//------------------------------//
// Curses and Spells 
// Story: New Friends, Old Foes 
// by GoldenOak KestrelFlight 
//------------------------------//

		“Why would she save you?” Sweetie Belle whispered, “Isn't she suppose to be evil?”
“Why don' we ask her?” Apple Bloom answered as she stood up on shaky legs. 
“Are you NUTS?” Scootaloo demanded, “She's gonna eat you! Didn't you listen to Zecora's story at all?” The three fillies faced off, ready for an argument, when a shadow blocked out the sun. Slowly, the Cutie Mark Crusaders looked up. The Black Unicorn stood over them, her head cocked to one side as she gauged their behavior. For a moment, nopony moved a muscle. Then the Black Unicorn opened her mouth, revealing the sharpest, whitest teeth the fillies had ever seen. 
“AHHHHHH!” 
Scootaloo was the first to bolt, her two friends close at her heels. Even Apple Bloom ran, all thoughts of trying to befriend the giant unicorn gone. Sweetie Belle chanced a glance over her shoulder. The Black Unicorn was standing there, looking...disappointed? Before Sweetie Belle could turn back around, the Black Unicorn galloped forward, easily overtaking and passing the tiny ponies. Once in front of them, the Black Unicorn turned sideways to the fillies and dropped to her knees, turning her giant body into a make-shift wall. All three fillies slid into her furry side, the sudden stop stunning them slightly. Sweetie Belle backed away from the Black Unicorn's withers, her face feeling strangely wet. She touched her cheek, her hoof coming away red. Confused, the white unicorn glanced over at her friends. Both were staring at her in shock. Scootaloo's eyes rolled up and she fell on her back, the sight of her friend with a streak of blood down her face causing her to faint clean away. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle ran to her side, waving their hooves over her face to try and wake her up. 
Apple Bloom looked at Sweetie Belle over the top of their friend. “How bad are you hurt?”
“I'm not hurt at all.” Sweetie Belle replied, still a little confused as to where the blood came from. Slowly, she stopped fanning and put her hoof down, looking over at the Black Unicorn who was simply laying there, watching them. She squinted at the giant unicorn's side, the shine of blood barely visible against her black fur. Her eyes got wide as she fully understood what had just happened, the seed of fear within her melting away. “She's not evil!” 
“What?”
“She's not evil!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed again, getting a little excited. Before she could explain fully, Scootaloo stirred, opening her eyes. “Scootaloo! She's not evil! The Black Unicorn isn't evil! This blood”, the excited pony motioned to her face, her two friends staring at her with wide eyes, “it's HER blood. She bled to stop the Timberwolves!” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo glanced at each other and then back at Sweetie Belle, disbelief and worry on their faces. Sweetie Belle flicked her mane and trotted over to the Black Unicorn and pointed to her side, the unicorn still silently watching. “See? What evil thing would bleed to save somepony else?”
“One that wants to lure you in before eating you”, Scootaloo answered as she stepped closer to examine the wounds left by the Timberwolf. 
“If that were true, why does every...pony I meet scream and run away?” 
The three fillies slowly turned to look the Black Unicorn in the eye, their earlier fear beginning to return. But, she wasn't threatening them. Even Scootaloo, who was the first to run the first time they'd looked at the Black Unicorn, knew that something was wrong with her fear and stood her ground. “I...I don't know”, she haltingly answered, “seems....seems kinda silly...now...now that I think about it....” 
“That's not all that don't make sense”, Apple Bloom said gruffly, masking her fear with anger. “Why'd ya fight those Timberwolves head on? You're a unicorn, you coulda just used yer magic to fight them. Why didn't you?”
“And why haven't you done anything to heal yourself?” Sweetie Belle added, glancing back at the puncture wounds from the Timberwolves claws. “You have to know some healing magic.” 
“Actually, I don't. I don't know any magic” The three fillies stared at her, trying to wrap their minds around the idea of a unicorn who didn't know any magic.
“Then how do you explain that?” Scootaloo pointed to the hoof prints that had been burned into the clearing. 
The Black Unicorn looked over at the prints, then back to the fillies. “I can't. I...This...Where I come from....” She looked away, rubbing her face with her hoof. “Wow, this is a lot harder than I thought it'd be.” 
