Applejack's eyes slowly fluttered open, a wide yawn escaping from her lips. Rubbing her eyes back into focus and stretching her limbs, she saw that most of her pack were still asleep.
They must still be in a food coma, Applejack thought, chuckling to herself. Given what we’ve been huntin’, I guess it’s hardly suprisin’.
Yet as Applejack scanned her surroundings, she realized she couldn’t see nor hear any trace of running water. In fact, the pack had come to rest in a more heavily wooded area, on the edge of a small cliff.
Well, that’s mighty strange. I don’t recall movin’ away from the river after our last meal.
Applejack rubbed her temple, trying to remember any minute details that would remind her of this missing span of time. Predictably, all she got was another headache for her troubles.
“These are gettin’ mighty irritatin’…” she grumbled under her breath.
“They’re coming.”
The familiar voice of Ebony broke the silence, rousing more of the pack back to the waking world. She was sitting on the edge of the cliff, her back turned to the pack as she gazed out through the undergrowth. “This will be interesting.”
“What will be interestin', Ebony?” Applejack asked, trotting over to her pack leader.
“Hmm? Oh, good to see you're awake, Applejack,” Ebony replied, her posture relaxing upon greeting. “Nothing much. Just a local pack of Timber Wolves I've been meaning to bring into the fold. No sense wasting an opportunity to expand our pack, after all.”
“Seems our pack's getting awfully big, wouldn't ya say?” Applejack asked, glancing back over the seven remaining wolves.
“Oh, think nothing of it,” Ebony waved her hoof in dismissal. “I've been in far larger packs than this. I doubt a few extra timber wolves will cause a fuss.”
“If ya say so.”
Applejack spent a little while longer sitting next to Ebony, waiting for all pack members to awaken. She had to admit, despite her initial weariness of her, Ebony seemed to be as respectable a pony as any. Harsh, maybe. But given her pack’s success, it was hard for Applejack to dismiss the effectiveness of her actions.
Looking up towards the forest canopy, Applejack began to wonder how long she had been out in the Everfree. Most of her memories between Winona going missing and meeting with Ebony were just a haze of scattered images, so it was possible that she had been out here for weeks, or even months, prior to their meeting.
Her thoughts drifted back to her closest friends. Had they come looking for her? The Everfree was a dangerous place—nopony would deny that—but it wasn't like they hadn’t braved greater dangers before.
Maybe they’re still out there somewhere, looking for me?
However, there was still the problem of revealing her werewolf nature to her friends.
So far, her self-control had gotten off to a reasonably good start – a few bumps in the road here and there, but otherwise a success.
Despite how much her heart ached to see her friends and family again, the memory of Bloodmane’s break from sanity made her own mastery of the wolf uncertain. It was as much for her own safety as it was for others that she stayed away until she was certain her feral desires were under control.
A fact that didn't make her separation anxiety any easier.
“Something on your mind, Applejack?” Ebony asked, noticing her thousand-yard stare.
“Heh, yeah, that easy to tell, huh?” Applejack replied. “It ain't anythin' big ta worry 'bout, though. Just feelin' homesick right now.”
Ebony shuffled over and grabbed Applejack's hoof. “I know this must be hard for you. But the wilds call us for a reason. We must mould ourselves around the natural world before there is any hope for civilisation.”
“Well, yeah, I get that,” Applejack replied, rubbing her free hoof on the back of her head with an awkward blush. “But do ya have ta be so... melodramatic about it?”
Ebony let out a small chuckle as she released her grasp. “I suppose that's just who I am. You mean a lot to me, Applejack. All my pack members do. I cannot in good faith allow you to get hurt by returning to a world that thinks we are monsters.
“One day, you will see your family again. I think we can agree on the correct course of action for the time being.”
Applejack let out a quiet sigh. “Yeah, I get what ya mean. Just hard to get mah head ta stop worryin' about all the trouble I'm puttin' them through, y'know?”
Ebony nodded. “Of course. I would never expect you to simply shrug off your emotional burdens like a winter coat. All I ask is that you to stick with our agreement; trust in me, and I will help you.”
“Y'know, I was worried at first. But now? I know I can trust you.”
Applejack couldn't explain why, but every time she gazed into Ebony's eyes, she felt her stressors melt away.
The softness in her voice, her commanding yet motherly attitude. It felt right. She belonged here, deep in the Everfree forest, hunting beside her Alpha.
No chores, no duties, no standards to live up to beyond both survival and a base level of respect for the pack. How could anypony insist that she was a monster akin to Nightmare Moon or Discord?
A howl in the distance grabbed Applejack's attention away from Ebony's gaze.
“Aha, I think our guests have arrived,” Ebony said, rising to her hooves and waking the rest of the werewolves. “Look alive, my pack. We are about to become stronger than anything this forest has seen before!”
Ever since Trixie and Fluttershy had parted ways with the Night Guards, they had walked in silence – eyes darting between the compass and the deceptive stillness of the forest.
Considering what lay just below the surface, both ponies knew that time was running out. To some extent, Trixie didn't want to know how far the corruption had spread. To learn that the task was insurmountable would be a crushing blow to both their spirits, at best.
At worst, it meant submission to the Nightmare which infected Applejack.
The smallest flicker of hope, no matter how distant, was essential to this rescue mission. By keeping faith in Applejack's tenacity, and the tools which the Night Shift had granted, Trixie would use every ounce of her will to overcome the infectious malevolence.
That was the theory, anyway. If such child-like hope came to fruition remained to be seen.
Every time Trixie looked back at Fluttershy, she noticed a subtle quirk of her body language which betrayed her calm exterior. With each step she took, her hooves would make a slight twitch before they contacted the ground.
Trixie had slowed to match Fluttershy's walking speed, her own mind too clogged with heavy thoughts to start a discussion about her apprehension.
Yet with every twist and turn they made through the forest, neither of them could avoid seeing the subtle signs of corruption waiting to be unleashed, only growing in its presence the deeper into the glade they went.
Where the threshold between natural magic and the nightmare's dominance lay, it was impossible to tell. Based on what they had both seen before, it was entirely possible that they had long passed the point where the levels of sickness reached one-hundred percent.
All this led to one final question which had so far remained unspoken. But to get to it, Trixie knew that she would have to break the tension that hung in the air.
“So,” she said, clearing her throat. “Have you ever considered joining in with one of Trixie's shows? You would be quite the star with your acrobatics. Trixie can see it now; 'The Great and Powerful: Trixie's Incredible Acrobatic Stunt Show, Featuring: Flora, the Yellow Lunar Pegasus!'. What do you think? Sound appealing?”
Fluttershy said nothing, beyond a brief glance in Trixie’s direction.
“It's a working title?” Trixie added, shrugging her shoulders, still with no response. Realising that small talk wasn't working, Trixie sighed. Pocketing the compass, she stopped in front of Fluttershy and met her line of sight.
“Fluttershy, I can tell you're still hurting because of the Ursa Major's death. But right now, we need to make a final rescue plan. Ebony could be around any corner, and we'll accomplish nothing if we're not prepared.”
Fluttershy averted her gaze. “I'm not great at hiding my emotions, am I?” she asked. “I guess I'm just worried. I know Moonlight gave me their gem, but... what if it's not enough? What if I lose control again? Trixie, if I hurt Applejack, I... I don't know if I could live with myself.”
“Trixie understands your worries-”
“No! Trixie does not understand!” Fluttershy snapped, releasing a torrent of pent-up emotions on Trixie, tears streaming down her face. “You've been a town grump, but you've never been a monster, like I have! You hunt monsters! You lock them away, like you did to me, and still your potions can't keep me sane! How am I supposed to trust you to contain Applejack, Trixie, when you can't even contain me?!”
