Thursday, October 25th
Last night after I wrote that journal entry, Twilight came to check up on me. We were supposed to meet yesterday, but I never came. I couldn't tell her the whole story, considering that Applejack and Big Macintosh were around, but I let her know that I would be coming the next morning along with Dark. Twilight was nervous about meeting him, but she understood.
I woke up early the next morning and had breakfast with my family as usual, when we all heard a knock at the front door.
“Now who could that be this early in the morning?” Applejack wondered. I followed her to the door, scared of who it could be, but I sighed in relief when it turned out to just be Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.
“Hi, Apple Bloom...” they said in unison. They didn't sound very enthusiastic.
Applejack laughed at them. “Howdy, girls! Sorry Apple Bloom was too busy snoozing last night to see you!”
My eyes widened. “What did you say, Applejack?”
She laughed. “Last night these two came around lookin' for you about an hour after Twilight showed up. You were fast asleep in your bed and I didn't want to disturb you. I didn't realize they'd be here this morning!”
I looked at Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, who looked back at me emotionless.
Thankfully, Applejack didn't seem to notice their moods. “Well, I'll let you three girls be,” she said, walking back to the kitchen. “I'm gonna eat the rest of your breakfast if you don't finish it, Apple Bloom!”
When Applejack was out of earshot, Sweetie Belle closed the door behind her and hugged me tightly. “Where were you yesterday?! We were so worried about you when you didn't come to school!”
“What's going on, Apple Bloom?” Scootaloo looked angry with me. “You're not the type to skip school, so tell us what happened!”
“It... it's a long story.” I sighed. “And there's something I have to do today.”
“Oh no,” Scootaloo said. “We're not letting you go anywhere on your own!”
“Things are getting complicated,” I told her, “and I don't want to get you two involved.”
“But we're your friends!” Sweetie Belle protested. “You can't expect us to just sit quietly in school while you go do who knows what!”
I took a good look at them. “You aren't going to leave me alone, are you?”
Scootaloo shook her head. “No way! Wherever you go, we go!”
Just two days ago, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle wanted to forget everything we had seen. While I was reading books in Twilight's library, they had gone straight home. But now that I've missed just one day of school, they realize that they can't just pretend everything's fine. They want to help me, and it would be dumb of me to refuse it.
“Thanks, girls,” I told them. “Let me get my bag and we'll go straight to Twilight's.”
On the way there, I filled them in on as much as I could. I already told them about the weird book on Tuesday, but this was the first they had heard of Twilight's encounter with the slender pony. So much has happened to me lately that I didn't even realize how big of a shock it would be to them. We only saw the slender pony for a moment. Compare that to spending who knows how long with him in total darkness gave Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle the shivers.
And of course, I explained my kidnapping yesterday. They hugged me tightly when I told them about it, but for whatever reason, I didn't feel scared. They thought I would be really shaken up about it, but instead I just wanted to get to Twilight's house and figure out what happened next. When I got to the part where Dark traded the slender pony for me, they thought I might have been going crazy again. The idea of that faceless creature not just leaving me alone, but helping me was too much for them. But it didn't matter whether or not they believed me, because they would see for themselves soon enough.
When the three of us arrived at Twilight's library, I looked around to see if Dark was waiting for us. It would be hard for him to hide in broad daylight, but I wanted to be sure. As far as I could tell, he hadn't arrived yet.
“This feels kind of familiar,” Scootloo remarked.
I shot her a glare.
“Sorry!” she said quickly, then looked aside. “It's just that for the longest time you kept talking about him, but we never saw him until the morning after we slept in the woods.”
Sweetie Belle reassured me. “Don't worry, I'm sure he'll turn up. Let's just go inside with Twilight.”
I agreed. The three of us knocked on the door. We saw Twilight take a peek through the eyehole, then opened it to let us in.
“Scootaloo? Sweetie Belle? What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Apple Bloom was absent from school yesterday!” Scootaloo said. “We're not leaving her side until we know she's safe!”
“Yeah!” Sweetie Belle agreed.
Twilight sighed. “Alright, girls. Come on in. Let's see what we can figure out before Dark shows up.”
After we walked in, Twilight locked the door behind us. I got out my journal and started explaining what happened yesterday. I... kind of glanced over the part where I was being mind controlled. Even though I knew I was looking through Ebony's eyes, some of what I said was true. I thought it would be best to just skip over it and explain it later.
During the discussion I noticed it was quiet in the library. “Where's Spike?” I asked Twilight.
Twilight gave as big a smile as she could considering what had been happening. “I knew we'd be busy today, so I asked him to go to Rarity's and help her out. He was very appreciative.”
