The Horror of Swampmoss Cave: Part 1
Jifslayer05
The Cutie Mark Crusaders were adamant. They had came all the way out to the Everfree Forest to see Zecora, and they wanted a story. A GOOD story. The zebra sighed. All the usual tales of her homeland weren't enough to satiate the appetites of these curious little fillies.
"Very well..." she began mystically, "you fillies are older now, true? This story might be good enough for you. It involves some ponies you know very well, like your sister, Sweetie Belle!" Zecora looked at Rarity's younger sister for a moment, then threw a handful of powder into her cauldron. The steam coming out intensified into a dense, green smoke. Zecora drew close to the fillies, emerging out of the thick smoke like a wraith.
"Have you heard of Swampmoss Cave? Where fear to tread even the brave. Trapped in there, some ponies were. Not a place to be, for sure. For more than darkness, black as night, lurks there. Monsters will give you a fright! Strong of heart, you must be, or the darkness will not let you free. So settle down, gather near, and this story you will hear..."
___ ___ ___
"S-so...um...where are we going again, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked nervously. Adventuring was not her thing. Sitting inside and NOT doing anything scary or dangerous was more what she enjoyed.
Twilight Sparkle looked back, trying to reassure the gentle pony. "Oh it's just some silly little cave I read about. We're going to look for some ancient paintings that are supposed to be on the walls. According to this book, they may have been around longer than the princess. It's a great chance to study some Equestrian history."
"An I'm just happy to have a day off the farm." Applejack smiled, adding in. "I've done bucked s'many apple trees I'm going silly just thinking about it. We'll have a nice picnic. I packed us some good eatin'. We've got apple tarts, apple pie, apple sandwiches, apples, why, I brought just about apple everythang."
Fluttershy smiled back. Of course. What did she have to worry about? Just a fun day with friends, was all it was.
"Mm, personally, I'm more excited about the prospect of exploring that place. I've heard from very reliable sources it's just full of gems if you're willing to look around a little." Rarity's eyes glazed over at the thought of gemstones. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were both there as well, just following along and glad to be spending time with their friends. Life couldn't be any better right now.
The group made their way through Sweet Apple Acres, cutting through to get to the swamp on the other side. Twilight didn't know exactly where the cave was, just that it was on the border between the farm and the wetlands. Even Applejack's family knew nothing of it. Granny Smith had never let any of them venture near the swamp, saying it wasn't natural. Applejack thought it was just an old mare's tale, but would never say that to Granny's face. Today they would find out for sure, however.
Suddenly, Fluttershy stopped. Applejack ran into her and they both toppled over. Applejack extricated herself from the pile. "What in tarnation are ya' stoppin for missy? We ain't there yet."
Fluttershy stayed huddled on the ground, pointing forward with one shaking hoof. Ahead the orchard cleared out completely, giving way to barren, rocky ground. One single tree stood before them. It was old and gnarled, with hardly any leaves and but a few, tiny crabapples growing from the branches. It was the boundary of the farm. Even Applejack got a little nervous looking at it.
"Aw, come on, Fluttershy." Twilight tried again to console her. "It just looks strange because nopony ever comes out here. And we don't even have to go into the swamp ahead. According to my book, we just skirt the border to the west and we should see it. Fluttershy rose and, after some gentle prodding from Rainbow Dash, slowly began to move again. They made good progress from that point on. It was still a few hours short of noon when they hit the start of the swamp. Twilight led them off to the west, and she began seeing landmarks, exactly like her book said. A weathered stone that looked like flickering flames first. A strange tree that was all red next. In fact, it wasn't long at all before Rainbow Dash caught the first glimpse of the cave. Upon arrival, it was nothing fearsome. A hole cut into the side of a hill. They decided to eat a quick, refreshing lunch, and stopped to get a quick drink from a small, pristine bubbling spring just past the cave.
"Well, is everypony ready?" Twilight asked as they lined up in a row outside the cave. Everyone agreed, even Fluttershy, emboldened by how well the day had went so far. She was glad she had her friends though. She just wasn't very brave. Twilight conjured a light to follow them in, and they took their first few hesitant steps inside.
"Well, looks like a normal cave so far-"
The cave ceiling started rumbling, and without warning began to collapse. The ponies screamed and began to run around, trying to escape the rocks. Pinkie Pie turned and ran back towards the entrance, but the other ponies only managed to run further in. The noise was horrible, crashing and booming, like the world was ending. Fluttershy tried as hard as she could to avoid any falling rocks. She ran, almost making it past the collapsing area, but just as she was about past it, a large rock bounced off her back, knocking her to the ground. Another rock fell directly on her left hind leg. She heard a snap, followed by lightning jolts of pain. She screamed out loud in agony before she lost consciousness. The rocks finally stopped falling, and now the cave was as silent as when they first entered. They were sealed out. Trapped, possibly forever.
___ ___ ___
Pinkie Pie was the lucky pony, or so she thought. She was on the entrance side of the cave in. As soon as she got back up she ran to the massive rock pile, calling as loud as she could,
"Twiliiiiight?!"
Nothing.
"Fluttershy? Rarity?! ANYPONY?!"
Again, nothing. The normally laughing and carefree Pinkie was on the verge of panicking.
Oh no what do I do? My friends! They could be hurt! She ran back and forth, crying and panting with frustration.
Help. HELP! I have to get help! she turned towards the pile again, calling out: "Don't worry, Pinkie's going to get help! I'll be back with every pony in the town!" She turned and ran out the entrance as fast as she could.
And stopped, looking around in terror.
She was in the middle of the swamp.
