The Skintrotter


                                            All right /ponex/, this is more or less the freakiest thing that's ever happened to me, and I'm not even really sure if it even happened. I don't mean that this coulda been a dream or anything like that, everything I'm about to tell you really did happen, in a manner of speaking. I just don't know if it happened in another manner of speaking. You catch my drift, partner? No? Well, you'll get it after I tell the story. All I know for sure is that if this stuff really did happen, we're all in some serious horseapples.


                                            Me and my friends are all - or were, I don't even rightly know anymore - famous ponies, so to speak. You can try to guess who we are in the thread, but I won't respond whether you're right or wrong. I'm gonna refer to everyone some simple fake names.


                                            <T

                                            T was sort of the "leader" of our group most of the time. She was really smart, liked to read a lot. She's a unicorn, and she's really good at magic.


                                            =D

                                            D was maybe my closest friend, even though we kinda hated each other sometimes. She was really athletic, did a lot of flying for show. She's a pegasus, and probably the fastest flyer in this area.


                                            _P

                                            Everybody loved P. She wasn't very smart, but she was a whole lotta fun. She mighta had some kinda learning disability, honestly, but we all forgave her for anything annoying she did because her parties were pretty much the best entertainment to be had in our little backwater town. She's an earth pony, likes to walk with a bounce in her step.


                                            ~R

                                            R was kind of a drama queen. She fought with me constantly. She also fought with D constantly. Actually, I fought with D constantly too. The three of us fought constantly, but we really were all good friends. I'm honestly still a little surprised that R even got caught up in all this with how much she hated dirt and bugs. She's a unicorn, owns a little clothing shop in town.


                                            We had another friend, F. Fortunately for her she didn't get caught up in any of this trouble though. F doesn't mind dirt, bugs, animals, or hard work like R did, but F really doesn't like scary things, so she didn't end up coming with us on the trip. I still haven't told her about any of this.


                                            And I, of course, will be Applenon. I don't know if you can tell by my writing, but I'm something of a country bumpkin. I'm an earth pony, and my family owns a lot of farmland just outside of town. Our farm is right on the edge of the Everfree Forest, where this story takes place, so I've seen my fair share of woods weirdness and I wouldn't say there's a whole lot in that forest that could really scare me. But this gives me the willies something fierce.


                                            __________________________________________________________________________________________________________


                                            All right, now that the introductions are out of the way, lemme get to the story:


                                            >be me

                                            >be working on the farm

                                            >carrying my apples to my barn

                                            >fillies don't know bout my apples

                                            ="Hey Applenon!"

                                            >all my apples are on the ground

                                            >it's D

                                            >sigh internally

                                            "What do you want, D?"

                                            >D throws a bundled mass of tarp and poles at my hooves

                                            ="We're going camping! Get your bags packed, let's go!"

                                            "What, now?"

                                            ="Yeah, now!"

                                            "D, I can't just drop everything to go camping with y-"

                                            ="Oh, come on!"

                                            "I have work to do, D. Let me finish my chores first and we can talk about it later."

                                            ="But that'll take forever!"

                                            "No it won't, I got maybe an hour's worth of work left for the day."

                                            ="But that's forever! How about we talk about it while you work?"

                                            >this horse

                                            "Fine. Just don't get in my way. Where are we taking the girls?"

                                            >now me, D, and R had a tradition

                                            >every year we'd take our little sisters camping

                                            >well D didn't have a little sister, but she did have this one random little filly who followed her around

                                            >trust me, it's not as creepy as it sounds

                                            >but that's not really relevant, that's just context

                                            ="Oh, no! We're not taking the girls. This is grown-up camping!"

                                            >I'm intrigued

                                            "Grown up camping?"

                                            ="Yep. In the Everfree Forest!"

                                            >she gestures at the huge, dark woods beyond my apple trees

                                            >and I'm not gonna lie

                                            >in fact, I hate telling lies

                                            >this is actually sounding like a darn good time

                                            "Sounds like fun. Who all's coming?"

                                            ="The whole gang! Me, you, P, T, R, F. Just as soon as I invite them!"

                                            "You haven't invited them yet?"

                                            ="Well, no."

