The Black Unicorn has always wanted to return to Equestria, and feel it crumble under her hoof. But now that she has, will the goody-two shoes whose body she stole stop her from fulfilling her dream?
When Zecora recounts the ancient Zebra Legend of the Black Unicorn, a terrifying tale about a powerful and evil pony who eats souls, nopony thinks twice about her cryptic warning that the monster was only banished and not destroyed. Nopony even believes that it could be true, including the skeptical Twilight Sparkle. But the Black Unicorn is very real. She was banished one thousand-five hundred years ago that night, and is more than ready to return and exact her revenge.
But there's a catch. The time away from the magic-rich world she called home has not been kind to the Black Unicorn and she needs a new body. One that is young and has a strong potential for magic. She needs a girl with a Heart of Gold, a girl who embodies the best of all the Elements of Harmony.
And she finds one. But there's a catch in her plan. The girl's Heart of Gold is so pure that the Black Unicorn has no hope of controlling her, not unless she can get her to stumble into the Dark.
(Warning: There is a little bit of gore and the possibility for feels)
Gather 'round, come closer my dears Let me tell a tale that will wake all your fears. 'Tis a tale was told to scare me as a foal about a mare who's coat was as black as coal.
The silver of stars in her mane, the green of trees in her eyes but for a Zebra, this was quite a surprise. No stripes did she have, how can this be? So though she was beautiful, she was often lonely. She had a natural gift for the Magical arts But more and more she was drawn to the things of the dark. They did not stare, they did not tease On the contrary, they were eager to please. They whispered beautiful things in her ear day and night Slowly her heart twisted to something not right. The day finally came when they brought her below To the land underneath, where all evil must go. Dressed up as a prize, she was brought to their King For these dark ones thought to hear wedding bells ring. But, she was a Zebra warrior still And no male would ever bend her to his will. His scepter she took and ran him clean thru And with his death, her power...it grew. The power rushed in and the changes commenced While all around her in Hell the dark ones did tense. Her stature and size increased with her might As she truly became a thing of the Night. Her teeth became sharp, her eyes glowed with fire As the thoughts of her past filled her with ire. The blood-stained staff she affixed to her head Forsaking her roots to be a Unicorn instead. Then she rose from the dark to walk the land once more A hunger inside she'd not known before. Nopony was safe, not even her kin She fed on their fear, ate their souls with a grin. She wandered the land, eating her fill Using illusion to pull her prey to her hill. Thus it went for a hundred years, so it's told Until a prince came, one brave and bold. He alone climbed the hill and defeated the Queen And to this day, the Black Unicorn has not been seen.
But beware little ponies, it is said she lives still In the hearts of all who would go under the hill. Keep your hearts pure, down to a foal Or you too may end up with coats of coal.
Zecora bowed her head as she finished and waited for a good ten seconds before her awed audience burst into applause. Cheerilee stepped up beside her on the makeshift stage and raised her voice to be heard over the cheering ponies.
“That was a wonderful rendition of the Zebra legend of the Black Unicorn by our very own Zecora, and I must say it gave me the shivers. How about another round of applause?” Cheerilee waited for the cheers, especially loud from the little ponies right in front, to die down again before finishing her speech. “I'd like to say thank you to all the parents and little ponies who made this Fright Night a success. I wish you all a good night and a stupendous fall break.” Cheerilee smiled down at her students sitting in the very front row, “Be good for your parents and I'll see you in a week. Good night!”
There was the scrapping of chairs and the clatter of little hooves as adult ponies stretched and little ponies hurried for the dessert table to finish off the cookies. Cheerilee thanked Zecora one more time for her help with the show before Twilight Sparkle approached her. “That was wonderful, Cheerilee”, the purple unicorn said with a smile, “what gave you the idea for this?”
“Some of the foals in my class really wanted Nightmare Night to come more than once a year, and we were studying non-Equestrian mythology this past week. This seemed like a good chance to do a little more of both.” The magenta earth pony answered with her signature smile.
“Well, I jus' hope it don't give Apple Bloom nightmares”, Applejack remarked as she trotted up to the pair, “Whwee-oo, that last story chilled me right to the bone!”
“Haha, looks like somepony is scared”, a voice came from above the trio. They looked up and watched the cyan pegasus make faces at Applejack before laughing and landing at her side. “I mean, come on, how much more fake can a story get?”
“The story I told was not a fake, though I will admit that it takes the cake”, Rainbow Dash squealed and jumped into Applejack's arms when a haunting voice suddenly came from behind her. “The Black Unicorn is very alive, but here in Equestria she can not thrive.”
“Z-Zecora, don't sneak up on me like that”, Rainbow Dash complained from her safe perch, “I could have killed you.”
“Yep, you were rip' roar'n for a fight”, Applejack replied sarcastically as she dropped her friend the few feet to the ground. Twilight barely spared the squabbling pair a glance as she approached the zebra.
“What do you mean, Zecora? You said the prince defeated the Black Unicorn.”
Zecora shook her mane. “The prince defeated her, that much is true. But I'm afraid to destroy her, he could not do. The power she wielded was far too great, fueled as it was by such burning hate. Banishment then was his only course, and in the end it came down to brute force. With a magical staff he cut open the sky, then pushed her through and waved her good-bye.” Zecora gazed deep into Twilight's eyes, the purple unicorn and her friends completely transfixed. “Nopony knows to which world she was sent, but be sure that on revenge she is bent. If ever she were to escape her cage, then upon our whole world she would bring her rage.”
“Whoah....What would she do?” Rainbow Dash asked quietly.
