." Dash was closing up her bag, clasping the straps down. "We know to drink water, Twi, we're not foals."
"But still! The book has deeper explanations of these things, what if you wonder 'why' about something and don't have the answer handy?" Twilight argued back. "Take it, you'll have questions!"
Dash stepped up to her squawking friend, pushing the book down and away with a hoof. "We'll. Be. Fine." She said finally. "Pinkie and I already have the knowledge we need to go camping, we're naturals."
Twilight's brows furrowed, her lip poking out with a pout. She let her persistence subside, tucking the book down to her side. Dash took that as a victory and went over to her bag to place it on her back and strap it down across her belly. Twilight stood silently watching as Dash got up and adjusted the carry-on snugger. The blue pegasus finally seemed ready.
"You promise you'll come right to me if you need something, right?" Dash heard her princess friend ask quietly, a hint of worry in her voice. "Or if you're in trouble?"
"Of course, Twi, quit worrying." The cyan mare flew to her friend's side to hook a fore-leg around her shoulders, squeezing their bodies flush in a hug. "If anything happens, Pinkie and I will come running."
Her friend seemed satisfied with that, giving a soft nuzzle into the hug to communicate that she was fine. Dash unhooked her leg and began a proud trot to the door, Twilight followed suit, and they both made a swift exit before they began their flight down to Ponyville.
…
"Wait- Everfree!?" Twilight's horrified realization stopped Dash and Pinkie in their tracks.
They'd just crossed the field leading to the big, dark forest. On the flight to Ponyville, Twilight and Rainbow Dash met Pinkie at the last bridge needed to cross from Ponyville to the path leading to Everfree. Rainbow was confused at why Twilight thought they were talking about a different forest.
"Yeah...Everfree." Rainbow said, turning her head back to look at her purple companion who had stopped a while back. "Where else would we camp?"
"Uh- any other woods around here?" Twilight returned with a snap. "Ponyville is surrounded by closer and safer forests."
Rainbow frowned, looking at Pinkie and then at Everfree. She and the pink party pony had already talked about going to Everfree over anything else. They'd been here plenty before, and knew a few familiar paths here and there. They knew what dangers were there and how to avoid them. What was the problem? Dash shook her head and snorted, fully turning around to face Twilight. Pinkie did the same.
"Twilight we've been in Everfree so many times before, it's fine," Rainbow argued back.
"Except its not! Haven't you heard of all the ponies who've gone missing in there? Pony after pony disappeared in that forest. There's so much awful, scary stuff in there- even unicorns agreed that a magic spell was necessary to seal all the evil it contains." Twilight was staying firm.
"Twi, we've got everything we'd need to find our way around, plus we've got stuff to fight off whatever baddies come our way. Right, Pinkie?" Dash turned to her smiling friend as she nodded.
"Yep! Compasses, maps, lamps, and lamp oil. We've even got sprays for pesky bugs." Pinkie added.
"That's right! See Twi? Prepared." Dash gloated her camping prowess. "Now let's hit the trails, I want our tents set up before sunset."
"Fine...but remember what you promised." Twilight put in.
"Yeah yeah, come on Pinkie," Dash smirked, turning back around to begin walking.
Pinkie started springing up and down, bouncing after Dash. Dash turned slightly to nod at Twilight, flashing a confident smile as she leads her jumping friend towards the mass of spanning trees. Twilight watched them go, raising her voice to get in one last thing.
"Stay safe! Take care! See you soon!" She exclaimed, waving a worried hoof out to her slowly disappearing friends.
"WE WILL!" Pinkie shouted back, hopping up and down backwards to wave back at Twilight.
Soon the trees engulfed the two campers, and their week-long excursion began.
…
Pinkie and Dash hiked through the thick forest, the sun was high in the sky as Dash claimed they neared their planned campsite. Pinkie had taken it upon herself to create, and sing, a hiking song to keep her spirits up while she trekked alongside her rainbow friend. Rainbow Dash was just about to stop the earth pony from singing the seventh verse when she spotted it. The two had hiked up a hill and crested the top, looking down at a huge lake.
"Whoo! There it is! Down by that lake!" She said, taking off to hover a few feet in the air. "That little space down between those trees is perfect, right?"
