private Ponyville Fell RP

[Guest]

Shadow frowns at Hazey's sudden vehemence, he had really hoped the group could stay together. He could just imagine now each of them being picked off one by one like some kind of horror story! He sees Spirit turn towards him and listens hoping the Dr. could perhaps bring in some reason "If we split up, we're bucked. Simple as that." he nods in agreement waiting for him to finish. "What if you two do get surrounded? Just how many of them do you think you could handle?" he was about to say something when Spirit adds another comment. "Come on, Shadow. If these two are so intent on staying right now, then we're all staying." he sighs and begins to follow behind Spirit.

 

"All right I guess, better than splitting up. Celestia can wait for now, I just don't want us to get picked off one by one..."

 

"Something is terribly wrong here, and like Shadow said, the Princess will help. She has to." he nods again as he approaches the group trailing slightly behind.

 

"The Princess may seem far away from every-day affairs here in Ponyville, but during my time in Canterlot I saw firsthoof the good she did. Regardless of personal feelings towards her, I still feel she is the most capable of helping us. What sort of supplies are you thinking of grabbing, the quicker we prepare the better?"

[Tyoeman 27]

The trip to the house is short, and Hazey jolts the door open, clearly annoyed at the whole situation. As you all pile into the house and close the door you can all hear a whooshing sound. At first it's small but very quickly it gets louder and louder, and as it gets louder a pain starts to form inside your head which is dull and tolerable at first but in a matter of a few seconds is so painful that you all collapse to the ground holding your head and shrieking in pain, it feels like your head is going to explode. A few seconds after that the pain is so bad it feels like your head is exploding again, and again, and again. The pain blinds all of you, and numbs your sense of feeling and you convulse as the pain gets even worse.

 

Through the pain a voice starts speaking, you can't tell who or what it is as the voice is androgynous and almost abyssal sounding. It says:

 

"HOW HAVE ALL OF YOU BROKEN FROM MY CONTROL!? Was it you Spiritus, with your new magic and new soul?!" When she says your name Spirit you pass out from the immense pain that ramps up as it feels like a molten hot poker is being jabbed into your head, scrambling your brain. "Maybe it was you pretty little pegasus when you killed one of my guards!" Hazey, as bad as your wings felt when guards were splaying them out, this is literally one thousand times worse, through the numbness your wings feel as if thousands of white hot knives are stabbing every inch of your wings and spine, as well as the feeling they are being pulverized, you manage to stay awake for it unfortunately."Maybe it was you Shadow! You were my best asset in Ponyville. I expected you to be the last one to EVER defy me!" it feels like some sort of metal claws are shredding your eyes thousands of times over, mixed with the feeling of your limbs being torn off of your body very roughly and unbelievably painfully, you manage to not pass out either. "Or maybe it was you Coal who started this whole thing by fighting one of my guards!" You feel like you are being crushed beneath a volcano Coal.

 

"You will all pay. YOU WILL ALL PAY!!! I WILL find out how you did this and I will kill all of you and make you one of my true slaves! In the meantime I hope you all love the outdoors, I hear its been a wonderful spring!"

 

With that the pain suddenly stops. You are all on the floor shivering with adrenaline and shock. As you look each other over you all see that you are fine and not bloody pulps on the ground. You notice Spirit is unconscious (only for two rounds, also you are having the worst nightmares of your life, worse than that one dream you had as a foal), and you also see that every one of you is bleeding from every hole in your head. There is blood coming down from your eyes, ears nose and mouth. You are still in the house though, through the windows you can see trees that weren't there before.

Edited April 27, 2012 by Tyoeman

[Coal 26]

Coal Shakily gets up from the floor, wiping the blood from his face away with his foreleg. He shakes his head to try and clear the pain away. The whole situation had left him shaken and frightened. He prided himself on his fortitude and ability to keep control in the face of fear, but this, this had brought him so very low so easily. Whatever it was it wasn't something he was exactly Eager to meet again.

 

However, as that part of him was still inwardly shaking over the event another side of him felt a sense of shame and embarasment. He was the pony who always was the one there to hold up another, he had lived his life so far with that thought in mind. The fact that he had been helpless to defend not only himself and the others, but from what the voice had said he might have even been the cause of it left him questioning himself.

 

His mind still relling for a moment he finally comes to a decision, with his mind regaining it's rocky certainty he makes a mentl promise to now let it happen again. That he would be stronger the next time around and that he could make sure these other ponies would not be harmed like that again.

 

He eventually gets his tounge working again and says, "That was... unpleasant. Now what exatly... was... that." His voice trailing off as he takes notice of the trees around the house. He begins moving toward the door unable to contain his curiosity of finding out what had happened. He stumbles over his legs like a newborn foal for a few moments as he pushes the door open and takes a good look outside.

[Guest]

He had not expected something like this, what was going on? When the pain started he felt like more than screaming, he felt like ripping his throat out with his bare hooves just to focus on something else. He was unable to do this however, no matter how hard he tried to move the pain was just too strong. He was able to do one thing however, he was able to keep from blacking out. Somehow he felt that minor victory was a start, although his aching body severly regretted his resolve to do so.

 

Somehow through the pain and the shrieking he could hear a voice, it sounded as if it was dark and powerful. He heard the other's names listed off one by one until his name was called "Maybe it was you Shadow! You were my best asset in Ponyville. I expected you to be the last one to EVER defy me!" eventually the horrible pain subsided leaving throbbing in its wake.

 

"You will all pay. YOU WILL ALL PAY!!! I WILL find out how you did this and I will kill all of you and make you one of my true slaves! In the meantime I hope you all love the outdoors, I hear its been a wonderful spring!" His pained mind raced with thoughts, how was he an asset, who was this voice, what in Celestia's name was going on!?

 

He weakly opens his eyes and tries to find his bearings.

[MasterCombine 316]

Spirit crowded into Hazy's abode with the others, taking a moment to look around as the door slammed shut behind them. The house was quaint but inviting, despite the oppressive surroundings. A loft dominated the upper half of the room, separated from the lower floor by a lack of stairs, or any way up for that matter. It seemed that the only way to reach it was by flying. Convenient for a pegasus, of course.

 

"Alright, so what do w-" Spirit began, but suddenly stopped, wincing as a sharp pain intruded upon his senses. He brought a forehoof up to his left temple and rubbed it. A headache? There was a faint rushing noise at the edges of his hearing, like the sound of roaring air or water. "What I was trying to say was- Ahh!" Spirit cringed and doubled over in pain. The slight headache had become something more akin to a migraine, building by the second behind the spot between his eyes. The rushing noise grew louder. Spirit dropped back onto his flank, clutching at the sides of his head with both hooves now. "What in the hay is- Argh! Son of a-" He screamed through clenched teeth. The noise had become a cacophony now, blaring above all else. His vision swam and he found himself unable to think clearly.

 

The pain was unlike anything he had ever imagined. The beating he'd taken from the guard captain, the bite of the knife against his throat, it was all a massage compared to what he was feeling now. Spirit found himself writhing on his side, barely able to comprehend what was happening, barely able to focus on anything but the pain. Something was running from his nose, his ears, and the corners of his mouth. The taste of copper spread across his tongue, and with horror he watched as the wood beneath his head became stained with flecks of blood. It was happening to the others as well. Hazy rolled around on the floor in agony, clutching at the edges of her wings, the brilliant sky blue of her coat streaked with red. Coal convulsed on the floor, barely moving, as if some great weight was bearing down upon his entire body. Shadow's mouth was agape in wordless terror. If he was screaming, Spirit couldn't hear it.