My friends and I giggled a bit, but the lightened mood didn't last long as Twilight read about Ebony, and the revelation that she was the one who summoned the slender pony, and accidentally locked Twilight alone with him. When we finished that section, Twilight stopped reading and sat down on the ground, staring off into space. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle talked to themselves about it, trying to piece together everything that was going on, but I was too preoccupied with Twilight's mood to join their conversation.
After a few minutes of silence, Twilight turned to me, afraid. “She's here too? For the past few days, I thought that the slender pony was all I had to worry about. But now, we have to deal with the professor that ran that horrible experiment...”
I rested my head on her shoulder. I wanted to tell her it would be okay, but in my vision, I personally felt how angry and alone Ebony was. When she lost everything she had worked for, I could feel myself losing it. I'm glad the visions ended after that, because I can't imagine what she must be going through day after day.
I got Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo to stop wrestling with my journal long enough to start the story again where Twilight left off. Just as we read about Dark carrying me off to avoid the slender pony, the four of us jumped when we heard a knock at the door.
Twilight looked towards the entrance and gulped. “Is that...”
“I think so,” I said. I walked towards the door and opened it enough just to peek through. I saw Dark quickly looking from side to side before he spotted me.
“I'm sorry if I'm late, Apple Bloom,” he said. “I wanted to be sure nopony in town spotted me.”
Twilight, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo walked up to the door. As I opened it for them, they felt very nervous. My friends remembered him from the night in the forest, but this is the first time Twilight had seen him in person.
“C... come on in...” Twilight opened the door all the way as he stepped in. She was trying to be brave, but I could tell she was intimidated. After being rescued twice by Dark, I knew he wasn't scary, but Twilight only had my word to go on. As Dark stepped into the room, I realized something.
“You ARE Dark, right?” I asked, suddenly suspicious.
“Huh?” Sweetie Belle said. “What are you talking about, Apple Bloom?”
“No, she's right,” Dark replied. “Flash is known for being deceptive. I won't go on until you all are convinced I'm who I say I am.”
“How am I supposed to know?!” Twilight looked like she was ready to panic. “I've never even met you before!” She looked at my friends and me. “Please tell me you all have an idea!”
“We only got a glimpse of him!” Scootaloo complained. “This is only the second time we've seen him!”
“I can do it!” I told them. Everypony quieted down and turned towards me. “He rescued me yesterday. I think I know how.”
At first I looked down at his legs, and they were wobbling like they always did. I thought this would be enough, but that was how I saw through Flash's disguise yesterday. I doubt he'd overlook it this time. But then I realized what I could do.
“Can we see your wing?” I asked him.
Dark hesitated, but started to pull his cape off. “Girls, you may want to look away.”
“Well not after you say something like THAT,” Scootaloo replied.
Dark sighed then pulled off his cape, exposing his mangled left wing. Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Twilight gasped. My friends turned their eyes away, and Twilight winced at the sight.
“How long has it been like that?!” she asked.
“A long time,” Dark said.
Sweetie Belle still wasn't looking, but she squirmed at the thought. “Doesn't it hurt?!” she asked.
“Every second of every day,” Dark told her. He turned to look at me. “Are you convinced, Apple Bloom?”
I hated to do it, but I took a close look at the wing. It looked real. If Flash was also a pegasus, I didn't think he would cripple himself just for this.
“I believe you,” I told Dark. He put his cape back on, sparing us from the sight.
“You know...” Twilight said, “My friend Fluttershy knows a few medical tricks. She can't repair your wing, but I bet she could-”
“This is not the time to be worrying about me,” Dark replied. “We have bigger problems at the moment.”
“Just trying to help...” Twilight muttered.
Since all that was left in the journal was my walk home with Dark, we decided to skip it and just let the two of us explain what had happened. Just like Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, Twilight couldn't believe it when we said the slender pony traded himself for me.
“Why?” she asked. “Why in the world would he go out of his way to save Apple Bloom? He's evil! Everywhere he goes he just spreads fear and misery!”
“You are letting your emotions get the best of you,” Dark retorted. “The one you refer to as the 'slender pony' has never gone out of his way to harm a living thing.”
“Are you kidding?!” Twilight's eyes started tearing up. “As a filly I had to spend hours locked in a room with him! They were the most terrifying moments of my entire life!” Twilight started breathing heavy, and practically yelled. “How do you expect me to believe that he's on our side?!”
“Tell me,” Dark calmly replied. “When you were trapped with him, what exactly did he do to you?”
“Well he-” Twilight stopped to think about it. “As soon as he was summoned, I felt this horrible fear. I couldn't get out. I couldn't fight him. All I wanted was to curl up and die...”
“But you didn't,” Dark explained. “All that time, and you walked out of that room without a scratch on your body. Because of the princess's memory loss spell, it was like it never happened.”