"N-no, what?! But, but how!" There was no clearing around the cave. There was nothing at all, except murky, filthy swamp, stretching as far as she could see. The spring they had all drank from was nothing but a stagnant, rancid puddle, with dead fish floating around. Her hooves began to sting and she saw cuts that she hadn't noticed before. On the ground were multitudes of thorny bushes and sticker plants that they walked right through, and now her legs were running red with blood. She turned back around. Even the cave was different. It looked bigger, far more ominous and foreboding than before. It was like a set of jaws, jaws that had closed down on her friends. Pinkie knew what she had to do. She had to get out, no matter what. Her friend's lives depended on it. She picked a direction that felt right to her and began running. The branches of the dead trees snagged at her, trying to hold her back. She screamed and ran faster, hoping against all hope she could find her way out of this evil place. Before it was too late.
___ ___ ___
Rarity groaned, slowly opening her eyes. A small light flickered in front of her. It was all she could see, and she tried hard as she could to focus on it.
"Oh, Rarity! Thank Celestia you're up!" Applejack's twang emerged from somewhere ahead.
"Uhhn...A-Applejack? What happened? Everything's so..."
"Dark?" Applejack finished, "Yeah, there was some kinda' cave in. I've been wanderin' around lookin' for anypony I could find when I tripped over you. But you were out cold. So I put us a lamp on and waited for ya'. You feelin' okay?"
The shock of what happened hit Rarity and she was up in a flash.
"Cave in?! Oh dear, is everyone okay? Oh no, whatever are we going to do? You mean we're trapped in here?" she asked in a quivering voice.
"Yeah missy, looks like we're stuck for a while. I haven't found anyone besides you. It looks like this cave splits up in places, and once I found you I stopped moving. You ought to as well before you get yourself lost. We can think of what to do together and I bet we'll all be out of here in no time."
Applejack tried to sound confident but it was proving very difficult. There was something about the darkness in the cave, something about it that got to her. It was thicker than normal darkness, more encompassing somehow. It seemed to wrap around her, and her lamp provided way less light than it should. The darkness seemed...alive...and that mere thought sent shivers running down the brave pony's back. Rarity walked over and sat down next to Applejack, and Applejack finally got a look at her. Rarity's perfect purple mane was messy, and her pristine white coat was dusty and grimy. Something dark slicked her mane down. It took Applejack a second to realize it was blood.
"Lean closer missy, I think you done went and cut yourself..."
Rarity dutifully leaned in so the other pony could look at her. She knew she must look an absolute mess. This whole trip had gone horribly, and now they were trapped in this place. Rarity knew griping about her appearance would get them nowhere, and she tried to keep her dramatics in tow. She couldn't stop a few tears leaking out, however, as she thought about her other dear friends. Were they okay? What if they were trapped somewhere even worse? And what was it about this cave that made her just want to run and keep running? She sniffled softly as Applejack patted her head gently clean with a cloth from her pack. Applejack drew in close, using the cloth to wipe her tears before hugging her close.
"You just got a nick on your head, is all sweetie. Now listen, once you're feeling better, I want to start moving again. I know you can feel it too. There's somethin' wrong with this place. I'm thinkin' Granny Smith was right all along. I want to find the rest of our friends so we can get out of here. Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy might need our help, too." Applejack hugged her tighter before letting go, trying to bravely smile.
Rarity nodded and stood up, stepping around experimentally. "Okay, I...I think I can go with you now. Oh and what about poor Pinkie Pie? I bet she's so scared." She wiped away the rest of her tears.
"Well sugarcube, here's the thing, the last thing I noticed before we all split up and the rocks blocked out all the light was Pinkie running, towards the entrance. I think she got out, and you can bet your dress shop she's coming back with help, probably right now. Why I'll bet we'll be out of here in absolutely no time."
Applejack never lied, so Rarity knew how confident she was that they would be okay. If Applejack could be that positive, then she could to. She felt her heart raise up, and her energy came rushing back.
Applejack really brings out the best in everypony, especially me, she thought to herself.
"Right then, let's go." They stood next to each other, holding the lamp between them, and set off further into the consuming darkness, each hoping their next step would bring them to a friend, or out of this awful place.
___ ___ ___
Pinkie Pie was on the verge of insanity. No matter which way she ran, there was nothing but swamp. The puddles were becoming deeper, and more dangerous. She was forced to dodge around them rather than run through. To make it all worse, something was following her. It was nothing she could see, but she could feel it, slowly gaining on her. Evil claws she could not see reached out and gripped her heart in icy fear. It grew faster as her fatigue increased, and she felt like soon it would catch her. It was the evil of this place. The evil that led them to the cave, the evil that caused it to collapse on her friends. Anger grew inside Pinkie's heart. Whatever this thing was, it had hurt her friends, and she was going to bring every pony in Equestria if that's what it took to save them. She had to keep running, for them, because they were counting on her. The thought gave speed to her hooves, and she took off at a pace that would make Rainbow Dash proud. She jumped and cavorted around trees and over water, her determination giving her all the stamina she needed.
She saw, too late, a big tree root sticking out of the ground. In almost slow motion, she stuck it with her hoof and tripped, flipping over and straight into a deep bowl of murky water. It was freezing, and the shock forced the air out of her lungs in a violent scream. Her momentum carried her to the bottom of the pond, and she began kicking and pawing, fighting to get to the surface. Except she couldn't move. The roots of the swamp plants entangled her, holding her under the water. She silently struggled and kicked, but the more she fought, the tighter they held on. The water darkened, as if a shadow was cast upon it.
"Now you are mine..."
