Urban Legends of the Everfree

Beginning in the center, and moving across the continent to the west, the Everfree takes up more of Equestria than mappers say. The forest consumes all who enter, be it towns, travelers, or loners. Though, there are those that can withstand the watchful eye of the forest and live among its twisted ferns. Urban legends may just be tall tales to you, but to this forest.. They're all very real. Do you dare enter? (Disclaimer that all pictures used aren't mine. The stories are, if only for a select few that're inspired from others.)

[everfreelegends]

Under Construction

This is a tale long overdue, but it's time we revisit the woods. This one happens to be about a long since abandoned construction site.

If you manage to press through the forest enough to pass by previously mentioned dangers, then you might chance upon this. A construction site, what they were trying to build seems lost to time. Perhaps they were attempting another try at a small town, or perhaps apartment buildings, or even maybe a national park. Whatever the case, an abandoned construction site is dangerous by itself.

Old support structures could collapse, temporary scaffolding could break, the tools and parts lying around could harm you. But add all of that to the danger of the Everfree, and well, you might have a cocktail of unfortunate events happen to you.

Supposedly, there are reports that there's a very quiet, yet imposing atmosphere around the place. Sometimes there's a mysterious wailing noise, but it's just quiet enough that if you focus to listen it stops. It causes you to question if you even heard it at all. It feels lonely, but at the same time there's a sensation like you're not as alone as you think you are.

Regardless, everyone has reported that there was never any kind of creature or thing that anyone could spot. The odd thing, however, is that if you accidentally damage any of the already rotting structures, an equivalent damage is exchanged onto your own body. Most ponies who've noticed this happen have reported that it was always an outward, noticeable bruise or cut.

Another strange thing is that in some way, whoever enters here will always end up damaging the property. It seems to be the curse of the place, it makes ponies extremely clumsy at the best of times. If your newfound clumsiness doesn't get you hurt by the various sharp tools left abandoned on the ground, then surely the damage you've accidentally caused will certainly do the work instead.

Going on this logic, and the fact that it's the Everfree we're talking about, it wouldn't be unreasonable to see a lot of corpses of the workmen who used to frequent here, or even other explorers. Especially when you consider that the equivalent damage exchange could be extreme internal damage to sensitive organs unbeknownst to the foolish pony. But for some odd reason, there's nothing around, no corpses of any kind, pony or animal. It's just you, all alone in this big place.

The construction site is too large of a space, too quiet for it to be in the middle of the forest, and so gorged on blood of the past workers that it forces it onto your fragile body in turn. Because of this, not many stick around after the first trip or mishap. Regular abandoned places can be dangerous in their own rights, after all.

But remember, all of these tales are just rumors we've collected from various ponies who claim to have went and survived. The only fact we can conclusively draw, is that ponies are reported to wander into the forest, and then they're never seen again. But it's just urban legends. Right?

[everfreelegends]

The red cloud

Lovely submission from Cakepolla, as well. I love the way you depict this.

[everfreelegends]

Old cathedral what happens when you stay too long I don't know the answer

That is the point, my dear. No one truly knows. Those who stay too long don’t return, that is their fate. Presumed death. If you would like to try and see for yourself, you are a fool, but good luck anyway. You’ll need it in these woods.

[everfreelegends]

Red Clouds

As we all know the forest is usually covered in fog. The denseness of it is what varies. We also know the weather is uncontrollable here, despite every pegasi's efforts. Thus it's not surprising that even the weather would have it's own urban legends. This one specifically is about a red mist that covers a certain section of the woods.

Supposedly, this cloud comes at random, it's also rare, surprisingly. Maybe one of the legends that's actual legend. Though, there's just too many who reported it to push it over your shoulder. It seemingly comes from the trees, but many have all said that perhaps that was simply a trick of their eyes. Though, the further they walk their path the more dense it becomes.

Until eventually it's such a deep red that you're not sure if it's simply differently hued fog anymore. But like with normal fog, you can only make out basic figures now. When the fog is this dense, the smell is overwhelming and triggers your gag reflex according to survivors. 

The smell is apparently different with every pony, probably the smell of what disgusts you. The type of smell that lingers at the back of your throat for days, only to transfer to taste. Some survivors actually vomited. Regardless of if you throw up or not, staying too long in this fog will make you dizzy, your vision hazy, and just generally weak feeling.

The problem is, is that you can't just escape this mist that easily. The forest either changes around you, to where you walk in circles in this fog without realizing or the fog encased you in it itself. Your eyes eventually water even, from how intense this smog can get. 

