Darkest Equestria

When they finally stopped running, Pinkie nearly collapsed from exhaustion. The bandits had not given chase.

She didn't fall though. For on her back, she carried a fragile life. Pinkie made sure that Trixie did not fall. It could prove deadly if she did. The blood soaking her coat was more than worrying, a sign of ill omen. Pinkie glared at the ponies in front of her. She couldn't help but feel like they had caused this, that his entire thing was their fault. Or was it her own, for not acting fast enough?

"We need to get back to Ponyville." Pinkie said. "How do we get back?"

"I know the way." Rainbow said. Her eyes were locked onto the body of Trixie.

"Then show me. Trixie can't hold on forever." Pinkie said.

She wanted to scream in their face. To let them know her rage, but she said nothing. There could be no time for arguing. No time for her emotions. All that mattered at the moment for preserving the flame of life.

"She's dead. She won't survive with those wounds. I've seen wounds like it before." Applejack said. "Just leave-"

"No!" Pinkie snapped, her words full of vitriol and spite. "Lead us to Ponyville right now, and I don't want to hear another word out of your cowardly, faithless mouth."

Applejack recoiled at that, a look of disbelief on her face. It quickly hardened into anger. Her mouth opened, but Pinkie beat her to it.

"Going to throw a fit again? Are you trying to make me laugh with your ridiculous ego? If so, you're doing a great job." Pinkie said.

Applejack's mouth closed, a flicker of guilt going across her face. She said nothing, and closed the visor of her helmet, as if hiding from the world.

Pinkie turned to Rainbow, the weight on her back bearing down on her. "Lead us home."

Rainbow paused, then nodded. "Follow me. I know these woods."

The long march began. Pinkie didn't know where they were going, the forest was too thick and full of foliage to understand how to traverse it. She just had to have faith that they were heading in the right direction. Hope. Pinkie hoped that everything would turn out alright in the end, that Trixie would survive. For what else could deliver them from this place?

They marched in silence, anger and worry making Pinkie's movements jerky. The blood streaming from her own coat reminded her of her own wounds. They stung and seared with agony with every flex of her muscle. Shards of metal were embedded there without a doubt. Her bones creaked, every ache and strain felt as if it was being amplified by the slicing pain.

Rain from the canopy washed away what could be cleansed, but most blood remained strangled in clumps of fur.

"Let me carry her, you're barely walking." Applejack said.

"No. You're going to drop her." Pinkie snapped. She felt no joy in this moment, her tone low and angry. A stark contrast to her usual chipper tune and smile.

"I won't drop her." Applejack said. "Give her here, and I'll carry her without issue. Honest."

Applejack had always been honest, in the years past. But she had changed. That was clear from what happened earlier today. The cannon remained undestroyed. The most they had gained from that assault was a few dead bandits and a bloodied Trixie who might not even survive.

Trixie was going to die, wasn't she? No pony could survive this much bleeding, and they still had at least two hours left on the old road. From there, they had to go back to Ponyville and hope Nurse Redheart would be able to patch her up.

Her steps faltered for a moment. She slowed.. Was it hopeless? No, she wouldn't give up on Trixie. Even if there was a slim chance, she would keep going.

And yet, her body was failing her. Pinkie' steps grew shaky and her head woozy. Blood loss was taking its terrible toll, untreated wounds slowly but steadily leaking blood.

"Give Trixie here." Applejack said. "I'll carry her, unless you want to die."

Pinkie looked over at her. There was nothing more she could do than hope. Hope that Applejack was telling the truth. With weakness plaguing her, Pinkie realized she had no choice. After a long moment she nodded. Carefully, she moved Trixie from her back onto Applejack's. Baldwin and Applejack held the mare up together. Both were packed full of muscle and didn't even seem bothered much by the presence on their backs.

"Treat your wounds, lest they fester." Baldwin said.

The sickly-sweet scent of rot in the air attested to his words.

"Keep going." Pinkie said. "I'll catch up."

She opened her saddlebags, only to see that she had no more bandages. All of them had been used on Trixie. With a grunt, she pulled herself back to her feet, content to go on without treatment. Only, she found Rainbow Dash holding a roll of bandages towards her. Pinkie took them with a grateful nod, and then started tending to her wounds.

"We will wait." Applejack said.

"No. Keep going. I'll catch up. Don't worry about me." Pinkie hissed in pain and sat back on the ground.

"But-"

"Keep going!"

At that, they continued to walk, leaving Pinkie behind. She breathed heavily, the presence of the forest becoming all the more known to her. Quickly, she wrapped what wounds she could reach. The flow was staunched by stretched cloth, bound tightly. For now the blood had stopped for the most part.

