Scary Stories Around the Campfire

Lunaris and Hyacinth Dreams lay near the campfire, their long rapunzel tails curled around them. Butterfly Kisses was curled up not far off, the Nordanner’s green winged markings standing out in the field of Loshenka. 

Gwen was currently building up the fire, but they were certain she’d be joining them shortly. The fae had been restless recently, wandering the field at night and looking rather haunted. None of them liked it but there wasn’t much they could do besides follow her and try to distract her. 

The fire built up to her satisfaction, Gwen sat down and pulled out a bag with marshmallow, chocolate, graham crackers before looking around for a stick. “Well drat, I knew I forgot something.” 

Hyacinth looked up and nudged at Lunaris, a good looking stick sitting just behind the mare. The shale tuxedo mare picked up the indicated stick from the ground and whinnied to get Gwen’s attention. 

“Thanks!” Gwen took the stick and settled back down. Butterfly sniffed curiously at the marshmallows and goodies. The fae reached back and brushed at the green tipped nose of the Nordanner. “Don’t worry, I brought treats for all of you as well. No point being out here if I didn’t.” 

Hyacinth’s ears picked up at the mention of treats even as Butterfly started pushing at Gwen’s bags in an effort to locate the promised goodies. Lunaris simply tossed their head, their long shale and white tail sweeping brown and orange leaves from the ground. 

Gwen passed out the treats, slices of pumpkins and some apples. Hyacinth went immediately for the apples, the hyacinth stallion clearly interested in the crunchy sweetness. His stained ghoul markings somehow stood out nearer the firelight. 

After all the horses had their treat, Gwen sat down to make her own. She preferred the marshmallow thoroughly scorched but for the moment she was mostly just interested in enjoying the quiet of the night and so the marshmallow remained too far above the fire to really even brown. 

“So any ideas on what to do?” Gwen asked the three horses around her. She didn’t really expect an answer but she’d enjoy the company anyway. 

Lunaris looked up from her pumpkin treat and huffed in the direction of the fire and the marshmallow as if deciding if the risk of the fire was worth the reward. Mercifully the shale splash mare decided it probably wasn’t. Instead she regarded Gwen with her multicolored gemstone eyes reflecting the flickering of the fire and the flecks of glittering on her coat twinkling. 

“Okay, so no ideas from you. Butterfly, what do you think?” Gwen asked moving the marshmallow to where it was hopefully less tempting.  

Butterfly shook her head, her black mane catching the breeze and seeming to fly around dramatically for a moment as leaves raced by. The mare then huffed, the butterfly wings along her side seeming to flutter for a moment before she picked up one of the apple slices and crunched at it happily. 

“Okay, no help from you either.” Gwen laughed as she fished out some more treats for the horses around her. “Hyacinth, that leaves it up to you. Any thoughts?” 

Hyacinth turned his pitch black, reaper eyes on Gwen, the fire seeming to flicker from somewhere in the depths of his gaze. He lazily swished his white edged tail in the dirt but was otherwise almost eerily still. 

Something in the way he looked at her gave Gwen an idea. “You know, you’re right! A scary story is just what we need!” 

If that was actually what Hyacinth intended or not was hard to tell as the stallion simply flicked his ears and lowered his head to pick at what little grass remained green. 

Not wanting to waste the opportunity at an audience that might actually listen, Gwen started her story. It was about a prince who invited all of his rich friends to a monastery while his people were dying of a horrible disease. 

Lunaris flattened her ears as Gwen mentioned the Red Death and the stains on people’s bodies, particularly their faces. The Loshenka seemed upset by the idea, her half eaten apple forgotten at her hooves. 

When Gwen got to the part about Prince Prospero’s ball, Butterfly seemed outright offended. The Nordanner stopped her green edged hooves in the dirt, sending leaves scattering. 

Hyacinth huffed as Gwen described the unusual rooms in the building, each a different color with stained glass corresponding to the dominant shade save one. There was blue, purple, green, orange, white, violet, and the last was black. But it was the black room that was different. This one had a red window. 

All three horses raised their heads as Gwen described the masquerade ball and then the figure that appeared amongst the crowd. A tall figure and ghastly, dressed as if from the grave, their face bespeckled with blood. 

Lunaris let out a whinny when Prospero called for the corpse-like figure to be seized and hung. Their eyes grew wide, the white visible around their blue and purple irises. 

Butterfly nearly leapt to her feet, her black tail swishing when everyone was too afraid to touch the spectre and he began to move between the colored rooms. The Nordanner let out a cry when Prospero chased after, a raised dagger in hand.

Hyacinth seemed interested but unafraid as Prospero fell dead not three feet from the terrifying figure. The black phantom eyes of the stallion remained fixed on Gwen, even the motion of his tail stopped as he listened in wrapped attention. 

It wasn’t until the other revelers rushed the ghastly form only to find it didn’t possess a true physical form did Hyacinth Dream’s ears flatten back in agitation. 

“And so it came that the Red Death began to claim the revelers one by one until death and decay held dominion over all.” Gwen finished, so caught up in the story that she’d forgotten about her marshmallow which now lay in the grass and leaves near the fire. 

Lunaris lowered her head, nuzzling at Hyacinth for reassurance. The stallion draped his tail over her and moved closer. The two were regular companions and he didn’t mind her warmth as the night grew colder. 

Butterfly regarded Gwen curiously before butting against the fae gently, asking for pets. Gwen obliged and before long found herself leaning against the black and green-winged-marked mare. It wasn’t long before she fell asleep. It’d been a long time since she’d done something so enjoyable as tell a scary story around the fire.