“...What are you saying?” Twilight asked.
“It's simple,” Dark said. “He had just been summoned from Tartarus. The place where ponies go to suffer. In his first moments of freedom, why would he attack a defenseless filly?”
“He...” Twilight tried to find the right words, but nothing came up. “But...”
“Furthermore,” Dark added. “Isn't it true that there was no recorded 'attack' that week in Canterlot? The only news was that a science experiment had caused an explosion. Nothing more.”
Twilight looked at him with a blank face. “You're... right...”
Dark wasn't done with his explanation. “One of the abilities he discovered he had was to become incorporeal. That way, he managed to sneak out undetected. Through walls, floors, and whatever else he needed. I'm sure he chilled the hearts of a few fillies who were in his way, but he avoided them at all costs.”
Twilight was dumbfounded. All of us were. During Dark's explanation, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and I had sat quietly, listening to every word. A few moments passed after Dark spoke, and then Scootaloo realized something.
“If he's not evil,” she asked. “Then what was he doing following us in the woods that night? I thought he was going to kill us!”
Dark actually grinned when she asked that. “Did you notice that all night, you hadn't run into a single monster in the woods?”
“That's right!” Sweetie Belle suddenly spoke up. “There are all sorts of weird creatures in the Everfree Forest, but we slept there all night without anything happening to us!”
“That's because he was watching out for you,” Dark told us. “His very presence frightens animals. He ensured that you got a good night's rest, though it can be difficult to keep his distance at the same time.”
The three of us were shocked. We knew that Dark had been watching us because of the line he drew to the exit, but we hadn't even considered that the slender pony was protecting us that night.
“Of course,” Dark continued, “It was an accident that you noticed him at all. When I heard your screams that morning, I realized that he had been spotted. But it didn't matter, because I knew that you wouldn't be harmed.”
Up until this point, Dark had been talking calmly, explaining everything as simply as he could. But at this point, he turned his head away and his voice turned sour.
“Of course, your screams had an unintended side effect; they led Ebony and her gang right to the slender pony.”
The three of us gulped.
“I was hoping we could move away from Ponyville once you all had been returned safely to your homes, but as you can see, that wasn't the case.” Dark looked outside through the window of the library. “We've been avoiding Ebony and her followers for a while now, but running is no longer an option. It ends here.”
The room remained quiet as we took in everything he said. I wanted to feel bad for accidentally helping Ebony find Dark and the slender pony, but it seemed like they would catch up eventually. There was no point in worrying about it anymore. However, there was something else we all needed to know.
“Who... are you?” I asked.
Dark looked away from the window and back toward us, silent.
“How do you know Ebony?” I continued. “And the slender pony? And Brock and Flash? Why are all of you here in the first place?”
We all looked at Dark intently, waiting for an answer. He sighed and did his best to explain.
“All I know is that Ebony wants ponies to suffer. She unleashed the slender pony upon the world, and intends to use his power for her own selfish desires. As for the others and me... we wanted to assist her.”
Dark's words made all of us stand up and take notice.
“You what?!” Twilight glared at him. “You were trying to help her?!”
Dark backed away and hesitantly held a hoof in front of himself. “It was a foolish idea! A decision made at my weakest moment...” Dark looked to the side and sighed before he continued. “When I met the slender pony for myself, I realized that he was as much a victim as we were. So I defected, and the two of us have been wandering Equestria ever since.”
The room was silent for a moment.
Scootaloo was still curious. “Um...”
“That's all I'm going to say about it.” Dark seemed uncomfortable to talk more about what happened.
Twilight had been quiet a long time. I didn't blame her, since it was a lot to take in. But since Dark seemed to be done talking, she decided it was her turn.
“Well, now everything's all cleared up, we need to focus on what we're going to do next.” Twilight walked to the table in the center of the room and hovered the top sheet of a stack of papers in front of her. “These are all the notes I've taken while studying the book yesterday. As you can see, we still have a lot of work to do.”
My friends and I looked at each other hesistantly.
Our silence didn't stop Twilight. “Unfortunately, as far as I can tell, there isn't a way to send the slender pony back to Tartarus. The only information I could find was about taking a soul out of there, not putting it back.”
Dark wasn't swayed by Twilight's words. “Nevermind the slender pony. What can you do about Ebony's binding magic? There must be a way to reverse it.”
Twilight rested her hoof on her chin and thought for a moment. “Well, it's definitely a possibility.”
“What do you mean?” Dark asked her.
Twilight pointed towards her notes. “When I couldn't find any more information about the slender pony, I took a look through the rest of the book. A lot of it is written in ancient Equestrian language, but I've been making some progress translating it. As much as I hate to admit it, some of our modern pony magic is derived from these ancient spells.”