                                            "But you said you wanted to go right now."

                                            >D is doing that nose scrunch thing that some ponies do

                                            ="Yeah, so?"

                                            "Tell ya what. You go and round everyone up, and I'll probably be just about ready by the time you get back. We can head into the forest on the trail my granddaddy built, right over there."

                                            ="Sounds good!"

                                            >and faster than you can say it, she's gone

                                            >some part of me wants to be vexed with D for lassoing me into this trip all of the sudden

                                            >but I start working faster just the same


                                            __________________________________________________________________________________________________________


                                            >D's actually been gone a mite longer than an hour

                                            >been waiting by the gate under a setting sun with my sack on my back for the better part of 20 minutes when she shows up

                                            >when she gets to the farm it's not hard to see what took her

                                            >incredibly, R has agreed to come on the trip

                                            >and she's pulling a cart stacked with bags and cases stacked twice as high as she stood behind her

                                            >packing all that must have taken a while

                                            >and of course T and P are coming too, like I said in the first post

                                            >honestly, I'm surprised they all agreed to come on such short notice

                                            >figured P might come since spontaneous fun was sort of her favorite thing

                                            >but T and R would have usually expected at least a day's notice

                                            >I guess they didn't have much going on, I never asked

                                            >and I guess I never will

                                            "Hey, y'all, where's F?"

                                            ="She didn't want to come. Like, she really really didn't want to come. Actually, she slammed the door in my face as soon as I said Everfree."

                                            >welp

                                            >it's starting to get dark out, so we don't waste too much time on greeting each other after we're done giggling about F

                                            >we make our way through the orchard to the edge of the forest

                                            >and we head in on my granddaddy's trail

                                            >we're all talking and laughing and joking and acting right cheerful

                                            >acting like we aren't heading into the most dangerous neck of woods in Equestria

                                            >it starts getting darker even faster once we get into the forest

                                            >pretty soon it gets real black-like dark

                                            >maybe it was just the trees overhead, or maybe it was something a little less savory at work

                                            >didn't think much of it at the time

                                            >either way, it's so dark that even with T and R's horn lights we can't see much more than ten feet out in any direction

                                            >so we start looking for a good-sized clearing to set up camp in

                                            >no

                                            >that's not right

                                            >just about as soon as we saw just how dark it was, we noticed we were already in a decent-sized clearing

                                            >I guess when you look at it like that, it was probably something unsavory all along

                                            >anyway, so this clearing we're in is where we set up camp

                                            >it seems like a nice enough spot for a gaggle of ponies looking for a place to sleep

                                            >D had packed 3 tents for the trip

                                            >it was supposed to be two to a tent, but F didn't come, so D takes a tent all to herself

                                            >the other two tents go to R and P, and me and T

                                            >T and I think it feels a little too late to do much of anything

                                            >so we just set up our tent and hit the hay

                                            >we can't get to sleep right away since D and P are loudly trying to scare each other with ghost stories outside

                                            >so we stay up for a bit and chat

                                            >we don't talk about anything important, I don't even remember most of it

                                            >but pretty soon the conversation dies down as T drifts off to sleep

                                            >and I get to sleep not long after her

                                            >nothing too weird happens this night

                                            >except for one thing

                                            >at some point during the night I wake up

                                            >it's just one of those things where you wake up for no reason and go back to sleep in about a minute

                                            >really, I'm not even all the way awake

                                            >but I think I smell something for a second

                                            >it's like

                                            >did you ever add too much baking soda to something you were trying to bake?

                                            >I did, the first time I ever tried to make apple crisps

                                            >the crisps smelled funny to begin with from all that baking soda in the dough

                                            >but since there was so much baking soda, the dough got spread out way too thin in the oven

                                            >and since the dough was spread out so thin, the apple crisps burnt up into, well, into crisps