 

And then the voice began, cutting through the agonizing din and yet providing no respite from it. The pain only grew harsher, as if Spirit's very brain was being boiled within his skull. "HOW HAVE ALL OF YOU BROKEN FROM MY CONTROL!?"

it roared, monstrous in tone, reverberating through every fiber of Spirit's being in a manner that no words could describe. The edges of Spirit's vision pulsed and darkened with every syllable, but the pain was ever-present, increasing exponentially with every passing second. The voice turned on him. "Was it you Spiritus, with your new magic and new soul?!" He had had enough. With the final word Spirit's vision exploded, as if a white-hot fire poker had been run through his eyes. A burst of unimaginably bright light filled his view, the pain focused in one spot somewhere in the deepest reaches of his brain, and then everything went dark...

 

*** *** ***

Wake up, Spirit. You're going to be late...

 

The eerily soothing voice called out to him from somewhere in a vast abyss, and Spirit's eyes jolted open. He blinked rapidly, trying to establish some sense of place. The feeling of the hard wood floor upon his back had been replaced by the plushness of a soft bed, and he found himself staring at a familiar ceiling.

 

Home.

 

He was home, in his bed, in his suite at the manor in Manehattan. Spirit breathed a sigh of relief, shutting his eyes and reveling in the feeling of his king-sized mattress. It had all been a dream? It had felt so vibrant, though. So real. But it didn't matter. At least now he could-

 

Something was wrong. Something just felt... off. Spirit's eyes fluttered open again. The ceiling was gray. A dark, dull, oppressive gray. It was white in spots where the paint had been chipped away, and flashes of brown showed through rotted holes, surrounded by rings of thick, black mold.

 

This wasn't home.

 

He jerked upright and took in the full measure of his surroundings. It was his suite, but at the same time it wasn't. The room seemed dead, decayed. The walls were in the same sorry shape as the ceiling, and the once-polished wooden floors were blackened and slick with water. His sheets were in tatters. Spirit warily slid off the bed, resting his hooves on the floor. The boards groaned and warped beneath him, weak from what seemed like weeks of water damage. The air was heavy and musty, and Spirit rushed over to his window, sweeping back the blinds to allow some light to flow in.

 

He reeled back in shock. He was greeted only by darkness. Not natural darkness, or the pale glow of moonlight, but by the almost tangible darkness of a void. Nothing showed beyond the windowpanes but a vast expanse of black. Where in the hay was he?

 

And then the same voice as before, when he had woken up. This time it called, in its sickly sweet tone, from outside his door.

 

Spirit, what's taking you so long, dear? Come downstairs. Join the rest of the family. We've been waiting for you...

Edited May 3, 2012 by MasterCombine

[Tyoeman 27]

As you open the door Coal, you look out and to your utter shock and surprise you see that you are in a particularly dark and thick part of the Everfree forest. Just beyond the line of trees surrounding the house you hear rustling and various chilling howls and grunts. The trees have a different quality than in the sparser parts of the forest, there are older and more gnarled trees, along with very large trees that seem to reach for the heavens. The tree canopy is so thick that very little light is coming through to the ground, and even when it does, it is only pinpoints of light. Immediately in front of the house you see something quite gruesome; a pile of skulls and strewn about it are pieces of rusted armor and helmets. You hear ghostly whispers as you stare at the skulls.

Edited May 7, 2012 by Tyoeman

[Coal 26]

Coal stares at the skulls for a moment, feeling very uneasy at the sight of them on top of being in the Everfree forest. He slowly pushes the door closed, he doesn't want to make everypony freak out anymore than they already are at the moment with the skulls outside.

 

He walks back towards the others and asks, "So then, what are we going to do? I just checked outside and it looks like we're somewhere within the Everfree Forset. I don't think we'll be able to stay here for long."

 

Coal tries to keep his usual calm face on as he speaks, but finds it hard with all that has recently happened.

[Page.Turner 940]

What. The. Buck.

 

The instantaneous sensation of pain that shot through her body was almost akin to being cut by a sharp knife or glass in that it happened to fast it almost didn’t hurt at all. She could feel a dull numbness for the briefest of seconds before the defense of first shock wore away faster than a sand castle at high tide. She tried to scream, but to no avail. Her eyes practically bugled out of her head as the painful spasms filled her spine and wings, and the mare could barely move though her legs trembled and soon collapsed beneath her.

 

"Maybe it was you pretty little pegasus when you killed one of my guards!"

 

That voice… that shrill, blood curdling voice shot through her with such emphasis it was hard for her to concentrate on any single pain. Hazey barely even noticed when her wings, twitching and clenching, stretched out to be clutched by her forelegs. Her face was pushed into the floor though she couldn’t recall how she had managed that.

 

The struggle through that moment was an experience that Hazey couldn’t define as over. When the pain was gone and she could finally look around her, she didn’t. On the contrary, she was terrorizing herself with psychological pain, believing it was happening when it really wasn’t. It didn’t take her too long to figure it out, though, but the moment she did she opened her wings and bolted to the second floor of her home without a word.

[MasterCombine 316]

Ice gripped at Spirit's heart as the voice faded away. For a moment he simply stood, hooves firmly planted on the rotting floorboards beneath him. There was something vile about the voice, despite its soothing tone, something repugnant that set every bone in his body to trembling. Whatever it belonged to was out there, waiting for him.

 

Something moved in the hall outside. There was no noise, nothing to mark its passing except for a faint shadow that briefly obscured the dim light flooding in through the crack under the door. Slowly, Spirit planted another hoof in front of him, inching closer to the doorway. The floorboards creaked under his weight, feeling almost soft, engorged with water and covered in a thin film of slime. Without warning one gave way, simply disintegrating more than snapping, and Spirit's right foreleg fell several inches beneath it. He yelled in fright as his hoof plunged into a layer of thick, blackened sludge. The stench of mold and decay grew stronger, spilling outward from the hole and filling his lungs and nostrils, prompting him to choke and splutter in a fight for air. Frantically, Spirit scrambled forward, jerking his leg from the gap in the floor. The vile liquid coating his limb reeked of death, and Spirit's eyes widened as he realized that it strongly resembled blood.

 

Spirit made for the door as fast as his legs could carry him, throwing it open with little regard for what might be outside. There was nothing, only the decayed remains of the hallway outside his bedroom. To his left it stretched off towards a flight of stairs, and to his right...was a dead end. A filthy, stained wall, its wallpaper torn to shreds, stood where the hallway had once continued towards the other rooms on the second floor. Glancing at his leg again, Spirit fell to the ground as a wave of nausea washed over him. He choked down the bile in his throat before rising back to his hooves, breathing hard. His heart was beating faster than it ever had before, and his vision swam. Nothing had attacked him. Nothing was coming for him, as far as he knew, and yet every second he spent in this sick mockery of what was supposed to be his home felt like a death sentence.

 

Steadying himself, Spirit looked up at the wall across from him. Hanging on a rusted nail was what he recognized to be a family portrait. The picture was worn away, scratched and torn like the rest of the house, and the glass was cracked, but he could make out the figures of himself, his sister, and his parents with little difficulty. Their eyes were what caught his attention, blackened pits amidst easy smiles. He felt them staring at him.

 

The nausea returned, and Spirit had to clasp a hoof to his mouth to avoid vomiting. Before he could catch his breath again, however, a mewling growl from his right instilled him with the same fear he had felt in his room. With trepidation, he turned to face the wall at his right.

 

It groaned and gave way, and a figure emerged from its surface, stretching the wallpaper without tearing it. Hooves reached toward him, and an equine mouth, filled with decidedly unequine fangs, writhed and convulsed, desperate to break free from the wall. Ice seized Spirit's heart once more, and before he knew it he was running, scrambling backwards in a mad attempt to stay on his hooves. There was no time to stop and consider. All around him the walls closed in, horrific figures stretching from their surfaces toward him.