Removing her hat, Trixie fiddled with it between her hooves, looking away from Fluttershy as she carefully considered her next words. She had to admit, Fluttershy was right. She had made a massive blunder. There was no escaping that fact. There was no more room for such mistakes, not with another pony's life on the line.
“Fluttershy,” Trixie eventually replied, her voice soft. “Don't tell anypony I said this, but...” she leaned in close to Fluttershy's ear. “Even Trixie's made mistakes. Too many to count. I wish I had something better to prove I’m trustworthy, but I don’t. All I can ask is that you give the Great and Powerful: Trixie one more chance to prove she can live up to her title. For Applejack's sake.”
Fluttershy slumped on her hindquarters, rubbing her face in her hooves. “Trixie, I…” she said between sobs, curling up on the ground. “I… Trixie, I don’t know! I want to trust you, but… Oh, Celestia, what am I supposed to do?!”
What Trixie said next surprised even her.
“Fluttershy, bite me.”
Fluttershy had to do a double take. She must have heard that incorrectly.
“I'm sorry, what?” she asked, blinking in confusion.
“I said, bite me,” Trixie restated, holding out her hoof. “Drink from me and share some of your blood. I’m confident enough my potions to prevent me from turning, and I trust you with my life.”
Fluttershy stared blankly, visibly struggling to process what Trixie was asking. She opened her mouth several times to offer some rebuttal, but nothing came out.
“Fluttershy, I know it's a big request, but you know why it has to be done.”
“Oh, sweet Celestia, you are serious!”Fluttershy exclaimed.
“Of course, I’m serious,” Trixie said with a firm, yet gentle tone. “Trixie knows she is far from perfect, don’t get her wrong. But if she has no confidence in her own potions, how can she be confident in her ability to contain monsters and help ponies affected by them? Consider what Twilight Sparkle would do.”
“Overthink this for an hour until she comes to the worst possible answer?”
“Precisely!”
Fluttershy broke off eye contact with Trixie. Looking around her at the forest, then looking at her wings, and finally at her hooves, she let out a short sigh.
With no further hesitation, Fluttershy grabbed Trixie's hoof and sunk her fangs down into her, just above the wrist.
Trixie flinched, biting down on her lip to try and control her expressions of pain – a sensation which, she had read, was only the start.
She never believed the descriptions of vampire bites form old pony tales; the kind that described it as a strangely erotic process. Then again, she had never believed in vampires at all as a filly. Even the Night Guards, for all their bat-like appearances, were only rumoured to drink blood; a useful tactic for keeping paranoia high among the criminal underworld of Canterlot.
To this day, aside from a small gathering of rural communities on the edges of Equestria, most ponies still thought such creatures to be the work of babbling scribblers, turning little known magic into bed time fables to make their children behave.
Trixie now understood why.
How could anypony accurately describe this experience in words?
It was a bizarre cocktail of pleasure and pain, a departure from the world and into a swirling mass of emotions that flooded all the senses. It was a temporary death, while also clinging on to the world of the living; feeling every moment of the blood feast while losing all connection to one’s surroundings.
The whole experience only lasted ten seconds, but it left Trixie feeling like she’d aged a full lifetime in every moment.
“Trixie? Trixie! Please say something!” Trixie heard Fluttershy’s screaming voice, though in the aftermath of the bite, she couldn't tell where the sound was coming from. “Oh no, what have I done? Trixie, please, don't die!”
“The Great and Powerful Trixie is...” she paused for a moment, rubbing her hoof under her chin in contemplation of what to say next. “A little sea-sick. But worry not, she shall not be losing her lunch today!”
“Oh, thank Celestia,” Fluttershy said, wiping the blood from her fangs and pulling Trixie into a hug. “I thought I'd overdone it there.”
“Fluttershy… Trixie has a question she must ask of you,” Trixie said, her cheeks darkening with a small blush. “Did... did Trixie taste good?”
Fluttershy giggled, breaking eye contact and blushing in return. “Oh, um... yes. Trixie was, quite delicious. Thank you.”
Trixie took a few tentative hoof steps forward, swaying from side to side in an uncoordinated shamble. “Ugh... p-please, give Trixie a minute.” Rummaging around in her cape, Trixie pulled out a series of potions, only to reject each one.
“Do you need any help, Trixie?” Fluttershy asked.
“No, no, Trixie will be...” Trixie burped, nearly tripping over her own hooves. “Will be fine, she promises!”
Fluttershy covered her mouth with her hoof, struggling to suppress her amusement at Trixie's condition.
“What is so…” Trixie’s objection was interrupted by another loud burp. “…funny, Butter-shy?”
“I mean no offence, Trixie,” Fluttershy replied. “It’s just that you look like Rainbow Dash after drinking too much of Applejack's cider. She always stumbles home with me, rambling incoherently about how totally awesome—and not at all drunk—she is.”
Finally finding the potion she was after, Trixie popped open the bottle and downed it in one go; her face scrunching up from the bitter taste.
“Ugh, I really need to work the flavour,” she said, her muscles tensing so her legs no longer felt like jelly. “Perhaps next month Trixie can try and add a pineapple flavour?”
At that point, both Fluttershy and Trixie broke into a fit of laughter, howling away the tension between them.
Alas, the refreshing laughter didn't last long.
Seconds after downing the full bottle of her potion, Trixie's eyes went wide with horror at the truth she now beheld. She thought she had seen the worst of Ebony's corruption before, but now she knew how wrong she had been. What she saw went far beyond the decayed roots, twisted thorns and crawling maggots that had entrapped the Ursa Major.
“We have to go. Now.”
“Huh? Trixe, w-what… where?”
Ignoring Fluttershy’s half-babble answer, Trixie grabbed her hoof, bursting into a gallop with her in tow.
From out of the surrounding darkness, a thousand demonic eyes stared, watching their every move. No longer were the tree branches covered in leaves, they had all been shed, making way for the twisting tentacles that wriggled out in every direction to spread the infection.
The sight that shook Trixie to her very core, however, was a plethora of animals, no matter how big or small, petrified alive; all posed in a way that made it obvious to anypony they had been fleeing before being turned to wood. She dared not think about how Fluttershy was reacting to this sight.
A glow from Trixie's horn led the way for the first few minutes of running, only to be replaced as time went on with a hellish red glow, bursting from cracks in the ground.
The same illumination which lit their way also highlighted an abundance of monstrous features now scarring the landscape. What beasts had not been petrified were instead subject to startling mutations; misshapen limbs crawling from the gaping maws in the earth with over-sized claws dragged behind them.
What was once a sweet chorus of twittering bird songs becoming a hellish screaming crescendo, spiralling out of control in the air on uneven wings which barely held them aloft.
Now fully aware of the nightmare’s devastating effects, the Night Shift duo found themselves on the receiving end of the nightmare's wrath on a scale like nothing before. Plant, animal, elemental, it didn't matter. If it moved, it attacked them with everything they had.
Trixie had seen this tactic used before, but never on such a scale. This has become a war of attrition, and Ebony was the one standing safely at the back, orchestrating this all to happen.
Between Trixie's teleportation and Fluttershy's flight, the two dodged and weaved their way past the ever-increasing number of obstacles, too busy to notice the shifting trees keeping them moving in the same direction as the compass' arrow. Only when they were certain they had lost the monstrosities did they stop running, hoping to take a breather in a seemingly barren area before traversing up the steep slope ahead of them.