A terrifying, deep voice grated at her ears as it spoke to her. The roots tightened even further, holding her down and constricting her. She watched the last few bubbles of air she had float out from her mouth and up to the surface. Everything began to go dark and she lost the energy to struggle.
"Mine...forever...AAAAGGHH!"
The voice in her mind cried out in frustration as something grabbed hold of Pinkie's hair and began pulling. The evil tried to keep its hold on her, but lost. Pinkie was hauled out of the water, sputtering and coughing while crying and trying to get on her feet. She slowly looked up to see who had pulled her out. A gray pegasus with yellow hair stared at her. Pinkie noticed that her eyes were crossed, and a cutie mark made of bubbles sat upon her flank.
"D-derpy?! Why are you here? And thank you for saving me..." Pinkie exclaimed weakly as she coughed up more swamp water.
Derpy Hooves leaned in close.
"Stay out of the water. It gets you." she said cryptically. With that, she nodded her head in one direction and began walking. Pinkie had no clue what was going on, but she would take anything she could get right now. Derpy wasn't the brightest pony, but who knew, maybe she knew the way out?
After about an hour of walking, Pinkie began to quickly tire. Derpy noticed this and slowed down some. Pinkie was walking half in a daze now as the fog of the swamp suffused her mind, completely dependent on the other pony. She began to make out floating lights in the fog ahead. They shined and sparkled with all different colors, and she was entranced. They were calling to her.
"Can't we be friends?"
Pinkie nodded and slowly wandered off from the path Derpy was forging, drifting towards the beautiful lights. Derpy's face lit up in alarm and she grabbed Pinkie Pie's tail in her mouth, yanking as hard as she could. Pinkie yelled loudly at this and turned around.
"Hey what did you do that for? That hurt!"
Derpy leaned in close, her crossed eyes boring into Pinkie's.
"Don't...follow..the lights..." she said slowly in her peculiar voice, and pointed in the direction Pinkie had been walking. Pinkie turned and gasped. She had been walking straight towards a huge lake, and no doubt she would have fallen in, victim to whatever horrible monster inhabited this place. Derpy turned without another word and began wandering again. It wasn't a straight path, Derpy zig-zagged back and forth, and sometimes she would completely double back, but Pinkie followed diligently now. The fog finally began to clear, little by little. Pinkie couldn't believe it. The end of the swamp was in sight. With a sigh of relief they finally walked out of the never-ending murky horror. Up ahead was the fence that marked the end beginning of Sweet Apple Acres. Pinkie jumped up and down for joy, and hugged Derpy tightly.
"Thank you Derpy! Thank you so much! I'm so happy I could just explode!" she stopped jumping and looked at Derpy, who was simply smiling brightly, eyes crossed in that loveable derpy expression she was named for. Pinkie had an idea, and dug around in her bag for something. She pulled out an apple muffin.
"Here, this is for you, as a thanks. I never would have made it out if you hadn't shown me the way...please you have to stop by our shop. I'll give you free sweets for the rest of your life, so many you won't be able to eat them all!!" She gave Derpy one more hug and handed her the muffin. Ditzy chomped down the morsel and smiled back.
"Muffiiiins!" she exclaimed, and began to flap her wings. Pinkie waved as Derpy took off, but then turned and started running back towards Ponyville. She had to get the word out to everyone. Spike could contact the Princess, and they could have a search party back to the cave in no time to clear out all those rocks. Everything would work out fine. She just knew it.
___ ___ ___
Fluttershy's eyes snapped open, and the first sound she made was a bloodcurdling scream of pain. Her back leg was trapped under a large rock, and her screams only intensified as she panicked and kicked the injured limb, trying to break free. Her screams turned to hoarse sobs as she collapsed back down. Fluttershy had never felt a pain like this. She had no idea it could even exist. A sickly throbbing pounded through her body, originating from her trapped leg.
Trapped.
She was trapped. Stuck in this cave completely alone. Her eyes grew even wider in the dark and she panicked even more as the thought hit home. Her crying became spaced with harsh breaths as she hyperventilated.
Come on, her braver side tried to reprimand her, you're just thinking about this the wrong way. There has to be a way out. You're going to be fine.
"Wrong..."
She started. A voice had definitely whispered into her ear.
"Umm...h-hello? Whoever is there, can you p-please help me? I'm hurt very badly...please..."
She immediately regretted speaking as the darkness around the area intensified and sank down over her, like some terrible blanket. It was horribly cold, and pressed into her, causing her to cough and shake.
"I like my prey trapped..." the deep, sinister whisper laughed.
"Now...what should I do with you?"
Fluttershy whimpered and hid her face. Horrible thoughts ran through her mind. What was this thing? Why wouldn't it leave her alone? Would she ever make it out to see her animals? She cried shamelessly as the evil force pressed closer to her heart.
"Yes...show me...your fears...your dark secrets. Perhaps...I will make your friends forget about you. Would you...like that?"
She sobbed harder as the monster relentlessly poked and prodded at her psyche, torturing her. Images began to flash across her mind. Her friends were all at Pinkie's shop, eating sweets happily. She tried as hard as she could to call out, but couldn't. Rainbow Dash talked about how glad she was they left Fluttershy behind, how she was never their friend. The others vehemently agreed.
Fluttershy screamed and beat her head with her hooves, trying to banish the images.
"I have...a better idea. You're not going ANYWHERE!" The voice screeched out the last word. Fluttershy sank further down.
"P-please just...l-leave me alone!" she begged and sobbed. She wanted to die. She would give anything for this madness to be over. The voiced boomed with peals of evil laughter. It so enjoyed watching her writhe in mental and physical agony. The evil spoke right into her ear, slowly dictating.
