Darkest Equestria

Standing at the edge of the Everfree, Pinkie realized exactly just what she was getting into.

Through the mud and the rain, Pinkie could see the obscured edge of the Everfree. Its shadowed thicket was thick, standing tall against its charred surroundings. Desperate controlled burning had kept the forest at bay, or so it seemed. Even now, small roots weaved their way towards the town, lifeless and reaching out like charred legs.

Pinkie set her saddlebags on the ground and opened them. From within she withdrew her hoof blades, the red and black outfit, and then her lute. And finally, something she had grabbed just before coming. An iron-clad lantern, which held within a large wax candle.

She slipped the outfit on. Red and black cloth covered her, coarse and thick. It offered meager protection, but it was protection nonetheless. On her face she put on a bone-white mask. Beneath the edge of the cloth surrounding the mask, a layer of chainmail was inlaid. Hanging down from the sides of the hood-like mask were two bells. They jingled softly.

Pinkie set the lute on her back, and earth pony magic locked it into place. While magic was all but nonexistent near the Everfree, it didn't seem to mind as long as it didn't extend outside the body. The effects were lessened of course, but scraps of magic could still be found even here.

Then, she put on the hoof blades. She wrapped the cord around her hooves, securing them into place. Her inner magic helped seal them, and soon scythe and dirk were folded up against the sides of her legs. She stared at them, visions of blood baying in her mind. She shook her head, casting away the encroaching memories. Everything was in place.

"Well, I guess this is it, huh?" Pinkie hummed as she stared at the edge of the forest. "Didn't think I would ever be heading out there alone."

Pinkie took a moment to breathe, casting doubt and fear to the cold winds. Then, she strapped her lantern to her side, letting it hang off her saddlebags. It cast a warm orange glow around her, not far, but it was something.

"Remember Grandma Pie's words. Giggle at the ghostly..." She spoke to herself, eyes darting between grasping shadows.

Then, she started to walk. The forest's edge grew closer, and with it, the sounds from within. Not wanting to persuade herself to turn back, Pinkie wasted no time in breaching that wall.

Immediately darkness dropped its cloak over her head. It was black as pitch, the only light came from what little sunlight filtered through the cloud and canopy. Her lantern was what guided her, and every moment she wasted was another that its lit wick grew shorter.

Distant howls of Timberwolves echoed through the ominous woods. They weren't quite right, not the same as they used to be. They were sorrowful, pained even, changed and malformed. The constant hum of insects and croaks of frogs was unnatural. Pinkie Pie could have sworn it was just a cover for something that lurked in the darkness.

She continued nonetheless, her nerves like sparks, and her heart beating steadily in her chest. Her hooves crushed rotten leaf-mulch with wet sucking sounds as they pulled free of underlying mud. Mushrooms grew from the sick wood of hollowed out oaks, festering with pestilent spores. It would be best to avoid those.

The cry of a keening owl nearly made Pinkie jump. She stumbled away from it, heart fluttering in her chest like a hummingbird.

"Owls out in the day? Madness..." Pinkie Pie whispered. "I wonder if they give two hoots about what's in the forest now."

She chuckled to herself. It admittedly wasn't her best joke, but the thought lifted her spirits.

Now, she had to orient herself. The balloon was in this direction, but the winding trees whispered of misalignment. It would be easy to get lost in its winding depths. The old road, that was where she should walk. The balloon had fallen on it, so that is where she should look.

It was beneath her now, hidden as it was by thick roots, but it could be followed. So that is what she did.

It wasn't really much of a road to be frank, more of a dirt path with the faint vestiges of civilization still clinging to it, but it was something.

Ahead, the faint glimmer of something shimmered from out of the mud. Pinkie froze, trying to get a look at what it was. After throwing a rock at it to test the waters, she approached.

Sticking out of the mud was a piece of twisted metal. She poked at it, and it slid off, revealing a bit of shattered bone. It was a piece of bone with a hole in the center, perfectly ocular in nature. Pinkie quickly realized that this was a broken helmet, and that was a piece of a skull. Somepony here had met an unfortunate end, perhaps trying to take the old road by hoof.

She stepped back, gut churning. Her hooves slipped on the mud, and something stuck to the back of them. Pinkie looked behind her and saw that a scrap of purple cloth was attached to the hoof.

