Woman in the Woods

“Apple Bloom?”

“Apple Bloom!”

Applejack, Fluttershy, and Twilight Sparkle navigated the forest floor while Rainbow Dash flew above, directing them to the clearing that Scootaloo told them about. From above, Rainbow could see the cave surrounded by a ring of dead, blight-stricken trees.

Scootaloo ran into the kitchen and spouted a thousand things over the course of a second. Applejack and her friends were over for a Friday round of cider. Being interrupted by one of the fillies was not a rare occurrence, but never had they seen one of them so shaken. Rarity and Pinkie Pie decided to stay back to watch the two fillies at their clubhouse while the rest went to find Apple Bloom.

“Spare me, oh I hope she’s ok,” Applejack said to herself. She repeated, “Spare me,” in a whisper as she ran. The foliage and trees gradually thinned out as decay overtook them and the ponies slowed when the cave came into view. Miasma drooled from its mouth in a steady outpour.

“Oh gross, this place reeks!” Rainbow gagged as she landed next to her friends. A trail of mucus glistened on the stone leading out of the mouth of the cave. It smelled like a day-old stinkhorn.

“The goo on the ground is organic,” Fluttershy said, bending down and sniffing it. “It looks like serous fluid.”

Rainbow Dash and Applejack looked at each other in confusion. Twilight nodded.

“Seriously what?” Rainbow cocked an eyebrow.

“Uh, it’s like the stuff in a blister,” Fluttershy clarified.

“How is that supposed to help us find Apple Bloom?” Applejack asked impatience and fear bubbling up in her throat.

“I, uh—” Fluttershy’s ears fell flat.

“The trail should lead us to the source. If we find the creature and capture it, then Apple Bloom, wherever she is, will be a lot safer,” Twilight stated, walking forward into the cave. “You don’t have to come with me, girls. It might be dangerous.”

The three remaining ponies exchanged glances. Fluttershy had already sat herself down, but she reluctantly stood back up when Rainbow Dash and Applejack followed Twilight without further hesitation.

“It’s sure dark in here… ah, Ah!” Fluttershy muffled a sneeze with her wing. The odor of wet fungus grew stronger and stronger as they continued. The way was illuminated by a faint lavender light from Twilight’s horn, but it was barely enough to see either side of the cave tunnel. When Fluttershy finished rubbing her snout, she opened her eyes and noticed a small set of wet hoofprints leading out of the cave.

“L-look girls! Filly prints! Do you think Apple Bloom got away?” Flutershy asked.

Applejack stopped in her tracks and trotted over to Fluttershy. “Oh thank Celestia, she got away!” Her voice had the relief of ten years of hard work. Fluttershy could see Applejack’s fur settle as hope returned the sparkle to her eyes.

“Let’s keep moving forward, girls,” Twilight called from ahead. “Whatever this thing was, it lost a lot of fluid. It must be dehydrated… by… now,” Twilight’s words slowed as she stared dumbfounded at the sight before her. A large circular puddle of liquid stained the stone floor of the cave. The cave ended in a natural decline into a small pit-shaped room with young stalactites dotting the ceiling. The pool of liquid produced a terrible, concentrated odor, and on the edges of the pool were scattered sheets of skin curled up into spirals. Wet bones littered the room, and the silvery membranes of viscera glistened against Twilight’s magical light. The organ chunks still twitched, and they had large, yellow bullae that rippled with each errant contraction of smooth muscle.

The trail of hoofprints led right out from the pool.