If you hear the woods calling, then be weary to answer. Fluttershy had heard this many times growing up and while a tad frightening, she always remembered it when her girlfriend Rainbow Dash suggested wandering the Everfree at night. Every time she shot the idea down Dash would just rub her head and tease her about being afraid of the dark. Fluttershy would pout and the two would continue the day. Unlike Dash however, since she lived so close to the forest, she sometimes heard the call.
It was never loud, always a small gust of wind blowing in such a way that sounded like it was calling her name or an animal with eyes focused on her lingering on the edges of the woods for a bit longer than usual. Those nights honestly frightened her the most. She could only assume the woods called her due to how close she was. It was unnatural.
The girls never understood how she felt when she mentioned the Everfree’s call. Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity would do their usual pleasantries of suggesting moving or trying to sympathize with her, but they couldn’t truly understand until they heard it themselves, the rapid tapping that could be heard outside the window or the snapping of branches that resemble a pony rapidly approaching. At least Pinkie Pie always suggested throwing a party to alleviate her fears. Sometimes it really did work, and she would forget about the woods for the day but then see the grim reminder of it approaching home that same night. Rainbow Dash might be the worst though…she’s never been the superstitious type so whenever stories about unusual noises and happenings are brought up, she just rolls her eyes and says Fluttershy is probably just imagining it, suggesting she stay at her place if it upsets her so much.
It’s not the idea of staying with Dash that irritates her though, in fact whenever she does hang out, she’s usually showered in bliss, it’s the skepticism. The scoffing at the idea that unnatural things lurk in the dark where they are free to dwell without fear of discovery, the idea that something is in the dark and does not share the same ideas of friendship and love that most ponies do. The idea that there are creatures out there that are not only beyond normal comprehension but are closer than one may think…ignorance of thatnever ceases to fill her to the brim with irritation. She does however get a smug little grin whenever the others chastise her for being dismissive of the issue. Dash then always claims she isn’t dismissive, just skeptical. If she experienced what Flutter did then surely, she would change her tune.
Fluttershy had just gotten some late-night reading finished and closed the book with satisfaction. Not only did she get some chores done, but for the past few nights there were no significant happenings. The most that had happened was last night while saying goodnight to the animals a bird flew overhead. With her head held high and a smile on her face Fluttershy headed to her bed, let out a deep sigh, and closed her eyes. Almost immediately she began dreaming, her lovely Dashie a literal knight in shining armor that cupped her chin and leaned in for a kiss.
Their lips nearly connected when a loud bang on the window downstairs made her jump. Her breathing quickened and her body quivered as she buried her head in her pillow when several more bangs occurred for the next few moments. Eventually the banging stopped and after an hour of waiting she wiped her tear-filled eyes and began cautiously heading downstairs, telling herself to be brave like Dash the whole time. For a small bit it worked and while still more scared than she’s ever been in her life she felt slightly more ready than earlier to face it. This bravery crumbled when she reached downstairs.
Blood caked her window, blocking nearly every inch except for a bit on top. What frightened her more though and froze her mind and body with terror was her door ajar. Her breathing quickened again as she ran to her bathroom and hugged the toilet as she vomited into it, her mind racing to a thousand different conclusions about what could have opened her door. With shaky steps she went over to the door and peeked through the crack. When all seemed clear she exited and looked around. There was no sign of anypony or anything in general, just the usual forest by the house and the road leading to Ponyville. After a shaky sigh she turned around and would have locked the door and gone to bed but when out of the corner of her eye she saw a small crimson trail leading to the back where the animals were here eyes widened and she rushed to her animals.
The chickens had been claimed by whoever or whatever was here. No, not claimed, that was too kind of a word. They were gutted, mutilated, their insides smeared outsides while the actual bodies hardly resembled a chicken and could be easily mistaken for a random pile of ripped and torn apart meat meant for wild desperate animals. A single pink bow that belonged to one of the chickens sat on the pile of picked apart poultry. Fluttershy’s heart broke, one could argue breaking more than the way the chickens were broken. At least they don’t have to suffer. The same couldn’t be said of Fluttershy.