Survivors reported that they experienced a harsh coughing spell, to the point that some had to stop walking to cough up their lungs. ..That's an expression this time. Though, all have said that after this, they coughed up saliva. Or at least they'd like to hope it's their saliva. With how red and thick the fog around them is, they couldn't tell if it was actual blood or not.

Coughing up saliva or blood, made them aware of the other places they were leaking liquids. Their noses, their eyes, and suddenly paranoid, they would all check if it's blood. Again, they couldn't tell. They couldn't even smell it with the overwhelming disgusting scent. 

Uncertain panic welling up inside them, survivors often quickened their pace to get out of the cloud. The extra output of energy while already feeling physically weak caused a lot of them to collapse. And ultimately fall into a painful coughing fit. Those that pushed through and crawled or continued to walk through it managed to escape the red clouds eventually. To those that didn't, well.. It's assumed they succumbed to their coughing spells and might have actually coughed up a lung.

Those that survived had to traverse the remaining forest with weakened bodies. To be later hospitalized for a few months if they actually exited the forest. It seems that they actually did bleed internally to a point that it did in fact leak out of their eye sockets, mouths, noses and even their ears. 

It's speculated that the only reason the fog is red is because it drains travelers of their blood supply. And the disgusting smell is what other ponies smelled like as they died inside of it. After all, the smell of death is never a pleasant one. That, or it's the workings of the forest to inflict such internalized deaths.

[everfreelegends]

Playgrounds

Like most things in the forest, places move. I know, it sounds silly, but considering how actively the forest changes, a place may seem to be located somewhere else, or you might just take longer to get there despite taking the same route. Well, considering one's path actively shifts, it's not surprising to sometimes happen upon an abandoned playground.

That's right, an old, rusty playground for children. If anything, it's actually interesting to view, some report. As most of us have the curious factor with abandoned things taken by the weeds and other plantlife. It lacks any sign of life aside from you, of course. One of the few places of the Everfree that won't kill you.

Except, it's never quite that easy. The many, surprisingly many, explorers who've discovered this place found it off putting once they actually stepped hoof on the rotten mulch. They suddenly felt like they were being watched. When investigating certain toys or play structures they'd hear children's laughter from directly behind them.

When they turn, however, they all have reported that no one was there, and that dead silence ensues as soon as they turned. After this repeating a few times, most of these lost travelers would soon leave, as simple as that. But others, braving the forest like fools, would continue to curiously investigate.

Upon rounding up to the swing sets, most would see a little girl, slowly swinging. Those who approached her said that she looks up at you when you're somewhat close. They cringe as they retold of how she looked. A side of her face looks as if it had been mauled by a timberwolf, and thus the skin hangs loosely on that side of her face. The matching side of her body no better, and to add on to it, she says nothing. No matter what you might say to her. Of course, no one was actually brave enough to get close enough to touch her, as the parts of her that aren't bloody and hanging strings look like a decayed corpse.

 Another silent encounter is a little boy, who appears by the exit you so chose, simply sitting. Like the little girl, he looks up when approached, and sadly, to leave most reported that they had to walk right past him. Unlike the little girl, his skin looks entirely bloated, like that of a drowned swamp victim. It is reported that no matter what you do, they seem unfazed and will not try to attack.

It's highly believed that the children seen are in fact dead, I mean, how would they be surviving with their quite dead bodily conditions. That the entire playground is haunted by children's spirits. Even more odd, survivors of other legends often say they visited this place first, so it's speculated that this playground serves as a warning to the lost and brave travelers. As most likely, these children have died in various ways in this forest and come to rest here forever.

[everfreelegends]

Easter Town

Like many foolish settlers, ponies had built this town in the denseness of the forest. And like all towns built smack-dab in the forest it became apart of it. Actually, this is one of the newest legends added onto the ever growing list. This used to be a lively town until a few weeks ago, according to visitors who luckily left before whatever happened here. To any who wander here now, it's a ghost town covered in dense fog, with none of its residents in sight.

That is, until you explore deeper. Eventually you'll see shadowy figures in the fog, and despite how alive they might look, it's reported that survivors had gotten the instinctual urge to stay hidden and quiet. Upon watching them further, or getting closer, you'll notice how abnormally these ponies move. 

They twitch and spasm often, in horrible ways that clearly breaks their bones. Yet it seems that despite this, they move leisurely and slow. Not noticing each other or their surroundings, they simply wander around aimlessly it appears. Survivors took note on how they looked exactly like residents they knew, fresh and alive. But they noticed how their stomachs seemed bloated, and how sometimes their skin would bulge like several somethings underneath were moving.