"Okay...I'll leave you...alone. I'll...visit your...animals friends instead..." the voiced laughed and laughed non-stop at its latest idea. Then, it promptly vanished, the oppressive weight lifting of Fluttershy.
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" she screamed, instantly getting sick at the thought of whatever that monster was creeping up to her cottage, her animals unaware. She struggled against the large rock, oblivious to the pain at this point. Her leg would not come free, however.
Her leg.
"It's broken anyway...you know...useless..."
She slowly lost the will to keep wiggling, slumping down once more and crying in defeat. Her eyes focused in on an object laying in front of her. It was another rock, black and shiny. Even in the darkness she could tell one edge was razor-sharp, perhaps obsidian or jet of some kind.
"I'll...tell your friends...you said "Hello"..."
Something clicked in her head, and she understood what the monster wanted. Her already frayed mind simply snapped, and she picked up the rock with her front hooves, not even noticing as it cut her. She had to save her animals. They were all that mattered. All she could think about.
She raised the rock high, taking aim in the dark.
She was ready.
With one last breath, she brought the sharp stone slicing downwards.
"FLUTTERSHY NO!"
She ignored the new voice. The rock lacerated the skin of her injured leg, spurting blood in a wide arc over her, but she felt nothing. She raised her hooves again, a look of madness in her eyes.
"NOOOOO!"
A light bloomed out of nowhere as Rainbow Dash shattered through the dark fog, tackling Fluttershy in a desperate embrace. Rainbow hurriedly knocked the rock out of Fluttershy's grasp as Fluttershy struggled.
"Get...off me! I have to get out! M-My...animals! GET OFF ME! STUPID...gah...PONY!"
Rainbow knew Fluttershy wasn't herself. She smacked her with her hoof, but it had no effect. Fluttershy struggled harder than ever. Rainbow had no idea what to do, and was running out of juice fast. Out of the blue, she saw a chance, and took it. She grabbed Fluttershy's head and, throwing caution to the wind, kissed her roughly.
Fluttershy immediately seized up and stopped moving. Rainbow slumped against her, not breaking free. Celestia knew Rainbow had been waiting far too long for this. She had secretly been in love with Fluttershy for months now, and wasn't going to waste this moment. Fluttershy closed her eyes, shocked. For a moment she laid there, and then, ever so slowly...began to return the kiss. She embraced Rainbow Dash, their predicament forgotten as they held each other. Rainbow finally pulled back, looking at Fluttershy sheepishly.
"So, uh, you need some help with this rock?"
"Oh, oh yes...I could er, use a little...if you don't mind..."
Rainbow Dash put her back against the rock and, using all her might, pushed. Nothing happened at first, but as she pushed harder and harder, the rock finally shifted and Fluttershy drug herself out from under the boulder. She began crying with relief, unabashedly hugging Rainbow Dash and sobbing, much unlike her normal, meek self.
"Thank you...thank you so much! I'm so happy to see you!"
Rainbow immediately began to take care of the injured pony. She bound her cuts with some spare cloth, and used all the rest of it trying to bind Fluttershy's broken leg to where it wouldn't move.
"Oh, hey, I keep forgetting, eat some of this."
Fluttershy strained to see what Rainbow Dash was offering. Upon extremely close inspection she saw it was a pile of moss. It didn't look very appetizing...or clean.
"Um, where exactly did you get that?"
"Just trust me, okay? It's called Swampmoss, what this whole crazy placed is named after. Now eat!"
Fluttershy jumped and took a small bite. It tasted like fruit, and the texture was not at all stringy like it looked, but juicy. She saw Rainbow Dash smirking at her.
"Not bad, huh?"
"No it's really goo-"
Wait. She could see Rainbow Dash. She could make out every feature of her face. She experimentally waved her own hoof around, to make sure. She could see in the dark.
"O-oh! And my leg!"
The dull throbbing pain was slowly fading. The moss also seemed to provide an anesthetic effect. If the ponies ever made it out of here, she was going to have to take this stuff to Twilight to see what all they could do with it. It was odd that such a beacon of light and hope existed in such a dark and dismal place.
"Hey...Rainbow?"
"Yeah? What's up?"
"B-before you came..." Fluttershy proceeded to tell her all about what had transpired.
"M-my...animals...I hope they're okay..."
"I'd say they are. To be honest I think whatever the hay's in here is STUCK in here. I don't think it can leave the cave." Rainbow Dash glanced at Fluttershy's injured leg, trying not to think about what the pony would have done if she hadn't came along. Poor Fluttershy, how could anything torture such a kind and gentle pony?
"And Rainbow Dash...one more thing. Did you? I mean...d-did we..?"
Rainbow Dash blushed furiously, and mumbled, "Well, uh, you know, you were...and I...I had to..."
"It's okay", Fluttershy smiled. Rainbow was so cute when she got all flustered and lost for words. "I...I liked it..."
Rainbow Dash nuzzled Fluttershy. No more words needed to be said. They could talk all they wanted after this was over.
"I think I can hover, or at least walk, if you think we should go, that is..."
"Come on, you silly pony, let's go find our friends." Rainbow Dash chuckled and helped Fluttershy, supporting her injured side. Gathering their strength and courage, they began walking together, towards the heart of the cave. And ultimately, the evil plaguing their hearts.
___ ___ ___
After hours of studying these paintings on the wall, Twilight finally understood.