Instead, their obstacle revealed itself to them.
Eyes lighting up from every direction, a pack of ten, corrupted Timber Wolves surrounded them; each one drooling a strange liquid which dissolved all plant matter on contact.
Trixie and Fluttershy stood back to back, ready to defend themselves against them. Yet the attack didn't come. Instead, a familiar voice called out from beyond the hill.
“Fluttershy? Trixie? What in Equestria are y'all doin' out here?”
“Applejack!” Fluttershy called, crying tears of joy as she ran to her lost friend. Even the snapping jaws of a timber wolf blocking her path couldn't sink the levity she felt washing over her body. “Thank Celestia, you're alive! I was so worried about you!”
“Looks like you've got a fair bit more to worry about than just me, sugar cube,” Applejack replied nonchalantly, taking care to slide down the hill. “I dunno what's gotten into these timber wolves, but they look mighty spooked! Y'all just stay calm and let me and Ebony handle this.”
Fluttershy's smile dropped. “Ebony?” she asked in a meek voice.
“Whatever that mare's done to you,” Trixie said, “You’ve got to get away from her, now! She's putting all of us in incredible danger!”
“Why, whatever are you talking about, oh magnificent Night Shift agent?” Stepping out of the shadows, Ebony Star finally revealed herself to Trixie and Fluttershy, leisurely trotting down the hill.
Fluttershy hadn’t known what to expect from Ebony, besides her being a pony. But she never conceived her to be somepony so... normal.
There was not a single blemish of corruption anywhere on her body, as if she had just walked out of the Ponyville spa.
Despite her cleanliness, Fluttershy felt there was still something off about her. The way she walked had no rhythm to it, yet her pace never slowed.
Studying her expression, Fluttershy was certain Ebony was hiding something behind that broad grin of hers; it was an expression which even a school foal knew something was hidden behind it.
Recalling everything Moonlight and Spectre had told her about Ebony, the notion of such great power kept tightly concealed made Fluttershy’s skin crawl – helped little by the faint glimmer in Ebony’s eyes.
“Oh, and you've brought along a pet, have you?” Ebony continued. “Oh, wait a second! That's the Element of Kindness; Fluttershy, isn't it? Why, what in Equestria have you done to that poor soul?!”
“Come to think of it, what is it with that weird bat pony getup, Fluttershy?” Applejack asked. “Are there vampires lurkin' in the Everfree like there are werewolves too? Maybe you could use Ebony's help as well.”
“Applejack, be very careful around those two!” Ebony shot Trixie and Fluttershy a repulsed glare. “Trixie is part of the Night Shift; the same organisation who sent those Bat Ponies to capture our pack. Who knows what they’d do if they capture us? Why, she’s even turned Fluttershy into one of them to exploit you!”
“Applejack, please listen to Trixie!” Fluttershy protested. “Ebony is a wanted criminal who’s been corrupting the forest for Celestia knows how long! Can't you see what she’s done?”
“Now hold on just a cotton pickin' minute here,” Applejack replied, rubbing her head in confusion. “First off, is it true that you're with the Night Shift now, Fluttershy? Did they really turn you into a bat pony?”
“No!” Fluttershy protested, shouting before Ebony could get another word in. “A Night Guard bit me to free me from Decadence’s control. Twilight and Trixie are helping with my self-control. This, Applejack?” She gestured over herself, then to Applejack, and finally to her surroundings. “This is everything Ebony wants us to be. Nothing more than monsters to do her bidding!”
Applejack turned back and locked eyes with Ebony. “There's gotta be some misunderstandin' here. Aren't you supposed to be the one helpin' me with the whole werewolf thing? Why, I can tell when Fluttershy’s lyin' a mile off; an’ the way she looks at Trixie, the way she looks at me... she ain't lyin’! You, on the other hoof…”
“Oh, my dear Applejack, how I am so hurt by your baseless accusations,” Ebony fluttered her eyelashes at Applejack in mockery. “I wish it didn't have to come to this, but it seems that I have no choice.” With a clap of her hooves, Applejack fell to the ground, screaming in agony.
“Applejack, no!”
After everything the relentless forest assaults threw at her, seeing Applejack thriving in pain—her body ripping itself apart for a decaying bark to sow back together—was the final straw for Fluttershy.
Baring her fangs as her eyes narrowed into tight slits, Fluttershy channelled her explosive rage into a long, feral scream; a sound so loud it forced all living things, except for Ebony, to cover their ears in pain.
Trixie's blood had been the appetizer, now it was time to move on to the main course of her blood feast.
Throwing out her wings, Fluttershy leaped into the air. She slammed herself into the nearest Timber Wolf, tackling it to the ground and wrapping her front hooves around its fore-paws without any regard for her own safety.
For a precious few sections, all wolves fell to the ground, whimpering at what felt like a thousand-needless stabbing at their eardrums.
A perfect opportunity for Trixie to take advantage of, fighting through her own pain to cast a teleportation spell and transporting herself directly to Applejack. Pulling out a potion, Trixie reached over to pull open Applejack's mouth, unaware that she was still conscious of the world around her.
With a force more than double that of the average stallion, Applejack bucked Trixie in the gut, knocking the wind out of her and crunching a couple of ribs in the process. Once again, it was up to Fluttershy to swoop in and save her, Timber Wolf blood dripping from her fangs.
“What's happening to Applejack?” Fluttershy asked, the fear in her raspy voice betrayed by its high pitch.
“I... don't… exactly… know…” admitted Trixie between deep gasps. “She’s… transforming…”
“Into a werewolf?”
“No… into… something else…”
“Brilliant, isn't it?” Ebony proclaimed, chest puffed out with pride as her pack gathered behind her. “All I had to do was turn one of the most well-known Earth Ponies in Equestria into a werewolf, and my seeds blossomed on their own! And to think, my little experiment lured in a Flutterbat to boot. Oh, how I love it when the test results yield bonus rewards!”
“I don't care about your stupid tests!” Fluttershy hissed, keeping the Timber Wolves in her peripheral vision in case they decided to avenge their packmate. “We're going to get Applejack home, and you're going to answer for how sick you’re making this forest!”
“Sick? You think I've made the Dark Ebon Glade sick?” Ebony threw her head back and bellowed with laughter. “Oh, you are such a riot! The Night Shift is so naïve, you're incapable of seeing the bigger picture. I'm not hurting the forest, I'm enhancing it! This was how everything used to be, before your precious Alicorns contained the chaos forces of old.”
“Horseapples!” Fluttershy yelled back. “Don’t you have a basic understanding of pony history? Working together to make civilisation is what saved us from the Wendigos!”
“Your ‘civilisation’, as you put it, is exactly what's wrong with Equestria! Dictating life’s progression to your own whims and denying nature its due? Had you worked with nature instead of against it, the Wendigos could have been your servants, not your enemies! Why, even Discord had a better idea of how the world works than you!”
“You're insane!” Fluttershy growled.
“Am I? Or am I the only one who sees Equestria for what it really is? A squandered version of its full potential.”
“Psst, Fluttershy,” Trixie whispered between deep, gasping coughs. “Keep her talking, I've got an idea.”
Fluttershy didn't respond to Trixie beyond a subtle nod of acknowledgement, all the while trying her best not to be distracted by Applejack's screams.
“I've taken care of animals since I was a filly. You don't think I know how nature works? Nature needs to be healthy, balanced, allowing all creatures to use its bounty; like the loving embrace of a mother. This—what you've created with your curse—is the exact opposite of a warm hug! You aren't nurturing the forest, you're killing it!”