Zecora shrugged. “To take such a guess would be folly at best. Now I bid you good night, I must get home to rest.” The zebra dipped her head in farewell to the ponies, leaving them staring as she walked out the door of the school house and down the street.
“Are you ponies alright?”, Rarity asked as she walked up to them, “You look like you've seen a ghost.”
“Oh, it ain't nothin', Sugarcube.”, Applejack replied in a shaky voice, “Just Zecora scarin' us with a story that the Black Unicorn was just banished to another world and not destroyed by that prince.”
“Yeah, like I said, totally fake”, Rainbow Dash added, “Besides, there's no way that any plain ol' unicorn could be stronger than even one of the Princesses, so we got nothing to worry about.”
“Yes, nothing at all.” Cheerilee echoed. She looked over at the sleepy little ponies and one sleepy dragon sprawled around the dessert table and smiled softly. “I think the little ones have called it a night, maybe we should think about doing the same.” The four other ponies nodded and said their last goodbye's before collecting their respective charges and starting home. Twilight still couldn't get Zecora's words out of her mind. The way she'd looked at her, like it was a warning...Twilight yawned, almost dislodging the sleeping dragon on her back. The problem of the Black Unicorn, if it was a problem, was something that would require study and thought. But, not tonight.
***
At that same moment, on a world populated by people rather than ponies, the Black Unicorn in human shape sneered down at the pitiful girl sent to defeat her. The mages of this world were truly becoming desperate if they thought that someone so meaningless she didn't even know the basics of magic could be the one to bring her to her knees. The girl stared defiantly up at the tyrannical Queen, her green eyes shining with an inner strength that bellied her outward youth. She looked only about 15, a little young for the Black Unicorn's taste but plenty old enough for her plan.
“Will you surrender?”, the girl asked the dark Queen, gripping her bronze staff tightly. It was the one weapon in the entire world that the mages thought could do any harm to the Black Unicorn, and that was exactly what she wanted them to continue to think.
The Black Unicorn laughed a dry cackle that turned into a hacking cough. “Why would I ever surrender to you?”, she asked in an ancient voice. After over a thousand years away from her home world her body no longer retained it's youthful form. She aged, rapidly, and while her power was still strong as ever, her body simply couldn't wield it any more. Which was where this little snipe came in. She was giving the inevitable 'then I'm sorry but I have to kill you' speech that the Black Unicorn had heard a thousand times before. The dark Queen cackled again as the girl got herself into a 'ready' position to strike with the staff. At least she held it like she knew what she was doing. But she didn't strike first. This girl truly had a Heart of Gold, and as such was loathe to hurt any being – even one as unarguably evil as the aged Queen before her. Not that it mattered. Like every other girl to come before this one, she'd already lost, even though she didn't know it yet. The Black Unicorn pulled out her own staff of ebony and attacked with an unearthly speed. But she didn't harm the little hero before her. No, the fight was just a show for the mages scattered throughout the room. The girl surprised the Queen with her own speed and skill, though it was still far inferior to what the Black Unicorn was truly capable of.
After a convincing battle, the girl 'managed' to get past the Queen's guard and land a solid blow. The Black Unicorn screeched with appropriate rage as the staff seemed to absorb her, her aged body collapsing into a pile of dust. The girl gave a sigh of relief and relaxed, the bronze staff warm in her hands. Suddenly, as the mages gathered around to congratulate her, the staff grew hot. The girl tried to drop it, but it was too late. The Black Unicorn flowed from the staff into it's wielder, fusing herself into the girl's young body. She couldn't change the girl's wretched Heart of Gold, but her body was now hers to manipulate. The mages all drew back in fear as the girl's shape pulled and stretched, the bronze staff dropping to the floor with a loud clang as her hands turned to hooves. Within a minute, the hero the mages had spent much of their own energy summoning stood before them in the true shape of the Black Unicorn. Her body and horn were coal black, her hooves and mane and tail streaked with silver, her eyes a burning red. This was the Black Unicorn's plan. She tricked the mages into bringing her a girl with a Heart of Gold, the strongest source of magic a mortal could poses, and then she simply took the girl's body to replace her old one. But it wasn't complete, the Black Unicorn couldn't control her new body, not as long as the girl's Heart of Gold remained untarnished. But that was where the gullible mages came back into play. Right on cue, one brave soul lifted his sword and brought it down as hard as he could toward the new Black Unicorn's neck. The Queen felt smug in that second that it took her host to notice and asses the danger. Without fail, the girls always lashed out at their former friends to save their own lives, tarnishing their Hearts and allowing the Queen to take full control. But something was wrong this time. The Queen felt a moment of true panic as her host refused to do anything to protect herself. If this body died, the Black Unicorn would die too. She couldn't let that happen.
At the last possible moment, the Queen used what was left of her own magic to break the sword into a million pieces and suspend them in the air. The lead mage, who had tried to late to stop his over-zealous companion, gazed at the spectacle with narrowed eyes. He knew something was wrong. When a 'ghost' of the Queen in human form manifested above the unicorn's head, his suspicions were proved all too right. The Queen screeched true and indignant anger at the unicorn. “You are a fool, you would be dead right now if not for me!” The unicorn set her jaw and stared stubbornly up at the specter. “Oh, stubborn, are you. Well, two can play that game.” The 'ghost' grabbed the unicorn's long and sharp horn in both hands, the unicorn stomping and shaking her head in an attempt to dislodge her, but to no avail. The Queen closed her eyes and focused, pouring most of what was left of her precious magic into this one spell. When she was done, she was noticeably more transparent. “There...now...now you will cause fear....wherever you go...With your very presence...you will cause...chaos!” The Queen drifted lower, her wispy hands caressing the unicorn's cheeks. “And when...you finally break....I'll be waiting.” With that, she sank back into the body she wanted so desperately to claim as her own, the floating sword pieces dropping into a pile at the unicorn's side.
