//------------------------------//
// 34. A load of hooey. 
// Story: The Tale of Lord Barleycorn 
// by Blue Cultist 
//------------------------------//

The Tale of Lord Barleycorn
- - - - - -
Chapter 34: A load of hooey.
---

Corn Crib had thought she had been too excited to sleep. She had climbed into the sleeping bag that she had been using since the arrival of her cousin and her friends, and had expected to spend the entire night staring at the ceiling. Since dinner she had done nothing but wonder about the play, and all the fantastical things she would be seeing over the course of the week.

Her thoughts had danced from the rag pony that she had seen at the school, to the story her mother had told about the willow wisp she had seen after meeting Lord Barleycorn for the first time. When those thoughts had run their course, Corn Crib had spent more of the night recalling the old stories that had been passed down to her through the generations. These tales did not solely tell of the spirits that lurked deep in the Everfree, but also in streams and under bridges.

Her favorite had been a story about a lake spirit that gave an honest woodcutter gold and silver axes for simply speaking the truth about losing his own in the deep water. There were others, spirits that could spin straw into gold, or even whisk a pony away to the land of the dead and back.

She wondered if Lord Barleycorn knew any of these spirits.

Despite her fervent excitement, Corn Crib had fallen asleep at some point. The sun was barely peeking through the shutters when she had been jolted awake by the sound of her week-long room mate, Golden Harvest. Her cousin had rolled out of bed and made no attempt to keep her trot quiet as she left to get in line for the bathroom. 

Idly, Corn Crib had wished that her cousin had spent another night sleeping in the barn. Her bed wasn’t exactly soft, but it was softer than the hardwood floor.

Her own wait for the bathroom took about as long as it normally did since her cousin and her friends had been staying in her home. That morning it felt like it had taken even longer, though Corn Crib blamed that on her just wanting to eat breakfast and rush into town.

Breakfast was as disappointing as ever, consisting of plain, hot oatmeal warmed on the kitchen stove. The omnipresent pears were back on the table, which Corn Crib cut up and put in her oatmeal solely for the sake of tasting something in the flavorless mush.

Finally, once she had washed her bowl, Corn Crib ran straight to the bathroom to begin brushing her mane and teeth. The thought crossed her mind about what she should wear, if anything. This was her first play, and there were going to be ponies from all across Equestria coming to see not only Lord Barleycorn, but the entirety of Hollow Shades. She knew she should make a good impression.

Cousin Golden had excused herself after breakfast as she normally did. Corn Crib didn’t think too much about her cousin’s routine; morning walks sounded like a dull way to begin the day anyway. If it gave her extra time to herself, then Corn Crib was grateful.

After combing through the meager contents of her closet, Corn Crib settled on something special to wear to town. It was just a simple green neckerchief that had faded through the years, but it was comfortable and wouldn’t be too hard to take off when the time came to get into costume.

Once she was back outside she would have taken off straight to town, to see the droves of ponies come to see the Festival of Spirits.

Her father, however, had other ideas. Namely, deciding who would take what to their tiny square of real estate in the main road marketplace. It might be Lord Barleycorn’s ‘Halloween’ but they still had to sell their wares as they always did at the Fall Harvest Festival.

This did ultimately mean that Corn Crib was on her way to town, but at a much slower pace than she liked. One glowing positive in this situation was that with so many grown ponies helping out, she didn’t have to pull any of the carts.

Her parents had insisted that she stay with them until their tables were set up. This meant she had to walk slowly along with everypony as Leadfoot, Cousin Golden, and her friends all pulled carts full of their best produce, while her father and mother pulled their oldest, most rickety cart containing the two ratty folding tables they would be setting up.

Corn Crib walked beside her carrot farming cousin, eyes locked forward as if the whole town was going to suddenly vanish if she looked away.

"Excited for the festival?" Carrot Top asked in a cheerful tone.

Corn Crib nodded, breaking her concentration to glance at her cousin. Thankfully, the town had not disappeared.

"So am I." Carrot Top continued, "Since I’ve been on the farm, I didn’t get a chance to see you rehearse that much."

Corn Crib sighed, "Well, I don’t really have that many lines, and it’s a short play. Poor Wedge has to handle a lot more than I do."

Carrot Top tilted her head, "How so?"

"Lord Barleycorn called it somethin..." Corn Crib thought for a moment as she tried to remember, "Slap shot… shot Stick..."

"Slapstick?" Roseluck offered, pulling her cart of green beans beside Carrot Top’s.

"Yeah, that’s it!" Corn Crib grinned, "Wedge’s gotta do a lotta silly stuff but he can handle it."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Roseluck asked.

"Eh, you’ll see soon enough." Corn Crib teased, holding her head high as she kept walking.

Roseluck pouted, "Oh, give me a taste and leave me wanting more eh?"

"Pretty much." Corn Crib smirked as she walked with more spring in her step.

Roseluck would have kept glaring, but Carrot Top’s bit of restrained laughter reminded her to go easy on the little filly. Besides, Corn Crib still had to get on stage, in front of her whole town--not to mention all the visitors from out of town to put on a play she had only rehearsed once. There was little that she could do to the filly that would compare to that.

Corn Crib however continued to walk without any hint of anxiety. If anything she was getting more and more excited as the school house grew closer and closer. Soon the school was behind her family’s procession, and the main road was right around the corner…

And nopony was there.