She couldn't help but wonder how this quest would be possible. They were still at the edges of the Everfree, they hadn't even faced many monsters of the forest. All they had faced were a few bandits and some Timberwolves. The more Pinkie came out here and tried to face the forest, the more she felt it was hopeless.

Pinkie shook her head. She had to hold onto hope, for that was all that remained. Hope and laughter. A forced smile came across her face.. With that, she felt a little better. Not by much, but a little. Pinkie stood and followed after the group by the hoofprints in the mud on the ground.

In time, she found them again, and they marched together once more. The ragged breathing of Trixie was the only new constant from the last time they had done so. That, and the flickering flame on her prized skull. It looked weaker than ever before. What did that lick of flame really mean? Such secrets belonged only to the pony who wielded it.

"Look, Pinkie. I'm sorry." Applejack suddenly spoke up, her face hidden behind her helmet. "I'm... not who I was before, but even I can recognize I messed up."

Pinkie said nothing. Some pony's mistakes were knocking over a glass of water in the morning, or maybe forgetting to put the bread in the oven. And then some led a charge into a cannon which ended up nearly blowing two ponies to giblets. Then again, she wasn't much better herself. Her ideas had led to that moment, stupid as they were.

"It was as much my fault as it was yours." Pinkie said. "I just hope that by the time this is all over, we can still share a laugh."

The words hung in the air, a bitter reminder of mistakes and times long since past. There was nothing more to say after that.

The candle on the skull flickered once more, and Pinkie swore she could hear the reverberation of a bell somewhere far off in the distance, calling a wayward soul home...

It was an hour later that Pinkie heard something. It was not the encroaching of Timberwolves or the voices of bandits. It was something else. A sigh of spores a bit louder than its surroundings. She perked her ears towards it. It was as if a great beast was breathing steadily.

"What is that noise?" Rainbow asked. "Are the mushrooms breathing now?"

"Spores?" Applejack asked. "Nothing new here. This place seems to love spores and all that."

"It sounds a little more active than usual." Rainbow said. "Want me to check it out?"

There was a squelch from the direction of the sighing.

"Let's just keep going." Applejack said. "Celestia preserve us from this place... and preserve me."

The squelching continued from behind them. It was the sound of something shambling towards them through the dark. Even with a lit lantern they couldnt see what was coming.

Pinkie looked over her shoulder as the noise got closer. Dread pooled in her stomach.

From the darkness, a shambling creature approached. It looked vaguely like a pony. It stumbled around on four hooves. But that was where the similarities to a pony ended. It had no coat other than a mockery of one. Flesh had been replaced by spongy mushrooms. Fungal growths dominated the pony-like creature. With every step its false hooves squelched and released puffs of spores. It had no eyes, and on its head was the circular ridge of a mushroom cap.

It blindly stumbled forward, twitching unnaturally. The fungal monstrosity followed the droplets of blood on the ground, meandering about and swaying in tune with an unheard tune.

"What is that thing?" Rainbow whispered.

The thing wasn't charging yet, but it was definitely coming towards them. At the sound of a voice, it froze.

"I think it's blind." Pinkie whispered. "We should just walk away."

She was done with this place. All she wanted to do was get back to Ponyville, treat Trixie's wounds, and save her. There was no time to deal with this thing.

The group walked away as silently as possible. The mushroom pony stumbled into a tree and sidled up against it. Two more of the same mushroom creatures came stumbling out of the darkness. Where they walked, tendrils rose out of the ground to meet their fungal hooves. It connected to them, withdrawing and entering with each step.

Pinkie really didn't want to figure out what it was connecting to.

Then, Pinkie heard a release of spores from just behind her. She looked back. Her hoof had hit a mushroom. The spores exploded outward with a puff, coating her back hoof with the stuff. She froze, how did she miss that mushroom?

The creatures turned towards the noise. Then, they started to stumble forward. Their gait was horrifyingly fast. Hooves pounded the earth as they stumbled forward, practically falling over themselves in pursuit. Pinkie glanced back to see Applejack and Baldwin carrying Trixie. They wouldn't be able to fight effectively. So, she readied her hoof blades, scythe and dirk at the ready.

"Damn! We're spotted!" Rainbow flexed her metal wings. She swung them forward, and a metal feather stuck into the head of one of the mushroom ponies. It barely seemed to notice, only turning towards the source and reaching blindly towards it.

The other mushroom ponies converged on Pinkie. Their roving hooves reached towards her, trying to find something to grab onto.

Pinkie leaned away from them and lashed out with her scythe. It cut into the top of the head of the creature, but it was thick as leather. The wound she left was deep but not very long. Green liquid welled up from the wound.

