Lurking Within the Shadows (Closed)

[GoldenDaze]

 

Alizarin's body tingled when the shy yellow Pegasus told her off about the squirrel. Honestly, the mare wasn't expecting such a harsh reaction. Ali didn't know Fluttershy too well, so it caught her off guard when she yelled at her. Of course though, the mare got defensive quickly and shot back at her. "Like we knew it was some rodent stalkin' us. That thing was creepin' at us, knowin' there's some darn monster in this forest!" 

 

After getting that off her chest, the farm pony backed away and rolled her eyes, right before the large thundering sound came about. She held her own, almost falling, as the group stumbled. Their reactions were quick though, but Ali strongly disagreed with their actions. Not because what they're doing was too naïve, but because Ali didn't know exactly what was out there. It was a dark forest, filled with mysterious dangers, apparently, that no pony even had the slightest idea about. Not a shocker that the adventurous ponies took action as fast as possible, and Ali was just there standing, with only Sombra left. 

 

 

She opened her peach mouth to speak, staring right into the deep, dark forest. It felt like there were a million shadows staring at her, wanting her to join in too, like some friendly gathering. This feeling wasn't friendly though. It felt like the forest had malicious intent, like the forest was ready to eat any pony alive. It wanted anything weak to join it's forces and become stronger, something that was easy to persuade.. easy to take over. Ali wasn't that weak thing the forest was looking for. Even though the trees stood over her like intimidating monsters, she wasn't weak enough to bow down to them. And once it clicked, she knew the rest of the group wasn't weak either. 

 

"Ah know they seem very dumb right now, but Ah think we gotta check this business out with 'em." She looked at Sombra as she talked, motioning her head towards the darkly lit trees. She couldn't fly like Fire Walker or Fluttershy, but she could catch up with Apple Bloom. "Now, Ah can't see a lickin' thing out there, so we gotta get some light started." With one swift motion, the grumpy mare grabbed a large candle from her tent and brought it over to the fire, quickly lighting it up. "C'mon, let's get goin' fast. Ah trust ya', just follow me." 

 

The mare took off into the darkness, hopefully being followed by Sombra, as the duo ran though the dirt path that the loud sound came from. It didn't take long until they met up with Apple Bloom, who seemed to be still running. "Ah got some light. You find anythin' yet?" 

[dragonofruin]

His question evidently didn't need to be answered. The others had heard that yelp well enough, and all concern for the squirrel flowed towards whatever the source of that yelp might have been. Albeit, the normally timid yellow mare became surprisingly irate with Alizarin over the squirrel, something that raised Sombra's eyebrows. He already expected that reaction from Alizarin, but not from Fluttershy after he'd been around them long enough to get a read on each pony's particular personality. Fluttershy's courage, however, didn't last long after that distant distress.

 

Sombra rumbled softly in his throat, barely managing to take a couple of steps towards that edge of the clearing when a little yellow and red blur flashed by him and disappeared into the dark. Apple Bloom. If he could have any concern for any of the ponies here, it was at least for the filly; she could very easily come to harm, running off into these woods on her own. Soon enough, the Captain and Fluttershy were disappearing into the dark, leaving him alone with Alizarin.

 

The shadow king moved up next to the farmpony, a small frown on his face. "Naturally. We should probably make sure they don't throw themselves directly into danger." An eyeroll followed his statement. Normally he would just stay behind and let them run into whatever was taking the animals in these woods, if it didn't involve what he assumed it was, or if it was anything like it. Not that he was here to play protector.. The Captain was likely the only other pony there with them who might know how to fight, though he wasn't sure how capable Alizarin might be too.

 

The words Ah trust ya caught him by surprise, snapping him out of the short flow of his thoughts while Alizarin had been lighting her candle, and he looked around at her with wide eyes. Why would she trust him? He blinked and spurred himself to move, running after the mare. It was easy enough to catch up with her with his longer stride, and it wasn't long before the pair of them finally caught up with the rest of the group. Letting Alizarin do the talking, he peered ahead, hoping to catch any sign of whatever they might be coming up on.

[tacobob]

 

 

 

Well there goes her multilayered plan she had floating around in her skull. The officer should have known better. You could tell young Apple Bloom to sit still, but if there was something interesting ahead, she sure as well wasn't gonna be sitting still! She was an Apple and those apples needed to keep rolling...

 

Mister Gumby knew this as well and let off an "BORF!" before taking after the young filly. He would be able to keep an eye on the farmer and give her just enough time with the others.

 

Fluttershy was next. And zounds. It was probably safer to sneak into a dragon's lair. Steal a bag of gems and then slap him on the backside with a bat while shouting, "I AM STEALING YOUR STUFF. DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!"  While standing still than it was to bother an cute little fuzzy animal in front of the sweet mare. Fire Walker once heard that Fluttershy once punched a griffon square in the beak when he tried to slash at an helpless little chipmunk. This was probably total bullhonkey, but it made for an interesting visual. Young Alizarin was playing with fire and sometimes when you play with fire, you get burnt!

 

With that, she ran into the darkness. The forest was creepy, but this was not the Everfree, and while it was dark and spooky, it was still a mostly safe bit of woods. The animals were friendly. The weather wasn't crazy. She was safe. But she was still ready for anything. "Hey Apple Bloom! You see anything yet?" Had she found the source of the yelp!?

 

[SteelEagle]

                                                                                                   


Apple Bloom had cursed under her breath moments after she had started running off. These woods were infinitely safer than the Everfree but that didn't mean some danger didn't exist, and here she was all alone. If Applejack saw this she would have a conniption fit and for good reason, but she couldn't help it. She had to run towards the sound of somecreature in distress. What sort of Equestrian would she be if she ignored? A pale shadow of the one she wanted to be, that's what. The woods tried their darndest to be foreboding around her, the branches and the trees seemingly closing in. It didn't do much to throw her off, though. She'd gone into the Everfree for a lark, after all. It'd take something more intimidating than some scheming foilage to throw her off her game, especially with how laser-focused she was on answering these cries of distress.