Pinkie had a hoof tucked right above her eyes to block out the sun as she squinted down at the water below. A small, cozy patch of seemingly soft dirt was nestled between a few shady trees and surrounding bushes. It was about six feet away from the water and big enough to fit their camping gear nicely.
"Last one there is a rotten apple!" Pinkie suddenly shouted, kicking her legs into high gear before sprinting down towards the lakeside.
Dash's surprise was quickly clouded with a competitive spirit, wings fluttering wildly as she sped down to catch up with her galloping friend. The two dashed, and flew, around the bend of the lake. Nearing the campsite with excited chortles and playful taunts at each other's speed. Leaves danced fiercely in the gale kicked up with Dash's flying, her hooves roughly skidding across the soil as she came to a stop in the clearing. Her chest heaved as a smile tickled the sides of her mouth, she knew she'd won. Pinkie came crashing into her haunches from behind, causing them to both stumble and land in a heap on the ground. Dash exclaimed as she dropped to the earth with a chubby pink pony collapsing on top of her. She huffed out a laugh, wiggling to dislodge her friend.
"Ouch, Pinkie! Get off, you're crushing me." Her voice strained from her lungs.
Pinkie rolled off of Dash with a soft sound, plopping onto the dirt. The cyan mare let out a grateful sigh as air filled her lungs again.
"No fair!" Pinkie said as Dash got to her hooves. "You flew the whole way, you shoulda ran!"
"As if that's unfair." Dash snorted defiantly, brushing off her dirtied coat. "You run just as fast as I can fly, and you know that!"
From the ground her friend kicked her back legs as she laughed. Dash looked away with a smirk and a shake of her head, almost breaking out into a fit of laughter herself. She turned back to face the treeline and camping space. The soil was just as soft as she left it, the trees giving off a cooling shade. Sounds of the lake water moving lazily against the shoreline and soft rustles of the lake flora framed the scene nicely. This was more than perfect. She basked in the peace of nature as quieter sounds of her friend unpacking behind her were drowned out. She was just about to ask herself if she was already hearing crickets when fore-hooves came down gently over her shoulders, a warm body pressing against her side. Pinkie's cheek pressed softly against her own. She could feel her friends sigh, the slightest hint of frosting on her breath.
"It is perfect, Dash." The pink pony agreed, looking out on the lake with her. "This week is gonna be awesome."
Dash answered with a wordless nod. A week getaway with her friend was just what she needed after months of brutal training in the academy. She'd eat marshmallows, tell ghost stories, and rest peacefully under the stars with her best friend. It's all she could ask for. Pinkie released the hug, allowing Dash to continue her peaceful daydreaming while she began setting up her own things. The pegasus gave the view one last appreciative once over, stepping back to turn around and help her friend set up tents and the like. She shook her bag free from her back after unclasping the buckle. Her tent sack was the next thing to be unbuckled from it's strapping on the bag. Dash gently tore the velcro top from the carrier, shaking the tent from inside and onto the ground. She looked up to see Pinkie's tent spring to life after being freed from its binds, and with a few small adjustments, it was ready to go. Dash followed suit, unstrapping hers and allowing it to bounce free into a decently sized tent.
The sun was tucked down below the horizon, night falling as the moon was raised in turn. The sounds of the forest turned from bird chattering to the soft singing of crickets, the wind picked up to rustle the leaves fiercely in the night. The two ponies had settled down by a softly burning fire, Dash controlling the flames with gentle prods of a stick. Pinkie was humming a tune she'd gotten stuck in her head while she smooshed a roasted marshmallow between two graham crackers and a thin slab of chocolate. The smell of cooking sweets and fire smoke filled the air.
"How's the s'more?" Dash asked after a quiet moment, eyes trained on the flames.
Just then her friend shoved the entire treat into her waiting mouth, she noisily smacked the s'more down with greedy gulps. Her tongue traced the lines of her teeth and around her mouth, freeing the leftover sticky residue of mallow from her gums.
"Marshmallowy and chocolatey!" She replied with a happy rub of her tummy and a satisfied smile. "Want one?"