It was a piece of the scouting balloon. She grabbed it immediately, looking over its surface.

"A clue." Pinkie hummed nervously, taking another hurried step away from the shattered skull.

She looked up and noticed more scraps of purple cloth stuck to branches. If pieces of the balloon were here, then that meant it had to be nearby. Trying to judge where it had landed was nearly impossible, the woods were simply too thick. The only way was to search around.

Pinkie paced, glancing side to side. She picked up the cloth and hung it on a branch, as a marker. Then, she picked a direction at random, and started searching through the woods. She made sure to keep the old road in sight, as hard as that was. If she lost sight of it... things would not end well.

As she stepped off the path, her hoof hit a cluster of mushrooms hidden just behind a branch. They seethed in natural wrath, releasing a thick cloud of blinding spores. Pinkie wretched, closing her eyes and stumbling away as the rancid spores clouded her senses. It smelled of rotten meat and sickness.

Coughing and gagging, Pinkie stumbled, her eyes and mouth burning. Her mask had blocked most of the cloud, but she could still taste it in her mouth and feel it burning her skin.

"That... is horrible." Pinkie coughed, wiping her tongue with the cloth around her neck. "Why did nature decide that should exist?"

Perhaps it was not nature alone that created such an obstruction.

As she sat, trying to endure a feel like acid burning her face, she heard something amidst the trees. Voices.

"Did you hear that?" A gruff, hardened stallion's voice echoed through the woods.

Pinkie froze. That didn't sound like a resident of Ponyville. That sounded like a bandit. She glanced around frantically and spotted a hollowed-out tree.

"I didn't hear anything. Why not get your ears checked? Maybe there's spiders crawling around in them." A mare's sneer was accompanied by clopping hooves on dirt.

Speaking of spiders...

The hollow Pinkie Pie had chosen was filled with the webs of the things. They were thick webs, the bodies of unfortunate insects bundled up in them by the hundreds. A single large spider the size of a hoof sat at the top of the web, its eight green wretched eyes staring emptily at her. "Oh, come on... this joke isn't funny."

"Tell me you didn't just hear that voice!" The stallion growled. His steps were getting closer.

Pinkie shut her mouth, silently zipping it with her hoof. It had done enough damage. Then, swallowing the saliva in her throat, she crawled underneath the web. Mud soaked her belly and hooves as she crawled. She turned a dial on the lantern, and the darkness instilled its black reign.

It was so dark that Pinkie couldn't even see the hoof in front of her face. All she could hear was chirping insects, scuttling feet in the undergrowth, and the sigh of spores. She huddled into what clothing was on her body, hoping that it would protect her from the bite of any creepy crawlies.

"I... maybe you're not insane. Think it's the ponies from the balloon that went down?" The mare said.

"Well hush up then, we are going to get the jump on them if they are. Who knows what baubles and gold they might have on them?"

"Don't tell me to hush up, you pathetic waste of space."

"Are you looking to get fed to the Timberwolves?"

"Maybe you're looking for the same?"

"Look. Let's settle this after we get the gold. How about that?"

"Fine."

The sound of hooves grew much quieter. They had no light, unlike her. It was a mystery, but the bandits always seemed to be able to traverse the forest with little issue. They had no need for light, for the blackness in their twisted hearts was enough to guide them. At least, that's what Pinkie Pie had heard from the ponies in town.

She could hear them getting closer, and she focused on softening her breathing. Pinkie could feel her pulse in her neck, the drying of her mouth, and the tightening of her hooves on her weapon straps.

Leaves crunched outside the hollow she was hiding in. Pinkie could swear that something was crawling on one of her front hooves. She stilled, trying to stop the urge to swipe whatever it was away.

"See anything?" A whispered voice asked.

"Nothing."

"Damnable town ponies. Useless enough that they can't even-"

A scream echoed in the woods, loud and piercing. it was the voice of a mare, and vaguely familiar to Pinkie Pie. It was one full of terror. It was followed by a maddened cackle. It was Mayor Mare's signature mad laugh. She was never quite the same when the darkness arrived.

"Looks like we are in luck." The stallion growled.

"What are we waiting for? Let's get to it."

The sound of hooves faded away.