 

They continued even as she heard the sounds of galloping behind her. She was the smallest so no doubt they'd catch up quickly, and the swift pitter-patter of the dog was comforting as well. Another yelp- she immediately changed directions mid-gallop, a complete ninety-degree turn that sent her back knees digging into the dirt and dirtied up something fierce as she oriented towards it. She continued her relentless pursuit of the problem regardless. They'd catch up and it would all be worth it when they solved this problem, together. Another yelp, this time rather close. She slowed down so quickly that her hooves dug into the ground and it took her a full two seconds to come to a stop. She leapt behind a bush and fished for her binoculars and looked out at what lay beyond her bushy home.

It took her a second to focus, but she was glad she did. It looked like a clearing with some tall, swampy looking grass. In the middle of it was a deer. Not the sort of deer you'd see in the Velvet Strand- the ones with their own kingdom and high society, but the feral, wild kind of deer. It looked like the bottom half was...stuck in the ground? "What in tha world..." she whispered to herself as she looked at the ground around it. A few more seconds passed as she tried to process it with little success. Finally, she saw something- looked like a snake, swimming on the...she got it, and just in time too. She took her binoculars down only to turn around and see everypony else.

"Ah know what that there deer is on about. It may not much look like it, but that whole clearin' is made up of quicksand. Can't say Ah've ever seen quicksand so well disguised like that before, but thats the ticket. We gotta get it out before it-" she was interrupted by another yelp from the deer, "attracts something dangerous. Them Muntjacs ain't known for being silent," she said as she started rummaging through her saddlebag, though she was doing so without much of a plan! 

[RainbowFoxxy]

 

Flutters was too far away to hear Ali's retort but she probably wouldn't have responded anyway. The pegasus was only about helping creatures out, not creating strife among members of her group. She would have tried to explain this to the small earth pony if she'd heard the response. As it was the element of kindness flitted up to about half the height of the trees and turned to see if Captain Firewalker was going to be flying with her. 

 

"Oh!" She gasped as Applebloom and the Captain thundered off into the the dark scary forest! "Well, I guess we'll check things out from above since we're already up here," She commented to the squirrel that rested on her back, lightly clutching at her pink mane. "I wonder which of these is your home?" She mused as they fluttered by a few trees before things started to get dense.

 

"We better go above I think." She flapped herself up to the height of the trees. From here she could get to where they ground runners had gone but she might not be able to get to them through the trees if they got too thick.

 

It was only moments before the squirrel started to tug at her mane and chitter. Flutters turned and glanced at her. "What's that?" She listened intently to the squirrel speak and then gasped! "Oh no! Quick sand you say? We have to warn the others!" She looked for openings in the trees and using the moonlight she spotted Applebloom through a gap. "Look out Applebloom!" She called down but the filly had figured things out herself. She skidded to a stop at the start of the sinking sands. Further away through another gap she saw what must have been the source of the yelp. There was something stuck out there but it was too dark to tell what.

 

"Oh that poor creature!" Without thinking Flutterbutt swooped down towards the forest. She maneuvered through some leaves and branches and ended up hovering near what she could now see through the gloom was a deer. It appeared to be a young buck with his first set of antlers. "Hang on friend! We'll get you out..." She looked to where the others were and spoke softly to herself. "Just not sure how..." 

 

As she hovered thinking the deer tried to move and sank a bit deeper. It yelped out in dismay, its eyes bugging out of its head in fear. "Try to stay calm and not make too much noise." She worked on soothing the deer. She had to keep it quiet since the noise could attract Celestia knew what! A few moments later Flutters swooped over to the others. "We have to help!" She glanced around. It was so dark! "Is there anything we can use as rope?" Her fear for the woodland creature was fast galvanizing her to action!

[GoldenDaze]

 

Alizarin really began to think the drink she had a little while ago was working, because she felt a little lighter on the inside. Her body was more relaxed, way less tense than normal. It made her think faster, more diligently. Instead of using her anger and negativity to linger in her decisions, she had a clear head. Maybe it was more useful to be more positive about things, especially in situations like these where quick action needed to take place. Of course the mare thought this as she ran through the thick dark woods, but her only problem was the group seeing her nice side. She still had to be closed off. 

 

She had to be smart here. 

 

As she made the large clearing with everypony else, she asked what was wrong. Ali could already see the problem though, even before Apple Bloom said anything. The sight really did shock her, making her mouth stay open as she was trying to piece together the random chain of events. Nothing seemed to add up. "Y'all, out of the many times Ah've camped here in these woods, Ah can't say Ah've ever seen a fat glob of sand just sittin' here." 

 

 

That sentence was 100% true, she's never seen quicksand in this forest. This forest was deemed too safe, even for sand. The thing that haunted her the most, was the poor deer that was stuck in the sand, screaming for help. The landscape was huge, the parts that were covered in the dangerous solid.. liquid? Whatever it was, it was deep and dangerous. Ali didn't even have the courage to look at the poor animal. The drink she sipped was really making her mind softer. 

 

The mare huffed aloud, listening as the other ponies yelled and fiddled around with ideas as fast as possible. Ali just set her candle down, as it lit the darkness of the forest in front of them. The deer yelped again, which caused a large thump in the distance. Ali just closed her eyes, settling down her fear and crossing her eyebrows in a frown. As she opened her eyes, she looked above at the long, thick branches that hung loosely from the trees. "Y'all, I have an idea for a 'rope'." The farm pony immediately started climbing up the tree next to her, trying to knock down a branch. 

 

That didn't prove worthy though. 

 

Without thinking of her fellow ponies who had wings, and a pony with magic, it didn't cross her mind that it would be smarter for them to grab the stick. She was stubborn anyway though, and probably wouldn't ask for the help. The stocky short farm pony ended up stepping on a wrong branch, which snapped, and the mare fell right into the quicksand. Panic over rid her mind, as she looked at the group. "Somepony! Grab the stick from above and help me out!" The mare wiggled endlessly, looking at the deer who was also scared. 

[dragonofruin]

It became apparent what those calls of distress were coming from when their charge through the forest came to a swift halt, and a look past the foliage told Sombra exactly what he was looking at; the others commenting on it certainly helped explain it for him. Quicksand. Something he'd read and knew about, but never saw or experienced for himself- after all, much of this world was unexplored for him, something he wanted to rectify at any chance he could seize now that he finally had the freedom to. The creature the calls were coming from was a deer, stuck in the sand and struggling. Sombra couldn't feel any particular pity for it.