Rainbow turned her head to the sky, gazing at the moon high above. Clouds floated lazily in the breeze.
"Nah, I'm good," Dash responded after a moment, slowly looking over to her friend. "I'm full from the apple fritters."
Dash watched as Pinkie nodded and began the process of making another s'more for herself. The warm glow of the fire shaded her pelt an inviting orange, the soft curve of her protruding tummy shivered as she leaned closer to the flames, marshmallow impaled on a stick. Dash swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. Her gaze flicked back to the flames, her thoughts wandering aimlessly. After setting up their tents they spent the rest of their day swimming in the lake and kicking around an inflatable ball Pinkie had packed with her. She remembered splashing in the cool waters, giving the ball a strong kick with a fore-hoof towards the pink pony swimming a few feet away from her. They played in the water until they were too tired and cold to continue. Then Dash used the flint and steel, with help from Pinkie, to light a decently sized fire. The crunching of another successfully made s'more broke through her thoughts. She looked up again, seeing Pinkie polish off one last sweet. Pinkie let out a soft, content noise rubbing her hoof over her mouth to rid it of crumbles and chocolate smudges.
"Ready for bed then?" The earth pony's voice was muffled by leftover marshmallow and graham cracker.
Dash made a noise of agreement, standing up off the ground to begin snuffing the fire out. Pinkie stretched her fore-hooves over her head with a yawn and small sniffle. Rainbow poured a bottle of collected water over the fire and it fizzled down, the sizzling quieting as the fire was safely put out. She finished it up by kicking dirt over the sticks and stamping them down. By the time she had finished Pinkie was climbing into her sleeping bag, illuminated by the small lamp sitting between their tents. Dash trotted over to her now bundled friend, the party planner was scooting into her tent like a small earthworm. With a breathy laugh, Dash helped Pinkie into her tent by taking the sleeping bag in her teeth and tugging her inside. Pinkie let out a grateful giggle as Rainbow then stepped over her to exit.
"Sleep tight, Dashie!" Pinkie shouted after her.
"You too, Pinkie." Dash returned softer, zipping the tent up behind her.
Soon it was quiet again, Dash made sure to turn the lamplight out before crawling into her own tent. She unzipped and stepped into her sleeping bag and snuggled down into a cozy position. She laid there for a moment, letting the buzzing of various bugs and the chirping of crickets guide her thoughts down into unconsciousness. The last thought on her mind before letting sleep engulf her mind was, 'I hope no bugs crawl into my tent'.
…
A soft panicked sound roused Dash from her sleep slowly, her eyes were clouding in and out of focus as a voice called out to her. Her mind collected pieces and placed them together as she finally, truly awoke.
"Dashie, please wake up, please." The voice grew desperate, quick breaths tickling her nose.
The cyan mare jumped up with a start, fore-hooves kicking out to free themselves from the sleeping bag. Her eyes searched wildly for familiarity and found that in her friend. A scared look painted across her face. Dash was on edge in an instant.
"Pinkie? Pinkie what's-" Dash tried to reason with her friend but was cut off.
"I heard something, Dashie, I heard...a scream- Out there in the woods, it sounded mare-ish." Pinkie's eyes looked around wildly in her fright. "Dashie, what do you think it was?"
Rainbow Dash's mind whirled. A scream? What did that mean this far out in the woods? Pinkie must've just heard some shrill animal noise out in the distance. She steeled her waving nerves.
"Pinkie, we're in the middle of the woods, who'd be making noise out here other than some animal?" She sat up to catch her friend's worried gaze.
"I don't know. But I heard it, Dashie. It wasn't an animal." Pinkie fought back. "It was loud and sudden, Dashie, I know it."
Rainbow was starting to get a little vexed. Had Pinkie really woken her up for this? Either way, she'd have to settle her friend down before she could go back to bed.
"Okay, so what do you want me to do about it?" She countered snappily.
"We...we should see what, or who, it was." Pinkie murmured quieter. "What if somepony is hurt out there? We need to go see."
A hard sigh blew through her nose. She began defiantly struggling her way out of her sleeping bag. If Pinkie wanted to go out in the middle of the woods to look for some crying animal, fine. At least she'd prove her wrong and get some more sleep on top of it. She stood up in the small space and shook her pelt out. Pinkie sat worriedly beside her, casting worried glances towards the now opened tent entrance.