“So things aren't hopeless after all.” Dark gave a sigh in relief, but still looked distraught. “But even if we succeed, Ebony will still pursue us, and next time she will take every precaution she can.” Dark closed his eyes and looked towards the window of the library. “If worst comes to worst, I may have to end things once and for all.”
We all took in what he said. I knew that Ebony was dangerous, but still, ending her life? I wasn't sure Dark had it in him. I know I wouldn't. Would he even be able to? Dark would be easily overpowered. Twilight might be able to stop her, but I don't know if she could bring herself to kill Ebony.
My thoughts were interrupted when we all heard a banging on the door. My heart dropped when I heard my big sister's voice on the other side.
“Apple Bloom! I know yer in there! Cheerilee told me you've been skipping school! I've got Big Macintosh here with me, and we're gonna knock some sense into ya right now if ya don't open this door right now and co-op-er-ate!”
Everypony in the room's eyes widened. Twilight whispered to Dark to hide upstairs. As for me, I don't think there was any place for me to hide. When Dark was out of sight, Twilight hesitantly opened the door. Before any of us could get a word in, Applejack stormed into the library without even acknowledging Twilight.
Applejack marched up to me. “What in the hay has been goin' on with you?” Applejack leaned forward to look me right in the eyes. “You've been acting all weird ever since you had that weird dream. Is there something going on that I need to know about? Or are you just playing hooky for the fun of it? Say something to me, Apple Bloom!”
I quivered under the weight of her words. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle stared at us, their mouths hanging wide open. Even Twilight was speechless. Big Macintosh walked in. He didn't look as angry as Applejack, but his eyes were directly focused on me. He stayed as quiet as he always was.
“And you!” Applejack turned her attention towards Twilight. “What's so important that you gotta pull my sister out of school without even telling me?”
Twilight slumped. “Applejack...”
“Spit it out!” my sister yelled.
“It's a long story...” Twilight tried to explain, but Applejack was impatient.
“I don't have all day! As soon as I find out what's going on I'm dragging Apple Bloom right out of here!”
Twilight tried to reason with her, but Applejack was just getting angrier by the second. Instead, Scootaloo stepped forward and spoke as fast as she could.
“All the kids at school started having these weird dreams that were caused by this weird faceless slender pony and there's these three evil ponies in the forest who kidnapped Apple Bloom but this other pony named Dark went and rescued her even though we thought he was evil and now this scary pony wants to cast a spell over Ponyville or something and now we're trying to figure out how to stop them because if we don't then everypony in town will be in danger!”
Scootaloo panted after her long-winded rant.
Applejack raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“It's... complicated.” Twilight sighed. “But what Scootaloo said is right. Ponyville could be in a lot of danger, and Apple Bloom is directly involved.”
Applejack didn't seem convinced. “If Ponyville is in danger, then what's a little filly like Apple Bloom going to do?” Applejack looked over at me. “If something's going on, ya shoulda let me know! I'm no slouch in a fight. I bet ah can take whatever they've got.”
“It's not that simple!” Twilight pleaded. “The unicorn we're dealing with, Ebony, could be one of the most powerful magic-users in Equestria!”
Applejack rolled her eyes. “Ah doubt she's any more trouble than Nightmare Moon or Discord or Crystalis. What makes her so tough?”
Twilight sighed. “Look, it'll be easier to just show you. We have this book that might have the answer to all this.” She turned and started walking towards the shelves. “It's hidden behind a panel over here...”
“TWILIGHT! NO!”
Before anypony could react, Dark glided down from the stairs and tackled Applejack, causing the two of them to tumble over on the floor.
“What the?” Applejack struggled as Dark pinned her down to the floor. “Who in the heck are you supposed to be?!”
“Dark!” Twilight's horn glowed and Dark found himself floating above Applejack, futilely reaching toward her with his hooves. “What's gotten into you?”
“It's not her!” Dark explained, trying to break out of Twilight's spell. “She's Flash! And you were just about to give him the book!”
“What?” Twilight's horn stopped glowing and Dark fell from the air. “How can you tell?”
“I... I can't.” Dark got up and fixed his gaze directly on Applejack. “But if it was him, we couldn't let him get ahold of the book.”
“This is all going by too fast for me,” Applejack said. “What's so special about this book? And are you accusing me of not bein' me? Why ah aughta teach ya a lesson the hard way!” Applejack took a step toward him and cracked her hooves.
“Applejack, no!” I ran between the two of them and faced her. “Dark's on our side! If it is you, you have to believe me!”
My comment only made her madder. “If it is me? Apple Bloom, have you lost your mind? I just get knocked over by some creepy-lookin' pony I've never seen before, and you're on his side?”