After the cave in, the path she ran down led her to an enormous cavern. She conjured a magical light from her horn and was astounded to see the walls covered in ancient paintings and illustrations, just like her book had mentioned.. She didn't stop to look at first, however. The room was permeated with various entrances and exits, and she picked the one closest to where she came in first to run down, trying to find her friends. It brought her right back to the central cavern. She tried another exit. The same result. No matter what branch of the cave she travelled down, she was brought back to the same place. This whole place reeked of evil and insidious magic, and she had a good idea of why the cave had collapsed. She finally stopped running, knowing it would do her no good. She would have to wait until her friends made their way to the room.
So she began wandering around, first glancing at the paintings, then fervently studying them. And, as she finished poring over the last one, she knew.
They needed to get out of there. Before it was too late. Because the artwork told her the story of this place.
The paintings detailed a very ancient, powerful creature. She saw no mention of either of the princesses, so her best guess was that it pre-dated Equestria. The creature was shown as a cloud of darkness most of the time, and it relentlessly terrorized the various tribes of ponies. There were pictures of earth ponies' crops being burned as they ran in fear. Pictures of pegasi with wings ripped and torn, trying to escape but failing. Pictures of unicorns with broken horns pleading for their lives until the cloud enveloped them. She noticed one chilling similarity among all the pictures. All the ponies, moments before their demise, appeared to have been driven to insanity. This was denoted in the paintings by all of them having decidedly crossed eyes.
Like Derpy, she thought to herself.
Finally, according to the drawings, a few ponies decided to stand up to the monster. An earth pony, a pegasus and a unicorn, shown to be the dearest of friends, confronted the force. It's mind-shattering fear tactics had no effect on them, because of the strength of their friendship. The paintings showed how the pegasus flew in circles and conjured a great tornado to stun the creature. The earth pony fought the cloud, forcing it to retreat into a cave. Lastly, the unicorn, with the help of its friends, used a magic spell to forever seal the evil into the cave. However, the three friends fell where the battle ended, at the border of the swamp. They had used up all their energy and life force repelling and fighting the evil. They died as friends, embracing one another. The very last painting in the series showed a single apple tree growing over their gravesite.
"I find it quite...interesting...that you are enjoying learning my history. The others...they always just run...and scream...never trying to understand..."
Twilight jumped at the voice, dripping with malice, coming from all around her. She tried to put on a show of bravado. It wanted her heart, but she could hold it off if she was strong. There was no escaping, or fighting it alone, so she decided to engage it in conversation.
"You, who-er, what are you?"
"You ask...the right questions...I think, we could have been...friends...in another lifetime..."
Twilight stared quixotically in the direction the voice seemed to be coming from. In the center if the circular room, the darkness was thicker, like a fog. In the middle of the mass Twilight could have swore she saw eyes, red slits expelling fire.
"I am...terror...night eternal...what you fear most..."
"So it was you who trapped us in here? You should let us go. We won't bother you. We mean you no harm."
"But...I cannot say the same...ahaha." The cavern shook slightly with its evil laughter. Twilight shivered, unsure of what to do next. She could try firing off magic, or possibly teleporting if the apples hit the fan.
"You cannot escape me...I will have what I desire..."
Something stirred in her mind, a memory, of something she read about many years ago. She questioned the entity some more while fervently trying to recall what it was.
"Those three ponies that defeated you before, was that lone tree we passed earlier their grave?"
"Yes...those cursed ponies that trapped me in here...but...surely you must have seen, the spell is weakening, and the tree dying. Soon, I will be free once again..."
"Well, what if we stop you?"
The laughter was thunderous this time. The cavern shook tremendously, causing stalactites to break from the ceiling and fall, some of them dangerously close to Twilight.
"Who is going to stop me...foolish one!?"
Twilight tried to stand taller and look brave.
"I bet the princess is on her way now! You've hurt too many innocent ponies, and we cannot allow it to keep happening!"
"I cannot...even laugh at this notion...your princess is a being of pure light, and by the Old Laws of this land she will not be allowed in here, as much as she may try..."
Twilight couldn't stop her feelings from falling. What if this thing was right? What if the princess, or anypony, wasn't coming to save them?
"Yes...yes...I feel your heart weakening...soon it will be mine. One last thing...have you figured out my secret?"
Twilight took a deep breath, "Yes, I think so. You're a Stallfrit. I thought they were just from old mythology. An evil being, born from the murder of a pony with a spirit full of anger and hatred. One more thing, there has been somepony to escape you, hasn't there?"
The entity paused, as if it was thinking. "You're very perceptive. Much like I used to be...too smart. And...yes...one has escaped from my clutches, by a...fluke...I was overconfident in my...hunting...and tried to overstep my boundaries..." It didn't tell her about Pinkie escaping.
Twilight thought of poor Derpy. Sure, the pony was always happy, but her life had been stolen by this creature. She wondered what it had been like for Derpy, and what went through her mind now?
"I grow...tired of this banter...I'm afraid...your time is up, my little pony..."
The sinister cloud shifted, and Twilight could almost sense it grinning. Without a warning, it swooped down on her, and the last thing she heard before falling in to the darkness was her own screams.
The Horror of Swampmoss Cave: Part 2
Rainbow Dash was running like nopony ever had before. Twilight's screams had echoed all throughout the cave.
"Don't worry, Twilight, we're coming!!"
BAMMM
Rainbow Dash reached a point where another path met with theirs, and collided with an equally as worried Applejack. Fluttershy and Rarity followed up behind, albeit more carefully.
"Oh my dears, I'm so happy to see you! We were so worried, weren't we Applejack? I couldn't bear to think what might have happened to everypony!" Rarity grabbed Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy in a massive hug.
"Yep, we were sure worried. I'm awful glad t'see ya both. We got a bit of a problem though, our light's broken.." Applejack said while stumbling around in the dark.