 

Another figure stood just past the opening of the stairs, reducing his escape routes to one. It, too, had the shape of a pony. Its coat was dark, layered in the sludge that clung to Spirit's right leg, and its matted mane hung down over its eyes, or at least the spots where its eyes had once been. Only blackened craters remained, staring at him as the eyes in the picture had done. It let out a mewling cry, so unearthly in its tone that Spirit almost froze on the spot, and lunged at him, its gaping mouth revealing rows of hungry, rotted teeth. Leaping to his left, Spirit half tripped down the flight of stairs as the wraith lumbered past him, slamming hard into the wall at the bottom. He jerked right, continuing down the stairs at the bottom while ignoring the pain. An abyss stretched out before him, his only hope for salvation a thin rectangle of light in the distance.

 

Ignoring the aching of his shoulder and the burning of his lungs, Spirit galloped for it. His hooves made no noise, despite the solid nature of whatever it was he was running on. There was only darkness around him, and within it they moved, drawing closer by the second. As Spirit neared the rectangle of light he could see them, staring at him with those eyes, gurgling, gnashing their teeth in anticipation and crawling toward him from all sides. They wanted him to stay, wanted him for themselves. Mere steps from the light something clutched at the back of his neck, and Spirit screamed in terror as legs wrapped around his back and torso, threatening to drag him away. He bucked, kicking backward with all the strength left in his body, and was rewarded with a chorus of unequine wails. He was almost there. He just had to fight harder.

 

Against all odds he surged forward, crashing into the light. It shattered like glass, and, for a moment, everything went white...

Edited May 15, 2012 by MasterCombine

[Tyoeman 27]

As you huddle in the corner of your loft Hazey, through the shock you realize that your mind seems freer. Memories that you didn't know that you had start filtering through your mind. You seem to remember it all now, you remember half of the townsfolk leaving because the other half were slowly coming under some sort of spell that nobody knew what the source was. You remember some of the "guards" grabbing you and holding you down while they implanted false memories with what looked like a kind of wand into your head along with dozens of other ponies. You happened to have memories of dissent planted into you as to make it seem more real, more plausible. You remember the rise of the mayor, the fight that broke out between the townspeople and the "guards". You also remember when you became lucid once and tried to run, which ended with you being accosted by a "guard" and made to work the land at Sweet Apple Acres until you passed out from exhaustion.

 

You also remember seeing when Shadow came into town, and how on the first day he was not under the affect of the mind control and you saw him get carried bucking and biting into Town Hall and afterwards you saw him used to make others fall under the spell more easily (Shadow you start to remember that your fist day you remember coming into town was fabricated and you start to remember all the ponies you set under the spell). This flood of memories coming back to you, Hazey, puts tears in your eyes that cut through the blood running down your face.

Edited May 20, 2012 by Tyoeman

[Guest]

Shadow had been huddled on the ground behind Coal as he had looked out the door, finally he worked up the courage to attempt to stand. He pushes himself up only to fall the first time, then attempts again and succeeds at leaning up against a nearby desk. The memories of what he had done started flooding back to him like some sort of dark river, he felt buried, sucked under the current. He even felt himself gasping for breath as it overtook his thoughts, he swooned and fell against the wall. His mind, his own mind, the place he always thought was surely his own had been warped and twisted. "Sweet Celestia, what other horrible things might I have done and never known..." he then paused "What if there is no Celestia, what if it is all made up, what if everything we ever believed is just a lie!?" He says this under his breath, feeling blood coming up from deep in his lungs. The effects of that voice still working its way through his system.

 

He thought back to all of his memories, his days in Manehatten, his friends, relatives, education, his books, his poetry, were they all fabricated. He bit his lower lip just to make sure it was really there. He pushed himself up against the wall, fighting the influx of memories still pouring in. He says louder "This is just wrong, what kind of sick twisted world is this..." tears form in his eyes as he works his way towards Coal, his heart racing. "How can we know what is out there is even real, how can we know any of this is real!?" he mumbles as he steps up beside Coal. He tried to hold in the tears and calm his mind, but he was too confused and scared and worried for that at the moment. He had read stories about dark powers that could steal a pony's memory away, or turn them into slaves, but they were supposed to just be old mare's tales or scary stories to scare youngin's. This though, he felt like his mind was shattered into a million pieces.

 

He freezes and speaks quietly, but the shaking is gone from his voice "The only thing we can do is go out there, if we are to escape staying here won't do us a thing." In that moment he decided he only had two options, one was to remain there and give up, accept that the world was a lie, the second was to face whatever demons lurked beyond the door and prove to himself this wasn't hopeless. "I'd rather die out there than die a thousand times in here by my own hoof..." he whispers quietly.

 

He then turns and sees Spirit still lying on the ground to his right in a corner, he rushes over to him. He places his hoof upon Spirit's neck feeling for a pulse, he gets a light beating, he then attempts to shake the shake him awake. "Spirit, are you alright?" he knew it was a stupid question, but he couldn't think of anything else to ask. "Hello, Spirit, answer me, wake up!"

[Page.Turner 940]

The echoing of her hooves clattering on the floorboards constituting her loft and the wheezy breathing that whistled past her gritted teeth were the only sounds that broke the unbearable silence in her home. The south facing wall was the only one with a window that had been shrouded with a thin sheer and over those thick curtains; the latter to block out sight while the former allowed at least filtered light to illuminate her make-shift roost. A bed was pushed against the western wall while the east held pictures of ponies dear to her and a very heavy looking trunk made of old oak and iron.

 

Hazey was currently pushing aside the area rug that decorated the empty space in the middle of the loft; her fore hooves she stamped onto the planks while her back legs aggressively bucked the thick carpet off the loft altogether. If asked, the Pegasus could never answer as to why she was doing it, but she felt like she needed to; just as she bucked the lamp beside her bed effectively shattering the porcelain and glass, some of which fell off the edge of the loft.

 

With trembling legs she finally stopped to stand before the chest, eyes scanning over the photos of ponies. A family portrait was framed in carved ornate wood, pictures of herself as a filly growing up, friends in Flight School, some old friends in Ponyville who had long since left. Hazey’s jaw twitched before relaxing and the fiery rage that had been boiling inside of her was quelled and in that moment, everything seemed to become clear. It was as though a fog was lifting and revealing memories that were almost paradoxical.

 

It all came back in a wave.

 

Hazey was practically paralyzed and her muscles tightened with unrelenting force that burned in each muscle. Even her wings clenched at her sides and a few feathers fell to the floor around her hooves. She felt as though she had been standing there for hours, staring with unblinking eyes at the remnants of her past. When it finally ended and her mind was falling into working order, she gasped and sat down on her rump with a thud, panting and wiping at her eyes with trembling hooves. It was only then that she noticed the blood that had been leaking from her eyes. “Oh…” she whined, checking again and again whether or not the bleeding had stopped; if anything, it had slowed with clotting, which relieved and worried her.

 

“Shadow?” she whispered, practically crawling to the edge of her loft to peer down at the ponies she had left behind, heart thudding in her chest hard enough to leave her breathless. She almost felt as though she would faint, but she needed to tell him, she had to tell him what she knew. He needed to know as well, for she felt they could together unmask what evil had taken them.

 

The young mare could hear the others movements which let her know that they were alive and hopefully unharmed. She heard Shadow’s voice and barely listened to his words as she cleared her throat and, with trembling voice, called for him again. “Shadow?” she was staring wide eyed over the edge, darting her vision around to check every inch of the place.

[MasterCombine 316]

Spirit, are you alright?

The voice came to him like an echo out of the void. All around, the world was still a flawless white. Spirit was floating, freefalling. To be honest, he couldn't tell which.

"Hello, Spirit! Answer me! Wake up!"

There was a slight tugging sensation on all of his limbs--limbs that he couldn't see. Spirit blinked, or at least perceived the feeling of blinking, but the endless white of the void around him did not falter. With his eyes closed or open, the light filled his vision, piercing the inner reaches of his mind. It was warm, almost tangible, even. Spirit let go, embracing it.

