On the Road to Terror

By volrathxp

Code Word: #TheRoadtoTerror

Starlight Glimmer looked over the edge of the mountainside down at the valley below. The sun in the sky was beginning to set, painting the landscape with beautiful oranges and reds. Starlight smiled softly and glanced back behind her, where Trixie was setting up their campsite for the evening.

The first time the two had gone off on a camping trip, they had butted heads over a number of inconsequential things. Over time, however, their trips had become like clockwork and neither seemed to mind the other’s little quirks. Starlight sighed, thankful for her best friend who had been by her side for so many of life’s adventures. Even with taking over at the School of Friendship, the two had continued their trips every summer, only reinforcing their bond.

Starlight looked back out over the valley with a smile. She missed Maud, Mudbriar, and most of all, Sunburst, but knew that they all had their own business to attend to. Sunburst normally would have come along on these camping trips, but things back home at Sire’s Hollow were difficult, due in part to his mother’s ailing health in her old age. Sunburst needed to be there at the moment, helping her.

She stifled a small cry as she thought about the passing of her own father the year before. That had been the only year that she and Trixie hadn’t made their trip, but that didn’t stop Trixie from being right by her side for the funeral.

“You alright?” she heard Trixie say from behind her. Starlight turned and put on a smile.

“I’m fine, just looking out at the valley. Things have changed a lot out here,” Starlight said.

Trixie smiled and glanced out past Starlight. “It’s beautiful, for sure,” she said softly.

“Dad would have liked to have seen this,” Starlight said. She choked back another sob.

“He definitely would have,” Trixie said, placing a foreleg around Starlight. “Come on, I’ve got dinner on the fire, and you know how bad of a cook I am. I can’t do that part without you.”

Starlight sniffled and chuckled. “You’re not wrong about that,” she said, turning to follow Trixie back to the campsite.

The two unicorns sat in silence as they ate while the sunset waned into complete darkness, tiny little stars appearing in the night sky above them. Starlight found Twilight's attention to detail in the night sky to be impeccable. She could still see so many of the stars, despite the light from the fire and from Trixie’s wagon.

“Been sort of a crazy couple months,” Trixie said, looking up at the sky alongside her. “Almost didn’t get to make it out here.”

“Yeah… being trapped in that Book. Nearly losing myself to my own self-doubt. It’s weird how things are so calm once again,” Starlight replied absently.

“It’s almost as if Discord didn’t claim the Book at all,” Trixie said. “What do you think he’s up to?”

“I’m not sure, but it can’t be good,” Starlight said, pulling her eyes away from the sky to look over at Trixie. “I know he means well, but usually his form of fun means trouble for everypony.”

“I guess we’ll see later this year what he’s got planned,” Trixie said with a sigh. “I’m about ready to get to bed. Are you coming?”

“In a few, I’ll get the fire cooled off here,” Starlight replied.

Trixie nodded and walked up into the wagon. She closed the door and Starlight was alone. Standing, she began the arduous task of pouring water over the fire from a small bucket nearby. As the smoke began to pour forth from the dying campfire, Starlight became keenly aware of the fact that she was being watched.

She glanced about, shuddering at the cold air. Something didn’t feel right. Starlight knew that there were animals in the woods nearby, but most of them never came out and certainly not near ponies. As she scanned the area around her, something in the vicinity shifted. Starlight squeaked, shrinking back towards the door to the wagon. Finding purchase on the steps, she rapped quickly at the door.

“What is it, Starlight? Did you need help with the fire?” Trixie’s voice echoed from within the wagon.

“Trixie, something’s out there,” Starlight whispered through the cracked door.

“Starlight, we had this discussion the last time we were out here, there’s nothing out in the dark that’s going to get you,” Trixie said from behind the door, sounding rather nasally. “Just hurry up and come to bed.”

Starlight scowled and returned her attention to the fire. It was smoldering a bit still but dying as the last bits of smoke puffed up. Her eyes snapped up and across the clearing she saw a pair of glowing red eyes staring right at her.

The eyes seemed to hover there, unmoving. Starlight didn’t dare look away, studying the eyes. They appeared to be large and segmented, almost like a bug. Starlight couldn’t make out the form of the thing it belonged to, but a low humming noise began to sound from whatever it was.

She stood there for what felt like an eternity, watching and waiting intently for something to happen. The eyes continued to look at her, but Starlight realized they weren’t looking directly at her. They were looking past her. Starlight yearned to turn to see what it was looking at.

[CHOICE:
Does Starlight look away or keep her eyes on the creature?]

Starlight looks away (HERO)
Starlight keeps her eyes on the creature (VILLAIN)

[ENDING A: Hero]
Starlight snapped her eyes away from the red eyes. Just above her and the wagon itself was a branch that had caught fire. It was going to fall onto the wagon. Starlight’s eyes widened and ignoring the creature that had been staring at her, she ripped the door to the wagon open with a flourish of magic.

“Trixie! You have to get out of there!” Starlight cried out.

“What, what’s going on?” Trixie mumbled.

“Ugh, no time!” Starlight said, latching onto the other unicorn mare with her magic, yanking her out of the wagon and onto the ground as the branch fell, landing on the wagon and setting the top of it on fire.

The two scrambled away from the site as Starlight glanced about for the red eyes. They were gone. What had happened? Were they warning her about the branch? She no longer felt like she was being watched. Instead, she felt Trixie next to her.

“Starlight, thank you,” Trixie said. “You saved my life… but we should probably do something about the fire before the wagon is gone.”

Starlight nodded and smiled. “Conjure as much water as you can. I’ll make up the buckets.”

(+1 Page to Heroes)

[ENDING B: VILLAIN]
Starlight froze, unable to peel her eyes away from the red eyes. She couldn’t. What if it attacked her? She couldn’t chance it.

From behind her she heard a loud crack as a branch snapped. Starlight felt immense heat as flames erupted on top of the wagon behind her. She began to cough, losing sight of the eyes as fire struck the ground around her.

She heard more coughing from inside the wagon as the door opened and Trixie fell out.

“What’s… what’s going on?” she wheezed.

“I don’t know!” Starlight cried out. “Come on, Trixie, we have to get out of here!”

Trixie nodded as she latched onto Starlight. Starlight put all of her energy that she could focus on a teleportation spell, carrying them out of the fire and onto the hill nearby. Trixie groaned as she slumped over.

“Trixie! Are you okay?” she asked.

“Yeah, Trixie’s okay,” Trixie said with a cough. “But the wagon didn’t fare so well.”

Starlight’s gaze looked down at the wagon. It was burning. There was no sight of the red eyes anywhere. What had it been? Was it trying to warn her about the fire? Could she have stopped it? Starlight’s heart thumped in her chest. Had her inability to look caused this? Trixie could have died! Starlight began to sob openly.

“S-S-S-sorry, Trixie,” she cried, burying her face in the other mare’s shoulder. “I should have…”

“It’s okay, Starlight,” Trixie said. “You couldn’t have known what was going to happen.”

Starlight sniffled. But I could have…

(+1 page to Villains)

Author's Note

This one was another Whinny story. Originally I was going to actually kill Trixie, but I felt I needed to be more PG. Maybe I could have done it though, I don't know.

It went from sad to horror to mothman thriller though, which was interesting.