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy glanced at each other, confused, then Fluttershy understood.
"Ohhh...here, eat some of this." She pulled some of the swampmoss from Rainbow's saddlebag and held it out. Applejack took a bite and immediately looked around wide-eyed.
"What in the name of Celestia's horn is goin' on? What is this stuff?" Rainbow and Fluttershy giggled. Friends had a way of lighting up the darkest of places. Rarity, still unable to see, sniffed tentatively.
"Eww! Whatever that is, it smells...not good! I shan't eat it!" she exclaimed dramatically. Applejack smacked her hoof to her face, and proceeded to hold Rarity's head and force a handful of the moss down.
"Blech! Gah...y-you brute! Why did you do that! I'll probably get si-...oh..." The moss's properties took effect, and Rarity glanced around, finally up to par with the rest of the group as they stared incredulously.
"Oh my gosh, Fluttershy! What happened to your leg!" Rarity's gaze happened upon Fluttershy's bandaged limb.
"O-oh...it's nothing...a rock fell on it, but Rainbow here helped me out." Fluttershy smiled at Rainbow Dash, and it lit up Rainbow's day more than any moss ever could. They needed to have a serious discussion if they ever made it out.
"Um...well, I hate to interrupt this reunion but, didn't y'all hear Twilight a hollerin'? Do ya think we should, maybe go help?" Applejack's sarcastic voice of reason brought their minds back to the situation at hand.
"Right!" Rainbow Dash took command. "Let's go! She's gotta' be this way!" Rainbow took off down the straight path that all the other paths converged with. The other ponies followed closely behind. The path stayed straight and true, and the ponies ran as fast as they could, Fluttershy flying slightly behind but bravely flapping her wings. The stone corridor ended suddenly in the central cavern, and the ponies were not ready for what they saw.
Twilight Sparkle was writhing around in the center of the room, a dark cloud floating over her, enveloping her form. Fluttershy's legs locked up at the sight and memories of her encounter caused her to drop to the floor, quivering. Rainbow Dash wasted no time.
"Let her goooo!" she flew towards the stallfrit like a bolt of lightning. Her speed was so great she simply passed through the cloud and dispersed it. Twilight stopped fighting and lay still, panting harshly. The other ponies ran to her and helped her up.
"Thank you...I knew you guys would come..." she smiled weakly. Rainbow Dash landed, and the five ponies turned to face their adversary. If it was going to devour them, at least they would be together.
The stallfrit hissed in displeasure. It loved toying with ponies' fragile minds, but if it had to get it over with now, it would. It looked at the six friends standing together, ready to so deliciously feast on their souls. Wait, six friends? There was a sixth pony standing behind them, and with a roar of hate the monster recognized it as the pink one who escaped.
"HI GUYS!" Pinkie yelled in her squeaky, excited tone, bowling her friends over with surprise.
"Pinkie, have you been stuck in here too? We thought you made it out and you were...bringin' help..." Applejack's face fell as she realized no one was coming. It really was the end for them.
"Oh yeah I made it out! But then, it turns out we were walking through the swamp THE WHOLE TIME! So I got lost again, and I fell in some water, but Derpy was here and she saved me! And then she led me out! It's so weird that she would know the way around this place! Oh oh and then I gave her a muffin and then got help as fast as I could. Then I was all sad because Princess Celestia said she couldn't come in here, that she couldn't make it past the swamp border because of some stupid rules." Pinkie exclaimed all in one breath.
"Wait..." Rarity tried to put the sequence together, "So, if you made it out, and then the princess couldn't help, how did you get back in? Does this mean we really are all alone?"
Pinkie Pie laughed, "Of course not, silly. We're never alone as long as we have each other! Oh yeah, and she helped me get back in!" she said of no one in particular.
"Ugh, Pinkie, who's "she"?" Rainbow Dash asked dejectedly.
"ENOUGH!!" The stallfrit roared. "Stop it! Stop the talking! No matter who you bring, it would not help you! Now be quiet and accept your demise!"
"We'll see about that."
The ponies turned back towards the exit and gasped. Princess Luna strode out towards the monster boldly. Fire flashed in her eyes as she yelled out in her royal voice.
"How DARE you harm our friends?! We shall put your evil in its place and banish you, monster! Your kind does not belong in this world!"
The stallfrit recoiled in surprise, "How?! You light-beings are not allowed in here!"
The dark alicorn simply chuckled.
"Do you know not who I am? I am Luna, she who raises the very night sky! I am of the darkness, and it saturates my soul. I am no light-bearer."
She took a step towards the creature who, for the first time, did not seem so confident.
"You have committed a grave misdeed, harming these ponies. Even now I hear the spirits you've trapped in here. They are all calling for your demise."
The dark fog shifted again, but this time condensed upon itself. It shrank, forming a shape so black and devoid of light, the six ponies had trouble seeing it. The fog settled, and a stallion unicorn slightly bigger than Luna stepped forward.
"So you finally show your true form, monster, but it will not help your fate. Look, all around you, the spirits of the ponies you so badly hurt have come for you!"
Luna was right. All around the stallfrit, voices began whispering, then growing in intensity. Tiny lights, like firefly glows, appeared and hovered around the monster in a circle. They slowly materialized into ghostly images of ponies. Young and old, ancient and modern, the ghostly, transparent visages stared with dead eyes, murmuring.
"Now it's your turn monster-"
"We've come for you-"
"For five-hundred years-"
Twilight could not believe what she was witnessing. Nothing in her books ever came close to this. Trapped pony spirits? Fluttershy couldn't take anymore and was whimpering and hiding behind a rock. Luna turned to face the ponies.