I looked towards my older brother. “Big Macintosh! You believe me, right?”
His eyes widened and darted around the room for a moment.
Before he could say anything, Applejack interrupted. “Don't ya go trying to get your brother involved! This is between me and mister cape over here!” She walked past me and stood Dark looking straight in the eye.
I looked as close as I could at her as she past. She walked like Applejack, talked like Applejack, behaved just like her. I do remember Flash imitating her voice back at the cabin, but could it really be him? Then I realized that if Applejack was Flash, then Big Macintosh must have been...
“You!” I stepped towards my supposed older brother and looked him in the eyes. His eyes widened and darted from side to side before looking at Applejack.
“Good luck gettin' any words out of him. He's had a bad sore throat all mornin'.”
Big Macintosh raised his hoof to his throat and coughed. I was getting suspicious.
Twilight had been analyzing the situation, and even she wasn't sure what to think. “Hold on, I still have the reveal spell I used on the Changelings at the wedding. Just let me use it on them and we will know for sure.”
Dark scoffed. “It'll be no use, but go ahead.”
Applejack sighed and walked over to Big Macintosh. “Ah'm sick of having to prove ah'm really me, but if this will convince ya, then fine. Give us your best shot.”
Twilight focused. As her horn glowed, a wave of light shone over my siblings and dissipated. Nothing changed about them.
“Thank you.” Applejack looked towards Dark. “Now can ya please explain who this fella is and why he felt the need to tackle me?”
Twilight sighed and tried to smile. “He's saved Apple Bloom's life twice now. Please forgive him. He was just trying to be careful.”
Applejack rolled her eyes. “Saved her life, huh? What'd he do, beat up a scary-looking tree?”
“No, it's true!” Sweetie Belle had been silent for a while watching all of this, but she finally spoke up. “We all went into the Everfree Forest and got lost, and Dark led us out!”
Applejack got angry. “You all got lost in the Everfree Forest? What have ah told ya about going there without an adult? Ah'm gonna have a long talkin' to with your parents about you three!”
“We're sorry!” Scootaloo pleaded. “Please, we have bigger things to worry about!”
“Don't waste your breath!” Dark focused his eyes on Applejack. “You're definitely Flash.”
Twilight smacked her hoof on her forehead. “Will you leave it alone, Dark? I cast the spell. They're real. Leave them alone!”
“I know how to find out for sure.” Before anypony could react, Dark lunged at her again and bit hard into her side. Applejack let out a yell in pain, and Twilight once again used her magic to separate Dark from my sister.
As he was pulled away, his bite unfolded a pegasus wing from my sister's fur.
Twilight dropped her spell as all of us gasped. Dark spat some feathers out of his mouth and stood up. Applejack, or rather, Flash disguised as Applejack, looked at his extended wing and folded it back. The wing vanished when it pressed against his fur.
Flash turned to Brock and scolded him. “You just had to stand there and do nothing, huh?”
It was so bizarre seeing a different voice coming out of my sister's mouth. Twilight and my friends stared in silence as the two of them yelled at each other.
Brock glared at him. “You told me to just keep quiet and let you do all the talking!”
“And you almost blew it sooner than that! If I had let you speak it would have ruined everything!” Flash pressed his nose up against Brock's. “And we both knew Dark might be here! Why in the world were you just standing there?!”
Brock scoffed. “Doesn't matter now. Let's just get the book the hard way.”
They looked over at us. In an instant, Twilight put up a protective shield. Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Dark, Twilight, and me all stayed on the side of the library where the book must have been hidden.
Twilight stood on the edge of the force field. “Get out of my home!” she yelled. “I'm not letting you get the book!”
Flash tossed off his hat and undid the bands on his hair and tail. “I hate playing women. Keeping up that accent was hard enough. If I tried imitating one of your more higher-pitched friends, you would have seen through it immediately.”
“How?” I asked him. “How did you imitate my sister so perfectly? Have you even met her?”
Flash laughed. “You think you're safe in the peace and quiet of Ponyville? Hardly. Everypony knows the tale of the Elements of Harmony. How the six of you forged a bond to overturn Nightmare Moon's magic. I don't have to meet Applejack in person to know every detail about her. Or even you, Twilight.”
Twilight shuffled in place. I doubt she'd ever felt so exposed.
Flash smirked and said something else. “Of course, a little spying does help get the finer details down...”
I gasped. “You've been watching us?!”
Brock rolled his eyes. “Don't act so surprised. You know Ebony's not going to leave anything to chance.”