"Fine. Let's go out there, find this thing, and then come back." Dash huffed out, squeezing through the tent and out into the open.
It was certainly the middle of the night, the moon was still sitting high in the sky, clouds now have gone thanks to the wind. She heard Pinkie shuffle out of the tent and out beside her to press against her side. Dash sighed again, she couldn't help but feel the fear coursing through her friend in warm waves. She'd hide how annoyed she was to instead comfort her friend.
"Grab the lamp, and let's go in the direction you heard it," Dash said softer now, giving Pinkie the consolation of her presence.
With a shaky nod, Pinkie grasped the lamp sitting on the ground. Turning it back on to illuminate the campsite around them. Dash glanced all over their surroundings to make sure everything else was in place. Their bags and other supplies remained untouched, scattered by the long fire that'd been snuffed out long ago. Pinkie must've rushed right over when she heard...whatever she heard. Pinkie's soft steps to the woods just behind their tents caught her attention, and she was quickly catching up to her friend. The woods behind them had remained unexplored, as Dash thought the lake and a few other spots beyond it would be enough to keep them entertained during their week. The darkness of the forest unsettled her, the once comforting sounds of nature made her shiver at every small noise. What would they find out here? If it was an animal, would they be able to handle whatever it was? The unknown was starting to get to Dash.
They continued their trekking for what felt like an hour, the further they traveled, the more a sour smell tickled the insides of Rainbow's nose. A faintly animal smell with a coppery tang. What is that? Her thoughts were broken as she bumped into Pinkie's behind. The sudden stopping and stillness of her friend scared her.
"W..what is it?" She asked, craning her neck to see over the other pony's shoulder. "Do you see something?"
"Dash what is that." Pinkie's voice was rough and hushed, sudden and frightening. The lamp was left placed on the ground, her body was still unmoving.
Rainbow's stomach sank at her words, rushing up to stand beside her. She followed her fearful friend's eyes towards the source. Copper and rot choked out all other smells. She tilted her head up to get a better look at something sat against a tree ahead, by the look of it, a pony shape was back-legs up against the trunk. She dared to step closer, feeling her friend flinch back beside her.
"Hello?" Rainbow Dash called out, voice wavering uncontrollably. "Hey, are you okay?"
The figure didn't answer. Instead it began slumping down to the left, it's hindquarters slipping off the trunk and onto the ground with a startling thump. Dash and Pinkie jumped at that, their heartbeats almost audible in the silence. Rainbow took a chance to look back at Pinkie Pie, wondering what to do. Her friend didn't have the answer, and Dash's confidence was beginning to fade. She had to muster up what she had left to solve this. She stepped even closer, hooves carrying her towards the now floored pony body.
"Excuse me?" She said once more, firmly. "If you're hurt you've gotta-"
Then the stench hit her. Copper and the filthy smell of death clung to the air in thick waves. The sudden, awful scent made her mind reel. She stumbled back, a headache beginning to throb in her mind. As she began to lose her hoofing, the only thing that kept her from meeting the squishy soil below was the firm hold of a hoof at her side.
"Dash," Pinkie's voice was wet and wavering, was she crying? "Dashie, stay up, look."
Rainbow stomped down the flickering feeling of tense nausea, heaving her head around to get her focus back. Pinkie was shaking her, or, just shaking in general. She lifted her weight back onto her hooves to look back at the body lying still in front of them. Just then the scene became clear.
A mare, pink coat and red mane streaked with white. She was lying on her tummy, body dried up and drained of its blood. Her head was cocked to the side at an unnatural angle, her mouth agape in a fearful, frozen scream. Eyes dark, rotted away and missing. Dash could barely bring herself to continue looking, her stomach already churning wildly. The mare's midsection was squished down flatter than normal, as if she had been emptied of her innards. The sight of a dried and decaying corpse stirred something in Dash that she'd hate to admit was interest. Her pupils shivered as she finally tore her gaze from the mess before her, turning just in time to see Pinkie gag violently. A soft gurgle was the only warning she got before her friend began the harsh spew of digested sweets. The splattering of vomit made Dash flinch away involuntarily, her eyes shutting to block out at least one sense of her friend being sick beside her. The smell of bile and rotting corpse mixed in a brazen smoothie of violently sick smells. Soon the splattering subsided and Dash slowly creaked her eyes open to see Pinkie's head bent down over a pile of foamy, chunky vomit. Dash's stomach continue to whirl, but the nausea only peaked and simmered in waves.