For a moment, all was still and quiet. Then the lead mage approached the unicorn, gently taking her head in his hands. “I- I had no idea this was her plan. The writings said she would try to escape, but this....I am sorry.” The unicorn whinnied softly, trying to tell him that it would be alright.
“Sorry or not, you know what we must do now.” The lead mage looked up as that same over-zealous mage took up another sword. “Get out of the way, sir.”
“No.” The lead mage bravely put himself between his Brother and the unicorn. “Think, Brother. This is not the Queen, this is our hero. You are simply feeling the effects of the curse that witch put on her.”
The other mage shook his head, several of his Brothers coming to stand behind him. “It doesn't matter who she is or who she was. The Queen lives inside her, and to stop her we must kill them both.”
The lead mage drew his own sword, anger flashing in his eyes. “I will not allow it! This is madness!”
Before the two could come to blows, there was a piercing whinny and the stomp of heavy, hard hooves on the stone floor. Everyone turned to look at the unicorn, her horn aglow. “Stop this.” She said quite clearly. “I do not wish to die, but I will not have you killing each other either. Magnus,” she addressed the lead mage gently, “can you and your Brothers send me to a different world? Right now?”
Magnus nodded, his mouth suddenly dry. Even knowing who this was did little to lesson the terror he felt looking at her as the curse effected him, drawing power from the strong emotions in the room. “We can. But, are you sure you want to? I do not know what world is in alignment at the moment. It would only take a couple of hours to map all the worlds...then you could chose...”
The unicorn gently shook her head. “No, Magnus. Now. My presence here will only cause you more pain. Besides, there is a chance that this other world could have more practice dealing with....shape-altering spells.” Her eyes showed the warmth and comfort that her face could no longer express to her friend, and that comforted him. Finally, Magnus nodded and the mages, even those who wanted to kill her, got in a circle around her and began muttering the Traveling Spell. The unicorn stood there in the center, alert but relaxed, her horn no longer glowing. She felt the Traveling Spell take hold as it lifted her up in a magical cyclone. Up and up she flew, through the ceiling and past the stars, until everything turned topsyturvy and suddenly she was flying down through different stars and toward a quaint and very brightly colored town on the edge of a dark forest. She was aimed for a small clearing next to a large tree that had apparently been hollowed out into a house. With a twinge of fear in her heart, she wondered if the people here would or even could help her.
***
Twilight Sparkle and Spike were almost back to the library, within spitting distance of the door, when Twilight felt the winds shift. At first she wondered what a Weather Pegasus was doing out so late at night, when she suddenly realized that the space next to her home was...warping. It was pulsing and beginning to swirl like a tornado, the wind picking up speed as it did.
“Wha....Hey, what's going on?”, Spike managed in a sleepy voice as the wind woke him up. “Woah.” Spike had to grab a hold of Twilight's neck to keep the wind from blowing him away as she stood transfixed by the strange site in front of her home. The wind reached it's climax, and as suddenly as the warping started, it stopped. The last traces of the wind and the swirling space blew away, leaving in their place...something. Twilight strained to make out what the dark lump beside her door was, until it stood up and looked at her. It was very tall, almost the size of Princess Celestia, with a very long and sharp ebony horn. It's fur was the color of a starless night, while it's mane and tail were streaked through with the silver of a shooting star. But what really held Twilight's attention was the unicorn's eyes. They were the color of a blacksmith's forge, a simmering and burning red. On her back, Spike stared just as hard. “Twi- Twilight...I-I think that...is...”
“The Black Unicorn.” Twilight breathed, completely dumbfounded. “It's the Black Unicorn. IT'S THE BLACK UNICORN!” Twilight suddenly shouted as her brain processed the situation. Then she turned tail and ran, Spike barely holding on. “IT'S THE BLACK UNICORN, SHE'S HERE! SHE'S BACK! THE BLACK UNICORN IS BACK!” she yelled as she ran through town, headed nowhere in particular other than away from that awful creature. Even after making it to the other side of town and back, Twilight would have kept yelling and running if she hadn't run headlong into Rarity, who had stepped outside to see what all the fuss was about. Now stopped, Twilight didn't have the strength or breath to answer Rarity, so Spike spoke for her.
“Black...Unicorn...from...Zecora's story....Appeared....at the library....I thought we...we were goners!” Spike started wailing and fell off of Twilight's back, curled into a small ball. By now, half of Ponyville were standing around the trio, whispering about the terrified pair. In an effort to remain in control of the situation, Rarity picked Spike up.
“There, there, Spike. I'm sure it was just a...trick of the light. Or someone playing a prank on you. That's it.” Rarity spoke calmly, but loud enough for everyone to hear her. She didn't want them panicking either.
“Then I reckon we ought to check it out for ourselves.” Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Big Mac – carrying a lantern – shouldered their way through the crowd and up to Twilight. “Think you can show us where she was, Sugarcube?” Twilight shook her head, still trembling and out of breath from her run. She was in no shape to show anypony anything. Applejack gently patted her friend on the shoulder. “That's ok, Sugarcube. You stay here with Rarity and rest up, Big Mac and I'll handle this.”
“Hey, what about me?” Apple Bloom whined up at her big sister as Rarity lead Twilight and Spike into her boutique.
