Anon - Tales of the rot

>You've always heard stories when you were a filly about the rot; some creature that would take moths deep into the forest to where they were never seen again.
>Of course, now that you were older, you realize this was only a cautionary tale that parents would tell their young ones to keep them from wandering into the forest nearby
>Still, you were always curious about the forest and why it seemed so hollow from the outside.
>You never recall seeing any living thing go in or out of the thick sea of trees and briars, not even timber wolves.
>Still, you swallow whatever fear or worry you had and braved the forest entrance.
>Just as you had imagined, it was dark. Trees were crooked with their branches that looked as if they were writhing yet frozen in time.
>Bramble and briars weaved through the forest floor and around the trees, making it difficult for you to traverse the ground.
>You spread your wings and flutter off the ground carefully, being sure not to get your wings caught on anything, as you pressed onward through the dark.
>Something strange was ahead.
>You slow your pace and squint to observe the figure before you and with better lighting, you slowly manage to figure out what it was that you were looking at.
>A pod stood up against the tree nearby you, except the pod looked more defined in shape; almost ... pony-like.
>The pod was burst open with the ground around it surrounded with little mushrooms and fungi.
>You grimace at the scene and wonder what in the world it was but left yourself with the idea it was some odd fungus formation.
>You figured you'd had enough of this forest for one day and decide to turn back.
>Just as you did, you had the oddest sensation of something looming behind you.

>Your heart races. Do you look behind? What if something was there? Or maybe it was all in your head ... wait, you knew what was behind you. That weird fungus. That's right; it's just the feeling of that odd shape behind you is all.
>You try to shake it off but look behind you anyways.
>Just as you guessed, it was that pod. Lonely yet becoming in a solemn way. Your eyes focus on the hollow in it's burst-out form.
>Maybe it was just your mind but the form looked more and more like a pony with each passing moment. Like it was reaching out towards you.
>Unfortunately, the current form of it was far from being anything definable and perhaps it was just your mind.
>You shake off the uneasiness from your subconscious and move back the way you came.
>Carefully fluttering towards the dim light of the entrance that was now merely moments away.
>You almost feel yourself pick up the pace as if you wanted to get your tail out of there; as if something was walking right behind you.
>Your mind kept going back to that pod
>That lonesome, beckoning fungus as if it was crying out.
>You were almost to the entrance now ... just a few more feet.
>You decide to give the forest one last look.
>As soon as you turned your head, your hind legs were grabbed and dragged you back into the forest.
>You scream out for help as you're pulled back in; kicking and fluttering your wings wildly.
>You couldn't fight it. It kept pulling you further and further until you were back at that pod.
>The burst husk of some poor soul stood before your terrified form as an omen to your ill fate.
>Some form peered over the husk which you dare not look at but out of the corner of your eye was an undefinable creature that was twisted.
>It's body was inky black that dripped onto the ground with wet splats and it's face was pure white which looked of porcelain.
>You sob and struggle as everything began to sink in; what it was; what was going to happen to you.
>If only you had listened ...