"Pink...Pinkie, are...you okay?" Dash sputtered out in quiet question.
The other mare didn't answer, spitting out what must be clinging to the inside of her mouth onto the ground as well. Dash took the silence gracefully, deciding to continue figuring out what to do about the bigger picture. A dead mare. A dead mare. Seemingly dead for days, maybe even weeks.
"Do...where..." The gentle rasping of her friends voice, caused her to jump. "Why did...this happen...?"
Rainbow let her thoughts race with explanations. What would cause a pony to die this far out in the woods alone? She could barely stop her reeling head as an answer came to the forefront of her mind.
"D-dehydration!" Rainbow reasoned desperately. "There's probably no water around until the lake."
Pinkie looked up at her, Dash could tell she was actively avoiding gazing at the body. Her eyes were filled with a shaky trust.
"It's true. We need water to live, this pony probably couldn't find any for a while." Rainbow was grasping at whatever straws she could get. "They probably dried up from the lack of water..."
Still feeling a tad unconvinced, Pinkie stood up fully. The shake of her hooves and the quivering of her stomach exemplified her fear. The pink pony averted her gaze to the woods around in an alarming display of uncertainty. Dash decided to leave it at that, letting her friend process the reality of the situation. All was silent for a moment. The only senses coming to Dash in a wild flash of numbness was the smells and sounds she forced herself to focus on. What was a pony to do in this situation? Turn and run? Investigate? Dash was shameful to say to herself that, she didn't know. It was as if the whole world had stopped and revolved around this situation. Like everything in the world had turned its eyes to watch her reaction, to judge how she'd handle this. This was like a test from Celestia herself, and in a flash of childish reasoning, she almost believed it was a test from the sun goddess. Something that was scary as you were going through it, but taught you something valuable in the end. After the frightful experience, she and Pinkie would be laughing for hours about this. She hoped.
Finally managing to toss her uneasy thoughts to the side, she trotted closer to the remains of the mare. She had to find something confirming her suspicions. The thought that the only water for a good trot was the lake they left behind nearly an hour ago made Dash think. 'How long does it take for somepony to die of dehydration?' She hadn't heard...Twilight mention a time frame, only that you could live without food for much longer. The next question bugging her mind was, 'Where did they come from?'. Rainbow hadn't considered how big these woods were in the long run, after all, she only explored until she'd found the spot by the lake. Even that wasn't too far from Ponyville, they'd only walked for about a hour before they found the spot again. Dash snapped out of her thinking, finding herself staring at the darkened, rotten exposed bone of the mare's spine visible through her decaying coat. She sat up straighter, 'When had she started leaning in?', and swiveled her head around to take in anything she'd missed while thinking. Her eyes were almost jerked in the direction of where Pinkie had been standing when she noticed the lack of a flashy pink in the corner of her gaze. Fear spiked through her, her head whirling about to find her friend. At the edge of the tree line, in the direction they'd come, Pinkie was standing away from her. Her back and drooping ears barely visible in the limited lamp light. Dash's relief was overshadowed by a wave of suffocating sympathy. This must be eating at her usually gleeful, peppy party pony friend. Dash almost felt angry at this. Pinkie was suppose to be a happy, ever-smiling beacon of warmth. A symbol of overwhelming cheer and delight. Yet here she was, sad and scared. Most likely on the brink of panicked tears, all because of this mare's carcass. Dash wasn't going to let this destroy her friend.
Thinking quick, she reasoned that this was only the fault of the mare. She'd wandered out here, and died. It was likely that no-pony was even looking for her anymore. The thought that the mare had simply taken a wrong turn and been dealt a bad hoof made it hard for Dash to sympathize with her. Dash would simply bury her remains, and let this all go. Pinkie's feelings were more important. Rainbow turned away from the mare and trotted back to her friend. She had to tell Pinkie what they could do to right this mare's wrong.