 

A flash of yellow up above showed him where exactly Fluttershy had gone, who he'd lost track of once he rushed off into the forest after Alizarin. His ears perked. Rope? There was something of an idea rolling around in his mind, not one he acted on quite yet when he was uncertain about the quicksand.. and helping, for that matter. It didn't concern him.

 

It was only once he heard a branch snap! somewhere up above, and Alizarin, who he hadn't been paying attention to in that moment, came tumbling down into the quicksand herself. Stuck.

Ears pinning back, Sombra debated with himself, red eyes flicking from the Captain and Apple Bloom to Fluttershy, who he judged probably wasn't strong enough to pull Alizarin out if she couldn't even help the deer. He began to question himself as soon as he spurred himself into moving, striding past the filly and the red armored mare towards the edge of the strange patch of sand, where he paused. He didn't know what the others were planning on doing, and so the umbrum disregarded them for the moment.

 

Sombra couldn't be certain of how it might work with so loose a material, so he instead focused on the solid ground at the edge close to where he stood. The familiar effect of dark magic was evident in his eyes as he used it to summon one of his trademarks: a flat black crystal. It split the earth and protruded towards the quicksand, albeit far slower than it would've usually moved as he actually bothered to take some care with it. Sombra didn't want to hit Alizarin, (or the deer for that matter, considering how Fluttershy might react). It was what he could think to do, better than any other option, though whether it might work remained to be seen.

 

They weren't exactly finished here.

[tacobob]

 

 

Mister Gumby quickly caught up with the little farmer moments later. The small dog caught wind of the random deer bottom, and at first was curious, but stopped dead in his tracks. “Raaph?”, the confused little Corgi muttered. Yep! Something was wrong.  Being a very good dog, he kept close to Apple Bloom. With him at her side, there was no creature who could conquer them!

 

At least that's what he believed.  The smells were all very wrong. But he could use his nose to pick up any creature who wandered here lately. Just gotta use the ol' sniffer. And that's what he did. Sniff Sniff.

 

 

The officer was next.

 

"Wow, that's a lot of quicksand.", she hovered above the old timey movie standby. Nearly eighty percent of westerns usually had one scene where the heroes end up in the dense fluid. The less experienced hero or sidekick would freak out and panic, thus making him or her quickly sink into the sand. While the mentor or experienced hero would teach the younger character to defeat the deadly trap, usually incorporating a previous lesson into mix as well. There was also a part of a deer sticking out. Was it alive? Was it moving? Could this be some sort of trap? Heroes rush in to save trapped deer, end up in quicksand. And she really did not want to get sand in her armor. She hated non-beach sand as it was all coarse, and rough, and irritating. And it gets everywhere!

 

"Miss Fluttershy...", she warned the Pegasus mare, "Be careful. This might be a trap."  It was a shame that the only one could use magic was Sombra, and she still could not trust him, pale shadow of the real evil deal or not.  "I actually have rope.", Fire Walker flew over to an dry, hard part of land. "Just let me get my..oh."

 

Alizarin already managed to find herself caught in the old cliché. This was one of the more major annoyances of a race that normally does not wear clothing. Sand in places sand should not be. The officers armor kept her safe there. While she had a coil of rope in her saddlebags, the young farmer had her stick. Sombra had his magic as well, which he used...to summon something to help her? Was that his plan? She still decided to help Alizarin just incase.

 

OOC: I will give the next poster the choice to see if this works:

 

1. Fire Walker will create a lasso with her rope.

2. She will fly over Alizarin with the lasso.

3. She will lasso the mare around her waist.

4. She will try to gently guide her to safety and out of the quicksand.

5. Only you will make it happen!

 

Spoiler

 

OOC2: Is the deer moving or showing scenes of being alive?

 

 

[SteelEagle]

                                                                                                           


It all went wrong pretty well and fast. Alizarin went ahead and tried to get a branch ready to help the deer when her weight became too much and she fell into the quicksand with a disastrous plump. The Captain and Sombra went about helping her in the ways they knew how. That was all well and good but it wouldn't much help Alizarin if she was too panicked. Apple Bloom had read all about quicksand a while back when she started heading into the Everfree alongside her sister and the information stuck. It was a weird combination of solid and liquid and you needed to treat it delicately, or else you'd just get tired. Apple Bloom briefly trotted onto Sombra's dark crystal so she could be closer to Alizarin. She bent down and offered a friendly, reassuring smile.
 

"Ali, yer gonna need ta remain calm. The Captain's gonna help you get out, but if she starts tryin' ta tug you out, all yer gonna do is get hurt. If you try ta move too fast, then tha vacuum will just pull ya in harder! Slow an' gentle. Yer gonna be safe. Why, look at this crystal that Sombra made. It's comin' ta help you too. Just stay calm, slow and gentle, you'll be out. Move yer legs mighty slow, maybe try a gentle wiggle ta allow water inta tha gaps yer gonna create. That should help you eventually get them closer ta tha surface, where the tension is lower, an' then you can slowly move yer way out with tha Captain's help. You can do it, Ah know you can!" She offered to the leader of the expedition before hopping back on dry land. There were other matters that needed attending to and, she felt, not a lot of time to do any of it.
 

She looked at the deer, squinted, and then pulled out her binoculars again. A frown. That poor thing was trying awfully hard to get out and it was just sinking deeper. She reckoned that this wasn't deep enough to drown in but that was cold comfort when the other option was wait to be eaten or starve. She looked up at Fluttershy as she went to help the deer. She'd love to do something, but until they got Alizarin out, they were up the creek anyway.
"Fluttershy! Make sure that deer stops all of its strugglin'. Its gotten stuck deeper since we came in," She said as she dug through her bag, found a small bottle, and tossed it mightily at Fluttershy. "Catch! It's a nice apple concentrate. If it's thirsty or in pain that should help!" She said with a nod and a smile.
 

Sighing, she then trotted back to Sombra. She sat down and went through her saddlebag again until she found what she wanted. She pulled out a small cylinder wrapped in what looked like a denuded leaf. She shook it and then twisted it until it produced a focused light, the geode crystals inside reacting to the layered earth pony magic. The leaf was slathered in tree sap, and soon she placed it between her head and her right ear. It projected a decent beam of light in front of her.