Applejack didn't smile. “You stay here, in case it isn't a prank.” With that, she turned on her hoof and started walking toward the Golden Oak Library, the crowd parting in front of her.
“But-” A sharp look from Big Mac silenced Apple Bloom's protest, sending her grudgingly after Rarity and her charges.
“Think we should bring a unicorn?” Big Mac asked his sister as they walked down the pony-lined street. He was worried that even if it wasn't THE Black Unicorn it could still be something from the Everfree, something he, as an earth pony, would rather not tangle with.
“Know any other than Twilight who would actually be a help?” Applejack replied. Big Mac shook his mane before speeding up to a trot. He wanted to get this over as soon as possible.
It only took the pair, and their timid following, a few minutes to get to the library. Everything was dark and hidden in shadow, there was no way to tell if there was something there without getting closer. Cautiously, the brother and sister approached the dark tree. They were almost to the door when a shape suddenly rocketed toward their heads, startling Big Mac enough that he dropped the lantern.
“Who Who.”
Applejack laughed in relief when she saw that it was only Owlowiscious. “Ah, Owlowiscious, you scared us half ta death! An' Twilight even more. She sure is gonna be mad when she finds out it was just you that gave her that scare.” The owl hooted, the only reply he ever gave, and flew over to the forgotten lantern laying near the welcome mat. He landed on the stick Big Mac used to carry it and watched them expectantly.
Big Mac plodded over to the lantern, then put his head down to examine something closer. “Uh, sis. I don't think it was the owl.” Applejack, curious, came up beside him. She gave a low whistle at what she saw. Beside the library welcome mat a set of large, though delicate, hoofprints had been burned into the path. Applejack followed the hoofprints a little ways, noting that the farther they got from the door the less they were burned into the ground. The pony they belonged to had been facing Twilight, taken a few steps backwards, then spun around and galloped toward the Everfree. Applejack looked up as her brother retrieved the lantern and stood behind her. The hoofprints definitely led into the Everfree. That forest was no place for a pony at any time, but especially at night. Any further investigation would have to wait until the morning.
“Guess we should probably get back to Twilight an' tell her she ain't crazy”, Applejack said quietly, earning an non-committal grunt from her brother. Based on the unicorn's earlier hysteria, he didn't think that telling her that somepony had burned hoofprints on her front path was the wisest course of action. They turned around, Applejack finally seeing the size of the crowd that had followed them. She put on her best no-nonsense face and addressed them in a loud voice. “Now listen here. Something happened here, but it's too late tonight ta figure out what. Until we do have a chance ta figure this out, I'd like alla ya'll ta kindly stay away from the library and especially away from the forest. Now, ya'll should get ta bed, it's been a long night for alla us.” Slowly, the skittish crowd started to break up and the Apple's, accompanied by Owlowiscious, headed back to the Carousel Boutique. A light in the back was burning, prompting the pair to head for the back door. “Rarity?” Applejack called softly through the open half-door.
“In here, dear.” Rarity answered, coming into view. “Do watch your step. Apple Bloom was so disappointed at not going with you that I told her to guard the door, but the little dear fell asleep at her post.” Applejack carefully scooped the sleeping filly onto her back as she entered, Big Mac and Owlowiscious opting to stay by the door.
“Twilight and Spike?”
“Upstairs. I made them some of my Mother's 'Goodnight Chamomile' tea to sooth their nerves.” Rarity glanced at the ceiling. “I think they've finally fallen asleep. Whatever they thought they saw, it must have been awful!”
Applejack nodded in agreement. “Awful enough ta burn it's hoofprints into the ground.”
Rarity stared at Applejack, her mouth hanging open from shock. “You mean, there really was something there?”
“Not anymore, it high-tailed it into the Everfree long before we got there.” Applejack shifted nervously on her hooves. “Still, it might be best if they stayed here for the night.”
“Oh, of course dear. It's far too late to send them home tonight. You three could stay the night as well, if you wished. It would save you the trip back to Sweet Apple Acres.” Rarity's offer wasn't just out of generosity; she was afraid of this new threat and felt safer with her friends close by.
Applejack smiled, but shook her head. “Thanks but no thanks, Rarity. It's not that I'm not tempted, but we still have mornin' chores ta do no matter where we sleep.” Applejack turned to go, her sister still snoring on her back. “We'll meet tomorra an' figure out what ta do then. 'Night, Rarity.”
“Goodnight, Applejack.” Rarity said quietly as she watched her friend leave, sure that she wouldn't get any sleep.
***
In the Everfree Forest, the new Black Unicorn stumbled again, the fall rolling her into a small thicket. Tired, sore, and utterly lost, the human-turned-equine decided that this spot was as good as any for her to stop. When she'd first landed, the new Black Unicorn had been hopeful that the unicorn she'd surprised would be able to help her, but that had quickly changed. She closed her eyes and pushed her head up against the wall of the thicket, thinking over and over how stupid she'd been to push Magnus into sending her away so fast. That purple unicorn had recognized her as the Black Unicorn, which could only mean that the Queen had been here before. Magnus had told her that the Queen was not originally from his world, but had been banished there from another before she could rise to power. Whether or not this was that home world and not just another planet terrorized by the Queen's darkness, the fact that she had been recognized meant that everyone here would be terrified of her, even without the curse. On top of that, this was a new body with new abilities. It would take time for her to figure it all out, especially the magic. She could feel it when it was working, such as when the curse had been feeding off the mage's fear, and feel it in the air around her in this place, but she was still very much at a loss when it came to using it. True, she'd used some to talk to Magnus and the other mages, but she was fairly certain that the Queen had helped with that. The new Black Unicorn could feel her, inside, the same way she could feel magic. She couldn't talk to her, or force her to leave, but she could feel her perverse joy at being sent to this land. She wondered if the Queen had known that this world would be coming into alignment and had 'pushed' her into pressuring her friends to banish her quickly. It wouldn't matter now, what's done is done, except that if the Queen could influence her like that once, who's to say that she couldn't do it again?