The tugging sensation on his limbs became a slight, rhythmic shaking, as if somepony was trying to rouse him from a deep sleep. Judging from the voice and its tone, that may very well have been the case. Spirit's core pulsed with every shake, sending vibrations outward, dissipating at the ends of his legs and the top of his skull. He twisted his head slightly, forcibly trying to push the notion and feeling from his mind. Perhaps he didn't want to wake up. Perhaps he just wanted to rest, to sleep. Something in the void shifted. The feeling of falling, of floating aimlessly, disappeared, and suddenly Spirit was rising. As he ascended, Spirit slipped further into the grasp of the endless light. His muscles relaxed, and both the shaking and the voice faded away, growing weaker with every passing moment. Spirit smiled, feeling the corners of his mouth twisting into a light grin that could only have been described as content.

Not yet.

This voice was new, a low hiss that permeated the entirety of Spirit's surroundings. All at once the light went out, like a candle snuffed before bed. They were back--the hideous shapes and grasping hooves--,reaching out to him from within the inky blackness, and Spirit was falling again. Before he could gasp or scream, his head impacted something hard, and he lay still.

"I was beginning to think you wouldn't show. Shame on you for keeping us waiting."

Spirit's eyes fluttered open at the sound of the voice, the same low hiss he had heard before the light had left. He was lying on his back, staring up at a high, vaulted ceiling with the sensation of cold stone against his coat. Rolling over, he clambered to his hooves with all the grace of a drunk, slipping and scraping a knee before regaining his balance. Spirit's lungs burnt, his head was heavy with pain and fatigue, and the memories and feeling of running from those monstrosities in the darkness returned. He took in his surroundings, eyes blinking rapidly as bright spots of light in his vision faded to dim ambience, revealing rows of torches lining thick stone walls.

Spirit was in a dining hall the likes of which he had never seen before, its center dominated by a lengthy wooden table. The table was draped in blue cloth trimmed with gold, and across its surface were scattered various plates and bowls of shining silver. The smell of food assaulted his nostrils: cooked daisies and hay bacon, piles of wheat and summer grass mixed with flowers, and bowl upon bowl of ripe fruit. The sight would have set Spirit's mouth to watering, if the scene had not also been punctuated by the smell of death.

"Nothing to say, Spirit?" The voice returned, this time coming from the head of the table, far at the opposite end of the room. Fighting to hold back the contents of his stomach, Spirit turned his gaze towards the source of the noise. Spirit's eyes widened, his legs grew weak.

It was a basilisk. The serpentine creature occupied the seat at the table's head, its blackened scales seeming to drink in the torchlight around it. Its upper limbs rested upon the table's surface, one claw grasping a goblet of watery, red liquid. Angular horns jutted backwards from its skull, and its snaking tail wound around its chair. The creature's reptilian eyes regarded Spirit coolly.

"Please, have a seat. This is, after all, for you." The creature spoke, sweeping its free claw in a wide arc, gesturing to the feast laid out before it. Spirit was frozen in place, his blood chilled and muscles tensed beyond control. A thin whimper escaped his lips as he fought to move. "I said...have a seat." The basilisk's faux-welcoming tone was gone, its voice now dripping with pure venom. Spirit's left leg jerked forward, followed by his right. He was moving without willing it now, making his way toward the closest empty chair. There was nothing he could do to fight the sensation, His muscles compelled by an outside force.

"There, that's better," the serpent cooed as Spirit seated himself in the chair.

This isn't real, Spirit. This can't be happening. Wake up. Wake up! Spirit's mind raced, beads of sweat forming on his brow and trickling down to sting at his eyes.

"Oh, I assure you, this is very real." The basilisk laughed as it spoke, a harsh cruel noise that rang throughout the hall. "Even dreams are just a projection of your inner self, Spirit. And the mind does not lie." The beast cocked its head, again just staring at Spirit. "So tell me, little one, why do you persist? What have you to prove through this feeble display?"

"Wh-What?" Spirit found himself able to speak.

"Why do you persist? What point is there in all of this? There's nothing you can do for these ponies, no matter how hard you try." The basilisk downed the contents of its goblet before setting the cup back on the table.

"That's not true." Spirit managed, his voice dry and labored.

"Of course it's true!" The basilisk roared with laughter, flinging its goblet to the side, where it crashed against a wall and clattered to the floor. "Think of what they've learned. Their lives have been lies. What reason have they to trust you if they cannot trust themselves?"

Spirit's jaw clenched tight, but he could muster no response.

The basilisk writhed in its seat, its hideous jaws parting in a mockery of a smile. "You know it, deep down. They're walking corpses, bound unto a fate they cannot escape." The creature gestured suddenly, waving both of its claws to either side of the long table. "Just look at them. See for yourself." The breath caught in Spirit's chest as he followed the basilisk's gaze. Seated, silently occupying three of the seats to Spirit's right and left, were three blackened figures. They were pony-like in shape, their coats layered in the thick sludge that Spirit had seen in his false home. A hint of bright blue caught Spirit's eye, spots of the color shining out from under the black slime on one of the figure's bodies. Torn wings stuck fast to its sides, and a frayed, fiery-red mane adorned its head.

"H-Hazy?" Spirit's mouth trembled, the words leaving his lips in a choking gasp. He turned to the other two figures, both of them defiled in the same manner, and his eyes widened in recognition. "Coal? S-"

"And Shadow, yes." The Basilisk rolled its eyes. "Your pitiful gang is all here. All that is left is for you to join them, Spirit. If you so choose..."Spirit clenched his eyes shut, hoping that the visions would fade away like a dream, and fought back the tears welling at their corners. Their twisted features haunted him even in the darkness of his own mind. "They are leeches, you fool. They will feed off you and drag you down as well. They cannot outrun what is coming for them, but perhaps there is still hope for you."

In an instant the basilisk had crossed the table's surface, knocking aside bowls and plates in its wake. When Spirit reopened his eyes, the creature's leering visage was mere inches from his face, its breath hot and rancid in his nostrils. The monsters that had once been his companions had not stirred.

"Run. Run and don't look back. If luck shines upon you, then perhaps what you witnessed in this town will not see fit to follow." The basilisk's eyes had narrowed to shining orange slits. "Run and live. Or stay with them..." Once more the creature twisted its head, nodding in turn at the shells of Hazy, Coal, and Shadow. "...and die." For several, interminable seconds, Spirit was silent, his eyes still forced shut. He sighed, and opened them.

"No." The word was barely more than a whisper, Spirit's entire body still trembling, straining to move against the basilisk's spell. "I can't leave them. I won't." He looked the monster straight in its own eyes. Fear wracked his consciousness, but now was not the time to break. Not at the behest of an apparition. The basilisk stared back, cocking its head to either side before dragging a clawed finger across its chin.

"Very well then, Spiritus. We will speak again, in due time." It began to drift backward, floating more than slithering, rising into the air above the table. A deep rumble permeated the air, and the entire room began to shake suddenly, thin plumes of dust raining down from above. "As for now, you are at their mercy." The basilisk faded, dissipating like smoke as the rumbling grew to the intensity of an earthquake. Spirit fought, still struggling to move, but his limbs escaped his control. Piece by piece the walls tore away, the ceiling of the great hall crumbling into a black void--a void dotted by countless stars.

Hazy's head jerked violently toward him, the piercing gaze of her blackened eyes boring into Spirit. Shadow twitched, his limbs twisting suddenly and dragging his rotted body onto the table. Spirit opened his mouth to scream, only able to watch as the figures of his friends crawled towards him, frothing and gnashing their teeth in anticipation. No sound escaped, no breath returned. The bodies closed in around him, Coal's hooves wrapping firmly around Spirit's throat and squeezing the life from him. As Spirit's world darkened once again, he could only hear the beating of his own heart, accompanied by gurgling and the hideous noise of splitting flesh...