                                            >I still remember how that stink filled up the whole house

                                            >and how my granny hollered at me for it

                                            >but that stink

                                            >like burning baking soda

                                            >I think I smell that for a second before rolling over and going back to sleep


                                            __________________________________________________________________________________________________________


                                            >morning goes pretty much normally

                                            >I'm up as soon as the Sun is

                                            >T is still snoozing on the other side of the tent

                                            >so I get myself outside as quiet-like as possible

                                            >it's a perfect woodland morning

                                            >the Sun making soft little rays shoot down through the trees

                                            >the smell of wet grass

                                            >and just the slightest nip of cold in the air

                                            >looks like I'm the only one up

                                            >well I can't stand just sitting around doing nothing right now

                                            >figure I'll whip up some breakfast

                                            >throw some wood in the fire pit, get the fire started

                                            >untie a rope fastened low on a tree and hold it in my teeth

                                            >the other end of this rope is holding our food and cooking supplies, hanging up in the trees to keep critters from getting at it

                                            >gently lower it, take out the basic tools and ingredients needed for pancakes

                                            >still feels like I'm missing something though

                                            >and then I spot it

                                            >a genuine

                                            >wild

                                            >all natural

                                            >Everfree zap apple tree

                                            >not to rag on my trade too hard now

                                            >but I think the wild zap apples from the forest are better than the ones from my farm

                                            >even though they are a bit smaller, they're just that much sweeter

                                            >not even thinking about it, I buck that tree

                                            >wham!

                                            >I freeze up right quick

                                            >that was way louder than I shoulda been

                                            >I mighta woken up my friends

                                            >listen for a minute

                                            >doesn't sound like anyone woke up

                                            >that's good

                                            >grab my harvest off the ground

                                            >head over to the fire

                                            >start making the best darn wild zap apple pancakes that ever a pony ate

                                            >they're looking pretty goo when I smell something weird and darn near panic

                                            >it's the smell of burning baking soda

                                            >sniff close at the pancakes, thinking I mighta burned them

                                            >thankfully, the smell ain't coming from my breakfast

                                            >but it is getting stronger

                                            >looking around trying to see where it's  coming from

                                            >when a voice from behind startles me halfway to death

                                            <"Wow, that looks delicious, Applenon!"

                                            >the burnt baking soda smell goes away just about right away

                                            >just the smell of really good pancakes now

                                            >hide my sigh of relief

                                            "Mornin', T.  Breakfast'll be ready in just a minute here. You mind wakin' everyone up for me? These pancakes oughta be eaten hot."

                                            >and so the five of us had breakfast together

                                            >I'm glad they turned out so good

                                            >because they were the last pancakes we ever ate together


                                            __________________________________________________________________________________________________________


                                            >nothing much happens for the rest of the day

                                            >except for the occasional whiff of that burnt smell

                                            >and come to think of it

                                            >that was pretty much the only thing I smelled the whole trip

                                            >now seeing as you're probably not an apple farmer who lives near the Everfree Forest

                                            >you probably don't know what's so weird about that

                                            >well

                                            >it was zap apple season

                                            >and during zap apple season, the timber wolves get real restless

                                            >and timber wolves stink

                                            >they stink something fierce

                                            >I did notice that I didn't smell any timber wolves

                                            >but I didn't think much of it except to be grateful

                                            >anyway, it's a day of some normal woodland fun

                                            >and a day that's missing normal woodland critters

                                            >well the Sun goes down

                                            >and P gets some marshmallows outta Celestia-knows-where

                                            >so we set ourselves down to a real proper Everfree campfire

                                            >and by proper, I mean D tries to tell us a scary story

                                            >she starts it off by flying in place over the fire, her face real low and close to the flames

                                            >that cocky little smile on her face that she had whenever she was about to try and impress somebody

                                            ="Somewhere… in this very forest… the deer-folk have a legend…"

                                            <"I don't think there are any deer-folk in the Everfree F-"

                                            ="Of a terrifying monster… that eats ponies… and wears the flesh of its victims…"

                                            /"Eeeeeeeuuuuuuughh! That's disgusting!"

                                            "To lure ponies into the woods… to be… eaten…"

                                            >P is nibbling furiously at her hoof-tips

                                            ="And this creature is called… the skin trotter…"

                                            <"That's a buffalo legend, and that's not how it goes at a-"

                                            ="It stalks its prey for days! Waiting for the perfect moment to lure you into the woods… all by yourself…"

                                            _"A-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-and w-w-w-w-w-what happens then?"

