Originally posted on October 24, 2020

[bq]And here is finally my finished entry for the "Howling Winds and Stabbing Needles" october Event!
This was SO MUCH FUN tow ork with! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Story:

It had been days since the fog had enveloped the small town of Hazlegrove, it came seeping out the forest and had been making things difficult. The mayor had declared for everyone to stay in their house, to stay away from the edge of the forest, away from the fog that no one knew anything about. And ever since it had crept its way into the town, things have been weird. The moon had been high up in the sky, round and full and as bright as ever, for days. Sounds could be heard from the woods, sounds that should be nowhere close to a place where ponies and the creatures of Hazelgrove lived. Sounds that made Trembling Spirit shiver with every moment they shrilled through the air. He had darkened his house, drawn the curtains in every room. He tried his best to stay away from the windows and the door, trying to distract himself with baking. But every time this sound, this screaming echoed through the air, he flinched. He knew it all too well. He heard it every night in his nightmares, when he closed his eyes or when he thought about his dear sister. Rem hated it with every fiber of his being. Nighttide had been staying with Glimmer Gem for a bit, as Rem suggested. He didn't want anypony to see him like this. As he tried desperately to get the dough for his caramel cookies right — he heard somepony scream outside. The voice sounded familiar, and after some hesitation, he peeked through the curtains, avoiding the bright light of the full moon above. He spotted a red mare desperately running down the street, yelling, looking around — It was Mosaik Molecule! She was on her way to his house, before he knew, she was banging at his door. Drawing the curtains shut again, he rushed to the door, opening it, making sure not to have the light touch him, "Momo? What's wrong?" The red mare stood in front of him, trying hard to catch her breath, panting as she leaned against the frame of the door: "I can't find him! He's gone! He was there one minute, we were talking, but he- I can't!"

Rem pulled her inside a few steps as he looked her up and down, she was exhausted and panicking.

"Take a moment to breathe love, what do you mean he's gone? Who's gone?"

She shook her head, taking a deep breath before bursting out in tears, "I was outside, I just wanted to go to the market and get some more oats and lemons for my desserts, and on my way I met Dusty — You know, Dusty Bunny? Small, gentle, sweet, very chatty? — Anyway we were talking while I was getting my ingredients and he mentioned that he wanted to find out what has been going on in the forest, that the fog seems to have a magical source and that he wants to go and see what's happening. Do some research you know? We walked through the streets, I thought he was joking! I tried to jest about the situation, I heard him laugh, and as I greeted Honeybee as he was leaving his house, the next moment I turned around, Dusty was gone!"


Rem flinched and looked into the direction of the forest surrounding the town

"Wait — You're telling me he went into the woods!? The mayor told us to stay inside! It's not safe out there, especially not for someone his size!"


A loud howl pierced the air and sent a shiver down Rems spine, he hesitated. Surely Dusty would be okay right? There was no chance anything would happen to him… Right? Rem’s ears twitched as he looked out the door, he spun his head into the direction of the bridge. "We need to get him out of there!"


Momo was surprised, she would have never taken Trembling Spirit for the brave type. Though she had to admit, she had never seen him in a situation like this. Momo watched him dash through the house, to a cabinet in the kitchen, pulling out a small crystal bottle, filled with a glowing, bluish liquid. "What — Rem what’s that?" She asked as she watched him down the whole bottle in one go while his magic pulled something from the wall. It seemed to be some kind of weapon wrapped tightly into cloth.


"It's… hard to explain." He walked down the hallway and stood in front of her. "We need to get Dusty out of the forest, the potion grants me a bit more time, but I am not sure how this magical bucked up moon will mess with it. We need to be quick." With that he walked past her, into the bright light of the moon. Rem looked tense, the fur on his neck started to rise, his ears on attention. He shut his eyes tightly as he shook his head. He knew the potion wouldn't be able to stop all of it, but he hoped it would be enough to get Dusty home safe and sound. As he closed the door with his magic, Momo took a step towards him, he turned around. "Momo, I assure you, whatever happens in there, I promise you, you are safe. Alright? I'll make sure of it."


Momo nodded and looked at him a bit concerned, "I'm sure I am, but — why are you saying that? What is going on?" As she looked him up and down, she could have sworn he looked stronger than before. His furr seemed to be different as well. She shook his head, surely she was just imagining things — right?