*******

"...wake up!"

Spirit's eyes flew open. He felt hooves grasping at his shoulders and shaking him. His body spasmed involuntarily, and he threw his own hooves outward, weakly hoping to fight back the terrors that plagued him. They collided softly against fur, and suddenly everything became clear. Spirit beheld Shadow, holding him with a concerned look plastered on his face. Dried blood coated his nostrils and trailed from his ears, but he looked uninjured.

"Shadow?" Spirit gasped. He pushed aside the unicorn's grasp, thankful for the concern but uncomfortable with the contact, especially after such a vivid dream. Spirit crawled backwards, sitting on the floor and steadying his breath. His gazed wandered about the room, flitting around in the hopes of locating the others. They were still in Hazy's house, by the look of things. Coal stood at the door, watching the scene intently. Turning to the landing, Spirit noticed Hazy peeking over its edge. "You're all...still alive." It had been a dream. Thank Celestia for that. Spirit wiped a trembling hoof across his brow, flicking it aside to rid it of the cold sweat that followed.

"What happened?" Spirit turned to look out the window, his eyes widening when he noticed thick branches and gnarled trees beyond. "And where are we?" He turned back to others, a puzzled look in his eyes. The taste of blood coated his tongue, and the serpent's words still rang in his ears.

Edited June 11, 2012 by MasterCombine

[Tyoeman 27]

The carpet that Hazey kicked off of the loft lands on Coal, and covers him up.

 

As Spirit looks out the window and tries to make heads or tails of what is going on, Hazey glides down from the loft.

"Shadow," Hazey said shakily to him, "They forced you to become that...that...." Hazey couldn't find the words. "It wasn't your fault, they dragged you kicking and screaming into the town hall and cast their spells on you. It feels terrible I know. Like your brain being flattened by a rolling pin. You have to believe me. I saw all of it from the beginning. We must stop this evil and make Ponyville a good place again."

Shadow looked at Hazey breathing hard, fear and confusion in his eyes.

"How do I know that we still aren't under the spell. How do I know that you are Hazey." Shadow turned and put his hooves on Hazey's shoulders. Hazey shrank back a bit.

"Tell me Hazey, please." He stared deep into her eyes.

"Shadow you have to believe me. You know what I'm saying is true." Hazey said quietly and nervously. "I saw you brainwash dozens of ponies, but I knew it wasn't you I met you before you were turned. You weren't like what they made you."

Shadow backed away from Hazey, shaking his head. It was all true, but he couldn't be sure that he was out of the effects of the spell. He couldn't be sure of anything.

 

Spirit looked at Hazey and Shadow. He suddenly remembered that he had actually been in Ponyville for a few days. And that Shadow had cast the spell on him. So he looked over to Hazey and asked:

"What happened, why are there trees out of the windows that weren't there before?" he asked. Coal answered, throwing the carpet to the floor a little anxiously.

"We are in the Everfree forest, whatever that was must have transported us here along with the house." Spirit and Hazey were a little shocked.

"The Everfree Forest." Spirit said dryly. "But where in the Everfree Forest?" Spirit walked over to the door and opened it. He saw the utter gloominess and darkness of the forest. He remembered passing through the forest on the train and noting how dark it was then, it was much much darker here. "We must be in the middle of this place." Spirit said uneasily. He noticed the mound of skulls outside the door and the howls and grunts coming from the gloominess. Spirit noticed all the rusted armor around the skulls. "The guards, these must be their bodies." Spirit cautiously walked out of the house to take a closer look.

 

"No don't go out!" Hazey called after Spirit. She hesitated a moment and flew out after him without really thinking. She stood on the porch and called to Spirit: "Please spirit come back in, we don't know what monsters there are this deep in the forest." Spirit stopped at the mound the skulls seemed as if they were looking at him, sending chills up and down his spine. Hazey looked around frantically and cautiously glided over to Spirit.

 

As Hazey was gliding a peculiar thing started to happen to the house. It was glowing. The house glowed brighter and brighter lighting up the area and making many different eyes and shapes appear in the trees and then scurry away. Then as it reached a level of brightness to the Sun the house vanished (don't worry Shadow and Coal I have an idea). Spirit stared in disbelief, Hazey in shock. Hazey started to panic. She started to fly erratically and Spirit would have almost lost her if he hadn't snapped out of his shock in time. He grabbed Hazey by the tail with his magic.

 

Hazey tried in vain to fly away. "Let me go, let me go!" Hazy said frantically. Spirit was on the verge of panicking himself and grabbed her as more of a reaction than trying to keep here there.

"Calm down Hazey. Calm down Hazey! CALM DOWN HAZEY!" Spirit yelled almost losing it himself. After a few minutes of Hazey fluttering around trying to escape Spirit's magic she calmed down. "My house! Coal! Shadow!" Hazey exclaimed.

"I know Hazey. We need to stay calm." Spirit let the magic off of Hazey's tail and she almost dropped to the ground, catching herself before hitting the ground. She walked sullenly over to Spirit

"What do we do now Spirit?"

"I don't know," he didn't "let's just be on the lookout for any monsters while I try to think of something." Spirit nervously sat down and tried to think. Hazey's eyes flitted around to try to see if anything was sneaking up on them or ready to pounce. The howls and grunts started again.

 

Suddenly a thought came to Hazey, she could fly up above the canopy and see if she could find out where they were. Without telling Spirit Hazey took off and flew above the tall trees. The sun was bright and she was blinded for a few seconds before she could make anything out. As her eyes cleared she looked around. All she could see was miles and miles of forest. This filled her with fear and she was about to bolt until she thought about Spirit being left alone in the forest. She flew down through the trees and walked over to Spirit who hadn't even noticed she was gone.

"I flew above the trees, and it looks like we are in the middle of the forest." Hazey said shakily. Spirit looked at her a worried and fearful look on his face.

"How are we going to get out of here?" he asked, Hazey gave a nervous shrug. Spirit paced around for a bit then a sudden realization came to him.

"Where was the Sun in the sky?" he asked Hazey. She thought for a moment.

"It was straight up." Hazey said with a frown. This seemed to deflate Spirit. and he bucked the air behind him.

 

Out of the corner of her eye Hazey saw something. She looked over in the direction and saw something white walking their way. Hazey stood there not really knowing what to do.

"Spirit." She walked over to him and pointed with her hoof. Spirit looked and saw it too and he picked up an old helmet that was lying on the ground. "I'll help you fight it to the best of my ability." Hazey nervously got ready to charge it and sprawled out her wings for the attack. As the white thing got closer it looked less and less hostile, in fact it wasn't a monster it was a mare!

 

A young looking white mare earth pony with a golden blond mane and a Daisy cutiemark walked up to Spirit and Hazey. A feeling of goodness and generosity seemed to flow from the mare. She looked at Hazey and then Spirit with a small smile on her face.

"Hello everypony." the mare said cheerfully. "I just noticed that you seemed lost and since I live around here I could show you how to get to where you want to go."

"How could you live in a place like this? In the middle of the Everfree Forest?" Spirit asked.

The mare looked at Sprit an thought a moment. "Well let's just say that I have a way with the animals around here." The smile became warmer and more cheerful. "Now where did you want to go Mr....?" She asked Spirit

"Uh, Dr. Spritus, er uh just Spirit."

"And you young lady?" She asked Hazey.

"Blue Haze, but everyone calls me Hazey." Hazey thought that the mare calling her young was a bit odd as she looked almost the same age as her.

"My name is Daisy Oaktree and I'm glad to meet all of your acquaintance. I suppose you would like a way out of here?" She looked between Spirit and Hazey with a look of true concern on her face.