"My friends, I have need of your help. Your elements of friendship, combined with my magic just might be enough to dispose of this creature. I communed with these poor spirits. They yearn to walk free and rest easy, and we must help them. They will hold the creature, but it may not be for long. Will you help me?"
Twilight looked at her friends, then smiled and answered for them.
"Of course, Luna. Let's finish this."
"It ain't right, what this creature's doin'. Keepin restless spirits trapped, that's just despicable!" Applejack said as her Element of Honesty appeared and settled around her neck.
"Threatening my poor animals. You ought to be ashamed." Fluttershy said with surprising courage as her Element of Kindness appeared.
"You tried to trap me in that swamp, and you tricked all of us. That's not okay!" Pinkie Pie berated the stallfrit as her Element of Laughter came to her.
"There aren't any gems in here at all! Oh...and you...shouldn't be so mean!" Rarity quipped, donning her Element of Generosity.
"You, you tried to hurt my friend!" Rainbow Dash said, looking at Fluttershy. Her Element of Loyalty flashed around her neck.
"Evil like yours has no place in Equestria! No wonder there's no mention of your kind in any books! There are some things ponies just don't need to know about." Twilight Sparkle finished, levitating her Element of Magic tiara onto her head.
"Now, ponies, you must hit me instead of him, with all your might!" Luna yelled over the escalating noise. The spirits had a fast hold on the stallfrit, droning louder and louder as they held him down. He began to panic, jerking and twisting to try and break free.
"Luna, what?!" Twilight asked in shock, "Won't that hurt you? Why not him?"
"You must trust me, you strong-of-heart friends. I will not be harmed!"
Twilight nodded, sensing that Luna was truthful. She focused her power, and the Element of Magic responded. Lights began to flash as she rose in the air. Her friends followed suit, as their Elements lit up and sent out their power to Twilight. Twilight's eyes were glowing white, and she took aim at Luna. Luna smiled as Twilight discharged the energy of the Elements. It arced through the air as a magnificent rainbow, striking Luna.
She yelled, unprepared for the staggering power that hit her. She faltered, but stood back up, preparing her own magic.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!" She yelled as she released her spell from her horn. What burst forth was the same rainbow from the Elements, but cast in hues of blues and purples, a moonbow. Twilight had never seen anything so beautiful. It flew with lightning speed and struck the stallfrit. He began screaming an un-worldly scream as his dark form stretched and distorted. The spirits let go and he was carried into the air.
"I...AM NOT FINISHED...WITH YOOOOOUU!", his last words echoed as he slowly began to disintegrate. The colors of the spell slowly started to fade as Luna and the ponies lost their energy. Luna slumped to the ground, and the ponies followed suit. Twilight watched as her Element floated off her head, of its own accord. The other Elements did the same, floating to where the monster had last stood. They formed a circle, with the Element of Magic in the middle. They spun around, faster and faster, releasing a cleansing light that radiated outwards. The pony spirits stood there and bathed in the light as it cleansed the darkness from their souls. A few of them turned and happily waved to the ponies and Luna. One of them, a little yellow colt bearing a book for a cutie mark, trotted over to Twilight.
"I'm...sorry...", it spoke up softly, "I won't forget you. We...could have been friends...I'm sorry for everything...and thank you..."
Twilight smiled, and replied, "I forgive you..."
The colt smiled, and waved once again before slowly floating away. His spirit was free now. The other pony spirits embraced him as they vanished, finally free to rest as souls should.
The elements finished their deed, and promptly vanished, leaving behind a pulsing, bright light. It would forever light the cave. No more would this be a place of darkness and abandon. Twilight rolled over on her back, next to Luna and her friends. They had really done it.
___ ___ ___
"...and so, we owe a great debt of gratitude to these great ponies, and to my dear sister, Luna, for ridding the wetlands of this darkness." Princess Celestia finished her speech at their honorary party in the castle, and stepped aside, bowing to the six ponies and the alicorn. She turned to Twilight as the cheering subsided.
"I am so sorry that I could not come help you, my dear pupil. My entire being yearned to run right in there, but the laws of the land are not something I can ignore."
Twilight laughed and pressed her head against the princess's arm.
"It's okay, princess. I understand. I'm glad Luna was there to help us. Is she really okay though? We had to hit her with magic from the Elements, and it was really powerful energy."
"Yes, my dear pony, she is more than okay. That magic filled her with light. Though she still raises the night sky, she lives in the darkness no more. Every single last piece of Nightmare Moon is gone from her, and we have you to thank." They both turned and watched Luna, who was playing a party game and laughing so hard her mouth hurt. Tears brimmed in Twilight's eyes as she thought of how happy Luna was, and how happy all those spirits must be now. The pegasi spirits would disperse and live throughout the clouds, flying for all eternity. The spirits of the earth ponies would return to the ground they loved so much, providing life for all manner of plants and creatures. The unicorn spirits would fade into the pool of magic that all life drew energy from, ready for anypony who needed a helping hand in a time of need.
She looked the other way. Pinkie Pie was supervising a group of ponies as they threw Derpy up and down with a cloth, catching her in the middle before tossing her back up. Derpy looked so happy. She was practically a hero after Pinkie began telling everyone about how she helped get her out of the swamp. Applejack and Rarity joined in on the fun, passing out fresh-baked muffins to everypony who wanted one. Derpy took two this time.
Twilight sniffled happily, "D-do you want a letter on this, Princess?"
"No my dear." the princess replied, "Not today. Your happiness tells me enough."