“Then let's start from the beginning.” The Black Unicorn looked back at the fillies, Sweetie Belle coming forward with a smile. The giant unicorn's awkwardness had broken what little hold fear had had on her and now she acted like she would around any potential new friend.  	  
"I'm Sweetie Belle, that's Apple Bloom, and that's Scootaloo. Together, we are the Cutie Mark Crusaders!” The white filly struck a pose and smiled up at the Black Unicorn. “What's your name?” She asked as she came back down on all fours. 
“I..um...I don't really have one, Sweetie Belle.” 
“How can ya not have a name?” Apple Bloom asked. “Everypony has a name.” 
“True, but I...I'm not a pony. Or, I wasn't, originally.” 
The three fillies looked at each other. “Keep talking”, Scootaloo said, equal parts curious and suspicious. 
The Black Unicorn took a deep breath. “Ok...I am, or was, a human.” The three fillies looked at her, confusion evident on their faces. “Um...I walked on two legs, had hands and feet instead of hooves, and the only hair I grew was on top of my head, kinda like a mane.”  All three fillies scrunched up their faces as they tried to imagine such a creature. 	
“An..humans..don't have names? Or magic?” Apple Bloom asked, giving up on her mental picture. 
“We do have names, and we can do magic though no one from my world does. You see, I can never go back home. And since my name reminds me of home...”
“You don' wanna use it.” Apple Bloom finished for her, trying to imagine what it would be like not being able to ever go home, or be an Apple. 
The Black Unicorn nodded. “Yes, a 'new life, new name' kind of idea.”
“Do you have a new name picked out?” Sweetie Belle pipped up.
“No. And I don't know where to start since human names are different than pony names. Maybe you three can help me with that.”
“Later”, Scootaloo interrupted with a wave of her hoof. “I want to know how you became the Black Unicorn and wound up coming to Ponyville.” 
The giant unicorn gave a sad sort of smile. “A group of magic users, called mages, needed my help to defeat an evil Queen. They said that I was the only one who could do it, and that I would never get to go back home. Saving their entire world seemed more important than getting to see my parents again, so I agreed. But the Queen tricked us. She pretended to let me defeat her so that she could try and take over my body. Don't worry,” the Black Unicorn said quickly, before the three fillies could bolt again, “She's in me, but she can't control me. All she could do was change my form to this one. And...put a curse on me so everyone around me would be scared. But that's all. She can't hurt you or anyone else.” 
“That's a relief.” Sweetie Belle said, “But if you're under a curse, why aren't we afraid of you anymore?”
“I think you have to be afraid for the curse to affect you. You three conquered your fears, so it can't make you afraid anymore.” 
“Cool! We broke a curse!” Scootaloo exclaimed, sending all three fillies into acrobatics as they celebrated and shouted, "Cutie Mark Crusaders Curse Breakers! Yay!" They immediately checked for 'curse breaker' cutie marks. The Black Unicorn watched in amusement, trying not to chuckle when they sat down, a little dejected. 
“What was that all about?” She asked, managing to keep the laugh out of her voice. 
“We were hopin' to get our Cutie Marks”, Apple Bloom explained, “But, we're still Blank Flanks.” Apple Bloom looked up at her. “You do know what a Cutie Mark is, right?” The older unicorn shook her head. “Well”, the little filly began, proud to show off her knowledge, “When a pony finds his or her special talent, a Cutie Mark related to that talent shows up on their flank.”
“Every other pony in our class already has theirs”, Scootaloo added, “so it's really embarrassing that we don't have ours yet.” 
“That's why we became the Cutie Mark Crusaders”, Sweetie Belle finished, “so we can get our Cutie Marks together.” 
The Black Unicorn nodded, understanding the concept even though the idea of a Cutie Mark was a bit strange to her. “Well, don't feel too bad about not getting your Cutie Marks for breaking the curse. The curse itself isn't broken yet, it just doesn't effect you three.” 
Sweetie Belle rubbed her chin as she thought. “How does the curse work?” 
“I'm not entirely sure. I know that the Queen could cause people to go mad with fright with just a look, so I think this is a variation of that ability.” 