Well, that wasn’t exactly right. There were the familiar faces of the marketplace, the ponies that farmed the land around Hollow Shades like Corn Crib’s family did. Each family was in the midst of setting up tables along the boardwalk like everypony did every market day. The difference between a normal opening of the farmer’s market and today was the scale. Today, everypony who had even a small pumpkin patch was there, setting up extra tables to showcase their best produce in hopes of making a few extra bits. More ponies were sitting out to help sell their family’s wares, and of course the tables were filled to the brim with all manner of food both cultivated and foraged.

But, these were all locals. Corn Crib couldn’t find a single new face among them.

Deeply disappointed, Corn Crib continued to look around the marketplace as her family continued their trek. Didn’t ponies want to come to her town to see the forest spirits? Did they not like the posters they made?

The more she looked around town, the more she noticed that the town center looked exactly the same as it did last night. The water tower was covered in spider webs, glistening with the last surviving motes of morning dew. The jack ‘o lanterns were grinning alongside each front stoop, and cornhusk dolls were sitting in almost every window, but there was no sign of Lord Barleycorn or anything supernatural.

Well, aside from the wafting scent of pies that was emanating from Tablecloth’s.

Corn Crib let out a frustrated grunt as she walked. Instead of all the magic and mystery she had dreamed up, it looked like business as usual on the first day of the Fall Harvest Festival. She noticed her parents were a little more eager than usual to set up shop in the same patch of road they always took, just outside of Cross Stitch’s tailor shop. Beside them, Corn Crib could see their neighbors, the Sprout family, were setting up their own tables.

While her family busied themselves with the folding tables, Corn Crib stepped aside to continue scanning the town for new ponies, and Lord Barleycorn.

The stage where she had spent all yesterday rehearsing was standing ready to be used, and several foals were loitering around it. The corn rows were gone now, giving the adjacent fields a vast, desolate appearance. No matter how hard she squinted, she couldn’t see any trace of Lord Barleycorn approaching from that direction.

Once the tables were set and the beans, barley, carrots, pumpkins, and corn was neatly arranged, there was little else to do but wait. Daisy, Lily Valley, and Roseluck stepped aside, pleased that their hoof in matters was at an end. Even Carrot Top seemed at a loss as to what she could accomplish at this point. Regardless, they stuck around the table until everything was organized and Summer and Harvest Moon sat out their change drawer.

"If you guys don’t mind..." Roseluck said slowly like a child eying the candy shop across the street, "The girls and I are gonna head on over to the restaurant and see what they’ve got goin’ on."

Summer looked to Harvest Moon, who only shrugged her opinion, then turned his attention to his temporary farm hands, "I don’t see why you can’t, but wait a minute..."

The older, gray stallion dug into his saddlebag, and from his moth-eaten coffers he set a small stack of bits on the table.

"The three of you really went all out for us, and I hope you understand I’d give you more if I could. At least this will buy you a pie or something, right?" Summer said, a genuine smile crossing his lips.

The trio of flower vendors blinked in surprise. Summer had been a taciturn, grumpy host, but he had been gracious in small, humble ways. To see him smile, thank them outright, and even give them money was something they had not expected.

That didn’t stop Daisy from taking the coins, and eagerly flashing Summer a polite smile.

"Thank you very much Summer Harvest. We’ll try to save a piece for you and Harvest Moon too." The green-maned mare gave both Harvests a demure nod of her head before turning and heading in the direction of the one and only restaurant in town.

"Um, yeah, we’ll make sure to do that. Thanks." Roseluck smiled, then turned to Carrot Top. "You comin’ Goldilocks?"

"I appreciate the offer, but not right now." Carrot Top said, with a light stretch of her back, "I kinda wanna go for a short walk around town before things get busy. It’s not like any of us have had a chance to really explore."

Carrot Top then looked to Leadfoot, "You mind showing me around?"

Leadfoot blinked in surprise, then looked to his parents, "Is that okay with you?"

Harvest Moon smiled and nodded her head, all her help seemed to be drying up.

"It’s okay, this is the easy part. I’m sure we’ll be visiting with some of the neighbors when they start feeling chatty." Harvest Moon then looked to her youngest foal, "This means you can go play with your friends, just don’t get too dirty. You do have that play later today."

Corn Crib could hear the pride in her mother’s voice and huffed. As if she’d run off to play in the mud on a day as important as this.

"In that case, we’ll tell ya how the pie was." Roseluck teased as she turned, only to see that Lily and Daisy had left without her.

Roseluck let out an irritated ‘hey!’ as she galloped after her friends, who were already on their way toward the busy restaurant.

Corn Crib sighed, pie sounded pretty good now. The sad thing was between three grown mares and her parents, there probably wasn’t going to be a slice reserved for her. Maybe some of her classmates would want to go over the opening scene’s song with her. It would help her forget about sweets… for a while.

---

Carrot Top trudged along with Leadfoot as they left the busy nerve center of Hollow Shades for a rarely traveled dirt road that snaked along the Everfree’s border. The trees were still clinging to their golden burden, but much of it was scattered across the road and the surrounding countryside.

The thinness of the forest canopy allowed the midmorning sun to easily illuminate the forest, allowing Carrot Top to see quite a way into the Everfree before it became a brown blur of tree trunks. Although she didn’t believe there were any spirits of the kind Jack was impersonating, she knew that there were more tangible dangers lurking the forest. Having such a clear view made her feel much safer about traveling so near the Everfree’s boundaries.