In fact, the only pony not having a good time was Rainbow Dash. She had been searching for Fluttershy for over an hour now, wandering the castle. Finally, drawing close to a waterfall that fell from the very edge of Canterlot, Rainbow saw the pony, huddled down and staring over the brink.
"Hey Fluttershy, what are you doing out here? This party is AWESOME." she asked.
"O-oh, hi Rainbow, it's...nothing. You should go back in and enjoy yourself." Fluttershy remarked without lifting her head. Rainbow Dash went and sat next to her. What she saw left her reeling. There was no life in Fluttershy's eyes. They were completely devoid of color. There was no color in the pony at all. Her pink mane and yellow coat were alarmingly dull.
"Fluttershy, what's wrong!? What happened to you? Was it that monster?" Rainbow Dash held Fluttershy in her arms, but the pony simply slumped over.
"You shouldn't waste your time on me. I'm a worthless pony. That stallfrit left some of his darkness in my heart, and it showed me how pathetic I am compared to all of you." The chillingly earnest manner in which Fluttershy spoke scared Rainbow more than anything. It was like she believed what she was saying.
"Fluttershy...what? That is SO not true! You're like the nicest, kindest most gentle pony I know! That's what makes you so special! Do you think you could really wield an Element of Harmony if what all you're saying is true?"
"It must be some mistake." Fluttershy's prone form sighed and inched closer to the edge, staring down.
"It's that monster isn't it? He's still hurting you! Where is he?! I'll pound that thing to Cloudsdale and back!" Rainbow Dash had tears falling out of her eyes as she held her friend close.
"No, I am the monster. You need to get back to the party and let me be. They will miss you if you're gone." Her normally lovely voice was so flat and empty that Rainbow Dash began to panic.
"NEVER! They'll miss you just as much! I'll never let you go!" Rainbow Dash cried into Fluttershy's mane. She normally wasn't one to be all touchy-feely but the way Fluttershy was talking simply ripped her apart, and she didn't understand. Fluttershy finally moved, standing on her uninjured legs and gently pushing Rainbow Dash off her.
"Why do you say that? Why do you want to hold on to me? The stallfrit showed me the truth. He showed me what I need to do..."
"Fl...fluttershy? What do you mean?" Rainbow asked, looking up. "What are you going to do?"
"I am glad though, you came to say goodbye. I'm...sorry" And without another word, Fluttershy threw herself from the edge of Canterlot, falling like a rock to the ground below.
"Fluttershy NOOO!" Rainbow Dash took off after her. She easily caught up to the free-falling pony, and she grabbed her close again. As they both fell, Rainbow began begging.
"Please, Fluttershy, please! You have to fight that darkness in your heart! It's not like you. You can't go, you just can't. We'd miss you too much. I'd...miss you too much..."
Fluttershy finally looked at Rainbow Dash, and the tiniest hint of a smile flashed across her mouth.
"I'm...trying Rainbow...but it's so hard...I can't fight anymore."
Rainbow was crying still, but the tears were from happiness now.
"You silly pony, thinking we don't love you. Of course we do."
Some of the light began to return to Fluttershy's eyes.
"Rainbow Dash, you make me so happy. All our other friends do too, but, with you it's something more..."
The ground grew closer and closer, but Rainbow didn't notice. All she noticed was the beautiful pony in front of her.
"I've...felt the same way about you too, for a long time now. At first I couldn't explain it. It was like something was nagging the back of my brain, and I ignored it. But I can't any more."
"Oh...Rainbow..." Fluttershy blushed, more of her color returning. Rainbow Dash could make out the features of the approaching ground.
"Fluttershy...I LOVE YOU!" With those last three words Rainbow opened her wings mightily and pulled out of the fall, zooming parallel just feet from the ground, trailing a beautiful rainbow behind her. She carried Fluttershy until she found an open hill to land on. They plopped down next to each other, laying close and looking at the beautiful sky Luna had made for the night. She had arranged the stars to form constellations of the six ponies, and it was breathtaking.
"Rainbow Dash...I love you too. Thank you..." Fluttershy rolled over, looking deep into Rainbow's eyes. She was back to normal. Together they had beaten the last bit of darkness left behind from the stallfrit.
Rainbow Dash pulled Fluttershy close, hugging her and gently touching their lips together. Fluttershy embraced her back and they shared that perfect kiss for what felt like an eternity, then broke apart.
After laying there for a minute, Rainbow Dash remembered something.
"Hey, we should probably get back to Canterlot. The princess is expecting us all to spend the night."
"Oh, yay, that will be so much fun. Hey, Rainbow?" asked Fluttershy as they took off, flying back up to the castle together.
"Yeah?"
"Do you think...could we, stay together..tonight? And maybe...forever?" Fluttershy blushed tremendously, unable to believe she had just asked that. Rainbow pulled her close for an in-flight kiss. This was truly perfection.
"Of course, pal. Forever and ever."
___ ___ ___
The fillies sat, unmoving and unblinking. Zecora stifled a yawn and stood up, stretching.
"Come now, the hour grows late. Enough time has passed on this little date. What did you think of my tale? Did you think the ponies would prevail?"
But when Zecora turned back around, the fillies had already fallen asleep. The story had taken a good chunk of the night to tell. Oh well, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy would be by soon. They could take the fillies home or leave them for the night. Life truly was good here in Equestria. She sang a little song quietly to herself as she tidied up a few things, dropping her normal rhyming vocabulary.
"Big adventure, tons of fun. A beautiful heart, faithful and strong. Sharing, kindness, it's an easy feat, and magic makes it all complete."
Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash came flying in quietly, practically tied to each other. They joined Zecora on the last part.
"Don't you know you're all my very best friends?"