"Pinkie..? Pinkie Pie, you alright?" The pegasus asked, brushing closer to her. She could feel the shivering of her body and quaking of her heart, thrumming loudly.
"I...I can't stop thinkin'." Pinkie replied quietly, Dash's question left unanswered. "There's gotta be somepony out there, sad and wondering about what happened to her."
Dash couldn't reply fast enough to stop her next words.
"A family, friends...all so scared and confused on why she hasn't come back yet." Blue eyes turned to lock with magenta ones. "She died out here, alone. Nopony knows what happened to her."
"Pinkie, she-" Dash still couldn't reply, Pinkie was being surprisingly pushy.
"Dash, what if that happened to you, or me? Or anypony else that we know?" The pink ponies voice was beginning to shake, tears brimming her eyes. "What if somepony you loved so much got lost somewhere far, far away and you never saw them again? Or knew what happened to them?"
"Pinkie, the mare shouldn't have been out here alone." Dash forwarded her thoughts. "She wandered out here without food or water and that's her fault. She's causing others pain by being stupid."
Pinkie frowned at that. "You don't know what happened."
"Do you? Does anypony but her?" Dash stepped back, depriving her and Pinkie of each others warmth. "It doesn't matter how she wound up here, was does matter is that by doing...whatever she was doing, she's making others feel bad."
Pinkie rose her head to interject, but Dash wasn't going to be cut off again.
"She should've stayed safe somewhere, with her friends or whoever needed her." Rainbow's voice rose above the stillness of the night. "Instead she left them to die out here, and that's her fault!"
"You don't know that!" Pinkie shouted over Rainbow's own raising voice, startling the cyan mare. "What if she was chased by something? Scared into running off and accidentally getting lost? She must've been looking for a way home desperately and couldn't find her way back, she must've been so scared for herself and her loved ones."
The pegasus couldn't believe her ears. Was Pinkie really swayed into thinking that the mare had just been chased out here? They had to have come from some sort of city or town. Why didn't she stay there? Safe and with the friends Pinkie is so convinced are frightened for her.
"She shouldn't have left them behind in the first place." Dash returned roughly, biting out each word. "If she had friends that she supposedly cared about somewhere- She. Would've. Stayed. There."
"There has to be a good reason why she left!" Pinkie cried.
"No way. She made a dumb choice and that's her fault." Rainbow was thoroughly on edge now.
Pinkie's face was awash with a fury Dash had only seen her pull in the tensest of moments. When somepony would go back on one of her infamous promises, or when her trust was betrayed by a friend she loved so dearly. If you asked Dash two sunrises ago, Dash would never have guessed that look would be directed at her one day. Pinkie's coat was visibly bristling with untamed anger, she whipped her head away from Dash giving the pegasus the coldest shoulder she could.
"Pinkie, it's-" Dash never really had a response, almost grateful she was interrupted.
"No! Somepony is dead, Rainbow Dash. Somepony died out here alone, and all that's on your mind is how stupidly loyal you are!" Pinkie still wasn't looking at her. "How can you even judge a pony you've never-!"
A guttural, throaty sound stopped Pinkie in her tracks. Her anger washed away by a wave of intense fear; Dash was no different. They were both whipping their heads around in a wild search for the source, backing into each other in a subconscious display of togetherness. Rustling leaves and snapping twigs got closer, the sound of rumbling like thunder a short distance away. Dash and Pinkie both looked in the direction of the sound, mentally preparing for whatever was going to rear up and attack. Something, or, Somepony came stumbling out of the bushes with a struggle. Dash almost felt relieved, but the state of their body kept her on high alert. What came limping towards the pegasus and her friend was what must've been a formerly blue unicorn. What should have been a glossy blue coat was shriveling and rotting around torn edges. Scraps of decaying flesh and fur clung to skinny, bony legs and muscle. Holes and patches in their hide lead up to their neck and face, skull and teeth shown brutally through torn flesh on the left side of their head. Light tufts of mane and tail still somehow remained. They looked too much like the mare on the ground, only in horrifying motion. Dash's study of the figure shambling towards them nearly distracted her from the drag of their entrails on the ground below the unicorn. They kept squashing and tripping over their own bowels as they tried to get to Dash and her friend. Fear wasn't powerful enough to describe what Rainbow felt right then.