Rem walked towards the bridge, his ears pointed forward, as he shook his mane. "Because I will never let one of these creatures hurt anyone again." He seemed determined, and within the blink of an eye, both he and Momo were dashing into the forest. With every step they took, Trembling spirit seemed to change slightly. He looked less like the gentle unicorn Momo knew from the market, and more wild, almost feral. Rem unwrapped the weapon, his magic holding it at the handle, revealing a long, golden shimmering Khopesh. A sword from ancient times, one of the many artifacts he had acquired from his travels through the lands. He seemed to be prepared for the worst. Slowly, they came to a halt, the trees around them made navigating hard, yet the sky could be seen from everywhere. The fog was all around them, noise of creatures, breaking twigs and howling seemed to surround them as well. The floor was littered with bones. Everywhere they stepped, they could hear them crunch and crack from their weight. Rem looked around, his nostrils flared as he tried to pick up Dusty’s scent. Suddenly — a scream shrieked through the forest — his head snapped into its direction as he started galloping towards it, Momo right behind him. The mare following him started to question her decision. She watched Rem change in the light of the moon, his eyes had turned dark and tufts in the color of his mane started to grow from his shoulders along his back. Within seconds, the scars that adorned his body made much more sense. She had never considered it before, but it would have explained so much. She shook her head — NO — Rem was kind, he was her friend. She had no reason to doubt him! He had always been there when she needed help, there was no reason not to trust him.


"Over there!" Trembling Spirit shouted, pointing into the direction of a small clearing ahead of them. He heard whimpering, sobbing, it was almost as if he could hear Dusty's bones as he shivered. "Momo — I need you to stay close! Stay in my shadow!"


"U-understood!" She picked up her speed, almost glued to his side as they dashed through the trees and into the clearing. They had arrived just in time. Dusty had been cornered under the roots of a tree that had been slowly engulfing the boulders beneath it and a creature enveloped in the shadow of the trees and the fog it came from. They came to an abrupt halt in front of him, Rem swinging the khopesh in front of him to drive the creature back, even if it had only been a few steps.


"Momo! Check if Dusty is alright!" Trembling Spirit growled, baring his teeth at the creature, stepping in front of his two friends as Momo leaned down to check on the small bat pony. Dusty was cowering between rocks and the faintly glowing moss, Momo looked him over, his right front hoof seemed to be swollen, he had scratches along his face and back, he was sweating and shivering, but aside that he seemed to be alright. As he opened his eyes, spotting Momo, he sprung forward, hugging her hoof. "Momo! You found me! Thank the sisters! You were so right — I'm so sorry! I should have listened!"


Mosaik Molecule carefully petted his head, pulling him onto his hooves. "It's alright — We're here to get you home. Can you walk?"


Dusty shook his head, tears in his eyes. "When I — when they found me, I tried to run, but I stumbled over some roots and fell down a hill — my hoof hurts, I can't put weight on it! I tried flying out of here but the trees are too dense to get through!" He looked around Momo, spotting Rem who stood in front of them — he wanted to thank him, but before he could hop towards him, he realized that Trembling Spirit was growling, baring his teeth at the creature he had not yet fully seen. As it stepped into the moonlight, it's full form came into view. He was too struck to question Rems behaviour, as huge claws cragged itself through the dirt. Rem moved in front of them, lowering his head, "You two! You need to leave! Now! I'll keep them busy as long as I can! But you two need to go!" Momo pulled Dusty onto her back before she turned to look at Rem, but her gaze got stuck at the creature that had now locked onto her.

A massive form, fur as black as the night, claws glistening in the dark. It would have been hard to see if the moonlight wasn’t reflecting off of its pelt. Momo was frozen in place, she couldn't move, it was as if the creature was staring into her very soul. Her legs started to give way, but Trembling Spirit pushed her behind him. "Hey Fleabag! Playtime's over — this is between you and me now!" He wrapped his tail around Momo, pushing her further away from him.


She shook her head, coming back to her senses, "Rem! What are you doing!? Come with us!"

Dusty nodded, holding onto Momos back with all his strength "Trembling Spirit!" Rem looked over his shoulder, smiling at them, just as he usually did when they met in the streets. "I'll be alright — I promise I'll catch up to you, but for now, you need to get Dusty out of here. I'm counting on you Momo. I'll have some business to attend to. I trust you to do this Momo. Please." His expression changes as he turns his head back to the monster in front of him, baring his teeth, just like it. "NOW LEAVE ALREADY!" His tail snapped like a whip, making her flinch, alerting the creature in front of him, ready to pounce. Mosaik Molecule shook her head, and as fast as she was able to, she carried Dusty through the forest. Ignoring the howls, the yelps and the screams behind her. She shut her eyes tight, dashing through the trees as fast as her legs were able to carry her. Dusty clung to her back, looking behind her, making sure nothing was following them. It didn't take them long to reach the bridge, other ponies and creatures had been standing there, waiting for them. They had heard of what happened and were hoping for them to come back in one piece. The moment Momos' hooves touched the street behind the bridge, she sat on the ground, panting, trying desperately to catch her breath as Dusty climbed off of her back.