A distant roar distracted the new Black Unicorn from her worrying thoughts, bringing her back to the present. She shuddered and huddled down even tighter into the thicket, praying that it would keep her hidden from hungry animals until the morning.
“I thought it would be less terrifying during the day”, Twilight Sparkle commented as she examined the strange hoofprints in front of her door. “I was wrong. I can't believe that Spike and I survived meeting something with the power to do this.” She waved a hoof over the burn marks, sure that they would never go away.
“Y-y-yeah, m-m-me neither.” Spike answered from behind a bush. “Sh-sh-should we really b-b-be here? Wh-wh-what if she c-c-comes back?”
“Oh, if it really was the Black Unicorn, then I don't think it would matter where we are if she comes back.” Fluttershy gently answered him, hovering over the bush.
Spike glared up at her. “That doesn't make me feel better.”
“Spike!”
The little dragon ducked his head and mumbled an apology at Twilight's sharp tone, while Fluttershy apologized for being so negative. Twilight turned fully to look at her friends, her attention now on the problem of the Black Unicorn rather than the fright she had last night. With that shift her mind cleared and she began to see what they needed to do. “Spike. Send a letter to Princess Celestia. Ask her to send some of the teachers from her School for Gifted Unicorns to examine some potentially magical.....artifacts. Don't say anything else, I don't want to bias the results.” As Spike saluted and ran inside, Twilight turned to her land-bound friends. “Applejack, I want you to go to Zecora's hut and tell her that I need her help with some research. Take somepony with you, maybe Thunderlane or Stormbreaker. Don't tell her what I need her help with, but don't let her stay in the Everfree, either.”
“Why all the secrecy, Twilight?” Rarity asked as Applejack nodded and went in search of an escort.
“Because I don't want to cause a panic. You saw how I reacted, and I am not a flighty filly.” Twilight looked around, like she had lost something. “Besides, Zecora said something about the Black Unicorn feeding off fear, which is why your and Pinkie Pie's jobs are the most important.”
“DID SOMEPONY SAY THEY HAVE A JOB FOR ME!” Pinkie Pie dropped in out of nowhere, scaring Twilight and surprising everypony else. “I LOVE having a job. What'cha need me to do?” She sat down at Twilight's hooves and looked up at her expectantly, twitching every once in a while like an excited puppy.
Twilight gave a nervous laugh and backed up a few steps. “I need you to throw a party and make everyone forget about my behavior last night.”
“YIPPIE!” Pinkie Pie exploded up off the ground, turning cartwheels at the idea of being told to throw a party for the whole town. “Wait”, Pinkie stopped and faced Twilight, her head cocked. “I love throwing parties, it is my job after all, but why do you want me to throw a party when you and Zecora have to study?”
“Because I want everypony to be happy and relaxed.” Twilight answered, sounding serious and tense. “Call it a pre-Nightmare Night fun day. Rarity, I want you to help by offering your expertise with decorating and costumes to ponies at the party. It has to be natural and convincing, I don't want anypony suspecting that something might be wrong.”
“Ooohhh”, Pinkie said as she got back to her feet, “It's more of a pre-party craft-planning crafting party for all of Ponyville! Why didn't you just SAY so. Come on, Rarity, we have crafty crafting crafts to plan! La la lala la...” Everypony watched, confused, as Pinkie bounced away.
Rarity shook her mane a little and turned back to Twilight. “You are sure this is what you want us to be doing?” Twilight nodded. “Oh, alright”, Rarity relented, though she still looked doubtful. “Do call us if you need us.”
“Hey, what about us.” Rainbow Dash demanded as Rarity walked after the bouncing Pinkie Pie. “What are Fluttershy and I going to do.”
“You two are going to follow these hoofprints and see who, or what, scared me last night.”
Twilight said it in such a straight forward tone that for a moment Dash nodded in agreement. Then what Twilight was actually asking her to do hit her like a hailstone.
“Hold up, you want me and FLUTTERSHY to go into the Everfree Forest ALONE to look for something that leaves BURNING HOOFPRINTS?!?!?! Are you crazy?!?” Dash landed and started to examine Twilight's head. “Can you turn your head? How many hooves do you see?”
Twilight pulled her head out of her friend's hooves. “I'm fine, Rainbow. And I'm not crazy. Fluttershy knows animals, she'll know if something is wrong in there. She's the perfect choice. As for you, you are strong and fast enough to protect her if you two have to make a quick get away.” Twilight could tell that Rainbow Dash wasn't convinced yet, so she decided to try a different tactic. “Don't tell me that you're SCARED, Rainbow. Weren't you the one last night who kept saying that the Black Unicorn is fake?”
“I ain't scared of nothin'!” Rainbow Dash replied forcefully, taking to the air once again. “And I'll prove it! Come on, Fluttershy.”
Twilight watched as Rainbow practically tackled Fluttershy, tossing her over one shoulder, before flying off over the hoofprints. She rolled her eyes a little, sure that her friends would be just fine. Spike poked his head out the door of the library, holding a royal scroll in one claw.
“Princess Celestia wrote back. She says that the teachers will be here mid-afternoon.” He leaned on the door, looking somewhere between conspiratorial and guilty. “She also wants to know what you aren't telling her.”