She stood up, left her saddlebag against the tree, and looked at Sombra.
"Ah'll investigate that thump. It sounded mighty big, can't have it be a surprise ta us," she offered plainly before she took one more look at the group and walked towards the sound of danger until her light left all view entirely.

Then silence.

[RainbowFoxxy]

 

Flutters was only too happy to see that the others in the group had their ideas of how to fix this situation to help the poor deer! Of course it didn't look like all of the plans were going well, according to plan. Quick action had resulted in one more creature stuck in the quick sand, some magic rocks being formed, and Applebloom asking her to look after the deer. The squirrel on her back caught the bottle that Abby had tossed to her.

 

"Oh that's a good idea Applebloom. We'll make sure to keep the poor deer still until we work out a way to free it."

 

Being asked to help with keeping the deer calm was right up her ally. Though she could have helped with the other aspects of the situation it was best for her to make sure the deer wasn't struggling and could remain calm. It was apparently the regular forest dwelling variety of deer, void of the ability to talk or reason as some deer could. That was no problem. She'd speak to it in her language. She flitted down close and spoke quietly.

 

"Hey there." She smiled sweetly. "We're here to help you friend. I know you must be scared and exhausted." The deer glanced at his and let out a breath in dismay. "No need to fear. We'll get you out of here. Would you like a sip of apple nectar?"

 

The deer complied and the squirrel jumped from her back to the deer's antlers with the bottle in her claws. Flutts would stay where she was, keeping the deer calm until help arrived.

[GoldenDaze]

 

Panic was written all over the poor farm pony's face. She didn't care if she looked scared anymore, she didn't care if her stone cold face showed any other emotion. Ali just wanted out of the quicksand as fast a possible, but her panicking did no good for her or the deer next to her. It was dark, cold, and the only thing she could really see was her small candle and the group of ponies around her. The only thing the brown and cream earth pony could think was how much she wanted to be saved, even if she didn't trust these ponies.

 

Did she not trust them, though? 

 

The small gal kept wiggling, getting deeper and deeper into the gooey sand, which slowly engulfed her in it's wrath. Her heartbeat was faster than a cheetah at this point, and she couldn't stop yelling random words, until the young little Apple Bloom walked right up to her. Before then, Ali watched as Sombra made a large crystal appear in front of her, making her pupils grow smaller. The big 'ol thing protruded right in front of her, making her teal green eyes stare at the odd use of magic. 

 

Apple Bloom began to talk to her, and Ali's stubbornness made her move even faster. "Ah'm literally almost neck deep in this goop and you think not movin' will do anythin'? I need out of here!" The little filly kept talking though, which soothed Ali's temperament. She stopped moving all together, which slowed down the sinking immensely. A flash of an idea popped in her head, something that probably wouldn't have happened without the little fillies help. And maybe the little drink she had earlier helped too, but she thought she could trust this ponies. That idea only popped in for a few seconds, but maybe these ponies weren't that bad.

 

Soon the little yellow filly was gone, and the only thing Ali could do was look up at the red captain above her. All four of Ali's legs were stuck in the sand, mainly her back ones, and even with small movements she couldn't get them out. The black crystal was right there to grab, but of course she couldn't reach it. "Just gimme the rope! Just gimme the rope!" She tried to get her front hooves free, as she slowly sunk a little more. Ali was panicking again, as another thump shook the trees. "Please! I really don't wanna die today." 

 

She looked around, searching for Apple Bloom and Fluttershy. The sweet Pegasus was tending to the deer, and the filly was no where. 

[dragonofruin]

Sombra couldn't tell if there was any guilt in the satisfaction he felt when he discovered that the crystal he'd formed stayed in place, all unwittingly tested by Apple Bloom. He hadn't expected her to nonchalantly walk across it to calm Alizarin, if that was what she was doing, but she had. He only hoped it'd hold his weight, as she was just a filly. Her attempts to calm the earth pony mare aside, Sombra paid some attention to what Apple Bloom said about the quicksand as he briefly glanced up to check on the others.

 

Fluttershy was dealing with the stuck deer, who the umbrum wasn't terribly concerned about, and the Captain who'd gone to land, presumably to get the very rope she mentioned, the same that Alizarin called for. Sombra waited until Apple Bloom had returned to dry land before he approached the edge of the quicksand, and his crystal, though he paused at the edges.

 

"Where do you think you're-.. !" Sombra started to protest when Apple Bloom darted by him and off towards the trees. Investigating? These woods were too dangerous for a-...

 

He stopped his thoughts there, a confused scowl on his face. Obviously there was nothing he could do about Apple Bloom, it wasn't as if he was her caretaker or anything. He would've considered whether he should say something to her if Alizarin's panic hadn't become so apparent, and he chose to focus on the issue at hoof. The filly could handle herself. A foreleg lifted and Sombra hesitated to step out onto the crystal he'd formed. While he'd never suffered from nearly drowning in his life and had never been in anything too deep, he knew he couldn't swim and there was something in Alizarin's panic that bothered him, echoing a little of his own fear. All his bravado and nonchalance hid that he was a coward- the king would do anything to protect his own skin, though he was never beneath fighting somepony or something if a situation came to blows.

 

Sombra forced himself to move and gingerly stride out across the plank of a crystal, hopefully before anypony could notice his hesitation, and he bent down, reaching a foreleg out to the struggling mare to see if he couldn't grab one of her forelegs. If anything, he could at least try to drag her closer to the crystal so she'd have something to hold onto if he just couldn't get her out himself. This was probably where the Captain's rope might come handy; they might both be able to get poor Alizarin out of the quicksand.

 

And probably deal with the deer in a similar fashion, he supposed.

[tacobob]

 

“Just relax....This isn’t a Daring Do book....You’re not going to get sucked into an bottomless vortex of doom or anything..” , she pulled out an decent sized rope from her saddle-bag. “I’ll throw you the rope...Hold into it and I’ll slowly guide you to dry-land...But make sure to wiggle an leg...It will allow water to fill the sand in your area and weaken it...Allowing you to move...Just don’t move so quickly or you’ll push the water away and allow the sand to hold you back..”