"Well yes Daisy. we would and since you seem to live around here could you tell us why there is a mound of skulls?" Spirit getting a little up in arms and distrustful. Daisy looked over to Spirit, a look of sadness on her face.

"They are remnants of great fighting stallions and royal guards cut down by a great evil." She paused for a moment and the warm smile that was on her face reappeared and she said: "Well if you want to find the way out just follow me to my house and I'll show you how to navigate through this part of the forest." She looked at both of them again and turned and started trotting off.

 

Hazey looked to Spirit and said:

"This could be a trap Spirit."

Spirit sighed "I know but she seems genuine to me and I get a strange feeling of goodness from her, I don't think that she has any ill will towards us."

"I feel the same, but nopony has ever been this deep in the forest before. Maybe she is some kind of new monster that lures unsuspecting ponies into her den and eats them?" Hazey was right, they didn't know. Spirit replied:

"I know but what do you want us to do, wander around aimlessly until a Cockatrice or some other hideous monster devours us? My gut tells me that this mare is good."

Daisy walked up to both of them and said: "Come along you two, I don't bite." Daisy chuckled Spirit looked to Hazey and shrugged. Hazey got an angry look on her face and said:

"Fine let's go, and when we are being boiled in a pot and being mixed with leeks I won't say I told you so." Hazey trotted behind Daisy a little huffily. Spirit quickly followed hoping to Celestia that Hazey was wrong.

 

After about ten or fifteen minutes walking through the almost utter darkness and twilight filled with fear at every grunt and scurrying sound just beyond their line of sight, a small cottage came into view. It wasn't very big and a sweet aroma of pies and cakes was wafting its way out of the house. Daisy walked up to the door and opened it. She turned back to Spirit and hazey and beckoned with her hoof. "Come in, I'll make some tea and lemonade for you." Spirit gulped and walked into the cottage. Hazey covered her eyes with her hooves so she didn't have to see her new friend die. After a few moments she felt a hoof on her shoulder.

 

Hazey took her hooves off her eyes and saw that it was Spirit. he was holding two glasses of lemonade with his magic sipping one with a straw.

"Hazey it's okay, here have some lemonade." he held out the glass for her to take.

Hazey sniffed the drink, it smelled like very fragrant lemonade, the kind her grandmother used to make. It put a smile on her face and she grabbed the glass with her hoof. As she took her first sip, happy memories from her childhood came back to her and replaced all the bad ones for a moment. She smiled at Spirit and said "My grandma used to make lemonade like this. It was her specialty." Hazey walked into the cottage with Spirit following behind her.

She looked to Daisy, feeling a little ashamed and apologized.

"I'm sorry Daisy for doubting you, it's just that we are in the middle of the Everfree Forest and who knows what kind of monsters are around here." Daisy nodded and said:

"Apology accepted young lady, if I were in your position I would probably do the same." She smiled her warm smile "Now I have some Zap Apple Pie if you were so inclined to partake of some, or maybe some Peach Cobbler?" without waiting for an answer she went over to the small kitchen and started to grab some of each for both Hazey and Spirit.

 

As both of them look around the cottage they can't help but notice how peaceful and serene the place is, not to mention cozy and inviting. There were plush stools for sitting on along with an overstuffed couch by the fire. The fragrant smell of different pastries and delicious drinks hot and cold curled through the air. On a small table by the couch Daisy set the pieces of pie and cobbler and two more glasses of lemonade.

"Come sit, I will tell you what you need to know but you both look quite hungry." her warm smile seemed warmer by the cozyness of the cottage. Spirit and Hazey sat on the couch and dug in.

 

Spirit had never had Zap Apple Pie before and when he took his first bite he was in heaven. Of all the fancy desserts and pastries and gourmet coffees that he had ever had this was hundreds of times better than he could have ever imagined a dessert to be. Hazey had had Zap Apple Pie before, even from Granny Smith herself, which was the best Zap Apple Pie she had ever had ever. But this, she was a little ashamed to admit, was better than even Granny Smith could manage.

 

Spirit looked at his empty plate and up to Daisy.

"Could I maybe have another piece of pie ma'am?" he wasn't sure why he was being so formal but he wasn't really thinking about it at the moment.

"I'm sorry but that was all the pie I had left."Daisy said, again smiling her smile. Both Hazey and Spirit frowned after she had said that.

"Now on to how to get out of here." Daisy looked at Spirit as she said that. "It just so happens that I have a map, it's a little old but I think it should hold up, as not much has changed around this area of the forest in quite some time." She walked over to the mantle and opened a small chest that contained some rolled up parchment that she held in her mouth and brought over to Spirit to look at. Spirit unrolled the map and looked at its contents. It was indeed a map that led them straight out of the forest from the cottage and to Canterlot or Ponyville or any number of small towns and hamlets.

 

"This map should help you to find where you need to go. Now I'm sure that you both need to be getting along." Spirit looked to Hazey and said: "You know She's right." Hazey nodded in agreement. They got up and headed for the door. Hazey turned and said to Daisy: "Thank you so much for your hospitality Daisy. Is there any way we can repay you?" Daisy thought for a moment.

"Well if you visit the Princess i would like you to ask her how my Husband is doing. He's a royal guard you see and doesn't have too much time to come home. His name is Chester."

"We will make sure to ask and we will send a bird or letter to let you know." Hazey said smiling.

"Thank you very much young lady. Goodbye and may your travels be safe. If you stick to the path you won't get attacked, remember that." With one last smile from Daisy she slowly shut the door to the cottage. As Spirit and Hazey stand outside they can hear her humming a cheerful tune as she gets to work on something delicious.

 

Spirit looked to Hazey. "She was very kind. Not as many ponies in Manehattan like her unfortunately. Too bad really." Spirit looked up at the thick canopy and as they were both walking away all the bad memories and recent events came back to the both of them, putting grim looks on both their faces.

"I really wish Shadow and Coal were here right now." Hazey said sadly.

"Me too," Spirit hung his head at the mention of their names. "All we can do is try to find out what happened to them, what happened to us. That is why we need to go to Canterlot and speak with the Princess. I know that she will be able to help us and find out how we can get this great evil out of Ponyville and Equestira." Hazy looked at Spirit with doubt and anger.

"The last time I saw the Princess was at the start of this whole mess. She came to Ponyville when the first tendrils of the spell were controlling the minds of some of the Ponyvillians. She said she would study it and almost ten years later, she has never showed up to stop it. When I was trapped in my mind by whatever evil was controlling the town and feeding the new mayor power,I prayed and hoped she would come but she never showed her face." Hazey said embittered.

Spirit looked back at her.

"I'm sure there is a reason, maybe she's also under the spell. Ever think of that?" Spirit said getting annoyed with all the Celestia bashing that had been going on recently. Hazey looked away and said shortly: "No, I hadn't."

 

Spirit sighed and looked ahead. For quite a while they walked in silence Spirit checking the map and Hazey going over all the memories that had recently come back to her. After a few hours they reached a thinner and more manageable part of the forest that seemed to be somewhat safer (at least for the Everfree Forest) and they decided to rest at a small pond. It was mid afternoon as they were resting, keeping a wary eye on their surroundings. Spirit went to drink some water from the pond after casting a bacteria and microbe finding spell that he had learned in med school. and as he looked at his reflection he noticed the blood dried on his face. Daisy hadn't mentioned it to them and he had almost gotten used to seeing the blood on Hazey's face to make a fuss about it. He took some of the water up with his magic and proceeded to wipe it off his face.

 

Hazey saw what he was doing and that reminded her too, she also washed the blood off her face. After about a half hour they decided to keep on going. When it was late afternoon, almost evening, the path took them very close to Ponyville. They could see from the edge of the forest that there were many many guards on duty looking to see that no other ponies had been freed from the spell. The ponies that were left in the town were moving along unnaturally, almost like zombies. Spirit looked to Hazy, she had tears in her eyes, and she said: "Let's keep going."