While she did appreciate the colorful foliage and the company of her cousin, it was the quietness that she had truly sought out as she guided Leadfoot away from the busy market place that was establishing itself in the center of town. The murmur of the town was now long behind them, replaced with the occasional sounds of scurrying squirrels and the enigmatic cry of unseen whippoorwills.

Equine habitation on this road was sparse at best. Back in town they were huddled close together, but the further they walked the distance between the houses grew exponentially. The ones they were currently passing had been boarded up and abandoned to the mercy of the neighborhood and the elements. More ponies who could not afford to live in Hollow Shades, she guessed. 

These abandoned houses especially drew Carrot Top’s attention. She half expected to see somepony lounging on the aged porches or working to clear overgrown yards of branches, but all she could hear was the sounds of nature. Such urban desertion was utterly unheard of in Ponyville, and seeing it so widespread allowed her to begin to see just how many ponies had been affected by the mill’s closing.

That said, she wondered how many ponies would be brave enough to wander far from the town come nightfall. All somepony would have to do to create a haunted house would be to pry the boards off one of these house’s door, check to see if the floor was sturdy enough to walk on, and spin some tale of woe about its last occupants. Not a difficult feat.

Even now she imagined passing one of these houses after dark, alone. The moon shining down through thick, moving clouds… reflecting off the top floor windows of this one two-story house. Even in the daylight she could almost swear those high, attic windows were glaring down at her as she walked by.

"Was there anything in particular you wanted to see," Leadfoot asked, seemingly oblivious to the unsettling surroundings they were passing, "Or did you want to just talk to me in private?"

Carrot Top forced her eyes shut as she pushed these absurd fears from her mind’s eye, "They’re just houses Goldie, so grow up."

After taking a long, lingering glance up and down the empty road, Carrot Top answered; "He wasn’t in the barn this morning."

Leadfoot blinked, "Barleycorn?"

"No, Gordy the talking pumpkin." Carrot Top snapped, but quickly flashed her cousin a wincing apology, "I’m sorry, I’m just a little worried. I spent all morning looking for him but I couldn’t find any trace of him."

Carrot Top looked over her shoulder. She didn’t like talking about this so close to town or the woods where somepony could be lurking, but she wasn’t about to break into one of those abandoned houses just to have a private conversation. Besides, if anypony saw her doing that it would just provoke unwanted questions.

At the very least, they were putting distance between themselves and everypony in the marketplace. Just to be safe, she decided to keep her cousin moving until they were well away from town.

"He’s always kept me in the loop about his plans, and suddenly he just vanishes without telling me?" Carrot Top kicked a stone as she walked, and watched it roll off into the tall grass. "Am I just worrying over nothing?"

The question made Leadfoot think back to the past few days. He hadn’t seen much of the scarecrow, as harvesting had left him with very little time for anything else. 

"Maybe he snuck out early?" Leadfoot said with a shrug, "Like maybe he didn’t want to get caught in the hayloft while we were loading the carts? He wouldn’t have been able to tell you if you were asleep."

Carrot Top pursed her lips in thought, "Maybe, but when Jack got back from town last night he could barely walk. If I was that tired I’d have slept ‘till early afternoon at the least."

Leadfoot wore an introspective look but otherwise continued to talk, "Right, but he ain’t like us. Maybe he doesn’t need as much sleep as a pony?"

Carrot Top found herself trying to argue that, but she couldn’t rightfully say he was wrong. There was a lot about Jack she didn’t know.

"Well… maybe." Carrot Top said, "But I’d feel better if I knew where he was."

"I’m not worried." Leadfoot stated flatly, "I clearly don’t know him as well as you, but I doubt he would just take off and leave us holding an empty sack."

Carrot Top wasn’t so certain. Oh, she was sure that Jack wouldn’t abandon them, but Jack had said he wasn’t sure how he had arrived in Equestria in the first place. Suppose whatever had deposited him in the cornfield had just as suddenly sent him home?

She shook her head, this was all just baseless speculation that was doing nothing but making her mane turn grey before its time. Jack was probably getting some last minute detail ready. Maybe he was making some alteration to his plan to further help her family specifically. She didn’t know, and wouldn’t know until he reappeared.

"I guess you’re right." Carrot Top said, "He’s only been gone for a few hours and I’m acting like… well, Daisy, and Lily."

Leadfoot raised an eyebrow, "They don’t seem to be that bad."

Carrot Top rolled her eyes, "If the rabbits were running around the farm like you said they were, you’d have seen them and Roseluck all freaking out and shouting ‘the horror, the horror!’"

"I guess Ponyville’s had a rabbit problem before?" Leadfoot asked.

"Hardly, one of Fluttershy’s animal projects went awry and a few dozen young rabbits wandered near their shop and nibbled a few spring flowers at their shop." Carrot Top frowned at the memory of having to calm her friends down, "They lost a whole twenty bits, most of which they were compensated for so they didn’t lose out."

Leadfoot chuckled, "Sounds better than chasing rabbits off with a stick every morning."

Carrot Top’s eyes narrowed, "You’ve never met Fluttershy’s demon-rabbit. I don’t own a stick big enough for that little terror."