 

With that, the Pegasus pony took to the air and slowly lowered the rope to the poor mare...Since she had to hold it in her teeth, she could not speak, and was unable to call Apple Bloom back when she rushed away...Once again. Ugh. There better not be anymore freaking quicksand!

 

Once the older farmer was able to grasp onto the rope, Fire Walker proceeded to slowly guide her to the edge of dry land. Oh, how she wished she were a griffon at this moment. They had those nice and very useful claws. Great for holding things, which wings could also do, but not while in flight. And while she could have probably flown over to the mare and tried to pull her out, there was a very good chance the officer would end up being pushed into the sand herself.

 

For now, it was slow and steady...She would be happy if the ‘King Sombra’ could use his magic to help.....And hope Applejack’s kid sister didn’t end up some beastie’s meal.

[SteelEagle]

                                                                                                         


The silence was deafening.

Apple Bloom was gone for some time. It took a while to guide ponies, guide deer, out of quicksand. Alone it would take hours, even half a day. With help? Much faster. But still a long time. Long enough for the sounds of silence to be louder than any thumb, roar, hiss or scream. Apple Bloom walked into the forest and not a peep after. She had explored many woods before. Many of them dangerous. She had come prepared with a readied retort to whatever malfeasance showed itself to be the architect of these woods' sorrow. Or so she had convinced herself, full of the fire of her indomitable youth as she was.

Still not a peep.

She had fought monsters before, learning earlier than almost possible that this magical land held dangers and horrors that existed to cut short her tether. Mostly in  losing efforts had she engaged, but she had fought enough of Equestria's nastiest to have a sense of bravado and can-do that could rival any filly or colt her age in the history of Equestria. Even many adult ponies were less than well equipped to handle the world's worst in comparison to the apple filly. Maybe her confidence was ignorance masquerading as a virtue but it existed nonetheless. It would often beat so loud that it could be heard by other ponies in the swagger that tinged her voice when the possibility of threats was discussed. It thrummed and beat and shook and caused those around her to vibrate to her, at least to some degree. 
A breeze.

The trees swayed seductively, beckoning others in its subtle cruelty to explore them. Whatever malice had taken hold of these woods seemed to salivate at the aggression of these invaders, their desire to help a welcome change. Such outward malice often held a kernel of vulnerability and weakness, bulwarked by the shield of untoward mania taking the form of deceit and temptation. But seduction and temptation, it took many unique forms. And it loved to prey on the swagger of the kind-hearted and good-natured. The glee with which it had attracted the attention of a little filly with a vibrant heart was palpable. It wanted nothing more than to separate it from the others. To snatch it away.

 

Without it, the silence in the woods was deafening.

[RainbowFoxxy]

 

"Oh my..." Fluttershy watched as the rescue went on to get their leader out of the quicksand. Sombra was actually trying to help her and the kind pegasus didn't forget to note it. She had always been a believer of the baddest of beasts having a glimmer of goodness. Maybe she had been wrong about Sombra being a monster. Maybe he was just like the baddest beasts. Even the scariest of ponies could have a tiny spark of good. That was all she was willing to offer him though. She'd heard to much about his past to give him any more credit than what she was seeing in the moment. 

 

"Just a little while longer friend." She spoke as she hovered above the deer. The little squirrel was doing her part still sitting in the deer's antlers and patting him on the head. "Once you're out of here I think you'll have a new friend!" The squirrel blinked up at Fluttershy and chittered. "I'm sure it won't be long now, don't worry..." She glanced over to the side of the sand morass and watched as Ali was offered the rope from above. 

 

"Where is Applebloom?" Fluttershy got more and more nervous as she realized the little filly wasn't with the others. "Oh my..." She tried her best to keep her worries to herself as she waited for the Captain and maybe even Sombra to help get the deer out of the sand. 

[GoldenDaze]

 

Ali's little heart started to beat a little less hard, as she saw her companion of a red guard fly above her with a long, strong rope. Her trust in the Pegasus grew, as she really knew there was no other way of getting out of the thick goop. Her attention only focused on getting out at this point, otherwise she'd be stuck there forever. Ali never liked the idea of getting help from others, but this was a circumstance she never thought she'd get herself in. 

 

Poor, ignorant, Ali. 

 

"You best hurry up now. Seems like you're takin' your sweet time." The earth pony looked up at the Pegasus, who was circling around the stuck mare. Finally, the rope reached down enough for Ali to grab it strongly with her teeth, and she began moving ever so slowly out of the sand. Her grasp on the rope started to hurt her jaw, she was clenching it so hard. She was so tense, as she felt her whole body shaking, itching to get out. She wanted to feel the safety of her group members around her, when she wasn't scared for her life. Ali even forgot about the deer. 

 

The earth pony was reaching closer and closer to the crystal, the only dark thing protruding from the ground. Sombra looked to be standing on it, which gave Ali the confidence to get her leg out and reach for the stallion. The brown mare was so desperate to get out of the sand, she would do anything to get out. So, when she finally got a grasp of his hoof, the sudden wash of relief came over her. 

 

Before she knew it, she was out of the sand and tumbling into the arms of Sombra. She stayed there for a second, thinking about everything that happened, then she hopped off when she realized she was on him. Ali looked up, totally covered in the sand, and shouted, "Er- thanks for gettin' me out." That was probably the nicest thing she's said to anypony, as she kept a grumpy look on her face. Then she turned to Sombra. "Thanks."

 

Suddenly, the mare turned around to see Fluttershy hovering over the deer, who still seemed to be frightened. Then she realized something, there was only four of them. "Y'all, where's the little yellow one at?" 

 

 

 

Spoiler

Sorry for the really late reply, guys. I just recently broke my foot and school has been making me very busy. I hope y'all understand^^ And sorry if my post seems rushed, I just wanna get the plot goin', ya know? Haha.

 

[dragonofruin]

The mare was just out of his long reach, a fact that brought a frown to Sombra's face. It appeared he'd misjudged where he'd extended the crystal, but from the shore it'd look like it was close enough. Although, with the Captain flying above them with her rope with Alizarin now on the end, she was coming ever closer. Soon enough, Alizarin was grabbing onto his foreleg. His muscles strained as he pulled her towards his safe plank of crystal, heeding Apple Bloom's earlier warning about being careful with the strong pull of the quicksand working against them.