Immediately Pinkie scurried out of the hollow and clicked her lantern alight. She breathed a sigh of relief, then looked down at her hooves. Attached to one of them was a noxious green spider, its eyes bored into her. Pinkie nearly shirked, swiping it off of her and stomping it into the earth.

"It's just a spider. No big deal." Pinkie's fur was standing on end, unnerved. She laughed, shaking it off.

She had to follow those bandits. They could lead her to the downed balloon. They knew the way around the forest and how to navigate it. It was her only hope.

Pinkie trailed after the muddy hoofprints. They led a twisting path through the gnarled woods. Lanternlight guided her.

The sound of voices came from ahead, a crowd of them. Laughter erupted in the woods, playful and tinged with malice. Pinkie shut out her light again and stalked forward with bated breath. Beads of sweat stained her coat, and her eyes dilated as ancient instinct surged through her. Moisture clouded the insides of her mask as her breathing heightened.

"What do we have here, Mayor Mare and a little purple pony?" The mare snickered.

"I am just trying to get-" That voice, it was so familiar.

"Did I say you could speak? Shut your tongue before I feed it to the maggots." The mare snarled.

"Hey! Don't speak to Twilight like-"

A hiss of pain sounded through the murk, and a cry of agony.

"Spike!"

"You like that?" The mare said. "Look at the little purple unicorn, trying to use magic, what are you unicorns good for now anyways? Without magic you are nothing."

The stallion chuckled.

Pinkie Pie stalked forward, anger burning in her heart. These bandits. Always sinister, always tainted with evil. Every time they showed up to town they killed and stole. Never enough to destroy the town, leaving just enough for it to recover so they could pillage again. She hated them. She hated them with all her heart.

They gave up on the world, they turned their backs on Equestria, and she would never forget that.

She peeked between the foliage and could finally see what was happening.

The two bandits stood, clad in thick brown cloth. Dark green and black cloth were the colors, made to blend into the forest. The stallion had a longsword strapped to the side of his barrel, and Pinkie Pie could see two hoof blades glinting on the mare's hooves.

The mare was smiling, holding a wicked point to a purple and green dragon's neck. There was a deep gouge on the side of the little thing's face. It was just a baby dragon, barely even half the height of a pony. Behind him was a lavender coated unicorn, her eyes wide with fear. Her horn glowed with magic, but all that came out were sparkles.

Pinkie Pie knew that pony. The name came back to her, even from all those years ago. It was Twilight Sparkle, the unicorn who appeared on the day of the Summer Sun Celebration. And her companion was the baby dragon, Spike.

Behind them was Mayor Mare, cackling madly as she held her head in her hooves. Her white frizzled mane and dirty brown coat were stained with mud.

"Please, let him go." Twilight said in a small voice. "He's just a baby."

"Hmm, what do you think?" The mare turned to her partner. "Should we?"

The stallion hummed thoughtfully, a grin across his face. "I'm not sure... do they have anything to spare?"

"I-I have a few bits on me!" Twilight reached for her pouch, throwing it in front of her. "Here! That's all I have."

Pinkie stalked forward, sticking to the shadows. She kept the step of her hooves light. Her teeth ground in hatred, she hated bandits. She wanted them to die. She wanted them to bleed out, slowly, to be fed to the worms of the earth.

The stallion grabbed it with glee, opening the pouch. "This is all of it?"

"That's all of it!" Twilight said.

"Then I guess we got what we came for." The mare shrugged.

"Then will you leave us?"

"No. I don't think we will." The mare drove the dagger just a bit deeper, and Spike whined in pain.

"Stop! Why are you doing this!" Twilight screamed; her eyes watery. "What did we do to you!?"

"Nothing. This is just what you get for being weak."

Spike suddenly shot out a jet of green flame from his mouth, scorching the mare holding him. She shrieked, stumbling back, flames licking at her clothes. "You little... I'll gut you for that, whelp!"

Pinkie came up behind the stallion, her hooves soft as feathers on the forest mulch. Her breathing was rapid and heavy, flashes of blood going through her mind. She hated them. She hated them. They killed her friends; they turned their backs on Equestria.

The stallion's ears perked, and he slowly looked behind him. His eyes locked onto her, and they widened in surprise. "We-"

"SURPRISE!" Pinkie jumped forward before he could react. She landed on her back hooves, balancing on them in a way that only an acrobat could.