“Hopefully nothing.” Twilight answered as she entered the library. “We'll know after the teachers are done. Come on, lets get started on that research...”
***
“I can't believe that Twilight would think I could be scared of something.”
Fluttershy rolled her eyes as her blue companion continued to complain. The pair had been searching the Everfree for almost an hour, still following the hoofprints. Sometimes they were dark, sometimes they were very light. Most of the time they were in the middle, though they told an interesting story. Neither pony was a tracker the way Applejack was, but they could follow a trail and knew what a headlong dash looked like, as well as a headlong tumble. And this trail was littered with traces of both. More than once Fluttershy had remarked that she thought that this Black Unicorn had been as scared of Twilight as Twilight had been of her. Rainbow Dash had laughed at that.
Fluttershy sighed as yet another squirrel ran away from her noisy companion. At this rate, they'd never get to ask a single creature what was going on in the forest. Abruptly, something changed. Fluttershy could feel it. She landed on a branch and looked around while Rainbow Dash continued to slowly fly forward, still complaining. As Rainbow Dash passed to the other side of a tree, Fluttershy realized what was wrong. The forest was completely silent. No movement, no sound. It was like every single living thing was holding it's breath. Rainbow Dash finally realized that Fluttershy wasn't beside her and doubled back, hovering in the air in front of her friend. “Hey, what's the hold up?”
“Quiet, shmiet.” Rainbow Dash replied, closing her eyes and spinning around in her arrogance. “It's a forest, it's always quiet unless something is chasing you. Oof.” Rainbow Dash had been flying forward with her eyes shut, but now she opened them to see what she had run in to. It was a neck. A long, black neck. Rainbow Dash backed up a little, tilting her head up to see who she'd hit, and found herself staring into a large red eye. "AAAAHHHHHH! BLACK UNICORN! AAAAAAHHHHHHH! AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
Rainbow Dash flew blindly as she screamed, bouncing off the trees and the ground like a ping pong ball. Fluttershy was similarly affected, her terror causing her to run in place as she hovered. When she finally got up enough speed to actually move, Fluttershy dashed headlong into a bunch of hanging vines, tangling herself up so tightly that she couldn't even move her hoof.
“Oh dear. Rainbow Dash, help me. Help me Rainbow Dash. RAINBOW DASH!” The butter-yellow pegasus cried and pleaded for her friend, but the presence she felt slowly approaching was not the panicked pony. Fluttershy was all-out sobbing now, pleading with the Black Unicorn to let her go. She cracked an eye and saw the Black Unicorn slowly raise her head, her horn poised to strike. Behind her, Fluttershy saw Rainbow Dash flying in a circle, still screaming. The gentle pony shut her eyes tight, sure she was about to die.
Swish - EEEEEeeeeee
Fluttershy squealed and thrashed as she felt the horn slice across her flank, ignoring the fact that the horn had also cut through two of the vines holding her. Moving faster now, the Black Unicorn moved to Fluttershy's front and swung her head twice, cutting through more vine and slicing the yellow pegasus' foreleg in the process. Stepping to her back, the Black Unicorn cut the last of the tough vines, only slicing Fluttershy's hind leg because the small pegasus wouldn't stop thrashing. Now free, the little pony moved faster than she ever had in her life. Fluttershy bolted forward, snagged Rainbow Dash's tail in her teeth, and bodily pulled the stronger pegasus above the tree line. Now clear of the trees, Rainbow Dash flew one more complete circle before making a beeline for Ponyville, Fluttershy still holding on to her tail.
Below them, the Black Unicorn watched their noisy exit through a hole in the foliage. She hadn't meant to sneak up on them, it wasn't her fault that she walked quietly and they talked loudly. She sighed. The blue one hadn't even given her a chance to open her mouth before freaking out, and she was sure that the yellow one had been crying too hard to hear a word she said. The little pony would probably think that she had tried to kill her, especially since she had the cuts to 'prove' it. With another sad sigh, the unicorn turned in the opposite direction and started walking. She didn't want to go deeper into the forest, not until she had learned more about how to use her magic to defend herself, but she didn't feel like she had a choice. She couldn't stay so close to the village without risking a full-blown panic. Deep inside, she could feel the Queen laughing at her, her mocking tones echoing in the distant bird song.
***
Crash
Twilight and Zecora looked up from their respective readings as Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy exploded through one of the Library's windows and into a sizable pile of books. Looking dazed, Rainbow sat up, one book balancing crazily on her head. Fluttershy was almost in worse shape, her hooves over her head and her jaws clamped tight around Rainbow's tail, with no sign that she was going to let go soon.
Zecora walked toward the duo with every intention of scolding them. “Silly ponies, I am not a maid...Quick! Twilight! Fluttershy needs first aid.” Zecora knelt next to the bleeding and terrified yellow pony, Twilight dashing up the stairs to get her first aid kit. Spike waddled up to Rainbow and took the book off her head.
“Gosh, what happened to you two?”
“What happened?” Rainbow Dash shook her head to clear it and glared at Spike. “What happened? I'll tell you what happened, Twilight sent us into a dangerous forest all alone!” She tried to get up to threaten Twilight directly when the purple unicorn reappeared with the first aid supplies, but Fluttershy still had her tail in a death grip. Rainbow settled for glaring daggers at her friend instead. “We were flying along, following the trail like TWILIGHT asked, when suddenly this HUGE unicorn steps out of NOWWHERE. I ran into her! Do you hear what I'm telling you Spike?” Rainbow picked Spike up off the ground and shook him. “I TOUCHED HER WITH MY FACE! I TOUCHED THE BLACK UNICORN WITH. MY. FACE!”