 

Before he knew it, Alizarin was tumbling into his forelegs, much to his surprise, and he fought to keep his balance on his rear legs to keep himself from tumbling backwards and sending them both into the sand. He managed to keep his balance, his attention returning to the pony pressed up against him and a small jolt ran through the stallion's body when he realized how close she was to him. Sombra tensed up slightly, alarmed, and easily let Alizarin go when she hopped away from him. He awkwardly brushed at what bits of sand ended up on his coat and legs while Alizarin thanked the Captain up above... and turned to him to express the same gratitude.

 

Sombra stilled, blinking, his ears twitching ever so slightly back. Thanks? Well that was certainly.. new.. and the first time somepony had ever thanked him for anything. He hardly knew what to do about it, much less feel.

 

Confused, he only managed a soft grunt before he got to his hooves and carefully strode back towards nice, solid ground, and he struggled to get his thoughts back together all the while. There was, at least, a welcome distraction in Alizarin's abrupt question, and of course, the sight of the deer past the mare serving as a reminder of what else they had to rescue. Sombra could almost roll his eyes, but it'd have to be saved..

 

"The foal ran off into the woods. I don't have a clue where she could've gone or why she thought it was a good idea to go off on her own, but she has," Sombra replied, almost grumbling. It was mildly annoying, and in this darkness? These woods? They'd have a hard time finding her if whatever this mysterious creature didn't get to her first!

[tacobob]

 

 

 

 

“Patience...”, the officer warned the farmer. ‘It’s slow and steady....If I pull you out too quickly the sand’s vacuum will push you down further.”, this worked just until the Sombra-Lite? She really did not want to call him by that name. The real Sombra was an horrible living shadow that tormented and enslaved Crystal Ponies. This one seemed to be just grumpy. Could this be Discord? She knew the devious draconequus liked the marvelous yellow mare and sometimes she would see him follow her about like a puppy dog. Even while making barking sounds. He was an odd fellow.

 

Things were going slowly, and soon the....Sweet Celestia...While she lacked the utter beauty of Fluttershy, Ali looked incredibly adorable when grouchy. Fire Walker just wanted to fly down and squeeze those big cheeks of hers. But that would not be helpful. And speaking of helpful, the hopefully mock prince off shadows was helping! Yay! he Diet version of Sombra finished the rescue, and the farmer would soon rest her hooves on grassy ground.

 

It was now the deer's turn. With Ali free, she scooped up her rope and flew it over to the others. She lowered the rope to Fluttershy and her squirrel  friend. "We just need to wrap it around his stomach and pull him out...Just like before...But he'll need to be calm." this was something the animal caretaker was a pro at. However, there was something else wrong. Apple Bloom had rushed off again. Ugh! Has that girl ever seen a horror movie? They needed to rescue that deer before the filly wandered into further danger!

[SteelEagle]

                                                                                                   

 

Basilisks- or more accurately, Southern Heartlands Basilisks- were a rare breed. They had to be, they were too mean and vicious to propagate for long before local Equestrians asked for them to be taken care of. They were closely related to Cockatrices in one way, in that they could petrify with a glance. But that is where the similarities stopped. Basilisks were snake-like, crossed with an iguana rather than a chicken. The air around them pumped and fumed with toxins that could steal your voice, and the paths they slithered and walked through were similarly poisoned. They had a terrible venom that they injected with their large teeth and were known to be highly aggressive. As for their petrification, a bit of reprieve there. It acted slower than the normal Cockatrice petrification. A small miracle, that.

 

They weren't known to inhabit any stretch of the Whitetail Woods. That was why Apple Bloom wasn't on the lookout for one. Why be on the lookout for a critter that was so unlikely to be around that if you prepared for it you may as well prepare to deal with a legion of chimeras and flying pigs from across the sea? After all, she knew how to deal with Basilisks. After she was saved by Applejack that one time with the Chimeras, she made sure to go out of her way to learn all she could about magical beasties and bow to deal with them. She knew how to deal with a Basilisk. It was also in one of the books she had brought with her on this expedition. She had read about a whole collection of possible beasties it could be, but not about a basilisk. That would prove to be a terrible mistake.

 

The first sign of something being wrong was when Apple Bloom stepped past a bush and her hoof felt immediately as if it were stepping on needles. She looked down and saw what could only be described as a small slime trail. Nothing too dramatic, but it seemed to vanish after a few seconds and left dead vegetation in its tracks. The needle sensation provoked her to step away and bring her hoof up- she saw a dark purple, gray milieu seeping around it. Her mind raced with what it could be, though she could already feel her heart starting to race. She turned to her little hipbag to get out something- she reckoned, something to help with her pain- when her eyes caught something. Another pair of eyes. Dark and bright, unyielding and vicious. She recognized it as a basilisk.

 

It was too late to do anything. She immediately felt the basilisk's petrification go to work on some of her back hooves. She tried to scream in fear, but her voice was stolen- and replaced by breathing in the poisonous air. A moment later it struck her in the left foreleg, the one that hadn't stepped in the poison trail. It struck into her with powerful fangs and then she felt, impossibly, the venom being pumped into her. She tried to run but her back hooves betrayed her and after a few halted steps she fell down, sprawled out in a bush. The Basilisk let go at that point and reared back, ready to strike once more and Apple Bloom could feel it glare at the nape of her neck with awful intent.

 

Then the sound of something massive once more reverberated throughout the forest. The Basilisk looked around in terror before slither-skipping away into the darkened forest. Some great presence loomed around Apple Bloom, as if right behind her. She couldn't turn to see- the poison was wracking her with awful pain and her back hooves made it hard to do anything. It walked behind her, crashing through some trees and continuing on. Apple Bloom was finally, awfully, alone.

 

Her mind raced with all this information. The entire event had transpired in a matter of...maybe four seconds, maybe five. She pulled herself up, trying to grunt or scream with pain- but couldn't. The poison in the air had stolen her voice. It had replaced it with a growing sense of tightness in her lungs and it felt like something was growing her in her neck. If she had the wherewithal, she'd recognize it as her lymph nodes. Pain shot across her front legs, then almost every nerve in her body. The venom from the basilisk and the trail was a nerve poison. It pumped noxiously through her in a matter of moments and sent her entire body rocking with agony. What was more worrying was what she remembered from the book. In a few moments she would start to lose feeling in her extremities, then closer and closer until she lost all feeling, and that was when the poison would start trying to shut her down.