Leadfoot laughed, he remembered chasing rabbits away from the crops while the early morning mist still lingered about the forest, not that he ever was able to hit any of them...

"Hey cousin, since we’ve got plenty of time before we gotta head back for that play..." Leadfoot nodded up the road, "I could show you a few things around town for real if you like."

Knowing a walk would help to clear her head, Carrot Top wordlessly accepted the offer and allowed Leadfoot to lead her down the dirt road, away from the town.

As she walked, she told her cousin a few minor tales of her experiences with Angel, but her attention was more focused on her surroundings. The number of abandoned houses now began to decrease, but they were now accompanied by wide swaths of wild vegetation. She could see hints that these were once fields like the ones she had toiled in on her relative’s homestead, but now almost lost to the Everfree. She didn’t want to look at them, but her eyes crept over to one of these sorrowful farms and Carrot Top could not help but cringe.

The house itself was much like the ones Carrot Top and Leadfoot had passed. Like the others, its doors and windows had been boarded up long ago to prolong its life, but neglect and the elements had rendered such efforts meaningless. Its front porch had long ago collapsed and any attempt to enter through the front door would require the use of a ladder. A large tree limb had fallen from one of the many nearby trees, carving a large gash along the house’s wooden siding. Vines had crawled up the one remaining eave spout and were in the midst of spreading out along the front picture window.

The barn was much like the town’s water tower. A portion of its foundation, for whatever reason had subsided and now a whole half of the structure was dangerously tilted to one side. An elm tree had somehow managed to sprout and grow through a broken window, and was perhaps the only thing supporting the neglected barn.

The wooden fences surprisingly still stood intact, although it was surely only a matter of time before a strong wind or tree branches brought them down. The fields were now dominated by a thick tangle of saplings, weeds, and tall thistles. All of them jockeying for space in what was surely once prosperous farm ground.

The one article that Carrot Top would have claimed as the worst aspect of this whole sight was the ‘For Sale’ sign that was laying in the grass. The paint was barely legible, worn away by years of exposure and nopony around was going to put it back in the ground.

Nopony wanted this farm. It was going to stand there, vacant, until it was just a wild thicket, and then become lost to the forest.

Out of the corner of her eye, Carrot Top saw Leadfoot step forward and pick up the sign with his teeth. He sat and tried to press it back into the ground, only for the sign to fall off its stake and bounce into the tall grass. With a exasperated sigh, Leadfoot pushed the stake over, leaving both parts laying in the grass by the road.

"This used to be old Turnip place." He said quietly, eyes remaining on the old sign.

Carrot Top moved to sit beside her cousin, "Did you know them?"

Leadfoot paused, seeming to delve into his memories.

"Not… really. They packed up and moved away about fourteen years ago." Said Leadfoot, "I only knew their filly, Parsnip, but from what I remember they were the first ones to close up and move away when things got hard. They were already real poor before the mill was closed up."

Carrot Top winced, "Makes me wish I’d known sooner… I could’ve been helpin’ you all out so much sooner."

Leadfoot shook his head, "It’s not like dad would have let ya. He’d feel like he was leeching off your hard earned bits."

He then turned and smiled to his cousin, "But, that’s in the past. Maybe when this is all said and done a lot of the families who moved away will come back, to visit if not stay. I wouldn’t mind seeing Parsnip again."

Seeking to nurture this newfound spark of positivity, Carrot Top snickered and nudged Leadfoot.

"Let me guess," She teased, "She was your first schoolyard crush."

Leadfoot’s eyes widened before he began to laugh, "Oh please! If Parsnip heard you say that she probably would've clocked you in the teeth! She acted more like a colt than a filly, and started more fights than anypony in school."

"A real scrappy filly, eh?" Carrot Top snickered, having known a few foals like that in her youth.

"Pfft, ‘scrappy.’ More like ‘bruiser.’ I still remember how hard she could hit..." Leadfoot said as he rubbed his jaw, "But I suppose by now she’s probably mellowed somewhat. Maybe won’t greet me with a hoof to the back of the head like she used to." 

"I dunno, I wouldn’t mind seeing you having to defend yourself," Carrot Top snickered, "A mare like that probably went on to become a boxer."

Leadfoot rolled his eyes, "Please, you’re ruining my fantasies about her losing all her aggression and becoming a librarian."

Feeling far more at ease, Carrot Top looked out at the crumbling farm house and the surrounding field. Somehow, it seemed to lack the depressing overtones she had felt before. Actually, as she cocked an ear she couldn’t hear anything. It was as if the entire farm were asleep; peacefully dreaming of happy memories.

It was still a sad sight to be sure, but now it looks less like a foreboding shadow of what might happen to her family’s home, and more of a lasting testament to the ponies that had lived previously here.

"You know," Leadfoot began, "There are a few cool things I could show you that are better than a busted up old farm house. You wanna check ‘em out with me?"

One final glance at the old farm was enough for Carrot Top.

"Sightseeing sounds like a decent way to spend an Autumn morning." She said, "Lead on."

They passed more houses, but while Carrot Top pressed him to disclose details of their destination, Leadfoot was oddly tight-lipped. He chuckled at her questions, and just assured her that it would be ‘neat.’

The houses almost disappeared as Leadfoot now lead her further and further down the road. At two points the road forked, and always he took the path that continued around the forest. The entire time they walked he kept his eyes on the forest edge, and before Carrot Top could ask what he was looking for, he pointed.