“These wounds are not from any thorn, so you did meet something with a horn”, Zecora said calmly as she cleaned and inspected Fluttershy's cuts. “But you are wrong about your head, other wise you would both be dead.”
“Dead?” Fluttershy dropped Rainbow Dash's tail and lifted her head. “Who's dead? Are we dead? I knew it, I'm dead.” Fluttershy covered her face with her hooves and started crying hysterically.
Zecora grabbed her ear and shook it to get her attention. “I said you WOULD have died, you silly foal. For there's no mercy in a heart of coal. These cuts you have are shallow all, you have gotten worse from a fall!” Fluttershy stopped crying and hid her face in embarrassment.
“Doesn't matter”, Rainbow Dash said with conviction, “it was the Black Unicorn!”
“What was the Black Unicorn?”
Everypony froze for a second before slowly looking over at the three most adventurous fillies in Ponyville. “My little ponies!” Twilight exclaimed as she found her voice and nervously walked up to them. “We...didn't hear you come in. Um, how long have you been in here?”
“Oh, not very long”, Sweetie Belle replied.
“Yeah”, Scootaloo added as she peaked around Twilight to try and get a better view of Fluttershy. “What'd we miss?”
“Nothing!” Twilight said, a bit too fast. “Just, um, a little accident. You know how dangerous it can be in a library! Heh heh....” Scootaloo didn't look convinced. None of the little ponies did. “So! What are you doing here instead of at the party? I hear it's a really great party.”
“It is”, Apple Bloom answered. “That's why we're here, ta see if we could get ya ta come.”
Twilight looked imploringly at her friends for help with an excuse, but none of them had anything to offer. She looked back at the fillies, nervously shifting from one foot to the other. “Well, um...we can't go because....because...Because we're having too much fun here! Yep, lots of fun! So...much...fun.....Woohoo?” Twilight's attempt at a cover ended in a squeaky cheer under the confused and disbelieving gazes of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
“Oooookkkaaayyyy. What'cha doin' that's so fun? Could we help?” Apple Bloom – the only one of the three who might believe her – asked, all three becoming excited at the chance to continue the quest for their Cutie Marks.
Twilight looked like she was going to have a nervous breakdown. Luckily, Zecora stepped up, shaking her mane at the three little ponies. “What we read is not for little eyes. Now off with you, go. Take to the skies.” The zebra put her head down and herded the fillies to the door, ignoring their protests. She pushed them out on to the stoop and the door closed with a resounding bang.
The three sat there for a moment before Scootaloo sprang to her feet. “Come on!” She ran to a window and locked her legs, getting ready for one of her friends to climb on her back. “Sweetie Belle, climb on and tell us what they're talking about.”
“I don't know”, the white unicorn answered, unsure. “What if we get in more trouble?”
“If you won't do it, Ah will”, Apple Bloom said with uncharacteristic force as she climbed up onto the orange pegasus's back. “Ah want ta see why Applejack's been so moody today.”
“That doesn't have to have anything to do with them”, Sweetie Belle pointed out as she pushed herself up against Scootaloo to help her stay steady.
“Shush, they're talkin'.” Apple Bloom pressed her nose right up against the glass as she watched the older ponies argue about something.
“What are they saying”, Scootaloo asked, her voice strained.
“Somethin' about the forest. An' danger. An'.....The Black Unicorn?” Apple Bloom looked up from the window for a moment, trying to put the pieces together, when she suddenly spied a flying chariot headed their direction. “Get down!”
The ponies dropped into an undignified heap, scrambling to get under a bush before the new ponies could see them. They just made it, the three peaking out to watch a group of four older unicorns and almost a dozen younger ones carrying equipment approach the library. The lead pony, a middle-aged dark blue stallion, knocked on the door. There was an air of confidence around him. Twilight opened the door and greeted the stallion with a happy smile.
“Headmaster Spell Nexus! Sir! I didn't think that Celestia would send you.”
The older unicorn smiled a small smile. “She would only send the best to help her star pupil. Now, where are these artifacts you need us to take a look at?”
“Behind you, actually.” Twilight looked a little embarrassed as she made her way past her former teachers, stopping at the path. “It's these hoofprints....They're....well.....I'd like your opinion on them.”
Spell Nexus walked over and put his head down to examine the burned path, a light blue stallion doing the same on Twilight's other side. “What do you think, Bastion?” Nexus asked his companion.
“I'm not sure, sir.” The light blue unicorn raised his head to look at Twilight. “Do you know what made these?”
Twilight looked very indecisive. “I have a theory, but I'm hoping that you can tell me more before I share it.” The two unicorns stared at her for a minute before finally nodding. Twilight sighed with relief, backing up to get out of their way. As she turned to go back inside, one of the other unicorns, a mare, caught her attention.
“Do you know how far the tracks go?” she asked, motioning to the trail.
“All the way into the Everfree”, Twilight replied. “The...creature that made them doesn't seem to be able to hide or cover them.”
Satisfied with that answer, the teacher let Twilight get back to her studies and started supervising the set up of the equipment. The three little fillies pulled their noses back into the bush and stared at one another, excitement shining in their eyes.
“Zecora's story is true”, Scootaloo breathed, “the Black Unicorn is real.”
“And she came back last night”, Sweetie Belle continued.
“An' scared the horseshoes off of Twilight an' Spike”, Apple Bloom finished. She looked at her friends. “Are ya thinkin' what Ah'm thinkin'?” The other two nodded and all three took a big breath to shout their normal Cutie Mark battle cry when a crash and a few angry shouts reminded them that they needed to be quiet.