“Hmmm...Apple Bloom, wasn't illusion one of the Black Unicorn's powers?” Sweetie Belle asked. 
“Yah, causing fear too. What'cha think'n?”, Apple Bloom answered, trying to follow her friend's line of reasoning. 
“Well, we know from Twilight Sparkle that she looks like the Black Unicorn, and we know from...her...that the evil Queen had similar powers. What if the Black Unicorn became the evil Queen when she was banished? And she tried to turn....her...into the Black Unicorn but failed, so she turned one of her natural abilities into a curse?”
Apple Bloom nodded. “I see. Without knowing magic, she..uh..her...um...” Apple Bloom looked up at the giant unicorn, “You really need a name.”
The Black Unicorn laughed out loud as she nodded her agreement. “Yes, I do. But I see what you're getting at. It's not really a curse, I just can't turn it off 'cause I don't know how to.”
“Exactly!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed. “You just need to learn magic and you can turn it off so you don't scare anypony!” 
“But who's gonna teach her?” Scootaloo asked. “All the adults will be afraid of her 'cause of the curse.” Sweetie Belle scratched her head, rubbing off some of the now dried blood. 
“That can wait”, the Black Unicorn said, standing up, “right now, we need to get you cleaned up. There's a stream not far from here. This way.” She stepped over the tiny fillies and started into the forest, the three fillies scampering behind her. True to her word, the slow moving stream wasn't far. As Sweetie Belle soaked some moss to use as a sponge and Scootaloo went for a swim, Apple Bloom looked up at their giant new friend. 
“I think I have a name for you.” 
The giant unicorn put her head down so she and Apple Bloom were on the same level, her eyes shining with expectation and curiosity. “Oh? What is it?”
“New Moon. 'Cause you're fur is so black an' shiny an' you're so tall that when you step over us, it's like lookin' up at a moonless night sky.” 
The unicorn nodded. “That makes sense. I like it. Thank you, Apple Bloom.” 
The yellow earth pony smiled. “You're welcome, New Moon.” 
“New Moon?” Sweetie Belle asked as she walked over, her face and hooves pure white again. 
“Yah” Apple Bloom said proudly. “That's her name now. Do you like it?”
“I love it”, the white unicorn answered. She smiled up at New Moon. “Do you want me to help you clean up?”
“Yes, please”, she answered, stepping into the stream and laying down. “I don't know how I would have reached my shoulders myself.” 
“Any other unicorn would just use magic”, Sweetie Belle answered with a sigh as she started rubbing New Moon's side with some moss. 
“What is it, Sweetie Belle?” New Moon asked the filly, sparing the impetuous Scootaloo a glance and a smile when she popped up under her chin. 
“It's just that I'm the only unicorn not scared of you, but I don't know a whole lot about how to use magic, either.” 
“You know more than I do”, New Moon answered as Scootaloo and Apple Bloom climbed up on her back, their attempt at helping to clean her degenerating into a game of 'Queen of the Hill'. “Show me how 'any other unicorn' would use magic to clean me.” 
Sweetie Belle bit her lip, a little nervous. “I'm....not very good. I'm not old enough to really be able to use my magic.” 
“Fair enough.” New Moon twitched the muscles in her back, causing the triumphant Queen Scootaloo to fall into the stream. She made a silly face at the filly that sent her and Apple Bloom into a fit of giggles. New Moon looked back at Sweetie Belle, a kind smile on her face. “Could you describe how you would use magic, if you were old enough?”
“Well, if I were old enough, I would just concentrate on what I wanted my magic to do and it would do it.” 
“So it's all controlled by thought?” 
Sweetie Belle nodded. “Basically. Some spells have to be learned specifically, other have to have potions with them to make them work, but basic magic is just thoughts.” 
“Hm....Stand back girls”, New Moon declared as she stood up, shaking some of the water off in the process, “I'm gonna try something.” The three fillies scampered behind a fallen tree, peeking over to watch their friend. “Great show of confidence, guys”, she said sarcastically, a small smile on her lips. Focusing her attention, New Moon closed her eyes, her horn pointed toward a rock on the opposite bank. She strained, but nothing happened. She tried again, a faint glow appearing around her horn. The Cutie Mark Crusaders held their breath as they waited for the rock to shoot up into the air, but let it out in a collective sigh when the rock only wobbled and fell over. New Moon panted and lowered her horn. “Is there such a thing as trying too hard?”, she asked, only partly serious.
