Woman in the Woods

Apple Bloom sat on a smooth stone surface just before the cave as the grass reached its farthest boundary before surrendering to rock. Her gaze was funneled by an unseen force towards the creature’s face—the thought of resisting and breaking away didn’t even posit. The creature swallowed Apple Bloom with its beautiful eyes, and the filly floated in mental bliss for eternity.

The creature’s sparkling eyes analyzed the filly, jittering around in a nystagmic dance. Just as soon as the thing laid its eyes upon her, it tore them away. Apple Bloom felt an immediate, soul-crushing withdrawal as the forest returned to her periphery. The side of the thing’s neck was gnarled, connecting to its malformed body in a jagged zag.

“Far-mer? I f-oun-d you-r horse-ie,” it muttered, staring off at the tree line behind Apple Bloom. It took a few more wobbly steps past the pony, paying her no mind.

Apple Bloom’s wits returned to her and she began to backpedal towards the creek. There was a twisted expression of concern on the creature. Was it actually evil? Her sister was always spending her time working on friendship problems. Maybe it was like Zecora and it was just misunderstood.

“Uhm,” Apple Bloom said as she increased her distance from the thing. “Are you ok Ms? Are you lost? I can take you to Fluttershy… she knows a lot about helping the creatures of the Everfree.”

The thing came to a stop. Its head began to turn back to the filly while it shifted its feet.

“Y-ou c-an speak?”

From its side, Apple Bloom saw the white of its left eye expand as it boggled out. Its head was top-heavy on its neck and it lagged behind as it turned. Apple Bloom’s fur stood on end as she realized that if she made eye contact with it again, then it would be the last thing she would ever do. The warm peace she felt moments before had been entirely replaced by a crushing malice that choked the air from her lungs. Apple Bloom reared up on her hind legs and dashed across the creek. She didn’t dare look back, but she heard a flurry of wet slaps from the creature’s sodden feet as it scrambled through the water behind her. Apple Bloom weaved between tree trunks, low branches whipping and scratching her as she ran. Her vision was obscured by a layer of panicked tears. For the first stretch of her run, she felt the beast’s wheezing breath on her tail—amid gasps it alternated between manic laughter and sobs.

Apple Bloom broke into another clearing, one that she had never been to before. She wasn’t sure if she fled further into the forest or closer to town. In the center of the clearing was an outcropping of a massive boulder. The humid air had eaten barrel-sized holes into the face of the rock at varying heights over the course of eternity. They were just the right size for the pony to fit in and they reached a depth that appeared beyond the length of the creature’s deformed arms.

Apple Bloom frantically climbed up into a hole and retreated as far as she could before reaching an atretic end. She curled up towards the rear, holding her tail between her arms and legs as she stared at the full moon against the night sky. It was all she could see from the hole’s entrance.

Apple Bloom begged that the creature had lost track of her and even allowed herself a second of delusion in believing that it would all be ok, but her dread returned in force when she heard branches crack as something tumbled out of the trees into the clearing.

“Li-ttle tal-king po-ny,” it almost sang.

Apple Bloom lowered her eyes away from the entrance of the hole, looking at the silver moonlight against the stone surface. Her vision shook as her body shivered.

“Wh-at do you-re me-mor-ies t-t-taste li-k-e?”

The moonlight went dark as something obscured the hole. Apple Bloom squeezed her eyes shut. She heard a hideous scratching as fingernails scraped against stone. She could feel the air being disturbed just inches from her nose.

For several minutes, the creature grasped in vain before silence returned. Apple Bloom felt the moonlight bathing her eyelids once more. She knew, though, that it must be waiting outside, hoping that she would be stupid enough to open her eyes. Apple Bloom kept her eyes shut. She resolved to wait there until morning.