                                            "And then…"

                                            >D is circling around P's head now

                                            ="It…"

                                            >and she strikes, she tackles P to the ground and shouts

                                            ="Gets you!"

                                            >P screams loud and long

                                            >like

                                            >really loud

                                            >and really long

                                            >actually it kinda hurts my ears

                                            >but when she's done screaming she's giggling and laughing

                                            >P was like that

                                            >most of the rest of the night goes on like this

                                            >P tells a story about a haunted cupcake

                                            >R regales us with the tale of her "worst hair day"

                                            >it's not til the fire is starting to die that…

                                            >something happens

                                            >a loud, long scream comes outta the woods

                                            >it sounds just like P

                                            >and P's not by the fire anymore

                                            >we all lose our heads for a minute, and then D flies into the woods as fast as she can, screaming out P's name

                                            >we're all staring into the woods

                                            >but before anyone can say we should go after her

                                            _"Hey guys, what's going on?"

                                            >it's P

                                            >look between P and the woods

                                            >look between the woods and P

                                            "P? Did- did you scream out there?"

                                            _"Huh? No, I was just getting more marshmallows."

                                            >sure enough, there at her hooves is a bag of marshmallows

                                            >everyone is real quiet for a minute

                                            <"I think we should go look for D."

                                            >but outta the woods comes a voice

                                            "No need! I'm good."

                                            >and D comes stumbling into the clearing on her hooves

                                            <"D? Are you okay? What was that scream?"

                                            ="Oh, that? I wouldn't worry about it."

                                            >she scratches at her ear with her hoof for a second

                                            ="Probably just a rabbit or something. Anyway, it's pretty late. Let's go to bed!"

                                            "You wanna go to bed already?"

                                            ="Oh yeah, definitely, I'm pretty tired."

                                            >this really wasn't like D

                                            >only just last night she was happy to stay up late

                                            >but after D went into her tent

                                            >after she asked us which one was hers

                                            >it really did feel like it was about time for bed

                                            >so we put out the fire

                                            >and said good night


                                            __________________________________________________________________________________________________________


                                            >at some point in the night

                                            >a noise wakes me up

                                            >it sounds like something is being torn

                                            >look around to make sure it's not the tent

                                            >the tent is intact, thank the Princess

                                            >the sounds of ripping stop

                                            >and then

                                            >silence

                                            >straining my ears trying to hear something

                                            >anything

                                            >but it's not just the ripping that's stopped

                                            >it's dead silent outside

                                            >like

                                            >not a bug, bird, or beast is making a single peep

                                            >and then I gag

                                            >the stench is so awful

                                            >and it sure ain't the smell of timber wolves

                                            >T starts to stir

                                            <"Applenon…? Applenon, do you smell something burning?"

                                            >wave my hoof downward, trying to tell her to be more quiet

                                            >respond in a whisper

                                            "Yeah, I been smelliin' it a lot lately."

                                            <"Me too. And did you notice something weird about Rainbow Dash tonight?"

                                            "What, like how she got tired so early?"

                                            <"That's not what I mean."

                                            "Well what do you mean?"

                                            <"I don't really know. When she came out of the woods I think I felt funny. I mean, I don't know. My horn didn't like it."

                                            "Your horn?"

                                            >there's a noise from the ground outside

                                            >our little talk is over right quickly

                                            >it's like

                                            >i'm not sure if it's more like claws scraping at the dirt

                                            >or like hooves pounding on it

                                            >the smell is somehow even worse now

                                            >I wannna vomit

                                            >it's completely dark out, we can't see what's outside even a little bit

                                            >and then

                                            >something taps on the tent

                                            >T lights up her horn

                                            >she lights it up bright

                                            >whatever was out there

                                            >it goes away

                                            >but needless to say

                                            >we didn't get any sleep that night

                                            >but I remember what T told me

                                            <"I don't know what this is, and I don't want to say what I think it might be until I'm completely sure."

                                            <"But, Applenon…"

                                            <"Whatever happens tomorrow…"

                                            <"Don't get separated from me."