"I agree Hazey but we don't have much sunlight left we need to set up a sort of shelter and I don't know how far from town we're going to get."

"Let's just go." Hazey was trying to hold back all the anger and resentment and tears at seeing Ponyville while she was free. Suddenly they heard hoofsteps and the clink of armor. Swiftly they hid in the bushes and a few seconds later a guard came around a tree, obviously on patrol. He looked in their direction but fortunately took no notice of them and walked in the opposite direction.

 

"I know where we can hide." said Hazey "There is an old treehouse on the edge of Sweet Apple Acres. It's overgrown and I've hidden in there before the last time I was lucid. The guards found me when I was trying to sneak into the barn to steal some apples." Spirit nodded in approval and they stealthily made their way to the treehouse.

 

It was dusk once they reached it. It was a stones throw from the edge of the Everfree Forest but they were certain that they would not get attacked. They walked up the rotting ramp into the small treehouse. Once inside they saw in the dim and fading light washed out pictures and childish drawings of a bule colored pony with a rainbow mane. Spirit wondered who could have taken these pictures and made the drawings but he was so tired from the long and frightful day that the second he layed down he passed out. Hazey saw that Spirit passed out and she realized how tired she was. She layed her head down to rest, still contemplating the great evil that was heaped on her life and everypony in town and how Coal and Shadow were teleported somewhere where she hoped wasn't hell on earth. A few seconds after that she was fast asleep.

Edited June 28, 2012 by Tyoeman

[NinjaCPU 270]

It's time for you to get out of here and go enjoy life before you miss it.

 

Those words bounced off the head of this earth pony. His eyes straight down as the newspaper in his hooves was folded neatly on his lap. Carrick looked out the window he saw the edges of Ponyville come closer into his vision. It's been a long while, hasn't it? Carrick gave a satisfied sigh, like he just ate a six-course meal from a fancy restaurant. He put the newspaper on the seat next to him and grabbed his black fedora.

 

He looked at the train surroundings once again I can't believe that it's empty around here. Carrick put a mental note on that. He stretched each of his hooves and walked out of the train, seeing the conductor. The conductor face gave look of dumbfound as Carrick walked past him. Probably doesn't see anypony around here Carrick hopped off the platform as he trotted off onto Ponyville.

 

The sun slowly went off west of the blue sky. Carrick assumed it was late afternoon as he reached the houses of Ponyville. The soft touch of grass instead of pavement felt pleasant to this pony. Been years...this place has changed quite a bit. Though it was late afternoon he could tell that what traffic that was once vibrant with the presence of a solid ice cube has melted from the sun's wrath. Houses that were full of ponies enjoying the village of Ponyville have now left, leaving behind a house empty and broken.

 

From what ponies that were left Carrick gave them each a small glance. Each of them all have unorthodox trait that even a five year old can detect. They walk in a slow, zombie-like manner like they been working for a twenty-four hour shift and they were only half-way there. Eyes that have been opened since yesterday but, there presence felt...pleasant. Like they were fine. What in the blue moon is going on around here?

 

Carrick looked at the guards that were walking by, Carrick took notice by it as he walked past them.

 

Carrick gave soft "heh" under his breath. Possible exploitation?....

 

However all of his mind completely trigger when a loud grumbled came past his belly. I forget to eat on the train, I haven't had food in a while. Carrick was a person that even when tired or hungry he would continue on this investigation. Yet, something in the back of his head told him to go eat. I'm pretty sure that all of this won't leave in an instant. I better go get some grub. He check his pockets as he felt good amount of bits in his pocket.

 

Maybe Apple Acres has some apples for free. Carrick thought sarcastically. He wouldn't doubt that it would be foreclosured. Still, Carrick galloped off onto Apple Acres as the sun starts to set in the west...

[Tyoeman 27]

As you walk down the street towards Sweet Apple Acres, a few guards notice you. They walk up to you and ask:

"You are a newcomer? Why are you heading this way? The hotel is that way." The guard looks very angry.

[NinjaCPU 270]

As Carrick was about to reach his destination, he was than stopped by guards. One of the guard went and talked to him "You are a newcomer? Why are you heading this way? The hotel is that way." The guard looked like he was about to knock him down.

 

I seem to be wearing some sort of trouble cologne because no matter what place I go. I get caught up in it. He looked at the guard. Still, why would they care if I went into the Sweet Apple Acres? Just a farm....right? Carrick glanced down and thought about it, a small indent came upon his lips.

 

"I apologize if any inconvenience for it has been years since I've been into Ponyville," Carrick looked at the guard's eyes. "I was, hungry and I was hoping to have some apples from Sweet Apple Acres, for I haven't tasted them in years."

 

Carrick adjusted his fedora "Did something happen to Sweet Apple Acres?"

[Tyoeman 27]

The guards looked at each other, for a moment. Then they looked back at Carrick with a wicked smile on their faces.

"You say that you used to live here huh? Sweet Apple Acres is...fine. Yeah, yeah we'll take you to Sweet Apple Acres just follow us, we'll escort you." The guards stand on either side of you and start leading you down to the farm.

[NinjaCPU 270]

Carrick to look at the guards when the look back at each other. A smile that could scare a grown pony appear on the guard's lips. "You say you used to live here huh? Sweet Apples Acres is...fine."

 

Carrick slightly hesitated from the smile. The guard continued " Yeah,yeah we'll take you to Sweet Apple Acres just follow us, we'll escort you." Both guards walked alongside him.

 

Carrick took a glance behind and than stopped. He could tell that they weren't telling the whole truth. Carrick went to push the topic "Why do you need to escort me? I'm pretty sure I'm a capable pony to walk down to a farm. Are you sure that nothing happened to Sweet Apples Acres?"

[Tyoeman 27]

One of the guards goes behind you and starts to nudge you and he says: "Everything is fine there. You don't have to worry, the Apple Family will welcome you, maybe make you a pie." The guard in front of you looks at you with a weird look in his eyes.. "Don't worry I think they'll be happy to see you, maybe you could buck some apples for them." the guard in the front says. Both of the guards get beside you and squeeze you between them. You can't move and you are lifted off the ground as they walk with you in between them. They walk to the gate of Sweet Apple Acres and it immediately looks much different than it used to. The Apple Family house looks to be abandoned, you see ponies that are moving differently from the ponies in town. They seem to have a naturalness to them and none of them seem like they are being controlled like the others do. But you see them working the fields and bucking apples from apple trees.

 

All of them are exhausted and emaciated.

"Sweet Apple Acres hasn't changed has it?" he says this sarcastically and mockingly. "We'll get you some apple pie." they laugh at you and carry you over to the barn. They open the door and throw you in, shutting the door behind them and laughing as you are cast into utter darkness.

[NinjaCPU 270]

A nudge from behind came from Carrick. "Everything is fine. You don't have to worry, the Apple Farm will welcome you, maybe make you a pie" The guard gave Carrick an odd look. "Don't worry I think they'll be happy to see you, maybe you could buck some apples for them." the other guard said,as he pushed Carrick into a position where he couldn't get out. They started lifted Carrick up from the ground. As he saw what happened to Apple Family house. It looks like the foreclosed houses in Ponyville. Abandoned like so many others.

 

Ponies were actually here...that's surprising Carrick saw the ponies. They were not the same as the ones in Ponyville. Though they had the same exhaustion as the others. The feeling of sadness, anger, and depression fumed the airs instead of apocryphal content.

 

"Sweet Apple Acres hasn't changed has it?" The guard gave sarcastic tone, "We'll get you some apple pie" Carrick got thrown in the barn as they laugh from his situation shut the door behind him. .