She saw a few rotten posts sitting on the side of the road, and as they drew near Carrot Top could see the path forked again, and this time Leadfoot turned. He hesitated at the forest’s edge, and she saw his ears swivel as he looked around the trees before marching on.

"Thank Celestia for this sun… okay." He turned to his cousin, "It’s only a little way from here."

Carrot Top frowned, having grown tired of Leadfoot’s silence, "You know, most ponies like to know why they’re being led into the Everfree."

Leadfoot looked back at her, and she could see he was a little nervous about entering the forest himself.

"That’s fair I guess. I was just thinking that seeing it yourself without any build up would be a good idea. I didn’t get any when the older colts showed me this place." Leadfoot let out a sigh as he thought, "Lot of the older foals sneak out here once in awhile when they wanna have some private time. ‘Was the only place nopony went back when I was young, and now there’s plenty of those ‘round every corner."

Carrot Top raised an eyebrow, but allowed her cousin to continue.

"It’s an old forest shrine some of the old timers put up. Might be the first, I don’t know." Leadfoot glanced down the forest path, "It’s also the biggest."

This got Carrot Top’s curiosity to swell, "How far in is it?"

"Not that far at all. I can almost make it out." Leadfoot said as he gestured to a leaf-blanketed hill which the path snaked around, "If it weren’t for that hill, you could see some of the stones."

Carrot Top looked up at the sky, judging the time of day by the sun as it inched towards its zenith.

"Well, the Everfree is safest at noon..." Carrot Top said as she nodded to the forest path, "After you."

The two had barely began when Carrot Top added; "So… stones huh?"

Leadfoot nodded, "Big ones they stood up in a circle, or at least they were. When I was here last there was only one still standing, and all the little ones had been kicked outta place by somepony."

Carrot top tried her best to hide her frown. She had let Leadfoot lead her all this way to see a ruined old forest shrine? Her nostrils flared as she reminded herself that there probably wasn’t much to actually see in Hollow Shades that wasn’t either old, broken, or about to break.

Still, if she was going to see something located in the Everefree, then now was the time to see it. She might broach the idea of taking ponies around the abandoned farm houses, but going into the Everfree after the sun was down was something only a fool would do.

She then remembered Jack had traveled the Everfree at night. Nevertheless, she stood by her mental pronouncement.

"You’ll like it," Leadfoot promised, eyes on the approaching hill, "Somethin’ about the place that’s just so… peaceful. I used to come out here when I wanted a little time alone. Once thought about putting the stones back in place, but they’re just too big."

Leadfoot had only finished his last sentence when he and Carrot Top heard something from around the hill. It was the rough sound of shovels, and the pair were lured down the path to see what was happening at this ruin. 

The cylindrical stones that made up the outer ring were three, maybe four times taller than Carrot Top. Each was round as a barrel, and consisted of a common gray variety of rock that Carrot Top did not know by name. Each was roughly flat on top, and moss and sickly-green lichens dotted the coarse surface of the stones.

And they were all standing tall in freshly disturbed soil.

But the stones were not what Carrot Top was looking at. A pair of stallions were digging in the center of the ring, deepening a wide hole while Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, and the missing human were arranging smaller, rounded stones in a ring around this hole. Outside the ring, there was one last pillar of stone, larger than the others, which Carrot Top easily guessed was awaiting its new home that the diggers were preparing.

The sight of Jack working so closely with Twilight and Applejack in this remote and unimportant corner of Hollow Shades stunned Carrot Top. This is where he had been, digging in the dirt and playing with rocks?

Twilight and Applejack had not noticed either of the newcomers, as they were deeply engrossed in one of the fanciful stories ‘Lord Barleycorn’ was fond of telling Corn Crib and her schoolmates.

"Couldn’t this princess use her magic to get away from the giant?" Twilight asked as she adjusted an egg-shaped stone to stand straight up.

"She would have, if she had been an alicorn. However, Princess Buttercup was a mere earth pony that was on the cusp of marrying into royalty, as I’m sure I mentioned." Lord Barleycorn chuckled, "But at the top of the cliff, the giant, the swordspony, and their short, nasally employer looked back to find they were being followed by a stallion dressed in all black..."

It was only by chance that Lord Barleycorn looked up from his own adjustments to the ring and noticed Leadfoot and Carrot Top. He seemed genuinely surprised as he suddenly stood and brushed himself off, and the sudden halt in his story caused the two mares to glance at him and follow his eyes to the newcomers on the road.

Applejack’s eyes visibly widened at the sight of Carrot Top, then purposefully directed her attention to the scarecrow that had up until now been telling them all a story. It was a gesture that Carrot Top felt simultaneously grateful for, and somewhat insulted. 

Twilight however offered a pleasant, if somewhat strained smile. Unlike Applejack, she looked exhausted. Carrot Top wagered it was from moving all of those stones, the Princess of Bookworms never looked very fit.

The two stallions who were digging also seemed to notice the silence and looked where the Princess of Friendship and the Sovereign of Autumn were looking. Leadfoot recognized them as two of the woodcutters that loafed around the Rusty Nail nowadays, although he didn’t exactly know them by name.

Regardless, the two loggers casually returned to digging once they were reassured that the halt in Lord Barleycorn’s story was caused by the arrival of some ponies, and not something more dangerous.