Actually, most of these once-ponies were reported to have many tentacles sticking out of them. Their ears, their mouths, their eye sockets, even forcibly puncturing holes in their legs like a mockery of a changeling. To add on to the nasty appear, their eyes are like that of a dead fish. Dulled and lifeless, yet still they move and wander the town. Most survivors speculate that the tentacles, or whatever is inside them is keeping their bodies functional, but to a fault. Hence the awful twitches.

One curious explorer reported that she once gotten spotted by one of them, and it let out an ear piercing screech which alerted all the others. Stuck in place by fear, she watched as it broke its own jaw, trying to force a rather big egg out of its throat. With only using its mouth it launched it at her, but luckily came short and instead cracked on the cement. Purple acid pouring from the broken shell of this rotten looking egg.

Because of the eggs they seem to throw up, this young legend has been dubbed 'Easter Town' and the original name of it lost in the trend. No one knows what happened to this town to make its residents literal living corpses with parasitic eggs inside them. It's accepted that no one ever will know the truth behind this town, but that doesn't stop ponies from exploring the new ghost town in the forest.

[everfreelegends]

Old Cathedral

To the west, deep within the Everfree Forest, you may stumble upon an old church. Styled like it came from another time, it broadcasts the religion of the Holy Sun. A common practice of religion to ponyfolk. These tales come from the lucky, the quick witted. Those who were able to withstand the forest’s tests. Lost on their path no matter the reason they entered the strange forest, they would soon find themselves in front of the doors to this cathedral. Beautiful in its own right, yet wary to enter. Can you blame them with all the stories surrounding the forest itself? However, with nightfall usually close, or if they foolishly believed too deeply in their faith, they enter. The pony to greet them is a priest. Behind his podium with his ever present smile, bearing no horn or wings. Fashioned with the usual embroidered holy clothing, and his general manner would offset you somehow. He would offer you to spend the night there, until you got your bearings and insist even in such a way where you couldn’t refuse. After such he’d allow you to explore the place, make your home in it. To which every wary and curious pony would take up on. However, he’d be there, watching. They leave the main hall, and supposedly leave him by his podium to explore rooms by their lonesome. Yet once they exit a room they would see him, at the end of the hall, watching and smiling in that off putting way of his. Though he’d never block your exit, in fact he’d be on the dead end side of the hall. But it’s not very comforting to see him at the end of every hall once you left a room. You could potentially speak to him. Elongate the first initial exchange of words by asking questions. He reportedly gets more annoyed the longer you do this, however, and seems aggressively defensive on the subject of why no one else is there manning the church with him or even on the history of the church itself. Yet his smile holds through this all, but the atmosphere around him turns tense and almost deadly compared to the previous ominous feel. At night, one of the nights, depending on how long you’ve stayed, though I suppose he could do it any, you’ll wake to the intense feeling of being watched. And in the darkness you’ll see him, for once blocking your exit with that same smile, if only more sinister. Frozen with fear, you’ll be unable to look away and after a short time he’ll step towards your bed in a disjointed way. It’s just now that you’d realize you never actually seen him walk until this moment. Whilst leaning extremely close to your face he’ll growl out a single, ‘It’s not polite to stare.’ Whatever he does to you afterwards is unknown, most survivors of this are unicorns and teleport at this time or even earlier. One unicorn gotten so uneasy by his silent stalking that she had used an invisibility spell and then walked out of the room. He was still there and waiting for her to leave, but being unseen she decided to hide behind a pew in the main hall. After some time, he started screaming at the top of his lungs in an inhuman way, or well, inpony, after assumedly checking on the room she was in. The screams themselves prompted the pony to teleport out and never head to the West ever again. Another tale from a survivor is one unicorn managed to explore so deeply he found the room of the priest. Upon trying to enter his room, he found the doors locked, almost jammed, and could not enter. When the unicorn turned to go somewhere else, the priest was standing directly before him. His smile somehow wider as he began to explain that his room was off limits. Since that, the priest would follow him closer, standing halfway down halls instead of at the end of them. It is rumored that he eats ponies. From the way he talks to the screams reported, he is definitely not pony. Definitely not from this time. Apparently, the longer you stay, the older he appears and before long he’s a hollowed corpse. Of course, no one actually stayed this long to find out, and if they did.. Well.. I assume you know the answer.