A crowd formed around them, all talking over each other, asking what happened, why they were in the forest, if they were insane, when a firm voice popped up, "Please! Everyone — calm down! I am sure everything's in order. Give them some space already, will you!?" Mayor Maer stepped out of the crowd, looking over Momo and Dusty. "Are you two quite alright? What happened?"

Dusty instantly burst into tears and blurted the whole story out. "This is my fault! Mosaik Molecule told me to stay in town and go home but I didn't listen so I went into the forest to see what was going on because I wanted to know where the fog was coming from and what caused all those strange noises we could here, but I wasn't careful a-and the things in there saw me and they started to hunt me. I tried flying away but the trees were so dense I wasn't able to get enough height, so I started running and I stumbled over some root and I fell down a hill and my hoof started to hurt, I tried to crawl away and found shelter under a tree but the creatures found me and I thought I was already done for! But the moment I thought this was my end, Trembling Spirit and Momo came to save me and Momo helped me get away and now we're here but we have to go and help Rem and it's all my fault!" He gasped for air, shivering as he sunk to the floor. Mayor Maer took a moment, looking over the two who were utterly exhausted, "So you're telling me, you went into the forest, even tho I made it more than clear for you to stay at home, Mosaik Molecule and Trembling Spirit came to help you, but only you and Momo managed to come back…?"


Momo shook her head, taking a deep breath in and out. "Trembling Spirit stayed behind to give us time to escape. If it weren't for him, the creatures would have finished us off within minutes. He said he'd be catching up to us, but we haven't seen him anywhere on our way back…"


Nighttide Blush pushed himself through the crowd and in front of Momo: "What do you mean he stayed behind?! You just left him there!? You could have helped him! And you left him in the forest with those things!?"


"He told us to leave! What were we supposed to do? Dusty couldn't stand nor fly! Let alone fight! Rem made it clear he wanted us to go back and be safe! I trusted him to know what he was doing!" Momo snapped back, stomping on the ground.


Mayor Maer crossed his arms, looking at the floor, thinking about his options. "Alright, that is quite enough. Fighting will get us nowhere. Now — somepony get us some medicine, bandaids and bandages to take care of Dusty's injuries. Somepony, get Momo some water so she can calm down a little. We'll be taking shifts at the bridge to see when Trembling Spirit returns, prepare some more bandages, distilled water and potions. For everypony else, I want you to stay away from the forest! Have I made myself clear!?"


"WAIT! OVER THERE!" Glimmer Gem yelped, pointing at the edge of the forest. A form was dragging itself out from the trees, down the path and onto the bridge. The closer it got, the more clear it became — it was Rem! Disheveled, scratches and scars all over his body, trickles of blood dripping from his face he was dragging the Khopesh along the ground.


"REM!" Dusty and Momo yelped, jumping onto their hooves.


Trembling spirit lifted his head, looking and smiling at the two. "You're safe — I'm glad…" And with that, he slumped to the ground. The world around him turned into a blur, he heard screaming, yelling, Tide and Momo ran towards him. And then, everything went black.


Days passed, Mayor Maer made sure Rem received the right treatment for the injuries he had obtained during his encounter with the creatures. He was brought to his room and watched night and day, to make sure everything was alright. The injuries were the smaller of the problems. But Rem was exhausted. He had used up too much energy and magic in the encounter. They didn't know how much time it would take for him to recover, but they made sure he would be ok. Tide and Momo spent the nights in shifts, watching over Rem. It had been one and a half weeks, they lost track of who was to look after him, and thus, both passed out in the living room. A smell crept through the house, the smell of freshly baked pancakes. Momo and Tide, still groggy from their rest, made their way into the kitchen, rubbing their tired eyes before looking up. In front of them stood Trembling Spirit, an apron loosely wrapped around his body, spatula in hoof, placing plates with pancakes onto the kitchen table. "Hey… I figured you guys might be hungry…"

2.928 Words

Characters involved:

Trembling Spirit — Me TheBlackCatsTale
Mosaik Molecule — Riodamaru
Dusty Bunny — Jaykobell
Nighttide Blush — WiiinterVA
Glimmer Gem — LunarEmissary
Mayor Maer — EquestriaFalls

All characters belong to their lovely owners!

Art and Drawing and Trembling Spirit © by me TheBlackCatsTale