“You think you've been around nature for a long time?” Ebony scoffed. “Please, don't make me laugh. I'm far older than my youthful complexion may suggest. I've had a bounty on my head long before Princess Luna decided to undermine her sister’s rule. In fact, Discord and I were quite the best of chums back in the day.”
With Ebony's attention fixed on the argument, Trixie let out another feigned groan of agony, rolled onto her back behind Fluttershy and withdrew her crossbow. Once the weapon was locked and loaded, she rolled onto her stomach once more, steadying her hooves and taking aim at Ebony’s head.
With her sights aligned, Trixie pulled the trigger.
Ebony responded with a brief gesture and stood aside.
On command, her werewolf minion leapt in front of her, the bolt piercing through its neck to kill it instantly.
“You'll have to do better than that if you want to kill me,” Ebony yawned, waving her hoof over her mouth as she kicked away the corpse. I guess the time for evaluating my opponents is over. Timber Wolves! Dinner time!
The Timber Wolves lunged.
On reflex, Fluttershy escaped to the air, while Trixie cast a series of brief, teleportation spells. Four times her magic pulsed, warping her from one end of the battlefield to the other.
The fifth cast of her spell didn’t go quite as smoothly.
“Trixie, look out!”
Returning to the material world, Trixie came face to face with a hungry timber wolf, pulling her head away from the beast’s jaws with a startled scream.
Stumbling backwards, Trixie pushed another arcane surge through her horn, only for a tiny slither of magic to spurt in place of the spell. With the timber wolf charging at her, jaws wide open, Trixie grabbed the first weapon she could think of to retaliate.
As it bloomed over her, Trixie stabbed a silver bolt up through its mouth with her front hooves, blood splattering over her as the weapon pierced the creature’s skull.
Brandishing her stake, Fluttershy dove to Trixie’s aid, attacking all timber wolves in her way with short, sharp stabs to grab their attention.
Circling around the battlefield, Fluttershy rounded up the timber wolves one by one, keeping her flight path low to the ground to maintain her hit and run attack pattern. At random intervals, Fluttershy banked hard in the opposite direction, pushing herself to keep her momentum going.
With each stroke of her wings, Fluttershy’s muscles flared with even greater pain. Her brain screamed at her to stop, to relieve herself from this constant exertion.
This was a luxury Fluttershy knew she couldn’t afford. Were she to stop now, there was no doubt she would be torn to shreds. In her mind’s eye, Fluttershy conjured the image of Rainbow Dash, cheering her on as she pushed herself beyond the limits of her capabilities.
With Fluttershy’s attacks wearing the corrupted beasts down, Trixie sized the moment, hastily loading her crossbow and firing into the timber wolf pack. Despite her earlier miscast, Trixie funnelled her magic into the bolts, a subtle spell which kept her aim steady despite her trembling hooves.
One by one, the timber wolves fell by bolt and by dagger. All the while, Ebony stood upon the hill, observing the unfolding fight.
Behind her, the werewolf pack was beginning to show signs of restlessness. They snapped at each other, growling and scraping at each other to relieve their frustration.
“Mistress!” One werewolf spoke up. “Please, I can’t take this much longer. Let us kill the usurpers! We scrape every scrap of meat from their bones. We will even eat them alive if you so demand us! Just, please, let us do something to them!”
Ebony, by contrast, was the epitome of serenity. Her posture relaxed, a gentle smile spreading across her face, she rubbed her chin as if studying the fighting prowess of Fluttershy and Trixie.
"I will let you in on a secret,” she said to her pack, glancing over her shoulder. “I never intended for the timber wolves to join our pack. They are merely pawns in my game. Now, however? It’s time for the real battle to begin.”
Biting into her hoof, the single drop of blood she shed was all that she needed to ignite the volatile growth of her corrupted seeds, tearing apart the corpses of the timber wolves under the force of the thick vines growing from their feet. As their life force drained away, the ground began to pulse with a deep red glow; channelling the wild magic directly into Applejack.
This stream of power silenced her agonised screams.
Uncurling from the foetal position, Applejack began gasping for air as Ebony’s magic moulded her body to its new form.
She was neither wolf nor pony, her shape instead becoming a new, more grotesque creature. Her hooves burst into flames, burning them to a blackened cinder as they split down the middle, the tips sharpening into a pair of razor-sharp claws.
From the top of Applejack’s skull, a pair of thick, branch-like antlers burst forth, snapping open to release a rain of fungal spores – matting her fur together and solidifying into a thick weave of rotten bark.
As Applejack rose, Fluttershy landed by her side, gasping with horror as she looked into her eyes.
What Fluttershy saw was not the eyes of a pony who greeted every sunrise with a passion for the day ahead. These eyes glowed bright yellow, staring soullessly into the world ahead.
“Oh, I do love it when everything goes according to plan,” Ebony announced with a mad giggle. “Say hello to my newest creation! I present to you; Timberjack!”
Fluttershy knew what she had to do.
Yet, as she hovered over the creature which used Applejack’s body, doubt still held sway over her mind. She couldn’t put it into words, but there was still a spark of hope deep down within her; keeping the idea that—somewhere within this tangled monstrosity of pony flesh and corrupted plant life—Applejack was still holding on.
“What are you waiting for, Fluttershy?” Trixie yelled. “Applejack’s gone! You have to deal with her now!”
“Yes,” Fluttershy stated in return. “I’ll deal with her.” Throwing away her silver stake, Fluttershy bared her fangs and let out a loud hiss, glaring at Ebony.
“I had a feeling it would come to this,” Ebony shrugged. “Well then, my pack. How do you fancy demonstrating your full strength to our guests?”
To that, the werewolves howled in unison, bounding past their master with Trixie in their sights.
This was the moment Trixie had prepared for. After a quick re-count of her remaining bolts, she loaded three into her crossbow, pulling a small leaver on the side and took careful aim. Biding her time, she waited for the werewolves to make the first move.
With the number of bolts remaining, Trixie knew she would have to rely on more than good marksmanship to kill this pack.
Once the last werewolf had left Fluttershy in their wake, she pulled the trigger.
Reloading as fast as she could, Trixie fired off two more burst rounds, killing three werewolves before they could reach her and grievously wounding four more.
By now, it was no longer a surprise that the werewolves didn’t slow down at all. What worried Trixie more was the residual power still flickering across her horn, leftovers from her failed spell.
She could only hope she had enough magic to put her plan into fruition.
Once she could see the whites of the werewolves’ fangs, she flashed her horn and teleported behind the back.
Yet again, she came up closer than she had wanted.
Breaking into a gallop, the werewolves had to make a hard U-turn to follow her. Ripping a bolt free from a pony’s corpse, Trixie hastily reloaded her crossbow, priming it just in time to shoot a werewolf between the eyes at point blank range.
There was no time for a second shot. She flared up her horn to teleport again, but this time, nothing came out.
Growling with primal fury, the next werewolf along pounced on Trixie, knocking the crossbow out from her hooves and pinning her beneath its paws.
Trixie tried to reach out for her lost weapon, but was cut off by a second werewolf, plunging its teeth into her free hoof.
The pain of the bite was of far greater intensity than anything she’d ever experienced before. She tried to scream and give herself some tiny relief to her agony; but she couldn’t. The pressure of the wolf on her chest was so great, breathing was becoming more laborious by the second.
If Trixie didn’t do something now, this would be the end.