"I wasn’t expecting the two of you to show up." Lord Barleycorn said, "Although, the more the merrier. This is a place of merriment, though moreso for spirits than ponies."

Carrot Top chose to keep her focus on Lord Barleycorn and ignore Applejack, for now. The bigger question was what exactly Jack was up to in this weird place.

The story Lord Barleycorn had been telling was seemingly forgotten as the scarecrow gestured about the ring with an animated wave of his arms.

"So, what do you think? Almost as good as new, eh?" Lord Barleycorn asked.

Carrot Top nodded her head, choosing to play into Jack’s narrative.

Lord Barleycorn then motioned to the two mares standing near him, "Although I would never have seen such wholesale restoration without Lady Twilight Sparkle’s magic, or Lady Applejack’s immense strength, or the dutiful toil of my esteemed new friends."

The two stallions paused in their digging, then set to their work with renewed vigor. Even from where she stood, Carrot Top could see the big smiles that were plastered across their faces. She even thought she heard one of them squeal like an excited filly.

Applejack seemed similarly excited at the compliment, but like the diggers she chose to keep her head down and kept working on arranging the ring.

Twilight, on the other hoof, seemed a little taciturn as she used her magic to levitate the large pillar of rough-hewn stone out of the dirt where it had settled, roll it in mid air and set it back down. Another, less straining spell quickly scoured the mud clean off its surface, leaving it relatively clean and ready to place in the center.

"This isn’t exactly what I had in mind when you said you were going to show us some historical sites." Twilight grumbled.

Lord Barleycorn seemed unaffected by Twilight’s sour mood, and gave a playfully exaggerated shrug, "And I wasn’t expecting you to make such a marvelous suggestion about restoring this wondrous site to its full glory. I think it speaks mountains to your highness’s vast generosity."

Twilight wasn’t buying Lord Barleycorn’s flattery as she leveled a sideways glare at him.

"I remember saying that I wished I could have seen this shrine when it was first built." Twilight’s glare softened as she saw the two diggers climb out of the hole, to which she sighed in defeat as looked toward the central pillar, "Of course, it would go a lot quicker if you had some of your spirit friends to help…"

While Applejack visibly flinched, the stallions openly gaped at the princess for saying something so blatantly rude to Lord Barleycorn.

"Uh Twi, um, ya sure ya don’t wanna rephrase that?" Applejack said, trying to whisper her advice to her friend.

Carrot Top hid her smile with her hoof, it seemed even Applejack was convinced. It was also pretty amusing to see Twilight as the unpopular authority figure for a change.

Twilight opened her mouth, intent on arguing with Applejack but swiftly saw how pointless that would be. Instead she seemed resigned to finish what she had started and enveloped the heavy stone in her lavender aura. The princess muttered quietly to herself, her irritability poorly hidden as she abruptly snapped the large pillar straight up. As it began to move, Twilight clenched her teeth as she strained under the pillar’s weight, her full concentration needed to move what was surely a ton of solid rock the ten yards to the freshly dug hole.

The pillar was carefully dropped in the hole, where Applejack and the stallions hurried to fill the hole and pack the earth around its base. Twilight kept her magical hold on it, restraining the stone from leaning one way or the other while the others worked.

It was only a minute and the deed was done.

Leadfoot cautiously stepped forward into the stone ring, marveling at the upright stones, all neatly arranged like he had seen in old pictures. He was elated to see the shrine in pristine conditions, obviously, but there was a sense of wonder in his eyes that reminded Carrot Top of foals when they saw Princess Celestia for the first time.

"I never thought I’d get to see what this looked like with all of them standing..." He said, stepping up to put a hoof up against one of the standing stones.

Leadfoot tapped the stone with his hoof, but the stone didn’t budge an inch. It would clearly take more than a simple prodding to tip it over. The elder Harvest sibling grinned, this meant it would stay up for many, many years to come.

"It’s all for the benefit of Hollow Shades. May this shrine continue to mark the love your forebears had for our beloved wood." Lord Barleycorn announced as he reached into his pocket. 

Carrot Top watched as Jack pulled out a small, brass bell which he curiously gave a quick ring. The chime seemed much louder in the quiet of the Everfree than it should have been, almost seeming to echo amongst the trees.

Regardless of the strange gesture, Leadfoot continued to smile, "Thank you. I’ve wanted this place to get rebuilt for a long time. ‘Never thought it’d happen."

Lord Barleycorn shook his head, "Don’t thank me, thank our helpful new friends Redwood and Hemlock, for being such superb diggers."

Both stallions puffed out their chests, clearly proud at being complimented by a spirit.

"And of course, it would be criminal to not mention Lady Applejack and Princess Twilight. Without their gracious offer, this site might never have seen its day of restoration." Lord Barleycorn tucked the bell into his armpit and proceeded to quietly clap his sleeved hands together in applause.

Applejack responded with a tip of her stenson and a slight bow of her head. To Carrot Top she looked about as tickled as the two locals.

Twilight on the other hoof looked completely unaffected by Lord Barleycorn’s continued flattery. Instead, she seemed to share Carrot Top’s curiosity with the bell that was now tucked under his arm.

"Is… there some significance to the bell you rang?" Twilight asked, "Is it just ceremonial, or does it have some sort of mag-ow!"

Twilight glared over at Applejack, who had just jabbed her in the withers.