"Run!" Was the first, and only thing she could shout. Forelegs kicking up into the air as she reared up to dash away.
Pinkie was quick to follow her lead, and soon the two were turning around sprinting back from where they came side by side. The forest became a blur of dark colors in the night as the pair ran as fast as they could, Dash could barely regret not grabbing the lamp in their haste, too distracted by her racing mind and pumping heart. Pinkie was thankfully keeping pace right beside her, panting wildly. More rustling around them caught Dash's heart and nearly made it stop, her hooves skidding to an unruly stop in the grass and soil. Pinkie stopped a little later than she, standing a few paces ahead and looking back, confused. Just then, another shambling figure came thrusting out of the bushes, limping faster than the first had. It ran with what little raw strength it had left, coming closer and closer to Pinkie. The party pony turned just in time to see it nearing and jump back towards Dash with a yelp. The thrumming of Dash's wild heart could almost blot out the sounds of more and more rustling around them, her eyes searched wildly for more trouble as it neared. More of these 'dead ponies' came shuffling out of the darkness and out of bushes, groaning and growling at the pegasus and her friend. Rainbow could hear Pinkie begin to cry. Surrounded by enemies, Dash made the quick decision to fly up and grab her pink friend by the forelegs to lift her into the air. With adrenaline pumping through her mind she flew over the writhing heads of dead-ponies, closer and closer to the lake. When she broke the treeline guarding the lake, she knocked a fluttering wing against a jagged branch, scraping it along the sharp edge of wood. She hissed in pain, losing her balance and sending herself and Pinkie slamming into the ground just behind their tents. A sudden sound of pain from Pinkie was all she heard as she collided with the ground, head knocking against the earth painfully. It send her mind whirling, almost spinning into darkness. Pain shot through her wing like a lightning bolt, the cool trickle of blood beading and streaking down her feathers and heaving side. She almost let her self black out then, too many senses attacked her mind and made her afraid. The prodding of an insistent hoof kept her mind awake, to her silent thanks.
"Dash? Dashie are you okay? Don't pass out now, we need to get out of here!" Pinkie went from prodding to shaking her, accidentally knocking Dash's hurt wing.
"Pink..Pinkie, my wing!" Rainbow shouted out with a pained writhe, squirming away from her friend.
Thankfully Pinkie noticed the deep gash in her wing and stepped away, silently gawking at the blood pooling around Dash's tummy and staining her coat. With a terse sound of agony Rainbow tried getting to her hooves, shakily keeping her hurt wing extended, blood dripping on the ground. Pinkie was to her unaffected side in an instant, giving Dash something sturdier to lean on as she gained her bearings. She couldn't think straight. The world around her became a frightening swirl of colors and sounds, the only thing she could remember is how afraid she was. Soft gasping and the struggling of Pinkie beginning to tug her into moving was the only thing she could clearly sense.
"Dash...they're coming, please move, please." Pinkie's words gave Dash's mind something to remember. Something to place the pieces back together.
The dead-ponies, the running, the body. Rainbow Dash was back to herself in a swoop, magenta thinly ringed the gaping expanse of her widening pupils. Pinkie was right. Those things were limping at them from all sides, backing them against the lake as they stumbled rearwards side by side. Rainbow's hope was fading fast. A hoard of lumbering undead cornered them against the lake-bed, bracketing them with no escape. One more step back knocked Dash's back hoof into a large stick half submerged in the water, sticking out of the muddy slush. She knew it was all they had. She quickly took to grasping the stick in her teeth to wrench it free, struggling to loosen it from the mud. Pinkie caught on quick, also taking a part of the stick in her mouth to help yank it out. With their fear laden strength combined they jerk it free and into the air with wobbly swings. With the help of her friend, balancing the stick from behind, Dash begins swinging the stick to-and-fro to topple any dead ponies nearing them. They managed to knock a few away with a quick sweep, fighting their way through the crowding swarm with ease. Soon they'd made it through the ponies keeping them from dashing around the lake and away, and they both dropped the stick to start running. Dash looked back at the lumbering crowd and readied herself to sprint away when Pinkie shouted.