                                            __________________________________________________________________________________________________________


                                            >in the morning, P and R's tent is all ripped up

                                            _"Oh, I wouldn't worry about it."

                                            /"Some timber wolves broke in last night."

                                            ="Well that's all right. R, you can sleep in my tent tonight. And P, you can sleep with T and Applenon."

                                            ="Well that sounds great."

                                            /"Indeed. It does sound great. T, Applenon, what do you think?"

                                            "Uh…"

                                            <"Yep, sounds perfect!"

                                            >huh?

                                            >between the no sleep and the scare we had last night

                                            >my brain is fried

                                            >but I do know

                                            >that was the weirdest conversation I ever saw

                                            >D, P, and R are all talking funny

                                            >and I can see what T was talking about last night

                                            >there's something else about them

                                            >I don't know what it is

                                            >but I don't like it

                                            >D gives me a big, toothy grin

                                            ="Hey, Applenon, wanna come into the woods with me? Let's look for firewood so we can cook breakfast."

                                            "Uh…"

                                            <"Ah! Sorry, D, you should take P out for that. I need Applenon to help me, uh, look for apples!"

                                            ="Aw, what does Applenon know about apples? Why don't you take and P and R for that?"

                                            >huh?!

                                            >what do I know about apples?!

                                            "Now, listen here-"

                                            <"Hey, there, don't kid around like that, D. You know nobody knows apples like Applenon!"

                                            >the three of them are just staring blankly at us

                                            ="Okay."

                                            >and with that

                                            >the three of them disappear into the woods

                                            >T goads me along in the opposite direction

                                            >when we're a good ways into the woods

                                            <"All right, Applenon, hold onto me."

                                            "Huh?"

                                            >there's a bright flash of light and a loud poofing noise

                                            >and we're right in front of my house

                                            <"Applenon, get inside and get some sleep. I'm going home to do some research. Don't leave your home until I come to get you, you should be safe here."

                                            >all I needed to hear was "sleep"

                                            >I don't really remember climbing into my bed

                                            >I just remember what happened after I woke up


                                            __________________________________________________________________________________________________________


                                            >wake up to the sound of my granny knocking at my bedroom door

                                            >tells me she knows I'm not feeling well, but one of my friends is at the door asking for me

                                            >actually, I'm feeling a lot better

                                            >until I get to the door

                                            >it's R

                                            >I remember everything

                                            >and it hits me hard

                                            >she seems to be behaving much more naturally than she was earlier

                                            >but somehow, that only makes her even freakier

                                            /"Hi there, Applenon!"

                                            >there's something different about her

                                            /"We got worried about you when we smelled you all the way out here."

                                            >something's just not right about her

                                            >wait

                                            >what did she say?

                                            "You smelled me?"

                                            /"Yes. You didn't seem to be trying to hide your scent. Have I said something rude?"

                                            >she's just smiling at me

                                            >like she hasn't said anything out of the ordinary at all

                                            "Uh… I'm sick. You should really head on home now before you catch my, uh, flu."

                                            /"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. Would you like to come back into the forest with me? We need to retrieve our camping gear."

                                            >there's something wrong with her

                                            >something wrong with me

                                            >something wrong with everything

                                            >slam the door right in her face

                                            >wheel around

                                            >my brother is staring at me looking confused

                                            >tell him I'm heading to T's place, and not to tell anybody that I'm going

                                            >I vaguely remember she told me not to leave home

                                            >but I need answers

                                            >I need answers now

                                            >high-tail it out the back door and gallop on into town

                                            >they're all waiting for me in town square

                                            ="Hi, Applenon!"

                                            _"Hi, Applenon!"

                                            /"Hi, Applenon!"

                                            >good thing is it's still about noon

                                            >there's way too many ponies around for them to do much more than act creepy

                                            >can't miss T's house

                                            >gallop right up to the door and pound on it

                                            >the door opens

                                            <"Hi, Applenon!"

                                            "T! I wanna talk to you about what happened in the forest!"

                                            <"The forest?"

                                            "Yeah! The smell, and the noises, and the screaming, and the creepy smiles, and all of that stuff!"

                                            <"Oh."

                                            >she gives me a big blank smile

                                            <"I wouldn't worry about that."