"Applejack probably doesn’t want Twilight to offend our resident spirit." It took a lot for Carrot Top not to grin like the cat that caught the mouse, "Oh to be a mare of low moral fiber for five minutes… I could abuse this so easily."

"I was just asking a question." Twilight snapped at Applejack, trying to keep her voice down as she rubbed her side.

"Well, don’t. Ah told ya these spirits can be real fickle. ‘Best not rile ‘im up." Applejack shot back.

The scarecrow seemed to completely overlook Twilight’s sour mood, and rather than address her question (or the argument that seemed to be brewing) he turned his attention to Carrot Top.

"And Miss Carrot Top, it’s wonderful to see you again. Were you sent to fetch me for the play?" Lord Barleycorn said, covertly signalling to her with a wink.

Carrot Top nodded, clearly getting the message, "Oh, uh, yeah! The foals are practicing, but they want to have you help them go over everything one more time."

"And the little ones probably want another story." Lord Barleycorn let out a sigh of mock weariness, "So be it."

He turned to Twilight and gave a flourishing bow, "And so, Twilight Sparkle, I must depart from your most exalted company.  I trust young master Leadfoot will be more than up for the challenge of escorting both you and your lovely friend around Hollow Shades?"

Leadfoot blinked. Him? Escort a princess?

"I, um..." Leadfoot stammered.

"But what about-" Twilight quickly shut her mouth as she saw Applejack raise her hoof for a second time.

"Splendid, I knew you were a colt of valor." The scarecrow beamed as he carefully stepped through the circle to join Carrot Top and Leadfoot on the road, "I apologize for dashing off, but I’ve much to do and I cannot dally here." 

He clearly seemed to be in a hurry to leave, for as soon as he finished he slowly began to walk up the forest path back up to the old road.

"You’ve done the forest a great service, dear Twilight Sparkle. Trust me on this!" Lord Barleycorn called back over his shoulder.

Carrot Top wasn’t sure what to make of that last comment, but she was more than eager to follow Jack. She knew she should have stayed and spoken to her estranged cousin, but there was the more tantalizing mystery of what Jack was up to. What purpose did rebuilding this local shrine have? Had he used the work to hit up Twilight and Applejack for information? If so, what had he learned?

Although she was already trotting along to catch up to Jack, Carrot Top could not help but glance across the arrangement of stones. She instantly regretted it, as she found herself locking eyes with Applejack for a moment. All it did was make her feel uncomfortable, and reinforce the inevitability of that uncomfortable talk she would have to have with her apple farming cousin.

Carrot Top did not look back as she slowly disappeared behind the hill with Lord Barleycorn.

Back at the shrine, Leadfoot watched his cousin and the biped leave. He had expected for Jack to leave with one of those songs he liked to sing, but it seemed he preferred a silent exit this time.

Behind him, Leadfoot could hear the loggers gathering their shovels as they prepared to head back to town. He didn’t blame them, not everypony liked to be in the Everfree, even in daylight. Normally he didn’t either, but there was something about this spot that made him feel secure.

While Leadfoot wasn’t eager for Hemlock and Redwood’s company, he wasn’t comfortable being left alone with Applejack and princess Twilight.

"I hope I’m getting an apology for those punches." Twilight snorted, "You hit me pretty hard."

"Sorry, but ya kept provokin’ him." Applejack frowned, "Ah thought ya said it didn’t matter if he was or wasn’t real. Shouldn’t that mean we shouldn’t risk makin’ the spirits mad?"

Twilight raised an eyebrow, "Were we talking to the same Lord Barleycorn? He seemed very open to chatting about everything..."

"If he brings it up, sure, but it ain’t polite to pester ‘im with questions." Applejack explained.

Twilight rolled her eyes, "What happened to you not believing any of Granny Smith’s stories? I think I remember you saying they were, quote; ‘a load of hooey.’"

Applejack face turned a shade whiter as she quickly crossed her legs and looked about.

Leadfoot looked over to Hemlock and Redwood, who were now hastening to abandon him here with the grumpy princess. The way they were quietly making for the path, shovels tightly gripped in their teeth told Leadfoot everything. They were afraid that Princess Twilight’s irresponsible words were going to cause the shrine spirits to call down a curse at any minute.

If these two mares were going to keep bickering like this, Leadfoot wished he had possessed the forethought to slink away with those loafing loggers when he had the chance.

That’s when Twilight facehooved, suddenly realizing that a golden opportunity that had passed her by.

"I should have at least asked him about Celestia." Twilight moaned, "I can’t believe I didn’t think of that! There’s hardly any written documentation about her personal life… and he does seem to like to talk… and I got distracted by this ruin and that silly story he was telling!"

Applejack took a step back from her friend, undoubtedly worried as she glanced around at the trees and again crossed her legs.

If Leadfoot hadn’t known better, he reasoned he would be doing the same.

Twilight noticed Applejack’s gesturing as well, and only grew more frustrated.

Sensing a possible topic that might calm her down, Leadfoot decided to open his mouth. If he was going to walk them back to town, he wanted it to be a pleasant walk.

"What exactly would you have asked him?" Leadfoot asked, "About Princess Celestia, I mean."

Twilight regarded Leadfoot for a moment, seemingly caught off guard by somepony actually asking her about her teacher.

"Well," Twilight began, "He said that he used to have picnics with her, I wonder where those were held. If they were held in Canterlot I’m sure there would be some documentation on him, and I’ve never read about any Autumn spirit in any book in the Canterlot Library."

