//------------------------------//
// Crow Quill 
// Story: Cutie Mark Crusaders: Legend Hunters 
// by Unicorncob 
//------------------------------//

The night passed by peacefully despite the festivities in the night, with the Crusaders’ comfortable sleep only interrupted by the frantic knocking on the door of an excited Rainbow Dash in the morning. Given how the three shared her enthusiasm, they practically leaped out of their beds and prepared themselves for the day. They all decided to save their Nightmare Night costumes for nightfall, for the proper experience.
While Sweetie Belle waited for her friends to finish in the bathroom, she took another look out the window while she brushed her mane. Now that it was daylight, she could see the surrounding forest clearly. The orange leaves brushed against each other, one or two occasionally fluttering by the glass. She smiled as she remembered the Running of the Leaves race that was won by Twilight Sparkle of all ponies, before she became an Alicorn.

The amusing memory was put on hold when she spotted the pointed shape in the distance the night before. Now that it was daylight, she was definitely sure that was a castle. The one the hooded mare on the train told them about, maybe?
Her eyes lit up as a thought came to her. Maybe that was where the fabled Hollow Shades Vampony lived? It made sense, since vampires did tend to live in castles, according to everything she’d heard about them. And the legend had to come from somewhere in Hollow Shades, why not have it be there?
She recalled how the mare said to travel there at night, but there was no harm going to take a look during the daytime, was there? If anything, to get an idea of the trail to get there. It didn’t seem to be too far, maybe a fifteen minute walk, she estimated.
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo wouldn’t be hard to convince to come along, but the real problem was getting Rainbow Dash to let them. Though, since it was during the day, it shouldn’t be dangerous. Besides, the Cutie Mark Crusaders had dealt with much worse things than a walk through a forest.

After breakfast, the group headed outside into the town, and were almost surprised at how different Hollow Shades looked compared to the night before. The dark, grey buildings and the dense forest surrounding the town made the place seem like it came out of a spooky campfire story.
Ponies were out of costume but stalls, albeit closed, were still set up around town as the proper shops opened up for business during the daylight hours.
The crisp morning air filled their lungs as the four walked toward the town square, to get a look at what the town had to offer. They could see a cafe nearby, a bakery, some shops and even a boutique.
The middle of town was circular, with a large fountain smack dab in the middle. On top of it was a life-sized stone statue of Princess Luna, standing majestically with her chin forward, her wings out and a hoof raised up while streams of water spouted around her. Looking into the small pool showed the rippling shimmers of bits flipped inside by the locals, likely for good luck. Behind the fountain was a large stage, presumably where the music was coming from the night before.

“Not a bad place, huh?” asked Rainbow Dash, leaning casually against the fountain.
“Yeah!” Scootaloo chirped, her wings buzzing. “Reminds me of Ponyville!”
Apple Bloom nodded agreement. “Only a lil’ spookier.”
“More like a lot spookier,” Sweetie Belle added. “It’s like somepony sucked the colour out… in a good way though.”
“I told ya there was awesome Nightmare Night spirit here!” boasted Dash with a smirk.

The four’s attention was grabbed by a stallion trotting up to him. A brown Earth Pony who looked to be a little older than Dash, wearing a dark suit jacket and carrying himself with an air of importance. His cutie mark was a piece of parchment with a black quill writing on it.

“So I heard right,” he began, “we do have a Wonderbolt visiting our town! And an Element of Harmony as well!”
Rainbow Dash puffed out her chest. “Darn right!”
Scootaloo hopped up, waving a hoof. “And the Cutie Mark Crusaders too!”
“Ah yes, I’ve heard about you three as well,” the stallion chuckled at the three smiling fillies. “My name is Crow Quill, I’m the Mayor of Hollow Shades. It’s a pleasure to have you all!”
“Happy to be here,” the Pegasus smirked back. “Just gonna check out the town for a bit before the Horrorfest starts back up again.”
“Well you’ll have till sundown, in that case,” said Crow Quill with a smile. “Please, feel free to wander around, and I’ll be around if you have any questions.”

Sweetie Belle blinked and glanced aside in thought for a moment, before raising her hoof to get the Mayor’s attention. “I have a question--do you know anything about the castle outside town?”
Crow Quill looked down at the filly, who could swear his cheery smile had faltered slightly at the question. “The castle? Why do you ask?”
“Oh yeah, we’re just curious,” Scootaloo added. “See, we’re doing this project for school and--”
“Oh I wouldn’t bother with that place,” the Mayor quickly interjected, raising a hoof dismissively. “It’s pretty much abandoned, and besides the doors are locked. No need to go near it.”
Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to speak, but the stallion continued before she could get a syllable out.. “If you’re truly curious about our town’s history, we do have a library near the square!”
Rainbow Dash and the Crusaders looked at each other, sharing a mutual scepticism.
“Anyway, like I said I’ll be around,” the Mayor said, turning around and trotting down the street. “Enjoy your stay!”

The four ponies looked at each other and, when Crow Quill disappeared around a corner, looked in the direction of the castle, standing ominously in the distance above the trees, and trotted toward the path leading out of town.