                                            __________________________________________________________________________________________________________


                                            I think it was right then and there that I realized what was so creepy about all of my friends. Ah, what's the easiest way for me to put it? Okay, so I got a grandpappy who's a pear farmer. This one time my little sister bugged him into baking some apple pies for us. Well, he did just that. And they were perfect pies, except for one thing. It's hard to put that one thing into words. He baked them perfectly, did it the exact same way I would have done it. And they tasted exactly like apple pies, except for, uh, I guess you could call it a sort of "master touch". Yeah, that's it. The way my friends were moving, it was like they didn't have that "master touch". It was like they'd been studying and practicing moving like normal ponies for years and years and years, and they were doing everything perfectly, except, well, if a pear farmer is never gonna bake an apple pie quite like an apple farmer, then I guess you could say that, whatever these things are, they're never gonna move and talk quite like ponies, though they've gotten a lot better at it.


                                            The thing is, I don't know what these "things" are, or even if there are any "things". And I know this doesn't make any sense, but, I keep thinking of that story D told, right before she changed. The "skin trotter". I got cousins who live down near buffalo country, so I know the legend of the skin trotter. As the buffalo tell it, it's a sorta evil buffalo wizard who can turn himself into critters. It ain't at all like the story D was telling, and it doesn't seem much like what happened to us. What does sound like what mighta happened to us is the story D was telling. Monsters who eat ya and wear your skin like a costume. But I'm positive that's all just something D made up. It doesn't make any sense, and I really really don't want it to be true. But it's the only thing I keep on thinking of.


                                            Well, after the scene at T's place, I high-tailed it back home and locked all the windows and doors. It's just a day short of two weeks since all this happened, and here's what I've seen and heard of so far:


                                            >every day some of my apple trees get knocked over

                                            >all of the pigs we keep on the farm are gone now

                                            >all four of them used to have pets, but those pets are gone now too

                                            >some of them have friends or family living in their houses, and those folks don't seem like they changed yet


                                            So here's what I think. They're not looking to replace everybody in town. My guess is there was only 5 of them, and that one of them is still waiting in the forest for me. I think they're waiting for a chance to get me instead of just getting somebody else because they know I know about them, and they figure if they can get me then that's the last disguise and the last witness all in one swoop. I haven't told anybody about this yet because I'm worried they'll try to get whoever I tell. But I'm also worried that if they don't get me soon, they'll just get someone else anyway. Probably R's little sister or T's assistant. Maybe F. R's sister and T's assistant are still just kids, and if they get F then half the animals in town will probably disappear. I don't want any of these things to happen.


                                            I don't want to take this up with the Princess. She was close to T, so whatever's gotten into T has probably gotten close to the Princess too. Famous ponies, remember. I don't think the Princess has been changed or that she will be, I just think that changed-T might be able to convince her that I'm the bad guy if I try to say anything to her.


                                            So here's what I'm thinking I'll do. It's crazy, but I gotta do it before something terrible happens. Even with T gone, there's still one pony who can probably tell me what's going on. Well, she's not a pony exactly, but her name is Z. The problem is, she lives in a little cottage inside the Everfree Forest. I really, really want her to tell me that there's no such thing as skin trotters, and that it's just some kinda whacky woods magic or something. That way there might be some kinda potion or medicine or something that can fix my friends. Or maybe my friends really are gone, and it's just monsters wearing their skin like clothes. If that's the case, then maybe there's a potion or something that I can use to kill them for what they did. Either way, I need to go to Z's place to find out.


                                            So, as soon as I hit "New Reply" here, I'm gonna head back out into the Everfree Forest. Somehow, I've gotta make it past not only the skin trotters, but also a million other pony-eating varmints. And I've gotta hope, seriously hope, that Z hasn't been changed already too, and that she does have some kinda answer for all this. If I make it outta this alive, I'll tell you how it goes. And if not, then I guess I won't.


                                            But if I come back saying stuff like, "I wouldn't worry about it," well…

                                            Just hide the thread and move on with your life. And stay away from Ponyville and the Everfree Forest.


                                            Signing off for maybe the last time,

                                            Applenon