Her scythe ripped across his throat in a jagged line, cleaving through tendon and cartilage. Red blood spilled out with a wheeze of lost breath. The stallion stumbled back, clutching at his gaping wound with wide eyes. He fell to the earth, trying to breathe through pipes that wouldn't work.

A few quick prancing steps had Pinkie flying over his bleeding body, cracking his head into the ground with a hoof as she did so. A wicked glee filled her.

The mare's eyes widened, and she leapt back as a pink whirlwind of blades stormed towards her. Her hooves skid in the dirt, and her eyes hardened.

"He died in a second. I always knew he was useless." The mare growled, her eyes darting back and forth. "And who do you think you are?"

Of course, she didn't know Pinkie. Any bandit she found hadn't been able to make it back to tell the others about her.

"Oh, isn't this a great joke? A bandit scared of its prey!" Pinkie leaned forward, the drooping eyes of her mask of her mouthless mask staring mockingly forward. "Isn't that just a travesty?"

The mare snarled and leapt forward. Her hoof blades lashed out, quick as wit. Pinkie danced away from them, ignoring a razor-thin cut that opened up on her side. The pain only fueled a mocking laughter.

She spun out of the dodge, lunging forward with her dirk. It grazed the edge of the mare's neck as she stumbled back. A sweeping scythe followed it, ripping into her underside.

A scream of pain erupted from the mare, and she stumbled back. Blood spilled from the wound. "Wait! I yield!"

Pinkie leapt forward. Daggers lashed towards her neck. She slid to the side, one catching the chainmail around her neck with a skid of steel, and the other slicing a wound open on her side. Pinkie laughed through the pain and shot her dirk forward like a viper.

It caught the mare in the throat, and she ripped it free in a second. Her eyes went wide, and she fell back, gurgling on her own blood. She hit the ground, writhing and choking. Pinkie watched her, the sin bleeding from her veins.

What delightful irony. The bloodletter becomes bloodless.

She stabbed the mare again, just to make sure she was dead. When the body stopped moving, she turned to look at the ponies she saved.

Twilight was hugging Spike, her body shaking. The dragon had wound across his face, but otherwise looked fine. Mayor Mare was murmuring to herself now, looking over the carnage.

"W-Who are you?" Twilight asked. "Are you here to hurt us too?"

"I'm not here to hurt you silly!" Pinkie wiped the blood off her. She felt a little queasy now that the adrenaline high she was on was wearing off. The sight of bleeding corpses was burned into her mind. She hated doing it, but she hated the bandits more. "Don't you remember me, Twilight?"

Twilight shook her head.

Pinkie took off her mask, the moisture and blood causing it to stick for just a second. It came free, and fresher air touched her face. As fresh as the air in the Everfree could get that is.

"Pinkie Pie?" Twilight's eyes widened. "That- Who- How-?"

"Yep. It's me!" Pinkie smiled, stepping away from the corpses. "You don't look like you aged a day!"

"I..." Twilight trailed off.

The murmuring of Mayor Mare was the only thing that could be heard. Spike had fainted in Twilight's hooves, his eyes closed.

"We should get back to town." Pinkie said. "You look like you could use some rest."

"I... I think you're right." Twilight's composure was regained in the slightest. Though, her eyes kept darting to the bodies on the ground and blood on Pinkie's hooves. "How close are we to the town?"

"Just a canter away!" Pinkie said. "Oh, I am so glad you are here! But, what brings you back to Ponyville? Why would you come here?"

"Ill... I'll tell you on the way." Twilight said. "Please, let's get out of this forest."

"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie Pie said. her stomach churned at the sight of the bodies, and she turned her back on them. Her smile faltered, sweat building on her face. Yet, she made sure to always bring cheer to any situation. "Follow me!"

The group walked into the forest. Mayor Mare cackled behind them, glancing at shadows as she walked.

"Oh, I can't wait to show you the tavern, Twilight. It's just the best!" Pinkie said. "Oh, it's been so long since we've seen each other, though it really was only for one day. That day was pretty great though. Hey, remember that time..."

And Pinkie continued to speak, even amongst the tenebrous embrace of the Everfree. Even with the blood coating her hooves, and the wounds burning on her side. For what was life without a little laughter? Without a spark of joy?

The forest seethed.