Kirkyard Rest Halloween Event

“Everypony knows not to go near Hollow Shades Woods. It's haunted!”

“It ain't haunted ya git! It’s them aliens, I told ya!”

“It’s ghosts!”

“Aliens!”

“Ghosts!”

“Aliens!”

The two foals were nose to nose with each other, screeching across the campfire. Sighing, Meadow lifted them both in her magic, separating them.

“Girls!” She glared at her daughters, her voice taking on that particular ‘mom’ quality that only came about when she was truly annoyed. Her daughters had the grace to look abashed, even if one of them still tried to kick the other. “Regardless of what’s in the forest, what remains is that it’s a dangerous place. One of which we are unfortunately camping next to tonight. This means you need to stay close to the campfire, stay together, and above all, stay quiet!”

“Strange things happen in these here woods!” Came the cackle of Grandpa Cups as he gummed on an apple. “Weird lights, strange screams, why it could be ghosts and aliens and whatever other demonic critter the wasteland has given birth to!”

Meadow facehooved, her daughters now squealing with fright and hiding under the caravan’s bags. Grandpa Cups could always be counted on to be incredibly unhelpful, especially for a hired guide. Truth be told, she was also frightened. She knew the woods they were camped next to swallowed ponies up, their bones turning up weeks later in neat packages left along the border, often with a small bow on top of them. She wasn't sure whether it was aliens down from the clouds eating ponies for their dinner, or if it was wild ghouls devouring lost souls, but all she knew was that she was not pleased about having to camp here. However, their wagon had broken down, so they had no choice. They were here until the morning, when the light would make it easier to fix.

Rounding up her daughters with a special glare to Grandpa Cups, she settled them down for bed before making herself comfortable by the fire. She would be up all night for the watch, since they could afford a proper guard. Their only guide was Grandpa Cups, and he was deep in the process of emptying the largest bottle of whiskey she had ever seen.

The flames licked at the wood, snapping and popping. Sparks would shoot into the air, and Meadow found herself slowly starting to relax. The woods sang with the soft sounds of crickets and night bugs. The clouds drifted leisurely overhead, occasionally breaking to show a smattering of stars, glowing like crystals against the deep night sky. Meadow smiled, watching her children suck their hooves in their sleep. They may be getting older, but it was always now, when all was quiet, that she could still see just how young and precious they were. It always made her heart melt.

A twig snapped, and it took Meadow a moment to realise it hadn't come from the fire. Meadow’s head snapped around, watching the forest. Huge, deformed dark shapes shifted within it, moving soundlessly. Small lights flickered in around the forest, over the canopy before rising close to the cloud cover and dipping back down again. Something was moving within the woods, she could hear the crunch of the leaves beneath heavy feet. Her breath got faster as her heart began to thud in her chest, and she slowly edged closer to her daughters, trying not to make a sound lest she attract the beasts.

The lights dipped again, coming to settle in the impossibly high branches of the trees before darting off again, but always hovering over the bulky forms rustling in the woods. The moon slipped a glimpse through the clouds, lighting up the edge of one of the beasts and Meadow barely held in a scream. Misshapen, bulging flesh covered an enormous, monstrous frame, which bristled with stiff hairs. The wind rustled, blowing their stench towards her. It was alien, savage, and a primal fear roiled in her stomach. Whatever they were, these beasts with lights from the sky, all she knew is that she didn't want them to notice her family, placidly sleeping by the fireside.

Grandpa Cups let out a particularly loud snore, which Meadow promptly cut off by jamming her hoof halfway down his throat. She stared wildly at his indignant face, trying to shush him, only to flatten her ears against her skull as an unearthly scream broke the quiet of night. Meadow turned her head slowly, realising that they had been seen. The lights flickered rapidly, before disappearing up into the cloud. The night was dark, but the sound of trampling hooves stampeding towards their camp sent ice racing down Meadow’s back. She had to move!

Scooping up her bleary eyed daughters, she began to run from the screaming monsters as they howled with glee, both her daughters crying with pain at being roughly shoved onto her back. Her hooves hit the dirt and she began to run harder than she had ever run before. Marigold began to scream, high pitched and shrill in her ears.

“Grandpa! NO! Leave him alone!” Meadow didn't dare look back, only allowing her legs to speed her along faster. She could hear Cups shouting at something, and a horrific snorting, snuffling noise followed by more squealing. Then Grandpa Cups began to scream. It was brief, full of anguish, and cut off by a wet snap and crunching.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Meadow ran away from the forest as fast as she could. She had almost made it to the edge of the clearing where they’d camped when something grabbed her tail. She tried kicking back, but her children fell off her back and began to cry in fear and pain as they rolled away in the dirt.

“Run!” She shouted, turning to face her attacker. She found herself looking into the eyes of the biggest radhog she had ever seen. Angry, beady eyes filled with hate started back at her before the hog squealed again and charged, knocking Meadow onto her back. She caught a glimpse of her daughters running away, but they were running to the forest, not away! “No!” her voice ripped from her throat, only to be silenced by the enormous hog standing on her stomach. The breath whooshed out of her, and with it any chance of calling for help. The stench of unwashed, foul beast filled her nose right before the hog bent its head to her face and ripped it clean off. She managed a gargled cry and began to hit the hog about the head with her hooves, but before she knew it another hog had torn her leg clean off.

She could feel them chewing on her, but she couldn't move, couldn't speak. The pain was unbelievable, almost consuming her mind. She could only lay there, feebly trying to crawl away from the ravenous beasts. Meadow's eyes rolled, seeing her foals were surrounded by another two hogs who were advancing with contented, predatory grunts. Fear lanced through her, spurring the strength for one last crawl towards her babies before a hog found the softness between what was left of her legs and sunk his teeth in. After that, she moved no more.

Dawn broke.

Hog wild stepped from the edge of the forest into the clearing, shoving her thick curls off her face. ‘What a mess.’ She thought, surveying the torn up ground and campsite. She let her hogs roam at night so they could search out truffles and other goodies, but occasionally they helped themselves to passing travellers. Unfortunately with hogs the size of the ones she reared, stopping them was impossible. All she could do was clean up the mess and pray for the victims.

“Looks like they got t’ a family this time!” She called out to the pegasus overhead. “Thank ya kindly for keeping an eye on them last night, Ah can't always manage the full herd mahself when they get the fire in their blood.”

“No problem!” The red pegasus called. “It was a real horrifying sight to see though. I tried to save the foals, but I couldn't get between them and the hogs. I ended up putting a bullet through them both.” His voice was sad.

“Makes sense n’ all. Mah hogs are the best around, but once they decide t’ eat sumthin, there ain't nothin’ yeh c’n do but pray.”

She kicked the embers of the fire, the torn saddlebags nearby showing childrens toys and canned food. They could salvage some of this. Hog Wild’s heart was heavy. She put up signs not to enter the woods or even be nearby, but most ponies just ignored them and went on their merry way, and it was always the next morning she would find their remains. This time she’d had Radar keep watch, hoping that having a flying lantern over their forest would deter curious ponies, but it looks like it didn't help at all.

Pulling over her wagon, she began to load the mutilated remains onto the cart. Radar landed next to her.

“You want some help?”

“Nah.” Hog Wild shook her head, lifting a tiny jawbone. “Them’s mah hogs, this here murder is on mah hooves. Ah’ll take em home, clean' em up and put them at the edge of the forest. If they got kin, hopefully they’ll find their way back t’ them.”

Radar nodded solemnly. He knew better than to argue with her. He flew off a respectful distance away, and Hog Wild went back to her grisly task.