“According to my sister, yes.” Sweetie Belle answered as she stepped forward to stand behind her on the bank. “Still, you got the rock to wobble, so that's a start.”
“Yes, I suppose it is.” New Moon looked back at the rock and focused her eyes on it, her horn beginning to glow much faster than before. “Back”, she commanded firmly. The rock shot backward like it had been fired from a cannon. “Not that far! Stop!” The rock ignored her and continued to roll. New Moon's horn ceased to glow as she looked sheepishly back at the fillies. “Heh heh...I'll have to work on obedience training.” The three fillies giggled at her joke until a rumbling belly reminded them of how long they had been away from Ponyville. 
“We should probably be gett'n back”, Apple Bloom said sadly, “our families will be missin' us.” 
“Of course”, New Moon said as she turned around. She knelt down in the stream, “would you fine ladies like a ride to the edge of the forest?”
“Really? Awesome!” Scootaloo jumped right on her back, almost sliding off since it was still wet. Apple Bloom was quick to join her and the two quickly settled down so that there would be room for Sweetie Belle. Finally, she hopped over as well, settling herself on what room was left. 
“Are you sure this isn't going to hurt you more?” she called up as New Moon started walking.
“Pretty sure.” New Moon angled her head to look back at the ponies, “Don't worry about it, Sweetie Belle. I wouldn't have offered if I didn't want you to accept. Now, would any of you like to tell me about Ponyville or your legend of the Black Unicorn?”

*** 

“Wow, I'm not sure if you three are the best or the worst kids I've ever met.”
Scootaloo and Apple Bloom giggled. “We're fillies, silly. Kids are young goats”, the little pegasi corrected her. Again. The three fillies had spent the nearly hour long trip telling New Moon all about Ponyville, Equestria, and their past Cutie Mark Quests. In return, New Moon had told them of her own childhood adventures, earning a laugh whenever she told embarrassing ones about her older brother. As the trees thinned, New Moon slowed to a stop and started to kneel down to let the ponies off. A bush rustled in front of them, a white unicorn and an orange earth pony stepping through. New Moon and the new comers froze, staring at each other. The three little fillies, unable to see why New Moon had stopped so suddenly, slowly peaked around her neck. The orange pony noticed them and her eyes blazed with anger. 
“What are ya'll doing with ma sister?!?” She demanded as she lowered herself into an attack position. “You let 'er go NOW!” 
“Sweetie Belle!” The white unicorn cried. “Let her go, you ruffian!” Her horn glowed, blue magic encasing the three fillies, lifting and levitating them to her as her companion charged the much larger unicorn. 
“Rarity!” Sweetie Belle yelled, panicked. “It's not what you think!”
“Applejack!” Apple Bloom added as her big sister raced beneath them, “Stop! Don't hurt her!” 
Neither pony listened. Rarity placed the fillies behind her, still restrained with magic, while Applejack angled herself to take out the Black Unicorn's forelegs with her shoulder. New Moon, caught off guard by Rarity's 'rescue' of the fillies, barely had time to register the threat from Applejack. Almost too late she lept sideways, the sturdy orange pony's attack glancing off her back ankle. Knowing that she'd have to run or fight, New Moon – unwilling to injure any of the ponies – ran back into the Everfree, the smaller earth pony hot on her tail. 
At first it looked like New Moon might get away, until she started to get her horn tangled in vines and branches as the trees started to grow closer together. Every time she had to pull herself free the orange pony got closer. She was too BIG for a high-speed chase through a dense forest, a fact that seemed to cause the Queen great merriment. As New Moon barreled through a bush, the ground dropped from beneath her hooves. She jerked her head automatically in response, her horn again catching on vines. Caught between two levels of the forest floor, her neck twisted at an uncomfortable angle, New Moon knew she had to do something to lose the orange pony. But what? She needed to be smaller, that much she knew for sure. Ignoring the rapidly approaching orange streak, New Moon closed her eyes and concentrated. She could feel her magic respond and she gave it a single command. “Smaller.” 