"Dash, look!" Her pink hoof shot out and pointed at another pony lurching their way.
She almost called Pinkie stupid for stopping their escape for one dead-pony, when the sight hit her. It was the mare. The mare they'd found dead in the soil before this all started. Her once lifeless and still corpse was now trudging towards them with gargling growls and a limp. She remembered her form way too well to forget who she was. But, she was dead wasn't she? Well, they all were, but she had been stiff on the ground mere minutes before. How had she gotten up? How did any of these ponies get up? Who were they? Then Twilight's words flashed in her mind about the disappearances of ponies. This couldn't be them, could it? Dash didn't have time to answer when Pinkie was shoving her to the side, making her stumble out of the way of the mare who'd grown closer. Before she knew it, Pinkie was then pressing her forward to urge her into running. She didn't know what else to do. Soon, Pinkie and Dash were belting around the bed of the lake, and back towards the hill they came over. They left the much slower hoard behind them, scampering faster and faster, not looking back.
…
"And you couldn't grab your stuff?" Out came Fluttershy's soft voice in their discussion
"No, we just kept running," Dash replied, taking a small sip from a glass of cold water.
She, Pinkie, and all of her other closest friends were sitting together in Twilight's dining hall. They'd come together to have brunch and to hear about their friends' excursion out in Everfree forest. After dashing away into the night, the pair went straight to Twilight's castle and stayed there until morning. Twilight allowed them the guest rooms, and they both had tried restlessly to sleep in the comfy guest beds. The alicorn wanted them to rest until they felt well, but then demanded they'd tell her what happened as soon as they were up. In fact, all their friends had to hear. Pinkie was too busy gratefully shoving breakfast sandwiches into her mouth to answer the wave of curious questions, so Dash took the lead.
"That's a lot of good equipment sitting in the middle of the woods now." Applejack grumbled out past her food. "I'd hike right back out there and fetch it, during the day of course."
"Hush, you don't need it. It's probably torn and covered in vines by now, that forest grows fast, surely." Rarity put in, placing her napkin to the side after wiping her mouth. "If I were you, Dash, I wouldn't step hoof in there ever again."
"We won't be..." Dash returned, quieter now.
"Well at least you're safe. I was so worried you'd end up like those ponies who disappeared all those moons ago." Twilight was staring intently at Rainbow as the cyan mare slumped in her seat, she hadn't slept well the night before. "You're lucky it was just Timberwolves, who knows what else could've been out there."
Dash nodded sullenly and glanced over at Pinkie; the fear in her eyes said everything. Rainbow could recall the night before when they came to Twilight's place to sleep. Just as the sun was beginning to rise at dawn, Pinkie came into her room before anypony else had woken up. She'd stepped closer to her bed, hopping up to scoot closer to her in an act of comfort. They laid there together in quiet for a moment before Dash broke the silence.
"We can't say anything." She mumbled out, lying face to face with her friend. Their noses nearly touched at their closeness.
"Why...?" Pinkie breathed, searching her eyes. Dash could feel Pinkie's gaze piercing her soul.
"If...if anyone finds out what happened to all those ponies...what do you think will happen? More ponies are going to get hurt looking for answers. We need to keep this between us...the fact that no one knows what happened is keeping them safe."
Pinkie stayed quiet, a silent urge to make Dash explain further.
"Nopony is going out there to find out why those ponies are gone, right? It's too scary, they're sad, yes...but nopony is gonna dare to go in that place. If we tell...there's no doubt waves of search parties are gonna go in to find out the truth. More ponies are going to be lost and killed." Dash pressed, staring back into her friend's pretty blues. "Pinkie, we can't. It's keeping us from losing others."
Pinkie looked away, uncertain. It was true. The more scary stories of ponies going missing in Everfree, the fewer ponies would go in, right?
Dash was just about to keep pressing her point when Pinkie nodded.
"Okay...Pinkie Promise. I won't tell."
Dash couldn't be more relieved.