Even as her vision began to blur, she forced herself to concentrate on the werewolf in front of her. It didn’t matter that she was running out of magic. Magic or no magic, she was going to save Applejack, just as she swore to do when accepting this mission. With all her remaining strength, she pushed magic through her horn, preparing to blast her way out.
She didn’t get to cast that spell.
At that moment, a wildcard returned play; Timberjack.
With a ferocity equal to that of the attacking werewolves, Timberjack slammed herself into the creature holding Trixie down, slashing open its throat with a flurry of mad swipes.
“Pack traitor!” a Werewolf screamed, pouncing on Applejack’s tail while the other swiped at her hind legs.
Yet instead of Timberjack faltering, the werewolf’s bones snapped on impact. The beast’s pained yelps lasted only a moment, Timberjack spinning around and crushing its neck in a single blow. Before its companion could react, Timberjack reversed her attack, smacking the werewolf in the chin, the beast’s jaws shattering with the force.
Now it was down to the final three, howling with a bloodthirsty cackle as they charged Timberjack with no further hesitation.
As before, Timberjack mirrored the werewolves’ ferocity with a feral snarl, charging headlong into their assault. All three wolves pounced the moment they were in reach, the dislocation of their paws on impact doing little to stop them scraping at Timberjack’s bark skin with everything they had.
For this persistence, Timberjack repaid them harshly.
Dropping to her knees, Timberjack channelled her strength through her limbs, building it up with each scrape of her enemy’s claws. When her patience ended, Timberjack shoved herself up, sending the werewolves toppling over onto their backs, their spines snapping on impact.
Their broken backs did not, however, end Timberjack’s assault. Plunging her claws into the underbellies of each, she tore away at their flesh with manic energy, covering her claws in their blood as she disembowelled the werewolves.
Fluttershy, meanwhile, kept herself aloft, away from the massacre. The grisly scene recalled something Trixie told her following the Ursa Major fight: despite her rage, there was always a piece of her remaining in her mind, no matter how much she was Flutterbat on the outside.
If Timberjack, as Ebony called her, was truly a monster, then Trixie would have been the first to die. She had no doubt Applejack was still in there. The real question was: how to bring Applejack back to the surface of Timberjack?
Until she could figure this out, she would have to keep Timberjack alive. A task made more urgent by the sight of Trixie shakily holding the silver stake in her magic, limping towards the target of her mission.
“Trixie, no!” Fluttershy yelled in protest, diving to get Trixie out of harm’s way.
But Trixie was already too close.
Without so much as glancing back at her, Timberjack gave a swift buck to Trixie’s chest.
Trixie’s hat flew off as she slumped onto her back, gasping for air. Landing in front of Trixie, Fluttershy hissed at Timberjack, locking eyes with her former friend.
Before any fight could begin, the smoke bombs hidden away in Trixie’s hat exploded, shrouding the hillside in a thick blanket of grey smoke.
“My, my, aren’t you a clever pony?” Ebony said with a bemused sneer. “Not that it matters. Now you will see why many know me as the Nightmare Lord!”
Those last two words spoken came out as a deep, powerful echo that triggered Ebony to transform. What emerged from the smoke a moment later was worlds apart from the one that had entered it.
Ebony’s transformed features were almost identical to that of Timberjack, with a few noticeable exceptions. For one, her size was double that of a timber wolf, claws and antlers curving to a length of equally monstrous proportions.
Draconic wings sprouted from Ebony’s back, consisting entirely of black, wooden branches and decaying leaves. The most striking feature on the thing Ebony became, however? The same corrupted vines that drained life from the timber wolves now extended down the Ebony’s spine, forming a long, rotten tail - cracking like a giant whip with every swing.
“Trixie? Trixie?!” Fluttershy frantically called, unable to see anything beyond the smoke. “Trixie?! Where are you?”
“Over… over here, Fluttershy!” Trixie’s wheezing voice called out from behind.
Much to Fluttershy’s relief, she hadn’t gone far. “Oh, thank Celestia. Are you okay? Can you still teleport?”
“I-It will be difficult,” Trixie replied, still managing to force one of her trademark cocky smiles. “But Trixie thinks she can give it another go.”
“Glad to hear it. I’ll keep Applejack occupied, you just get away from that… thing Ebony has become.”
Visibly fighting to cast her spell, Trixie flared her magic and vanished to parts unknown.
Timberjack, meanwhile, had been left in a state of confusion from the blast. Her senses were buzzing, picking up stimuli from every direction, each one pulling at her desires to seek out the source.
Spinning around on the spot, she processed each piece of sensory information until one presence that stood out from all the others: Fluttershy.
Though she was unable to conceive why, Timberjack felt an intense sense of familiarity in this individual’s voice. Gruff, yet soft spoken. Assertive, yet caring. Concepts which, deep down, Timberjack’s magic had supressed, but not eliminated.
Right now, the feral power of the wolf was in control; compelling her to deal with the feelings directly. Sniffing the air, her ears pricked up as she caught Fluttershy’s scent. Nose to the ground, Timberjack paced her way through the smoke along the scent trail.
Just as the familiar presence came into view, Timberjack ran into another figure; one which loomed over the yellow bat pony just as a third pony disappeared in a flash of light.
The huge figure, she knew, was her pack leader. Her master.
And she would obey.
With a fearsome growl, Timberjack pounced at Fluttershy, knocking her to the ground away from the snap of Ebony’s jaws.
A scream of pain broke from Fluttershy’s lips, the claws of Timberjack shredding into her, leaving deep, bloody gashes across her torso.
“Please, Applejack, don’t make me hurt you!” Fluttershy cried. “I know you’re in there somewhere. I know-”
A swipe to the face silenced her plea, but this didn’t stop her getting up again. This did not mean, however, that she wouldn’t fight back. Even if Fluttershy couldn’t bear to hurt Applejack, Flutterbat was more than happy to knock some sense into her. Flaring her wings and taking to the sky, Fluttershy tapped her limiter gem, releasing her lunar magic.
Undeterred, Timberjack leapt into another tirade of snaps and swipes.
This time, however, Flutterbat was ready for her.
Skewing her wings into opposing angles, Flutterbat’s eyes glowed with power as she banked hard to the right, following up with a swift kick to her opponent’s side.
Timberjack winced, though not for long, as a second later she was spinning round to buck at the bat pony. Flutterbat narrowly dodged the attack, looping around to dive-punch her opponent on the opposite flank.
“Remember who you are!” Flutterbat yelled, her voice growing raspy. “Remember your family: Big Mac, Applebloom and Granny Smith!”
If Timberjack was angry before, the mere mention of the Apple family certainly got under her skin, driving her to jump higher than Flutterbat thought possible, downing her with a swift bite to the wing. Undeterred, Flutterbat continued her brawl, exchanging blow after blow between hisses and growls, refusing to relent while Timberjack kept fighting.
Then, out of the blue, Timberjack spoke. “Don’t you dare talk about mah family like that, monster!”
Flutterbat perked up. Was that Applejack who had just spoken?
As tempted as she was to respond, she shook her head. Now wasn't the time, as a bigger threat was already waiting for her.
As the smoke of Trixie’s bombs dissipated, the monstrous Ebony now had a clear shot at her. With a lash of her tail, Flutterbat was sent flying, slammed to the ground before she could even think to scream.
“Well done, my dear Timberjack,” Ebony said, her voice dark and foreboding. “You can finally see what I’ve protected you from. Cast your eyes to the scene around you; see how my werewolves defend you with their lives!”
To Fluttershy’s horror, all the werewolves Timberjack slew had risen to their feet, fighting against Trixie by the same magic of the undead harpies.