Applejack saw a flash in the forest ahead of her and put on a burst of speed. She jumped over a bush, barely managing to keep on her feet when the ground on the other side wasn't at the same level. With a muttered curse, the farmer checked the ground for any sign of the Black Unicorn. She cursed again when she realized that the trail was gone. “Ah, Applesauce. She must know a teleportation spell, too.” With a final kick at the ground, Applejack turned and started trotting back to Ponyville. 
Five minutes later, the bush moved. At first it was just a little, then it was a lot. After a Herculean effort, a small unicorn filly burst through the outer edge, tugging to free her long mane and tail from the bush's entangling branches. Her coat and hooves were pitch black, her now tangled and twig filled mane and tail black with silver streaks. Finally free, the tiny pony looked around the forest with wide green eyes. It was a LOT scarier when she was barely bigger than a rabbit. New Moon sat down for a minute to think. She didn't know how she'd managed to turn herself into a filly, or how to turn herself back. She didn't even know if the curse was still working since she'd changed her form. With an exasperated sigh, New Moon looked above her and watched as a curious squirrel climbed down the tree to get a better look at her. Suddenly, the filly stood up, sending the squirrel scurrying two feet back up the tree. It didn't matter; the fact that the squirrel had even gotten that close meant that the curse wasn't working the way it was suppose to. New Moon rubbed her chin. Perhaps...Perhaps, if she entered town from a different direction, she could go to Ponyville and stay there, safely, for the time being. Without a reflective surface, New Moon could only guess at what she looked like and hoped that it was different enough from the Black Unicorn to keep ponies from asking too many questions.  Her mind made up, New Moon trotted toward the edge of town that was farthest from her current position, all the while hoping that the Cutie Mark Crusaders were alright. 

***

“I already told you, we're fine”, Scootaloo complained for the umpteenth time as Twilight and Zecora checked her over for any signs of magical or physical injury. In the corner, Rarity held Sweetie Belle in her arms, the little pony squirming as she tried to avoid being crushed by her well-meaning sister. Near the stair case, Applejack sat with her own sister; the older Apple continuously shushing her, refusing to listen. The adults were all convinced that the Black Unicorn had kidnapped the fillies and had, at best, brainwashed them into believing she wasn't evil. 
With a sigh, Twilight finally let Scootaloo jump off their makeshift examination table, Owlowiscious keeping an eye on the filly. “You're fine. All of you are FINE. I can't find anything wrong with ANY of you!” Twilight started to pace, getting more agitated with every word. 
“Isn't that a good thing, Sugarcube?” Applejack asked, practically laying on her little sister to keep her from escaping. 
“NO!” Twilight turned to face her friend, her frustration clear on her face. “The Black Unicorn must have done SOMETHING to them, I just can't FIND it. And if I can't find it, I can't FIX it. Or protect against it!” Twilight shook her hooves at the sky, then dropped to the ground. She rolled over on her back, completely defeated by this situation. 
Zecora walked over to her. “Perhaps we find naught 'cause we look with the eye. There are many things my potions could help us spy.” 
Twilight looked around her hooves at the cryptic zebra. “No, Zecora. You know how dangerous the forest it right now. I can't let you go back in there, even for your potions.” 
“Like Ponyville is to you, the forest is my home. I know exactly where the creatures roam.” 
Before Twilight could come up with a suitable reply, there was a knock at her door.  Twilight hurriedly righted herself as the door opened, revealing Headmaster Spell Nexus. 
“Twilight Sparkle...Am I interrupting something?”
“No, sir”, Twilight replied as she hurried over to him, slowing Scootaloo's dash for the door just enough that Owlowiscious and Spike were able to grab her tail and pull her back towards Applejack. “Have you finished your examination of the path?”
“Yes, we have.” Spell Nexus watched the strange sight, more than a little perplexed. But ever the professional, he quickly turned his attention back to Twilight and his reason for coming in. “The hoofprints themselves are not magical, but they were created by magic. An excess of Dark Magic, to be precise. What ever creature made them is brimming with the stuff, even more so than Nightmare Moon or King Sombra of the Crystal Empire.” 