She slashed again. Her scythe cut across the two in front of her, digging deep across their chests. The wicked slice harvested the vicious green liquid, and the mushroom ponies stumbled back. Pinkie danced away from their grasping hooves. Adrenaline pumped, and everything but combat faded from her world.

Applejack had set down Trixie, leading Baldwin to guard her. She charged forward with an inspiring cry and stabbed forward at one of the mushrooms. It sunk deep, spearing the thing. The mushroom pony recoiled with a low moan. Then, it lashed out with a hoof, smacking Applejack across the helmet. The blow knocked her head to the side, and she stumbled back, pulling her blade free with a squelch.

"How do we kill these things?!" Rainbow sliced with her knife across where the mushroom pony's eye should have been. Then, with a growl, she flexed her wings. She beat both of them forward and jumped back. Her wings caught air and she flew backwards while a burst of metal feathers sunk into her target. The mushroom pony was blasted back, covered in countless pierce wounds from the cluster blast of metal feathers.

It stumbled, bleeding green from countless holes in its body. It moved forward, then collapsed in a heap on the ground. Smoke rose from the body.

"Blood loss!" Pinkie said. She returned to her assailants with renewed fervor. She danced around them, taking advantage of their blindness. One swipe nearly caught her across the chest, the force behind it cracking through a rotted log.

She carved the back of one up in a slicing whirlwind. Green went flying everywhere, leaking from deep lacerations. It was a thrill, a welcome distraction. At least in this moment, she could forget her mistakes.

Her hooves moved in a frenzy, and she released all her pent-up anger on these mushroom ponies. Her scythe moved with fierce arcs and crescent cleaves. She was forced back as one mushroom pony nearby grabbed her, its hooves stomping down where she had just been standing. One hoof caught her in the stomach, and she saw stars as pain erupted.

The lantern she had been holding in her mouth fell to the ground. A moment later, it was smashed to pieces as the mushroom pony stepped on it. What little light remained was instantly swallowed up by the encroaching darkness. The other lantern was being held by Baldwin, leaving her completely in the dark.

Pinkie jumped away, clawing shadows chasing her. Her heart thundered in her chest as darkness swirled in front of her. She backed away, previous bravado vanishing. There was no way she could fight in the dark. She had to get back to Baldwin.

Her hoof hit something in the dark, and she slipped. With a grunt she hit the ground. She was on her hooves again in moments but felt something grab her. She screamed as it wrapped its squishy hooves around her. Her scythe dug into its chest, and she ripped it upwards, spilling bile everywhere.

"Pinkie!" Applejack’s voice came from the void. "I can't see anything! Where are you?"

Pinkie struggled to free herself, the squelching of mushroom flesh surrounding her. She surged down, trying to rip herself free of the fungal hooves. Wet breath touched her neck. Adrenaline surging through her veins, she ripped herself free then ran towards the light.

The darkness plagued her mind. Something lurked in there, she knew it. The light promised safety, and she longed to be near it. Thankfully, she was able to get inside of the lantern light quickly. Breathing heavily, she turned back to where the mushroom ponies were.

One came out of the dark, only to have Applejack's blade slice its head into two halves. It crumpled to the ground. The other one stumbled forward and fell to the ground before it arrived, green leaking from a mess of lacerations.

"Every pony alright?" Applejack asked.

"Fine." Pinkie shivered, the phantom feeling of the mushroom on her body was nauseating. "Is Trixie alright?"

"The practitioner is fine." Applejack said. "Right, Baldwin?"

Baldwin nodded. Trixie was on his back, and he bore the weight alone. She seemed untouched.

"Thank you." Pinkie said despite her irritation towards Applejack. She had helped her when it mattered, so maybe there was still some of that old pony inside of her.

"Don't worry sugar cube. I'm not as heartless as you might think." Applejack said with a frown. "Just don't go calling me a coward or faithless again."

Pinkie nodded to that. "You won't have to worry about that again. But please, we need to keep moving. I know you don't like her, but Trixie needs every second."

Applejack hesitantly nodded. "I don't trust her magic, but if you trust her, then she can't be all bad. I'll give her a chance."

They started moving again, having little time to process that they were just attacked by walking mushroom ponies. Out here in the Everfree, something like that didn't seem like an oddity. Somehow, despite hours passing, Trixie remained breathing. She didn't move other than the rise and fall of her chest. It was a miracle that she was still alive.

Pinkie couldn't help but wonder if it had something to do with the prized skull. The flame on the candle which sat on its head was still burning, flickering weakly. Nonetheless, she was glad for it. If it was keeping Trixie alive then she wouldn't question it.

