//------------------------------//
// Silver Chains 
// Story: Forgotten Legend 
// by Halogenmyst 
//------------------------------//

The daylight was always obscured by the smooth, grey veil over the sky. Foals would tell tales of the Empress who ruled over the sky and distinguished day from night by commanding the light of the moon to change. Bloom however, couldn't be bothered with nonsense like that.

According to her sister.

"Ah keep tellin' ya Bloom, the day moon has always been this way. 'Sides, even if there was some magic sky Empress, don't ya think she'd let us know?" Applejack said tiredly as she bucked another tree.

Bloom couldn't help but wonder though. "But Granny says there was another light, and that the sky was a clear blue... don't ya wonder, sis?" She said as she carefully picked apples from off the dry ground.

Applejack sighed. "Granny's also been sayin' there're worms two stories tall and dragons that can read. I love Granny too, Bloom, but her mind's just... not all there. There 'aint no magics aside from the unicorn spells. Trust me."



Bloom's mind churned like the sea in a storm. The night moon illuminated the night with its silver glow, but despite her work in the fields that day, sleep escaped the yellow filly, as she stared out her open window.

She heard a light clamor outside. What sounded like whisperings and the ruffling of tripping over one's own hooves. Looking out her window she could make out the dark shapes of ponies, all dressed in dark robes. Bloom's curiosity led her down the stairs to follow the figures outside.

Bloom kept a safe distance as she stalked these strange ponies. They roamed the family orchard, and would only speak in hushed whispers. Bloom's worry escalated. What were they up to? Why in her family's orchard?

Unfortunately, keeping her focus on the ponies in the distance left her ignorant of the one right behind her.

When a hoof landed on her shoulder, she let out a quick, but loud yelp. She turned to see the pony behind her, and fell on her back in the process.

This pony was not in a dark robe, but left undressed. His faded grey coat seemed patchy and unkempt. His mane was a dark obsidian that matched his deeply set eyes.

"Who are you!? What do you want!?" Bloom cried loudly, having momentarily forgotten she was trying to be sneaky.

The dark robed ponies all lifted their heads and turned toward the sound.

"Bloom?" A familiar voice called from among them.

The patchy grey pony stepped past the prone filly, and with a gruff voice uttered one word.

"Go."



Applejack turned to see her sister lying close to the monster they had been searching for.

"Bloom?"

All the robed ponies with her charged toward the beast. Applejack rushed straight for the filly.

The hairs of the grey pony's coat lengthened. His muscles expanded, and his muzzle extended to a point. The moonlight bathed the beast as he stepped from under the shadow of the trees. Drool fell from his jaw as teeth sharpened. The hooves beneath him broke apart into claws as the werewolf finally revealed his true form.

With a loud snarl and roar, the werewolf threw himself upward into the air, aiming for the dark robes that were charging toward him.

Applejack ran as hard as she could, slipping just under the beast's leap and lifting Bloom off the ground.

Bloom didn’t recognize her sister beneath the hood, and fought for her life, kicking and screaming. "Let me go!"

Applejack lost her grip as she ran, and dropped Bloom. In the same instant, she pinned her sister to the ground, hoping to protect her.

"What in tarnation are you doin' here Bloom? You could get yerself killed out here!" Applejack tried to reprimand the young filly, but Bloom could barely understand a word.

Bloom looked her sister in the eyes, her own wide in disbelief. "A-Applejack?"

Behind them, the dark robes kept a loose formation surrounding the werewolf. Each pony took a metal cord from under their robes and kept just enough distance from the monster to stay out of its immediate reach.

The beast leapt forward and landed its claws into one of the pony's shoulders. Pinning the pony down, the grey werewolf quickly arched its neck and bit into the neck beneath him. Rearing its head back, teeth tore the soft flesh. Strings of blood vessels snapped apart spraying a red mist into the monster's muzzle.

While the dying pony's screams drowned away in the gurgling of hot blood, the rest of the robed ponies pounced onto the monster. The metal cords in hoof, they took whatever purchase they could find on the beast and wrapped the cords around whatever they could.

The smell of burning flesh soaked into the air as the beast wailed and screamed under the silver bindings. Finally, behind it, Applejack came and bound its every limb in a silvered hogtie before the werewolf seemingly passed out.

Without turning around, Applejack addressed her sister.

"Get in bed. Now."



Bloom stared into the pit that centered town square. The monster from the night before had changed into the earth pony Bloom saw before and lay at the bottom.Bloom could see the pony's hooves bound with silver cuffs that were attached to the grate above him.

"Ah thought you said there were no magics, 'sides from the unicorn type." Bloom said without looking away from the seared pony in the pit.

Applejack stood for a moment behind her sister, saddened that this was the way Bloom learned of her moonlighting.

With a brief sigh Applejack responded. "It'd be best to believe there aren't."

Bloom didn't respond. Applejack simply turned around and started back toward the orchard.

"Yer chores 'aint excused, sis. Your time's gonna be your problem if ya don't get to it."

Bloom looked into the pit as the pony beneath cast his dark eyes up toward her. He looked into her eyes with sadness, and whispered through his blood-stained lips.

"Go."

Taking a small step back, Bloom turned around to follow her sister.