the foothills [Lore] Hollow Shades

[Bellosh]

Hollow Shades - A Mystery Wrapped in an Enigma

 

To the unassuming pony, Hollow Shades is only another scenic village deep within the confines of a Solstice Heights valley. Most travellers only see the locale, nestled in a clearing amid a sea of trees, as a pit-stop on the road east to Fet Loch. Those who dig deep enough however will find that a terrible curse lies upon Hollow Shades and the surrounding forests. Certain circles (primarily of questionable repute) therefore christen this area as Equestria’s most haunted spot.

 

Supposedly, the paranormal activity began dozens of years ago with the cutting down of a special lumi tree grove outside of town. Ever since ponies founded Hollow Shades in the distant past, they had always marveled at the fruit and leaves the lumi trees bore, glowing white whenever the Moon shined. But one day, an industrialist offered a staggering amount of money for harvesting rights to this grove, which was the sole place these remarkable trees grew, all just to use the leaves in manufacturing glow-in-the-dark products.

 

And so a rare variety of planet apparently vanished off the face of the earth, with no surviving seeds ever found. As time passed afterwards... strange things started happening. Reports circulated of unseasonal thunderstorms, and of translucent figures jealously spooking anyone outside of Hollow Shades at nightfall. Other more ludicrous claims describe malevolent beings assuming equine form, emerging from the ground. Before long, outlying manors and other houses were abandoned, their owners unable to tolerate any more nightly disturbances.

 

Every attempt by enthusiasts so far to discover the real nature behind Hollow Shade’s supposed paranormal activity has met with failure. For their part, the town’s residents generally don’t treat the supposed hauntings as anything more than spice for otherwise normal lives. The locals are more concerned with profiting off hospitality services and tourist traps, and most visitors will never find anything off other than the creaking wood of old buildings. Still, no matter how little society cares about solving Hollow Shade’s mysteries, there will always be those who believe the truth is out there.....

~Hitchhikers' Guide to Equestria