Time passed and the old road came into view through the thicket. Its worn dirt was a sight for sore eyes. Pinkie let out a silent thanks to whatever would hear her. She hoped that whatever dwelled in the dark had not been the one to receive it.

There might be things to laugh about yet.

"This way." Rainbow pointed down the road. "Ponyville is close, just a little further. Faster, faster!"

It seemed that there might be something left of the old Rainbow Dash as well. A spark of that flier's spirit, stifled only by a lack of wings. She was scarily good at using those metal attachments. It seemed that if Rainbow had wings, she would always be the best at using them.

By the time Pinkie saw Ponyville through the veil of trees, another hour had passed. She was exhausted, her hooves dragging in the dirt. Every pony around her was also dragging their hooves. It had only been a day, but it had been one packed full of stress, adventure, and blood. It was the Everfree forest, every second felt like minutes, and minutes felt like hours.

They breached the forest wall and into Ponyville. The relief Pinkie felt was like none other before. She glanced towards Trixie. Still breathing. Despite everything.

"Where is the hospital?" Applejack grunted.

"This way." Pinkie Pie led the way to the hospital. They passed by the Golden Oak Library. The lights were off, Twilight must be sleeping. "Can you tell Twilight what happened, Rainbow?"

Rainbow Dash nodded and made her way towards the library.

They approached the hospital on hurried hooves. Pinkie flung the doors open. "Redheart! We have an emergency!"

A moment later, Redheart walked into the lobby. In her mouth was a bloody scalpel. She looked over the group with her single judging eye. "More wounds, Pinkie?"

"You have to save Trixie!" Pinkie said. "She is badly wounded. If any pony can save her, it's you."

"Bring her here." Redheart didn't miss a beat. They followed her down a decrepit passage, her black clothes ruffling with each step. "What happened?"

"The cannon." Pinkie said.

"I see. The cannon." Redheart nodded. "And you ran towards it? After what it did to you?"

"...I couldn't let her die." Pinkie gritted her teeth. "I couldn't let another pony die when I could do something."

"It seems the mental procedure was not effective." Redheart said. "Or perhaps it was your own tenacity, clinging to foolish ideals. Either way, this conversation can wait. Set her on this table. I have wounds to tend to."

Baldwin and Applejack set her on a relatively clean metal table. Trixie sprawled out on it, eyes closed and breath shallow. Her signature star cloak was ripped to shreds, along with her bloodied blue coat beneath. It was a sight that should have belonged to a corpse. And yet, there was still breath.

"Curious. She is strong." Redheart opened a drawer, withdrawing surgical instruments. "Shrapnel..."

"Is she going to make it?" Pinkie asked, chewing on her hooves with bloodshot eyes. Every part of her hurt, but she couldn't help but worry.

"With wounds like this, she should be dead." Redheart glanced over. "If you two are going to stand around, fetch my assistants. They are down the hall and to the left. Listen for the screaming. Pinkie, lay down on that bed and don't move. Any more blood loss and you may be just like Trixie."

Applejack and Baldwin left, going in search of Redheart's assistants.

For once, Pinkie did as she was told, laying down on the other bed. Everything hurt to say the least, and it gave her a position to watch Trixie. All she wanted to do was watch the rising and falling of her chest, to ensure that she was still alive. Pinkie held the prized skull to herself tightly, sheltering that ever-burning candle with its flickering flame. Trixie was her friend, a new one, but that didn't make her care less. Too many of her friends had perished under her watch.

She watched as Redheart got to work. Her metal scalpel, lifeless, became an instrument of life. Bandages were undone, and then the treatment began.

Pinkie turned away. She never enjoyed the sight of blood, which might as well have been a joke when looking at her method of fighting.

She hoped that Trixie would pull through. That was all she seemed to be able to do nowadays. Hope. It was flickering, just like the flame of the prized skull. Waning, dying, but never quite going out. The heart still beat, pained as it was.

Trixie would survive, Pinkie had faith. And when this was over, they would both laugh about it in the future. How stupid they were for facing down the forest and running in front of a cannon. But in the end, it would be a passing shadow, and a moment to laugh about in the taverns. A story to tell.

They would regroup and reassemble. More blood would be spilled, more evil creatures would be culled, and without a doubt, more ponies would die. Time ticked onward, and evil would always be there, haunting the forests and hearts of ponies. As far as Pinkie knew, she had all the time in the world to heal her friends and steel herself for the coming horrors. To prepare to go deeper, beyond the edge of the forest they had barely explored, deeper and deeper into the heart of this evil. She had all the time in the world to do that.

Evil is timeless after all.