When Fluttershy told the girls the next day, Rainbow Dash nearly spit out her water and demanded to know who did this. She had that fire in her eyes she gets when she either is determined to see something through no matter the cost or if she despises something and wants to teach it a lesson herself. In this case it was both.
Fluttershy explained as best she could through her sobbing that she didn’t know if it was a pony or something worse, causing her to latch onto Rainbow Dash and weep into her chest. Dash stroked her head, kissing her forehead and telling her it would be okay. Fluttershy wanted to believe it would be fine, and she almost believed her, but her fear was stronger, much stronger. She did feel much safer when Dash suggested she stay with her for a few days to ward off any potentially malicious ponies and give her some peace of mind. Dash was always so brave and strong, always sticking up for her when no one else would. It’s why she loved her so much and planned to marry her one day. She could see the two of them walking down the aisle being showered with a variety of flowers, their vibrant colors matching her lover’s mane.
That night was peaceful, no beckoning wind or rapidly cracking branches. No taps on the windows or animals lingering, just the two of them on Fluttershy’s bed being sweet on each other and basking in love. It was like this for the next few nights too, and the couple had never been happier. Fluttershy especially seemed to be in heightened spirits never before seen with her constant cracking of jokes and smiles large and small. It was like she was a completely different person.
After about a week of Dash staying over and nothing unusual happening, she returned to her home, kissing Fluttershy goodbye and suggesting they do it again soon with a wink. Fluttershy blushed and smiled, looking away then back as she heard her lover’s wings flap as she went into the sky like an angel. Eventually though night fell on the land and Fluttershy laid in bed wide awake. It was late and no matter what she did she couldn’t fall asleep. She had tried forcing herself which failed then made a drink she made for nights she had trouble sleeping but that failed as well.
She pondered for a moment before she remembered she hadn’t said goodnight to the animals yet. It must be weighing on her conscious she thought as she stepped outside. The animals were still wide awake like her and as she made her rounds telling them goodnight and that she loved them dearly she took a deep breath as she reached the graves of the chickens. Immediately she fell to her knees and wept, apologizing for not saving them and understanding if they hate her. Her tears rolled down her cheeks and dripped off her chin onto the dirt.
Her eyes widened as she heard the all too familiar voice in the wind. She covered her mouth as she gasped and began hyperventilating, slowly looking toward the forest where it came from. She was about to speak when she froze, refusing to believe what she was seeing was real. Just beyond the edge of the woods was a chicken, but not just any chicken. This one was wearing a pink bow, the same pink bow that belonged to one of the chickens that had been dead for about a week.
Fluttershy watched in shock as it locked eyes with her, tilted its head to the side, and slowly walked into the dark depths of the woods. Without much thought Fluttershy rushed after it, calling its name as she ran into the dark after it. The darkness was absolute and all encompassing, only vague outlines of trees and vegetation could be seen a few feet in front of her face. Eventually she would reach her chicken and embrace it in a hug, but it was hard to say what happened after that. While Fluttershy’s shrill cry of terror would be heard by many she wouldn’t be found until a few days later sitting on her couch reading the newspaper and acting as if nothing strange occurred, only saying she’s not afraid of the woods anymore when asked what happened.
Rainbow Dash gulped as she approached Fluttershy’s hut. Parts of it had begun to be overtaken by nature while Fluttershy tended to the blooming flowers sprouting from the vines wrapped around part of the hut’s base. She and the other girls had asked about it, Dash especially concerned with the rapid growth of vegetation over the past few weeks, but when they did, she always seemed to take pride in it, being visibly angry and raising her voice when they suggested getting rid of the growth. Dash peeked into the pouch on her side to make sure the seeds given by Twilight were still in there. Once planted hopefully they would get rid of the vines and the like that had made themselves comfortable.
Dash flew over and immediately began planting them next to the hut. Fluttershy came over and asked what kind of plant those seeds were. Dash began scrambling for an answer. Lying would only delay the inevitable and be like a thorn to Fluttershy’s trust. The truth would only make her try to stop it however, and these seeds weren’t easy to come by. It could be months at best or years at worst before more of these are available. With a gulp Dash explained these seeds were…flowers…flowers to help liven up the scene a bit. Fluttershy let out a small squeal of joy and began frantically planting them, murmuring to herself about how the forest would be happy. As soon as dirt covered them the vegetation on Fluttershy’s house glowed with magic and began withering. Fluttershy ran over and began screaming, dousing them with water and pushing them against the house as they wilted and fell off. Once they were finished dying, the magic faded.