“This is all the Night Shift want of us; extermination of us, and of our lands!”
“That’s a load of pony feathers, and you know it, Applejack!” Flutterbat snapped. “We love you! We want you to live, free from the corruption Ebony has cursed you with!”
“Oh, pipe down will you?” A stomp from Ebony’s front paws ruptured the earth around Flutterbat, cascading a blast of heavy rocks at her. “What I create is nothing but perfection! The sooner everypony sees that, the better our world will be.”
Timberjack glanced back and forth between Ebony and Flutterbat. “I… I don’t… Argh!” Timberjack screamed in frustration, her head pounding more than ever.
Now it was Trixie’s turn to speak up, her voice echoing from behind an ever-shrinking magic shield. “Listen to Fluttershy carefully, Applejack!” she called, swinging the stake at an undead werewolf the moment her shield dropped. “You’re descended from a lengthy line of farm-ponies. You know what corruption looks like!”
“Why won’t you stop talking?!” Ebony yelled, her words filling the pack with increased vigour to their assaults. “I trust Timberjack’s judgement to make the right choice. It’s you who don’t trust her, babbling about a topic you know nothing about!”
Timberjack remained frozen on the spot. “Ebony… master. Fluttershy… friend?” Dropping to the ground, she grabbed her head in both hooves, another monumental flash of pain shooting through her mind as the two opposing voices screamed at each other.
“Fight it, Applejack!” Flutterbat yelled, wings spread in preparation for Ebony’s next move. “I know you’re in there! You know better than anypony what makes the forest healthy!”
“How many times must I tell you to shut up?!” In a flash of movement—far quicker than Fluttershy thought possible—Ebony rammed her horns into Flutterbat, a wicked grin growing on her face at the sound of crunching ribs. “Timberjack doesn’t need you. She only needs me. My cultivation, my power, and most of all, my world!”
Flutterbat hissed, glaring daggers at Ebony as she flew out of her reach. With another tap of her limiter, Flutterbat burst into a high-speed manoeuvre, flying over Ebony and throwing her hoof at the back of her head.
She didn’t get a second attempt. Ebony parried the attack, effortlessly rebuffing it with her own wings.
Yet Ebony didn’t take flight. She had no need. She had a far more creative method of silencing the annoying insects interfering with her plans.
“You fool,” she said darkly. “You really don’t understand my power, do you? Let me put this as simply as I can: I am in total command of nature. Every spore, every leaf, every blade of grass is at my beckon call. There will be no mercy for those who defy my world!”
Slamming her wings into Flutterbat, Ebony threw her into the air and began to flap. Kicking up a whirlwind, Ebony stripped the leaves off the surrounding trees, her magic hardening the edges until they were razor-sharp.
Trapped in the cyclone, Flutterbat could do nothing to stop the onslaught of a thousand black blades cutting away at her.
Now it was time for Trixie’s punishment. Channelling her magic through the ground, Ebony imbued the decaying flowers with new life; releasing a cloud of fungal spores. In the blink of an eye, Trixie’s legs were covered in a thick, heavy moss; gluing her in place.
With nowhere to run, Trixie was a sitting duck. Seizing the moment, the undead werewolves pounced, stopped only from flaying Trixie’s flesh from her bones by the faint glimmer of a shielding spell.
And there Timberjack stood, watching it all.
To those on the outside, Applejack’s physical expression remained blank. But deep within her mind, she stared at where the mental door once was – mortified at the sight of what she had become. The last time she was here, she had locked the wolf away; chained in the back of her mind, bound to her will. But now? Now, she was the one who was trapped, the dark roots shooting out from all directions to bind her limbs.
All the while, the entrancing gaze of Ebony Star loomed overhead. This time, there was no door. Instead, the wolf sat underneath a grand stone archway, perched upon its throne of thorns.
No matter how much Applejack squirmed, the roots just squeezed tighter, controlling her limbs like a puppet on strings.
“There is no escaping the will of the Nightmare Lord,” the wolf said, its lips pulled back into a joyous snarl. “I told you, Applejack. I was always destined to take control.”
Still Applejack continued to squirm, a stubborn anger burning in her soul. She had no idea how long she had been fighting; all she remembered was greeting Fluttershy, and then, nothing. Despite the roots holding her snout shut, she still tried to speak, flexing her jaw to loosen the bindings by any amount, however small.
“Why do you keep resisting?” the wolf growled, forcing Applejack to mirror the swipe of its paw. “You made me stronger. You accepted Ebony’s gift without question. Why do you persist in fighting the inevitable?”
Applejack vocalised another furious grumble. The wolf’s words contradicted everything Ebony had been teaching her. Everything she’d done to keep herself sane, fighting for the preservation of the forest? All of it was being undone, her body cut up and served on a silver platter for the wolf to play with as it liked.
Ebony…
Was she really who she claimed to be? Applejack needed answers, yet the usurping wolf denied them all, endlessly repeating the same mantra about ‘destiny’. The only way for this to end, she realized, was to fight the wolf with every ounce of strength she had – to remember who she really was.
Fluttershy.
The image of the yellow Pegasus flashed in her mind for the briefest of seconds; just long enough for Applejack to grab the image and fix it in place. Fluttershy had found her in the orchid, rousing Applejack from her slumber. The look on her face was one of concern. Wide eyes looking down at her, eyebrows arched and mouth open in a gasp. A quiver in her high-pitched voice; fear. Over what? Over Applejack’s safety?
Had Ebony ever shown a similar concern? Well, she was confident in Applejack’s abilities. No, that didn’t answer the question. Did Ebony show concern towards the wellbeing over any members of her pack?
No.
In fact, what emotions did she show? Joy over success? A strict glare to keep ponies in line? That wasn’t kindness. That was more akin to the judgemental stares of the high-class poinies at one of Rarity’s fashion shows. The two expressions were nothing alike.
Looking back to the image of Fluttershy, it occurred to Applejack that she looked different. She hadn’t had time to fully process it before, but now? She looked… how could Applejack put it?
Darker? More beastly? Her facial features were sharper, more angled, especially her ears. Her coat was darker too. And her wings: gone were the soft, gentle fluttering of Pegasus feathers, replaced with the harsh, calculated strokes of bat wings. Was Fluttershy truly the monster Ebony claimed her to be? She certainly looked the part.
Comparing the two images of Fluttershy, Applejack knew that anypony could take one look at her exterior and cry ‘monster’! Yet, there was one subtle similarity that remained unchanged.
It was that look. There could be no doubt; she was worried sick about Applejack! How long had she taken to find her, this deep in the Everfree Forest? It was easy to figure out that Trixie had dragged her into this adventure. Could she have used Fluttershy to track down and kill her friend, insisting that this creature was no longer Applejack?
Oh, sweet Celestia… The full realization of what was going on finally dawned on Applejack. The wolf, the one Ebony had claimed to be for her to control, it was using her body to attack her friends. That was when Trixie fought back. That’s when Fluttershy showed her darker side. How many opportunities did they have to kill her? This was all wrong, a deception, a lie.
“You’re darn tootin’ I’m not gonna be givin’ up!” Applejack yelled at the wolf, snapping her mouth free from the roots. “An’ if you think I’m gonna be a weapon for some mangey mutt to attack my friends, then you’ve got another thing comin’!”
What the wolf did next, Applejack did not expect. It glanced up at Applejack and stepped down from its throne of thorns.
“Well, well. This is a surprise. The little pony still has fight left in her.” The wolf casually strode up to Applejack and caressed her chin. “A pity your body isn’t as mobile as your mouth. Otherwise, you may actually be able to do something.”