“Cutie Mark Crusaders Black Unicorn Catchers. Yay.” the trio whispered as they gently hoof-bumped. Apple Bloom held the back of the bush open for her friends before jumping out herself, the trio galloping as fast as their little legs could take them for the Everfree and, hopefully, their Cutie Marks.
***
“This is taking FOREVER.”
Scootaloo kicked at a rock as she walked with her friends, a bored frown etched onto her face.
“What did you expect?” Sweetie Belle asked from her side. “That the Black Unicorn would just be waiting for us to capture her? Speaking of....How ARE we going to capture her?”
“Oh, you worry too much.” Apple Bloom smiled back at her more practical friend. She jumped up on a low hanging branch, bending it down. “We just – Arrgh – lure 'er in...an' – Mmph – an'...then – SPROING – WOAHHH!!” Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle jumped out of the way as Apple Bloom went soaring between them, sliding along the ground and coming to a stop at the base of a tree. They crowded around as she sat up, her eyes going a bit crossed. “See? Jus...Just like that...Whooo.”
“That could work”, Sweetie Belle admitted as she gave the yellow earth pony a hoof up, “but how are we going to get her back to town?”
“Guys”, Scootaloo gulped, her eyes on a spot just over Sweetie Belle's shoulder. “We have bigger problems.”
“What could be bigger then gettin' our Cutie Marks?” Apple Bloom asked, looking over her shoulder. “Oh”, was all she managed when she saw the pack of Timberwolves. The lead Wolf snarled at the three fillies, taking two steps forward before it charged. On instinct, Apple Bloom kicked her hind legs out, bucking it in the jaw. “RUN!” she yelled. Her friends didn't need to be told twice.
The three fillies screamed and tore through the forest blindly, losing the trail and all sense of direction other than away from the predators. The Wolves, baying and snarling, were hot on their heels. It wouldn't be long until the larger creatures caught the small ponies, and all of them knew it. Apple Bloom glanced over her shoulder to see how close the Wolves were and missed a root sticking out of the ground. She let out a panicked scream as she tumbled head over heels, sliding several feet into a small clearing before her forward momentum was spent. The Wolves saw her go down and slowed, growling as they stalked their young prey. Almost on the other side of the clearing, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle noticed that their friend wasn't with them and turned, fear rooting them to the ground when they saw how close the Wolves were to her. There was no way they could get to her in time.
Apple Bloom panted as she watched the lead Wolf, the same one she'd bucked earlier, slowly get closer, it's foul breath stinging her nose. As it opened it's mouth to gobble her up, a piercing whinny echoed out of the surrounding forest. All eyes turned as a huge black unicorn barreled out of the underbrush, her red eyes flashing as she broadsided the Wolf, knocking it off it's feet. She stood over the tiny earth pony and reared, challenging the Timberwolves. One of the less-bright Wolves attacked her head on. She reared up and smashed it into splinters, snorting and shaking her mane at the rest of the pack. The other two Wolves circled her, looking for an opening and forcing her to twist and turn to keep both of them in view. Underneath her black belly, Apple Bloom kept herself low to the ground as she watched her rescuer's large white hooves. She didn't want to get stepped on by accident. Suddenly, both Wolves attacked, one from each side. They hung on the large unicorn's withers as she bucked and twisted. The Black Unicorn finally let herself step away from Apple Bloom, leaping sideways to smash one of the Wolves against a tree. The other Wolf growled and snapped at her flowing mane, digging it's claws deeper into her flank. With an angry whinny, the unicorn reached back and took a hold of the Timberwolf's ear with her teeth, jerking her head sharply. The Wolf howled with pain as she tore it's ear right off and lost it's grip. The unicorn spun around as it slid off, bringing her front legs up for one more powerful stomp. The enraged Wolf snarled and struck for her exposed belly, but it wasn't fast enough to escape her hooves.
The Black Unicorn snorted and crunched over what had once been the Timberwolves, stopping at the still crouching Apple Bloom. She put her giant head down by Apple Bloom's small one, watching the shivering filly. “Are you alright?” she asked in a surprisingly gentle voice. Apple Bloom licked her dry lips, trying to answer, when a creaking noise caught both of their attention. They looked up and watched as the splinters of the Timberwolves glowed, connecting together to create an even larger Timberwolf. The Black Unicorn furrowed her brows and stepped in front of the filly, glaring up at the monster. It opened it's eyes and roared down at her. In response, the unicorn ran forward two steps and jumped, burying her long ebony horn into the giant Wolf's chest. The Wolf took a step back, confused by this turn of events. The unicorn shook her head and pulled her horn back out, greenish smoke leaking from the hole. As the Wolf tired to process what was happening, the Black Unicorn bucked, completely destroying one of it's front legs. The Wolf made a panicked sound as it hopped on three legs, trying to keep it's balance. The unicorn reared and whinnied, kicking her front legs at the now defeated monster to spur it on it's way. It worked. The last glimpse Apple Bloom got of the giant Timberwolf was of it limping as fast as it could into the Everfree, it's tail tucked firmly between it's legs.
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo ran up to Apple Bloom. “Are you alright?!?” Sweetie Belle demanded. Apple Bloom nodded mutely, her eyes transfixed on the tall unicorn who was still watching the Everfee, alert for any more danger.
Scootaloo followed her gaze. “Did what I think happened really just happen?”
“I think so”, Apple Bloom finally managed. “I think I was just rescued by the Black Unicorn.”
“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.”