I've been worrying so much these last few weeks. Those weird dreams, lost in the forest, being kidnapped, and then I found out that I've been followed this whole time. Maybe even my family and friends! Even safe inside the bubble, I had to sit down and cry. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo hugged me while Flash and Brock just laughed at us.
“Quit crying, little girl!” Brock squinted his eyes. “Life is unfair, so get used to it.”
“Why?” I asked them in between sobs. “Why are you doing all this? First you trick me with Zecora, then Dark, and now my own sister!”
“Zecora?” Flash thought to himself for a moment before realizing what I was talking about. “Oh! That zebra woman!”
“Huh?” I asked, looking up at him.
“Tsk, tsk.” Flash laughed. “I'd love to claim credit for Zecora's performance, but you were speaking to the real one, Apple Bloom.”
“But that doesn't make sense!” Scootaloo yelled. “She told Apple Bloom that Dark was dangerous! I think. I mean, I wasn't there...” Scootaloo looked at me hesitantly, but I could tell she believed me.
Sweetie Belle also chimed in. “And when we went to visit her, she didn't remember anything! If you weren't imitating her, then what's going on?”
Flash laughed. “I believe there's somepony here who can answer that better than I can...” He looked over at Dark expectantly. The rest of us couldn't help but follow his gaze.
Dark took a step back and stammered a bit. “I-it was just a misunderstanding! Zecora got the wrong impression of me, just like you all did!”
“How come she didn't remember you, then?” I asked.
“Well,” Dark explained. “The slender pony has more powers than you know of...”
Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo were focused on Dark, but I noticed Twilight standing still with her eyes closed. I knew she had her hooves full with keeping the force field up, but it looked like there was something else on her mind.
“Flash...” she said. “ For some reason, I feel like I've heard your voice somewhere before.”
Flash's eyes grew wide. I didn't know what was going through his mind, but I think that was the first time I had ever seen him look scared. But it only lasted a moment before he decided to end the conversation. “Well, miss Twilight Sparkle. I think it's about time you gave us what we want.”
Flash and Brock began walking towards the force field, but Twilight kept her ground and opened her eyes. Whatever she had been thinking of she wasn't important to her now. She gritted her teeth and reinforced the shield. “And what do you plan to do? If you know so much about me, you must also know I'm one of the strongest magic users in Equestria!”
Flash stopped right in front of Twilight and looked her straight in the eye through the force field. He held his hoof up to the edge and grinned.
“Twilight!” Dark raced over and pulled Twilight away just as Flash swung his arm through the force field as if it wasn't even there.
He and Brock stepped all the way through and laughed. Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and I huddled together against the bookshelves, not sure where to go.
Twilight dropped the force field and backed up next to Dark. “But... how?” she asked. “That was the same spell my brother used against the Changelings! There's no way you should have been able to break through it!”
“Have you forgotten who you're dealing with?” Flash laughed and slowly walked toward her. “Brock and I are coated with an anti-magic shield. Anything you cast on us simply bounces off.”
“I told you it'd be no use,” Dark muttered.
“Now then,” Flash continued. “We're going to get it either way. I recommend you make this easy, because it's been a while since Brock's been allowed to use his muscles. Isn't that right?”
“Mm-hm.” Brock cracked his hooves and looked at Twilight and Dark expectantly.
Twilight sighed. “Alright. You can have it.”
“What are you doing?!” Dark pleaded. “That's our only hope against Ebony!”
Twilight ignored him. “There's a hidden panel behind a shelf. Let me show you.”
Flash and Brock followed her as she walked along the wall to a specific shelf. Her horn flashed, then piles of books fell off of the shelves onto them.
“Girls! Dark! Get down!” she yelled as books all over the library came off of their shelves and hovered in the air of the library. When Flash and Brock dug themselves out of the pile, they looked up and saw countless books pointing at them.
Twilight's horn glowed brightly as she spoke. “You may be immune to magic, but physical objects still hurt!”
Flash looked at Brock. “You think you can handle this one for me?”
Brock nodded, and the two dived out of the pile of books. Twilight shot several books at Brock, but because of his huge size many of them just bounced off. Flash put his wings to use and started flying around the shelves, pulling books off as he looked for the secret panel.
Dark ran over to me and quickly whispered, “Did Twilight show you where the book was hidden?”
“Nuh-uh,” I told him.
“So it's not in your journal?” he asked.
“No...”
“Good.” Dark ran off to find it before Flash could.
At first I didn't realize why Dark would ask me that, but then it hit me. I'm the reason they're here.
I turned to my friends and whimpered. “Girls...”
Sweetie Belle tried her best to talk amongst all the chaos. “What is it?”
“They're here because of me.” I admitted.
“What?!” Scootaloo yelled, though the noise drowned her out.