Leadfoot shrugged, "Maybe the princess never talked about him? Do you write about every pony you meet?"

"No, but I’d hardly count that scarecrow… thing as just anypony I’d meet in the street." Twilight sighed, "The second Princess Celestia comes back from her diplomatic mission I’ll have to ask her about him."

It was strange for Leadfoot to see a princess, new or old, so chained by superstition. He had thought that if Twilight wanted, she could just invoke the power of her crown and have her way. Of course, Leadfoot was quick to remind himself that if Celestia behaved like that she would not be known for being so benevolent.

The loggers were now long gone, and the wind caught the attention of the remaining three ponies in the shrine as the leaves rustled loudly for a moment.

Leadfoot sniffed the air, testing the humidity. He didn’t know as much about the weather as the pegasi, but he could usually tell a storm from a swell of wind and the odor of rain. However he detected nothing in the air that hinted at an unexpected rain storm, but it was especially strange that such a gust would surge like that when the wind had been so completely absent today.

He shrugged it off, the weather was hardly predictable.

Twilight opened her mouth, and the wind rose again, shaking the trees with such force that the greater specimens creaked and groaned under the strain. The leaves rustled with such a cacophony that it silenced her instantly, and quickly brought all three ponies closer together as if huddling together might offer some protection.

This lasted only a few seconds, but when the wind stopped the forest was dead silent.

"Maybe we should go, before another gust like that drops a tree limb on somepony..." Twilight suggested timorously.

Both Applejack and Leadfoot silently agreed and followed Twilight through the shrine toward the path.

No sooner than Twilight had stepped on the path, Applejack’s voice caused her to pause.

"T-Twi-Twilight..." Applejack trembled, "Look..."

There was something in her friend’s voice that made Twilight hesitate. She had known Applejack to attack Timberwolves, Changelings, and if Applebloom was to be believed, a chimera. Whatever was making such a capable earth pony like Applejack to sound so struck with terror had to be something on par with an angry dragon.

Twilight turned, and beside her she saw Leadfoot staring, slack-jawed at the same spot that Applejack was.

The area above the shrine was flickering with the flight of more than a dozen, small dancing flames. Each was a ghostly, pale-gold, and floated here and there, moving about in a manner that suggested intelligence. They bounced and weaved in a chaotic dance above the stones, although some were resigned to linger about the mighty central stone.

For Twilight, she stood transfixed as she watched these lights freely float about the stones. Had they come to see the shrine? It seemed the only thing that made sense. The old folk stories that she had read in both volumes of Myths and Mysteries of the Everfree sprang to mind, yet the book had done nothing to suggest how fascinating and beautiful such entities could be. 

Beside her, Applejack was keeping her forelegs firmly crossed, yet there was a vivid look of awe on her face that Twilight felt she shared.

The strange silence of the shrine was softly replaced with an equally strange echoing sound that seemed both loud and yet indistinct, like listening to a party that was going on next door.

The lights continued to dance over the stones, although Twilight could not see if these ethereal creatures even realized that they were being observed. The whole scene left her unsure whether or not she should try to speak to them, come closer, or quietly excuse herself from this spectral jamboree.

Twilight had turned to Applejack intending to inquire what the best course of action was with these lights. No sooner than a single syllable had left the alicorn’s mouth than a loud thrum of some unearthly horn roared, shaking Twilight to the bone.

The sound had silenced the quiet chatter of the lights, and every point of dancing starlight now stood still as if expecting something to happen. Twilight’s eyes darted about the shrine, looking for what could have possibly made that baleful roar.

From the corner of Twilight’s eye, she saw a flicker of movement. Something had darted behind a tree. A shadow, massive, indistinct yet unnaturally black for this time of day seemed to flow across the ground like running water. It stalked to and fro among the trees, approaching the path with rapid, almost predatory movements.

Now much different stories were remembered, tales of hauntings and vengeful, hate-filled spirits that lurked in abandoned wells and murder sites. Yet, Twilight could not seem to move her legs, or look away from this apparition as it lurked closer and closer.

The one thing Twilight was certain of was that no clouds or aerial creature could have made this shadow.

When it had approached within ten yards of the princess, the shadow actually pulled itself from the ground, forming itself into a floating mass of black fog or smoke. This spectral form undulated as it inched closer, growing in distinction until it resembled that of the disembodied head of a wild and bearded black goat.

Still its transformation was not finished. No sooner had it attained some level of familiarity of the caprine form, its features began to exaggerate into wilder and more savage states as if to clearly advertise its malicious intent.

The shadow-goat’s slender maw opened, and again came that horrible thrum that chilled Twilight’s blood as the head continued to float closer and closer to her and her friends.

No. Not her and her friends. Just her. It wasn’t looking at Applejack or Leadfoot. Those burning eyes were focused on her and her alone. In an instant Twilight knew it was angry at her. Was it because of what she had said? It had to be. It was coming for her because she had offended these shrine-guard spirits with what she said...

By now logic had utterly fled from Twilight’s mind. There was no questioning what was going on, or what it was. Now having given into her fright, Twilight Sparkle screamed like a little filly and turned, her hooves thundering as she turned down the path and fled. She didn’t look back until she was out of the Everfree and halfway back to town. 

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To be continued…
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