Darkwood ran deep into the Everfree Forest, and stopped in a small, cleared area. She quickly ran over to a nearby tree, and pulled out a pair of dirt-covered white saddle bags with red star-shaped clasps. She pulled out a mahogany tree branch, and began to draw in the ground with it.
As soon as she was done drawing, Darkwood placed the stick in the center of the drawing, and pulled several red candles out of the saddle bags. The wicks were burnt very low, but she didn't care. She placed ten candles in strategic places around the drawing. She quickly pulled a jar out of the saddlebags, which had a black ember burning in it.
"Release..." whispered Darkwood, opening the jar.
The ember flew out of the jar, and lit all of the candle wicks. She quickly slammed the jar over the ember before it could vanish, and put the lid on just as quickly. The candles were all burning with the black embers, which seemed to be pushing the light away. Darkwood pulled the stick out of the center of the drawing, and tucked it back in the saddle bags. She stood in the center, and closed her still-empty eyes. A dark red barrier began to form around her from the candle wicks, which encircled her like a dome.
"I don't want to hurt anypony..." whispered Darkwood, as the dome began to close.
"Wait!" suddenly cried a voice.
Darkwood's eyes flicked open just in time to see a flash of magenta light, before the purple-coated alicorn sudden appeared in front of her. The dome closed, and casted an eerie red glow over her and the alicorn, who looked rather nervous.
"I-" started the alicorn, before Darkwood interrupted her.
"You followed me into the Everfree Forest," she said, "Are you mad?"
"I wasn't just going to let you run off like that! Applejack told me that you were the one who was screaming, but why were you? And who are you?"
"I already told you my name. I am Darkwood."
"That's not what I meant. I meant-"
"Your friends are wondering where you are."
"Huh?"
Darkwood pointed around at the barrier, "This makes whoever is within it invisible. You friends are standing just outside, calling for you."
"How do you-"
"I have my ways. You should leave before something happens to them. Perhaps the timber wolves will come and maul them."
The alicorn's eyes widened in horror, and she took a step back from Darkwood.
"How could you say something so awful?" she asked.
"Necromancy can alter your brain, you know." said Darkwood, her eyes finally fading back to normal."
"Wh-what?!?"
"How do you think I made this barrier? I am not a unicorn."
The alicorn looked down at the drawing underneath her hooves, and her eyes widened even more.
"Th-this is a pentagram..." she said nervously.
"Fascinating observation," said Darkwood, "Now go away."
"I'm not leaving until you tell me who you are."
"And I do not wish for you to die. Now take your friends and go away. Do you not know that the Everfree only contains those of evil? The only nice thing here is that zebra."
"You know Zecora?"
"Not personally. Go away."
"I still won't leave until you tell me who you are."
The red barrier suddenly wavered, as one of the candles burnt out. Darkwood's eyes widened, and she took a step back. She kicked over one of the candles, putting it out, and all of the other candles stopped burning. She suddenly jumped over the alicorn, and her friends who had been standing outside of the barrier, and slammed into a manticore that had been running towards them. The six ponies behind her cried out in surprise, but Darkwood ignored them, and kicked the manticore back.
"Timber wolves!" she yelled, blocking the manticore's stinger with her hooves.
With a growl, five timber wolves leapt out from behind the trees, and attacked the manticore. The manticore instantly fled, and the timber wolves gave chase. Darkwood turned around to face the six ponies, looking rather mad.
"The Everfree is no place to talk," she said, "How about we go somewhere safer?"
"Y-you're dead?!?" cried Twilight, her voice echoing through the crystal castle.
"My soul is still alive." said Darkwood calmly.
Eight ponies and one dragon were all sitting in the map room, and the first thing that Darkwood had told everypony was that she was actually dead.
"Then how are you alive?!?" cried Twilight, who was failing at remaining calm.
"Alicorn, I have already told you in the forest what I use: necromancy." Darkwood was completely calm while saying everything.
"Necromancy is illegal," said Starlight, "It's very highly monitored and documented."
"Well a couple thousand years ago it was not. The best place to practice necromancy was the Everfree Forest, so long as you didn't perish while you were in there. The timber wolves were very good at killing ponies foolish enough to enter the Everfree."
"What is it with you and timber wolves?" asked Twilight, "That's the second time you've mentioned them!"
"You ever wondered where the timber wolves came from?"
"They're creatures made of dark magic, but I've never actually considered who made them..."
"Gander a guess who did."
Twilight's eyes widened in realization, "Y-you made the timber wolves." it wasn't a question.
"Along with a bit of 'help' from whomever that idiotic unicorn was when they decided to animate a dead wolf with sticks. But yes. The timber wolves are made out of my magic, though granted, I never meant to actually make them."
"What do you mean?" asked Starlight.
Darkwood simply explained how she had ended up in the Everfree all those years ago, and when she ran into a majestic beast that was actually a wolf corpse being animated by dark magic-infused sticks. She got to the end of the story where she cried for her newly created timber wolves to get revenge, and everypony was staring at in with mixed looks of fear and horror.
"Then how did you come back?" asked Twilight softly.
Darkwood's eyes narrowed, showing a glimmer of anger.
"Symbe," she said, her voice dripping with hate, "Oh, let me tell you about Symbe..."