 

Carrick bucked the doors but, with no avail. The touch of old hay on his hooves, the darkness only consumed his vision. His other senses became more sensitive. He jumped from the touch of wood behind him as he took a step back. If this is heaven sign me up Carrick thought sarcastically.

 

Carrick went and sat down. He rubbed his chin and thought about Ponyville. Guards that leave you in a locked barn. Ponies that are all exhausted. Some are authentic while others...are brainwashed...from magic or words from a pony I can't say but, this certainly isn't the town I used to live in anymore. I need to find a way out of here and do more investigating

 

Carrick "Can someone help me?!" Though his monotone voice still came out, a slight hint of fear came upon those words. Though he had planned that this would happen, pure darkness wasn't something most ponies liked...

[MasterCombine 316]

Sunlight.

 

Spirit sniffed wearily, his eyes fluttering open to behold thin, golden beams filtering in through a boarded-up window. He rolled over onto his side, oblivious to the cold press of the floorboards against his back, and curled up further, burying his head in his forehooves to avoid the rays falling across his face.

 

“Just ten more minutes...” he muttered groggily. Moments later, his eyes flew open again, the memories of the previous day flooding back in an instant. Raising his head from the floor, Spirit gazed about, truly taking in his surroundings for the first time.

 

The interior of the treehouse was dusty and worn. The paint on the walls was chipped and faded from more than a decade of neglect. Against the far wall was a short, wooden table, and scattered about the room were several small chairs, fit more for a filly or a colt than a full-grown pony.

 

Rising slowly to his hooves, Spirit shook off the last vestiges of sleep and made his way to the table. Numerous, crude drawings littered the floor, most of them depicting a blue pegasus mare with a rainbow mane and tail. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo! was scrawled proudly across the surface of one, and above it stood the mouth-drawn figures of the same mare with a smaller pegasus filly.

 

Brushing aside a stack of papers on the table itself, Spirit withdrew a photograph, levitating it in front of his face. Unsurprisingly, it bore the image of the mare as well, though an actual picture and not a drawing. “Rainbow Dash” was in mid-flight, hovering mere feet off the ground with a smug grin on her face. Spirit floated the picture into the light, observing it further. She was actually quite attractive. In the lower left corner of the photo was scrawled a signature. An autograph, perhaps? With a shrug, Spirit tucked the photo gently into one of his saddlebags.

 

A soft, stuttering snore caught him off guard. Whirling around, Spirit found himself staring at another sky-blue pegasus. Hazy was curled up on the floor several feet from where Spirit had been laying, her chest rising and falling as she let out another whimpering snore.

 

Spirit chuckled, a smirk crossing his face. They had both collapsed mere minutes after entering the treehouse. Thankfully, and somewhat shockingly, Spirit’s own sleep had been pleasant and dreamless. No nightmares or voices. No guards chasing him or horrid, half-pony abominations trying to eat his flesh. Just steady, uninterrupted rest. It looked like Hazy was having the same experience.

 

Spirit crossed slowly to a window by the door, careful as to not wake Hazy. Unlike the others, this window wasn’t boarded up. With a forehoof, Spirit forced one of the shutters open. The wood creaked and groaned, jarring slightly before giving way. A hinge snapped, and the shutter rolled forward, collapsing onto the walkway outside with a bang. Not exactly as quiet as he had been hoping.

 

Spirit clenched his teeth and ducked under the windowsill. “Dammit,” he spat. Hazy wiggled around and lay still again, murmuring in her sleep, seemingly unperturbed by the noise. Warily, Spirit raised his head above the windowsill. To the right of the treehouse lay the Everfree forest, mere yards from their current position. Out to the left, rolling hills gave way to a densely-packed apple orchard. And in the distance, a farmhouse and barn.

 

“Sweet Apple Acres,” Spirit muttered, his eyes widening at the sight of the fruit trees. Their branches were packed with apples, and Spirit’s stomach grumbled, making him uncomfortably aware of just how hungry he was again. All he had to eat in the past twenty four hours was the slice of pie at Daisy’s cottage. They might as well try to gather some food before hitting the road again.

 

Turning around, Spirit crept over to where Hazy was still fast asleep. He knelt down, lightly nudging her shoulder with a forehoof.

 

“Hazy,” he whispered. “Hazy, wake up.”

[Guest]

Shadow feels as though he were floating, what is going on. There is a brightness all around him, like being under a billion spot-lights. He tries to close his eyes, but finds that this does nothing to help block out the light. It is so bright and blinding he can't even see his hoof in front of his face. "Hello, hello, is anypony there? Hello?!"

[Tyoeman 27]

At first there is silence when you call out to the light. Everything is quiet and a sense of peace and goodness starts to filter it's way through your mind. The anxiousness and fear and feelings of defilement start to disappear and as all that goes on the light starts to clear away. After what feels like ages and ages the light disappears entirely. As you look around you cannot even begin to describe the beauty and vividness of the landscape around you. You are on top of some kind of mountain but the landscape is foreign to you, it's like no place you've ever seen and everything gives off a celestial aura. The trees are greener than green, the rocks a color you can't even describe, the sky a shade of blue you've never perceived before. There are clouds of the whitest white around you and below you and as you look upon the celestial landscape you see something in the distance.

 

A black speck appears in the distance. It starts to get closer and closer. As it becomes more visible you can see the flapping of wings from a pegasus, but more graceful than any pegasus you have ever seen. As the pegasus gets closer and closer you can see that he is big, very big. He looks you in the eye and you can tell that he can peer into you soul. With the grace of five Celestias the pegasus lands in front of you. He is no ordinary pegasus, he stands taller than any pony you have ever known. He looks more powerful than the strongest Earth pony you have ever met, which is odd for a pegasus. He has a long flowing black as night mane and his equally black coat is shiny and healthy looking.

 

You feel a great peace and goodness come from this Pegasus, he looks down to you and smiles, and he says:

 

"Hello Shadow Chaser, I am Pegasus, the god of Pegasi and the father of Princesses Celestia and Luna. I have called you here for something very important."

 

____________________________________________________________________________

 

Carrick, after some time, what seems like centuries, you hear a loud bang on the barn door. You hear a few more bangs and then a loud KA-THUNK and the door slowly opens to the early dawn of the farm. The two guards that brought you here yesterday walk in with jeers on their faces. "Hey buddy time to get up, Applejack is here to give you some apple pie." the two guards laugh and roughly bring you to your hooves and start dragging you away like tey did the day before. They bring you out to a deserted part of the farm that is close to the Everfree forest. Around you you see baskets set up under the apple trees.

 

"You buck all these apples in a few hours and we will make sure that we won't beat you too much." one of the guards said. And with that they galloped away leaving you to your task.

Edited August 6, 2012 by Tyoeman

[NinjaCPU 270]

Carrick was a bit shaken from the situation. Thoughts resonated in his head, even the gloomy atmosphere didn't bother Carrick. He rather be here than in that dark place waiting for somepony to either kill him or to torture him. How long had I been there? It really had felt like I was going to die in that barn. Carrick shook his head, he looked at the back of the tree and bucked it. I better think of a escape plan soon enough, if I want to get out of this and plan out my next move. Good thing that the guards are stupid enough to leave me alone.

 

Carrick didn't want to catch suspicion. He went bucked the tree again, just to be sure that all the apples fall down. He took his surroundings and took mental notes of each thing around him. Trees, apples, any guards that were close by. If Carrick remembered correctly, the forest was close by. The detective thought about it as he went to the next tree. If I leave any other exit, they'll probably be guards. I rather not get myself into a position where I'm stuck in a barn and I'm unable to find out what's wrong with this town. Excluding slavery and torture, Carrick made his decision. Carrick adjusted his fedora and made a break for it. He gallop to the direction of the Everfree forest.