“You really think you’re so smart, doncha?” Applejack sneered back. “Well I ain’t lettin’ you hurt my friends anymore. Go on, try it. I double dare ya!”
“Well, if you insist.” Looking up to the image of Fluttershy, the wolf licked its lips.
Applejack offered no further rebuttal, her hard gaze locked on the wolf.
Crouching down, the wolf flicked its tail as it prepared to unleash Applejack’s body on the yellow lunar Pegasus. Yet when it launched itself at the image, its jaws phased straight through, crunching down on its tongue instead.
“What?!”
“I best be thankin’ ye for that move,” Applejack said, a satisfied grin growing across her face. “Now that I got feelin’ in my own body again, I think it’s high time I take back what’s mine.”
“No, no, no! You can’t do this!” the wolf screamed, desperately scratching at Applejack’s face. Its attack fell short, the roots around Applejack coming loose and lashing out at the wolf instead; dragging it back through the arch as the stone door reformed. “You cannot get rid of me, no matter how many times I am subdued! I will be back, and I will regain control, because I am you!”
“And that’s where you got it all wrong, mister wolf.” Now it was Applejack’s turn to give the snarky response. “You may be part o’ me, but you ain’t never gonna be me! I ain’t your puppet. I am Applejack; proud member of the Apple Family and Element of Honesty!”
But for all of Applejack’s boasting, she was not entirely free from the vines yet. Most had switched back to the wolf, but many remained bound around Applejack’s legs.
As Applejack looked up to the void where Ebony’s eyes once shone, a new, more familiar image had taken its place.
Fluttershy panted heavily with exhaustion. Ebony’s assault had been unrelenting, battering her this way and that while leaving no openings to retaliate. Sure, she had managed to score a few scrapes here and there, but in comparison to her countless bruises and excruciating pain? It was like night and day.
Trixie looked to be suffering the most, her muscles burning as her lungs worked over time to replenish the oxygen she had exhaled from constantly running away from werewolves—not to mention the magic she expended escaping from Ebony’s traps—all the while trying to keep a steady hoof free to fire her crossbow.
Two werewolves remained, the others still reforming. With a lucky ricochet off a tree to her left, Trixie’s last silver bolt cut clean through its throat. With all her energy spent, both physical and magical, Trixie’s eyes began to blur. Her knees buckled under her own weight and she swayed from side to side. After over thirty minutes of none-stop fighting, she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
“Trixie!” Fluttershy called, her voice cracking as she tried to escape from Ebony’s clutches. As much as she wished it wasn’t so, she couldn’t deny that she, too, was spent. It took a monumental effort just to move any of her six limbs, repaid with the crushing weight of Ebony’s claws slamming her back down.
“How pathetic,” Ebony sneered, exhaling an exaggerated sigh. “I thought you were supposed to be the cavalry, galloping in to save Applejack from the evil clutches of that nasty witch who brainwashed her.”
“I…I’m…” Fluttershy strained every muscle she could to move, but nothing seemed to comply. “I’m... not… finished…”
“Oh, so you’re comedian as well as a vampire?” Ebony replied with mocking laughter. Yet as she prepared to squash the bat pony once and for all, she noticed something glimmer from around Flutterbat’s neck. “What do we have here?”
“No!” Fluttershy threw her hooves around the limiter gem. Without it, there was no telling what she could end up doing to Applejack.
“This is too perfect!”
Fluttershy couldn’t believe her ears. Was Ebony giggling?
“I have to admit, I was wondering why a bat pony outside the Night Guard hadn’t turned feral yet. But now that I know, I think you will provide a perfect addition to my ranks.”
“Never…” Fluttershy said weakly.
“I’m afraid it’s out of your hooves, my dear Fluttershy. You and your friend may have caused a small setback, but with both you and Applejack as my loyal servants? Why, you’ve practically gift-wrapped everything I need to destroy your so-called ‘civilisation’.”
“And what in the name o’ Great Uncle Apple is that supposed ta mean?”
Flutterbat didn’t think it was possible, but the colour drained from Ebony’s face.
“Oh, Ah-ah-Applejack, my dear!” she stuttered, shedding her monster form like it was a sweaty robe after several hours in a sauna. “What a surprise! I was so worried that you’d never recover from that nasty spell the blue unicorn cast on you. Why, just look what she did to my precious wolf pack! If I hadn’t subdued this yellow one, who knows what she could have done to you?”
“Uh-huh.” Applejack cocked an eyebrow. Much like Fluttershy, she retained the physical features of Timberjack, but her clear eyes showed which mind was in control. “And would that be why you’re standin’ on top o’ my friend? The one who looks like she’s been beaten within an inch of her life?”
Ebony pulled back her hoof, sweat dribbling down the side of her face. “Like I said, it was a matter of self-defence! You know how long the Night Shift have been hunting our kind. Just look at the gem around her neck; she’s clearly being mind-controlled by the blue unicorn, one of the Night Shift’s top agents.”
Applejack glanced behind her, spitting out a sharp growl to stop the undead werewolf from gnawing on Trixie’s leg. “And if I’m supposed ta believe you, perhaps you could tell me the name o’ this ‘top agent’, as you put it? ‘Cause it seems ta me like you two have a history that you’re not tellin’ me about.”
“Well… you see... it’s… it’s…”
“It is the Great and Powerful: Trixie!”
The unmistakable rolling of the r’s announced to everypony that Trixie had returned to the waking world; unable to resist a chance to stroke her ego. “The Night Shift has been after you for some time. However, to denote a long personal history with Trixie would be one of your biggest lies yet!”
“I think it’s time we all got the truth from you, doncha think, Ebony?”
Fluttershy opened her mouth but found herself lost for words.
“I’m waitin’, Ebony. I know you’ve been spinnn’ lies like no tomorrow. So, start talkin’!”
Ebony began to back away, drooping her head to hide her expression. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Fluttershy’s thought she heard a tiny giggle escaping from Ebony’s lips – though it was too quiet to be certain.
Suddenly, Ebony broke into fit of mad laughter. “You really are a special one, aren’t you, Applejack?” she cackled. “Very well. You want to know my ultimate plan? I shall spell it out to you! Though I suspect you may have figured it out already.”
Ebony gestured around her, inhaling with a long, snorting sniff. “To put it simply; I desire anarchy. A return to the primal state Equestria once was; before your so-called ‘civilisation’ usurped the natural order!”
“An’ amongst all that preachin’ of yours, did you ever stop ta think that maybe you were doin’ more harm than good?”
Ebony let out a long, exasperated sigh. “Oh, Applejack. I had such high hopes for you. Alas, it seems that you, like so many others, are stuck embracing the false promises of ‘friendship’. You could have so easily seen the glory of order-”
Ebony’s rant was cut short by a sound nopony had expected to hear; barking.
“Winona!”
From out of the blackness, the brown border collie charged at Ebony, snapping her jaws around Ebony’s rear hoof.
“Argh!” Ebony cried, kicking Winona in the jaw and stomping on her front paw. “Stupid mutt. Do you have a death wish?”
“No, Winona!” Tears bursting from her eyes, Applejack threw her front legs around her beloved pet and hugged her tight. “It’s been so long…”
Despite her attack, Winona was still visibly weaker. Her boisterousness had gone, replaced by an emaciated, drooling canine covered in rough, bark-like skin – not dissimilar to Timberjack’s own.
Branches sprouted at random from all areas of Winona’s body, growing and shedding leaves as if stuck in a perpetual cycle of the seasons.