 

She refocused at this moment despite the pain. "H...he...help," she croaked, barely counting as a Breezie whisper. She needed to get back to the others, to her book. The antidote to the poison wasn't very difficult to make, but she needed to get there. In that moment, a small mercy. Her back left hoof's stone casing cracked and fell apart, the basilisk stare not long or strong enough to fully encase it. The back right hoof? She tried to wiggle it. Beyond the pain, nothing. It was stone. PAIN. Whimper, moan, though neither was loud. And any sound she tried to make, every time she tried to breathe, it felt like her lungs and neck were being choked tighter and tighter.

 

She started to walk towards the last place she remembered the group being. She grit her teeth against the pain as much as she could as she moved as fast as she could on three legs and a stone weight holding her back. She moved fast. As fast as she could. She felt her nerves explode from the tips of her hooves to her eyes, her ears, even her heart. Every breath was accompanied by a tightening of some invisible vice around her neck, her chest, her head. After a few minutes it felt like her eyes were about to jump out and hitch a ride on a bird due to pressure. She could no longer feel her front hooves and was going on pure locomotive memory. She was beyond light-headed as her breath was being squeezed out of her, and she felt numb in too many places to count. Her ears still worked however.

 

"We just need to wrap it around his stomach and pull him out...Just like before...But he'll need to be calm."

 

That sounded like...what was her name again? Apple Bloom could scarcely remember anything but the hammering of her heart beat, the drum like sound that rushed to her ear drums and was starting to slow. But it was familiar. Was it momma?

 

"H...help...! H...eeelp plea-" she wheezed in no direction in particular, feeling the familiar noose tightening beyond all mercy and possibility. Her head could just...float, float away.

She stuck her hoof in the ground, her teeth gritting, no longer feeling in her skull. That meant she was close. What was she here for again? She was here to get...frosting, but town was...no, it was apricots for the pie. Right?

 

No, it was a Basilisk. Right? I think...

 

She trudged on, this time with a bit more oomph as she approached the sound of voices. She was headed to a party and her friends needed her and so did her ma and pa and sis and brother and everything she loved was right over there. She just needed to get the ice cream and sweetie belle. 

 

She stumbled into the clearing next to the others, trying to mouth words but failing as venomous drool instead leisurely dribbled off of her chin. "H..hehlp....bas...lisk...heehlp," she whispered before falling over unconscious, twitching all the while. 

[RainbowFoxxy]

 

Flutters felt so much relief when Firewalker brought the rope out over the sandy morass. The deer was being as calm as he could at the moment, which really was all she could ask of the poor thing. The squirrel continued it perch in his antler, stroking the stuck creature's head softly and chittering quietly into his ears. 

 

The pegasus took the end of the rope down towards the deer. "Ok friend. I just need to get this underneath you." The deer's eyes bulged with fear but Flutters continued to speak calmly while she worked. Soon the rope had been passed under and she secured it with a knot. "There, you did so well! We're going to lift you out now and soon you'll be on your way!"  She glanced at the squirrel but she seemed to want to stay put. "Yes, you keep helping our friend please." 

 

It wasn't long before the deer was being pulled free of the sand and put back on firm ground. Flutters was just about to undo the rope and tell the deer he was free to go when...

 

"Oh Celestia!" Flutters gasped in shock as a certain little filly staggered out of the bushes. "Applebloom!" 

 

What had she said just a moment ago? Fluttershy had gotten to her quickly and though she'd heard the filly mention a.... "B-basalisk!"

 

She didn't know what to do at all for a moment. She stared at the others, covering he mouth with her hooves to keep from screaming. 

[GoldenDaze]

 

For the first time in a while, the short earth pony felt safe. It felt like she was in that sand for over a year, and she was finally free. The dark brown dirt on the ground never comforted her more. The dirt coiled over her hooves in a nice warm hug, as it made her release the tension in her body. The trees surrounding her didn't seem to engulf her in something scary anymore, but it made her feel more safe and secluded. And for the first time, the comfort of other ponies around her seemed to feel like a miracle. She was finally out of that nasty sand. And now she wasn't going to make dumb decisions anymore.

 

Hopefully. 

 

She gave her thanks, and watched as the deer began to get the same treatment she did. The deer was more calm it seemed like, but Ali wasn't used to staying in these woods in the dark. She would probably be asleep in her warm tent by now, safe and snug in a sleeping bag. Instead, she was stuck out in the middle of the dark forest, trying to catch a huge monster that was terrorizing the forest. The group never seemed to catch a break. 

 

The brown pony kept her distance from the duo getting the deer out, and stood snug next to Sombra. They weren't touching or anything, but she was close to him. The mare didn't feel like standing by herself anymore. She wanted company. 

 

Once the deer got out of the sand, the tension in the air seemed to lift. The air was more clear, and Ali could feel her shoulders relaxing. "Well, that's enough drama for tod-" she was caught off by something near her struggling to a breath. The tension rose up again, and Ali's ears struck right up into the air after non of the group knew where Apple Bloom was. "Y'all are tellin' me you don't know where the little filly is?" Ali's heartbeat pumped a little faster, when she heard something struggling again. She searched around the forest with her sea green eyes, looking for the noise. That's when she heard Fluttershy yell out. 

 

Alizarin's head whipped around when she saw the yellow filly, crawling out of a bush and gasping for air. Ali reacted rather quickly, sprinting over to the filly. Her eyes searched the filly up and down, her pupils growing smaller in a panic. "Basilisk. That's basilisk venom!" She knew the look of this venom all too well, as her cousin got caught one time. She knew it was never safe to roam around this deep into the woods without somepony else. She wished the filly knew that too. Ali didn't want to seem like she cared all too much, but this was serious. "Somepony get somethin' to help her! Quick! Ah think she's lost her consciousness!"