“Hmm”, Twilight scratched her head as her nimble mind tried to understand the problem. “So the reason the hoofprints are burned into the path is because the...creature...has too much Dark Magic for...it's...body to handle?”
“Or it is simply not using the Dark Magic and it still has to go somewhere. The most likely answer is a combination of the two. Now, Miss Sparkle, will you tell me what you think made these hoofprints?”
Twilight looked a little sheepish. “I...I think it was...the Black Unicorn.” 
Her former headmaster stared at her for a moment before chuckling. “Oh, my dear, you have been listening to Nightmare Night stories before their time. The Black Unicorn is nothing but a myth.”
“Then how do you explain the hoofprints?” Twilight argued. “Or the fact that seven ponies OTHER than myself have seen her? These fillies were found in her custody! And Fluttershy was injured, albeit minimally, by her.” As Spell Nexus stepped forward to examine the fillies more closely, Twilight looked around, suddenly realizing that Fluttershy was nowhere to be found. She stepped closer to Zecora so she wouldn't have to speak loudly while the Headmaster was questioning the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “Have you seen Fluttershy?”
The zebra nodded. “That pony has a heart of gold, she could not leave animals out in the cold.” When Twilight just looked at her blankly, Zecora sighed and elaborated. “Her heart wouldn't let her leave the creatures alone, so she went to the Everfree to offer them solace in her home.” 
“FLUTTERSHY DID WHAT?!?!” All eyes turned to Twilight as she ran over to Rarity, looking almost as panicked as she had been the night before. “Rarity! You are Fluttershy's best friend. I need you to come with me and talk some sense into her!” 
Rarity looked at her friend, confused. “Um....of course, Darling. May I ask why?”
“She went into the Everfree to offer the animals a place to stay in her own home!” 
“Oh, well in that case...”, Rarity handed Sweetie Belle to Spell Nexus, making both the stallion and the filly very uncomfortable, and trotted towards the door, “we should set out at once and help her. Once the animals are safe, she will stay away from the forest.” 
Twilight sighed and followed her friend. Zecora stopped them by the door. “I saw her leave before the fillies were found, making it possible she has returned to ground. Go check her home before you give in to your fear, I will stay and keep things running here.” 
“Thank you, Zecora”, Twilight answered with a smile. Then the two unicorns set off to find their friend, worst-case scenarios playing through their minds. 

***
 
“It looks awfully quiet, doesn't it?”
Twilight nodded in agreement as they approached Fluttershy's cottage. It looked so...normal. And peaceful. They approached the door nervously, little animal heads peaking up at them from the flower beds. As Rarity raised a hoof to knock a short scream of surprise and pain shot through the air. It was so high pitched that the unicorn immediately checked under her hooves to make sure she hadn't stepped on an animal.
“It came from inside!” Twilight gasped as she fought to control her panic. Her horn glowed and the door flew open, the two unicorns ready for anything. Anything but what they found. 
The inside of the cottage looked just like it always had. There was no blood – no sign of any distress – just animals, all very calm, lining every flat surface.
“You should be ashamed of yourself.” Fluttershy said as she scolded a white bunny sitting on the couch. “Apologize, right now.” She pointed to a blue towel laying in a mound on the ground. The bunny refused, crossing his little arms and pointing his nose at the ceiling. “Oh, Angel, you are impossible sometimes.” The yellow pegasus turned her back on the bunny and put her head down near the mound. “I am so very sorry. Angel is too. Are you hurt?” 
“Um...Fluttershy?” Fluttershy looked up as Twilight approached her, Rarity trailing behind as she more closely examined their surroundings for foul play. “Why are you talking to a towel?”
“Oh, hi Twilight. This isn't a towel, this is my new friend.” With a gentle hoof, she pushed the top of the towel back, revealing a tiny black unicorn filly. Her horn, while short, looked unusually sharp, while her tangled black and silver mane looked almost too long for her body size. The little filly met Twilight's suspicious gaze, a glimmer of fear in her large green eyes. “Twilight Sparkle, I'd like you to meet New Moon.”