“When they kidnapped me,” I explained. “They read my journal. That's how they know about all that we've been doing. They found out that Twilight had the book because I wrote about it.”
They both hugged me tight. “It's okay,” Sweetie Belle reassured me. “You couldn't have known.”
I stayed silent. For the moment, all I could do was watch the action happening. Twilight constantly teleported in order to stay out of Brock's way. Dark tried to wrestle Flash to the ground, but with only one good wing, he couldn't keep up with him in the air.
As Twilight moved around and hurled books, I could hear her talking to herself. “Oh, I really wish I didn't have to use all these as weapons. I can't stand to see any of them hurt! Wait, what's this?” Twilight hovered a novel with a black cover in front of her. “Fifty Grains of Hay? What's this doing in my library?” She then repeatedly hit Brock on the head with it. I could see the book's spine crack, but Twilight didn't seem very worried about it.
As Brock and Flash got hit in the fight, I saw their disguises come off. Brock may have looked like my brother, but his fur was a lot darker than Big Macintosh's. It didn't look like their disguises were magical, because I saw a puff of makeup every time one of them got hit. Nothing like the Changelings we saw in Canterlot.
At one point, Dark managed to grab ahold of Flash as he was flying around. The two of them hovered in the air for a bit before Flash's wings gave out and the two tumbled to the ground. Dark kept grabbing Flash's limbs and trying to restrain him, while Flash was actively trying to attack Dark. The two swiped and punched at each other for a while, until finally Flash pinned Dark down for good.
Dark bit Flash's front limb once he was pinned down, but even though Flash yelled in pain, he still wouldn't let go. Eventually, I saw both of Flash's hooves press against Dark's neck. Dark tried to push Flash off of him, but it was no use. Dark's arms started to become weaker and weaker, and Flash just grinned as he strangled him.
I panicked.
“Stop!” I yelled, running over to the two of them as fast as I could. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were right behind me.
Flash was too distracted to notice us running up to him, but when the three of us jumped on him, he let go of Dark instantly. I walked up next to Dark's face and looked at him, but didn't see any signs of movement.
“Wake up!” I yelled. No response. Dark's eyes stared straight ahead. I shoved him repeatedly. “Dark! It's me, Apple Bloom!” Nothing. Tears started welling up in my eyes when I noticed that his chest was still moving. He wasn't dead.
I watched his chest for a bit just to make sure. It went up and down over and over. Flash hadn't killed him. Dark had just passed out. I was about to breathe a sigh of relief when I realized that Flash was still standing beside us. I leaped to my feet in case he tried something. But even though Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and me were standing there straight at him in case he made a move, he didn't do anything. Instead of the angry look he had when he was strangling Dark, his jaw hung open. His eyes darted from us to Dark repeatedly.
I thought back to several minutes earlier, when he was taunting Twilight through her shield. He seemed so confident and sure of himself, but now he looked like he was scared. Dark said that he had worked with them in the past. Did Flash still think of Dark as a friend?
Twilight and Brock had also stopped fighting to see what was going on. The six of us stood there in silence as we watched Dark's chest grow and shrink. Even Brock seemed lost at the sight of him on the floor like that.
Now that we were all still, I noticed something. With the makeup scraped off, I could see Flash's cutie mark. It was partially obscured by the three apples that were put on to imitate my sister, but I could make out the shape of an opera mask. One of those solid white masks that only covered half of your face. I looked over at Brock too, and saw his cutie mark: the spear indicating the “male” symbol. When he saw me looking at it, he panicked, and grabbed Dark's cloak that had been thrown off during the fight. He laid it over his flank, though he was too big for it to cover much of him.
Flash walked over to Brock and whispered something in his ear. The two whispered back to each other for a while, then Brock walked over to Dark's body.
“We're taking him with us,” Flash said flatly.
Immediately, Twilight's horn glowed as she braced herself for another fight. “Oh no you-” Flash held up his hoof, but his expression didn't change. Twilight's horn stopped glowing, and she stood upright again.
“Come to the cabin in the woods. Bring the book.” Flash glanced towards my friends and me. “Whether Ebony wins or you win, it doesn't matter. It'll finally be over.”
When Brock slumped Dark over his back, I had to speak up. “What are you going to do with Dark?”
Brock glanced at me. “He'll be safe. We'll make sure Ebony doesn't hurt him.”
The two of them nodded at each other, then walked out the door.
When the door closed, the four of us in the room looked around in silence at all the books scattered across the floor. Twilight picked one up and flipped through the pages. She cast a spell on it, and after a few seconds, the book looked good as new.
“Are all the books going to be okay?” Sweetie Belle asked her.
Twilight gave a weak smile. “It'll take some time, but I'll have this place back to normal before you know it.”