[dragonofruin]

A soft sigh heaved itself out of Sombra. The momentary trouble of rescuing Alizarin from the quicksand was no longer an issue, and he could now just sit there and watch the Captain helping Fluttershy get the deer out next. He made no move to help- to him, it was only a deer. The woods were rife with them. He was moderately aware of Alizarin's presence next to him, and he dared to give her a glance out of the corner of his eyes, his expression as typically severe as it always was.

 

"Yes," Sombra gave a simple answer. None of them knew. "She wandered off right after she spoke to you." He snorted softly. It would figure that a foal would slip off right when they're in the middle of some sort of crisis, all of them too busy to even stop her. Alizarin had been in trouble.

 

The king turned his head, noticing that Alizarin was looking more alert than she had been seconds ago; another little glance had shown him that. He couldn't help looking, after how close she was sitting to him. How present.

 

His ears twitched and he was back on his hooves after Fluttershy's shout, looking around in alarm. There, over by the edge of the clearing, he saw a small splash of yellow trying to crawl out through the foliage. Whatever happened had sent her back in a sorry state, and he didn't know what it could've been until Alizarin was shouting about a basilisk. Sombra heard of them before, but he'd never really gotten around to reading up on them; there was just so much about Equestria to learn. It never felt as if there was enough time for him to simply sit down and read everything he wanted to.

 

Sombra followed after Alizarin, ears flattening back against his flowing black mane. "Get something? Like what?"

 

How poorly everything was going tonight was getting mildly irritating for the tyrant. He'd come out here to see, to make sure, none of his suspicions were true, and whatever was really the cause of the animals' disappearance could be getting away.

[tacobob]

 

 

 

 

And danger that filly wandered into.

 

Fire Walker didn't know it, but this probably wasn't the first, second or even twentieth time Apple Bloom had wandered off alone and into danger. And while It was rather rare to see a child die in a horror movie, those who rushed off to save an filly or colt were usually the first ones to snuff it.

 

Once the deer was back on his hooves, the officer turned to Fluttershy....The others mentioned an Basilisk? Seriously? She only knew the most basics about the creatures. They can poison you and they could also turn you into living stone. Neither things one would consider fun. Since it was living stone, there was a chance one could be converted back to flesh. One also needed to be an unicorn and could use magic. And there was only one pony here that could do that.

 

"I hope you know some restoration spells.", she turned to the shadowy pony, "Does anyone have a mirror or something that reflects?", as she asked the others, the mare looked for hoof-prints to lead her to the little farmer. Hopefully the little pony managed to avoid such a dangerous creature. Hopefully.

 

Once she found the prints, she followed the others....Right to the sick kid. "Oh dear.".  She had a small first aid kit with anti-venom lotion, but it was made for snake bites. Would it work against Basilisk bites? Would this 'Sombra' save the day? With a worried look on her face, she pulled out her kit...

[SteelEagle]

                                                                                                  


Apple Bloom had a terrifying few moments of unconsciousness, where all the pain and terror that had occupied the last few minutes of her life drifted off into the aether. What took its place was a silence so loud, so deafening, that it would give her pause if she had anything left to give. At least there was no pain, no sorrow, nothing at all. But she was aware, aware of the void. And as time passed, she was aware of something else. Voices. Alarmed, concerned, encouraging, motivating. She couldn't hear words. she couldn't make out who was saying what, what was being said. All she could feel was love and tone. Bit by bit the wandering fractured parts of her consciousness were brought by staggered reaction and interminable belief towards a pulsating light. She reached a trembling hoof in the dark alone with the echoing voices of unknown origin around her and touched-

 

-She tried to breath as she came back to consciousness but found only pain.
She twitched violently on the ground and coughed up a dark maroon and black substance on the ground, her eyes bugging out. She looked around- the...yeah that was Fluttershy and Captain Fire Walker...and...and Sombra and she just met...Ali...Alizara...Alizarin? She twitched again, trying to get up and managing to perch herself against a tree. Her entire body was being wracked with pain. She could tell that had she not been an Earth Pony- and more than that she bet, an Apple- she'd never have regained consciousness. Not that in this moment she thought that was much of a good thing. As she felt every nerve in her body alight as if on fire between the toxin and her own body's deadly lack of oxygen, she didn't think of any of it being positive. 

 

She wasn't thinking much of anything, except how to make it all stop.
"...book...bag book...bag...book," she whispered through teeth that were gritting themselves without her meaning to, pushing the words out as best she could. She had brought a book of wildlife cures and medicines with her. She could remember something about a basilisk in there or something...she tried to reach for her saddlebag, which she had left against a tree not far from them. Not far. May as well have been an infinite uphill climb as she weakly pawed at the ground towards.

[RainbowFoxxy]

 

"Oh oh dear..." Flutters hovered over the terrible scene. "Poor Applebloom, what will we do?" She spoke softly to herself, panic setting in. Nut then she realized, this was Applebloom! She was in danger. She could even die from something this horrible. Perhaps she was dying right now! Something snapped in the pegasus. She darted in closer. 

 

"What was that?" She listened. "Book bag?" She glanced a the bag that was leaning up against a tree not far away. "Book bag!"

 

She had no mind for anything else! Flutters had seen what Abby had in that bag. Lots of remedies for all manner of ailments. She thought that Abby must have gone by Zecora's before setting out for this trip. At the time Flutterbutt hadn't really wanted to think about all the nasty things that could happen to them. Because of that she hadn't really listened all the closely to what Abby had been saying but now her mind was clear.

 

"There's an antidote in the bag!" She hurtled towards the bag and came back to Abby's side. Bottles and jars flew in all directions as she rummaged headlong through the bag. "No, no, no, no..." She spoke each time she looked at the label on a tincture or bottle. Until...

 

"Basalisk venom antidote!" 

 

She glanced about. What did she do with it? Did it need to be mixed? Should it be injected or rubbed near the bite? 

 

Flutters glanced at Abby as the filly dropped out of consciousness. "There's no time! Stay with us Applebloom! Be strong like your big sister!" She uncorked the bottle and put it to Abby's muzzle. "Drink this." She spoke in an authoritative but calm tone. The kind she used when she was in a situation with an animals at her refuge back home. "Come on Abby, swallow." She rubbed the filly's throat to get some of the liquid to go down.

 

She glanced around, noting the others, hoping Abby would come back to them...