Without another word Fluttershy ran off into the forest, her wailing filling the air. Dash flew after her but lost sight of her almost immediately, the trees and dense vegetation like a natural disguise Fluttershy knew better than anypony. After a few hours of searching Dash flew out and told the others. News of what happened spread like wildfire in Ponyville.
It had been a month since Fluttershy disappeared into the woods and Dash stood before it with a flashlight and determination to find her lover. Despite searching every possible nook and cranny of the Everfree the only trace of Fluttershy was her hut that stood as a grim reminder to most. She glared at the forest, cursing it under her breath for whatever it did. She wanted to burn the whole thing down and laugh while it turned to ashes but she would never forgive herself if Fluttershy was still in there when it happened. With a deep breath in and out she clicked the flashlight on and flew in the forest.
Even with her powerful flashlight she still felt encased by darkness. It didn’t help that it was close to midnight, but she knew the girls would attempt to stop her so the only way to venture was when they were asleep. It almost made her claustrophobic with how all-encompassing the void like black was. Occasionally she would stop and do a slow 360 when she heard the snap of a branch or rustle of a bush, but it was always nothing…at least she hoped it was.
It had been at least an hour and Dash hadn’t found a single sign of Fluttershy. She thought it had been an hour anyway. She neglected to bring a watch and right now time didn’t seem real, like some kind of otherworldly concept that the mind couldn’t comprehend even if it wanted to. For all Dash knew the sun would be rising soon. She shook her head and refocused her efforts, cautiously floating ahead. After what she assumed were a few minutes she stopped and felt her heart begin to race as she spotted a tree, but it’s not the tree that frightened her, it was the fact that it looked like it had been ripped out and tossed aside like a discarded toy. She began considering turning back and abandoning her search, but she knew if it were her that was missing Fluttershy would do the same, so she pressed on.
Sweat had begun rolling down Dash’s face as she began finding carcasses. The bodies had been torn open and already had vines sprouting vibrant flowers wrapped around them like some kind of makeshift blanket, vibrant flowers that were Fluttershy’s favorite. Dash began calling her name, picking up the pace as her wings nervously flapped faster. Her calling soon became more frantic along with her flying as she flew past trees and animal corpses, their stench nauseating as the smell became unbearable and the forest floor resembling a graveyard. The ground was covered in vine wrapped bodies lined up and packed like sardines. Dash coughed and sputtered as she whizzed along, clipping a tree and tumbling to the forest floor and landing back first onto a vine.
As she rubbed her back and began standing up pure black tendrils dripping an equally black, viscous substance shot out of the trees and wrapped around her legs and arms, holding her to the floor. She began to struggle but stopped with wide eyes when a pony walked up and looked down. Her pink mane was disheveled and home to a plethora of insects and her body wasn’t much better, chunks and holes filled with writhing bugs and parasites littering it. Her once bright eyes full of life were now dull and bloody. With a smile she stomped twice, and the tendrils lifted her up a few feet off the ground before shooting into her head directly to her brain and pumping its liquid into it.
Dash’s memories began to fade and be replaced with knowledge of the forest, images of creatures and undiscovered areas that would drive a normal pony to madness replacing Ponyville and her friends' faces. Soon the only thing she could recall were the forest’s secrets and Fluttershy in her current state, a crooked smile growing on her face as she began to weep. Fluttershy began stroking her mane as dead yet living animals approached and put a makeshift cloak made from the hide of long dead animals on Dash. A crown of bone and rotten meat was placed on her head and the tendrils left her head, flies and other buzzing insects quickly rushing to the open wounds. Fluttershy walked over and held Dash’s hoof, giving her a bloody bug filled kiss on the cheek and leading her deeper into the dark.
The two would never be found again, forever lost to the Everfree, and while they were presumed dead there are rumors that late at night if you venture near the Everfree then you can just barely hear their voices in the wind, beckoning you to come to them.