Scootaloo picked up a few books. “We'll help you put these back...”
Twilight laughed. “Don't worry about it. It'd be better if I did it by myself. Oh, and Spike!” She frowned. “I wonder how I'm going to explain this to him...”
I breathed a big sigh. Everypony seemed worried about what would happen next, but didn't want to talk about it. I decided that I had to be the one to get things going.
“Twilight, do you really think you can stop Ebony?”
She looked at me. “I don't know, Apple Bloom. I've studied the book a lot, but there's still a lot to look through. If I knew the ancient Equestrian language better, then maybe...”
“What about Princess Celestia?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Could she help us?”
Twilight shook her head. “I'm sorry, Sweetie Belle. Dark magic is very different from ordinary magic. Do you remember at the wedding how Chrystalis managed to overpower the princess?”
Sweetie Belle slowly nodded.
“That was a form of dark magic,” Twilight continued. “Chrystalis used the energy from Shining Armor's love for Cadance. That's how she was able to win that fight.”
Scootaloo pouted. “If dark magic is powered by love, then where's Ebony getting it from? Those two didn't seem very loving...”
“You're right, Scootaloo,” Twilight said. “But love isn't the only form of energy. It can also be created from the destruction of the user's body, or even... their soul.”
The three of us gasped at her words.
“Even the tiniest fragment of a pony's soul contains vast quanities of energy,” Twilight explained. “That's where I think Ebony's power is coming from.”
“Huh?” I asked. “She's using her own soul to power her magic?”
“Unfortunately, yes.” Twilight sighed. “If Ebony is as dedicated to her cause as we believe, then she wouldn't hesitate.”
Sweetie Belle looked scared. “How are you going to be able to stop her? She sounds really terrifying!”
“Well,” Twilight replied. “I may not have to overpower her. If I can break the seal on the slender pony long enough, we might be able to... well...”
She didn't say it, but everypony knew what she was talking about. Ebony would have to be stopped through physical force, not magic.
Twilight sighed and walked around the room a bit. After several minutes of contemplating, she picked up my book bag and gave it back to me. “Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo? It's been a long day. I want you three to go home and get some rest. I'll have a talk with Cheerilee tonight about why you were gone. I'll come up with something. Just make sure you're in class tomorrow, alright?”
The three of us nodded. We were all too shaken by the day's events to talk about anything else, so we left the library and went home. It was late in the day and the sun was setting, but it looked like any ordinary day to me. The ponies went about their business as usual, unaware that big things were happening in the woods outside of town.
When I got home, I gave Applejack and Big Macintosh a hug. They wondered why I was so eager, but even though I wanted to spill everything to them, I decided against it. The only reason Twilight has a chance is because of her knowledge of magic. As strong as my big brother and sister are, I don't think there's anything they can do to help.
Friday, October 26th
Compared to how the last several days have been, today was uneventful. I woke up at my usual time, went to school, and came home and helped with chores a bit. No kidnapping, no creepy dreams, no sign of Dark or Flash (at least, I don't think so). At school, my friends and I all behaved like it was a normal day. We were just happy to have a day where we didn't have to worry about anything. Miss Cheerilee was kind of worried about us missing school, but I guess Twilight managed to convince her that we were okay.
When I was helping out on the farming, catching up on some of the chores that I've been too busy to deal with, Twilight came over and had a short chat with me. She told me that she thinks she's uncovered the spell to the binding magic. She wouldn't need the whole book to perform it either, just a few pages. However, she had never seen a cabin in the Everfree Forest before, so she told me that I would have to show her where it was. I'm wary about going into the woods again, but Twilight needs me now. Dark rescued me twice, but now it's my turn to rescue him.
I don't know what will happen tomorrow. It might all be over, but will Twilight be able to stand up to Ebony's magic? Will Dark be able to finish her off? Will Flash and Brock protect her? Help us? Or just stand by and watch? If we lose, what will happen to us? Will Ebony kill us? Or will she use some more mind-control magic to make us do what she wants? Whatever happens, I've decided to leave a note on my bed for Applejack. If she doesn't see me for a while, she'll probably check my room and see it waiting for her. She'll see my journal, and everything that's happened so far. She might come out to the woods and look for me, but she'll be smart enough to not go alone.
Today in class, Cheerilee reminded us that our journals are due next week. To be honest, I had completely forgotten that I started this thing because of a class. It's been the only way for me to sort my thoughts out and figure out what's going on. I don't know how I'll explain it to her. Maybe I'll just say it was for a story I was writing. Maybe I won't turn it in and just take a bad grade instead. Applejack will be mad at me, but it's an option if everything turns out okay. And I'd rather be yelled at than have everypony in town forced to leave their homes.
Either way, this ends tomorrow.