The parasitic earth pony magic was consuming her.
“What the buck did you do to her?!” Applejack swore, her fur bristling with rage.
“While I do admit she is a little unstable,” Ebony replied, piecing back together her calm demeanour, “she is what you could easily be: a force of nature! Perhaps now you will see sense?”
With a violent roar, Applejack threw herself at Ebony, knocking her clean off her hooves.
In a snap, Ebony struck back, transforming back into her timber wolf form to return the enraged swipes. Blow after blow, the two werewolves fought each other, exchanging all manner of wounds in their desperate bid to overcome the other.
Fluttershy, meanwhile, forced herself up, limping towards Trixie as fast as her legs would allow. Though she was awake, Fluttershy could tell Trixie was not in a good state.
The signs of magic exhaustion were unmistakable. Her whole body looked withered from the strain; her skin taut and her mane dishevelled, giving the appearance of aging thirty years in a day.
“Fluttershy…” Trixie rasped, tentatively raising a front hoof and pointing behind her. “The wolf…”
Fluttershy all but jumped out of her skin, having forgotten about the one remaining undead werewolf.
What Fluttershy didn’t expect to see was the last of Ebony’s pack rooted to the ground, staring into oblivion as its magic drained away.
“M-magic…” Trixie sputtered. “Ebony… she is low on magic. The transformation uses most of it, so she has to get it elsewhere.”
One look at the surrounding area gave credence to this notion.
Rather than the dark, twisted mesh of red and black flora, everything was starting to turn to grey, the bodies of the fallen werewolves decaying at an accelerated rate. Notifiable streaks of glowing red magic became the soul record of the forest’s former vibrancy.
“Trixie?” Fluttershy asked. “Is it possible to absorb magic from items?”
“Well, of course! That’s the basic concept of magic limiters.” Trixie scoffed, rolling her eyes. “It depends on the potency, but disenchanting is rarely complex. Although the item is destroyed in the process…” she trailed off as Fluttershy’s plan dawned on her. “Fluttershy, you’re not doing what I think you’re doing?”
“We don’t have a choice!” Fluttershy stated, never having sounded so serious in her life. “Unless we help Applejack, she could… Ebony could…”
Fluttershy didn’t need to say another word. Closing her eyes, Trixie reached deep inside of herself, searching for whatever last vestiges of magic still lingered. It took nearly a full minute of searching, but she found something. The aura was dim, but it was there.
Concentrating as hard as she could, Trixie cast a beam of arcane magic, arching from her horn to the power limiter, bouncing off it all the way to Applejack.
As the pendant began to crack, Applejack rebuffed Ebony’s attack, letting out a long, bellowing howl as her features shifted further towards a wolf. Raw magic crackled around her body, amplifying the werewolf powers to be turned on its creator.
Initially, little changed about the brawl, neither werewolf submitting.
Yet as Fluttershy and Trixie watched on, it quickly became evident that, while Applejack’s attacks maintained a constant rate, Ebony’s was slowing. With each hit Applejack endured, Ebony’s stamina became increasingly drained, giving Applejack ample room for her counter attacks.
Bucking and clawing through her guard, Applejack shattered Ebony’s bark piece by piece; revealing the soft skin underneath. While the fight was drifting into Applejack’s favour, Fluttershy knew that Applejack would need a deeper stratagem to win.
By the way Applejack shifted her attack priorities to blocks and parries, Fluttershy reasoned that analysing weak points would be too much of a distraction.
“Had enough, already?” Ebony gloated, her confident tone contradicted by her rigid stance and frequent cringing. “You should have known it was foolish to challenge your master! I will make good use of you once my wild kingdom is rebuilt!”
Applejack didn’t reply, instead churning Ebony’s words over in her head. She had a distinct feeling that she was missing something about Ebony. Something that made her powerful beyond any earth pony in existence.
With the Ebony’s constant attacks, the soreness in Applejack’s limbs was becoming increasingly noticeable, despite the earth pony magic bestowed upon her.
Earth pony magic! The idea struck her like a thunderbolt, an invigorating burst of energy that knocked Ebony back several paces.
“You may be strong, but let’s see if you can outrun the three-times ‘Runnin’ of ta Leaves’ grand champion!” Shaking her tail in Ebony’s face, Applejack bounded away.
As expected, Ebony took the bait. “Don’t think you can win through childish games! I made you! Without me, you are nothing!”
Springing away from her friends, Applejack weaved her way through the trees, timing her steps to land between trunks whenever Ebony attacked – the Nightmare Lord’s gloating never stopping.
Applejack recognised this behaviour pattern. Rainbow Dash showed it all the time; losing focus under the weight of frustration. Pacing herself, she continued her dance around the hill, leaving a pile of shattered logs in her wake. With each shift in direction, she counted the number of seconds between Ebony’s attacks. The rate of fall was gradual, but that didn’t matter. Applejack had patience on her side; something which Ebony severely lacked.
Focusing magic through her hooves, Applejack felt the crunch of broken bark beneath her. She was part of the earth, part of the world, just as much as any living thing that inhabited the Everfree forest.
That was Ebony’s biggest flaw. For as much as she raved about ponies destroying nature, she didn’t know them like Applejack did.
For the first time in Celestia knew how long, Applejack remembered her home. She saw the long stretches of rolling hills behind her, the green of the apple tree leaves that glittered in the summer dawn. Most of all, she could practically taste ripe, red apples on her lips - the livelihood and legacy of her family.
She cultivated it. Cared for it. Pouring her heart and soul into maintaining its sustainability. She would toil day and night to provide food for the citizens of Ponyville, while working alongside Fluttershy to conserve the local wildlife.
Ebony was no master of nature. That honour belonged to Applejack, along with everypony who ever cared about the harmony of Equestria. And within it all, her family and friends were always there, supporting her life passionately.
With a stomp of her hooves, Applejack launched the fallen tree trunks from the ground, stabbing through Ebony’s exposed armour and skewering her to the spot.
Ebony’s eyes went wide, a single gasp of breath escaping her lips before the full realization hit.
“N-no…” she wheezed, blood gurgling in her throat from punctured lungs. “You… you cannot defeat me…”
“Sorry, but I think I already did.”
As Applejack turned around, an ear-splitting howl erupted from the Nightmare Lord’s mouth, so intense it shook the ground. Beams of red magic exploded from her body at every angle, her corrupted magic bursting free and swirling around her in a raging vortex – consuming every loose object that got sucked in.
Throwing herself to the ground, Applejack narrowly dodged the initial explosion’s debris and dug her claws into the earth, dragging herself away from the wild magic storm. Though she had escaped unharmed, Applejack had no clue about the fate of her friends.
Pulling herself back up, Applejack scanned the area for any sign of her friends. Abandoning all thoughts of her own safety, she soldiered on against the chaotic tide, refusing to leave the forest without her friends; alive or dead.
As a familiar flash of pink caught her eye, Applejack pushed herself through the crackling winds, her pace unflinching.
Her heart sunk when she reached her friends. Their bodies limp and their eyes closed.
But there was one sight which alleviated her fears; Winona.
Despite her emaciated state, she sat between the unconscious ponies, gently licking their faces as she cuddled against their steady rising and falling chests.
“Winona!” Applejack called, throwing her arms around her beloved dog once more. “Boy, am I glad you’re alive an’ kickin’. Think you can help me wrangle these two and high-tail it outta here?”
Winona barked ecstatically, bobbing her head towards the rotten vines which held her friends in place.
With no time to waste, Applejack bucked down a couple of trees and tied them together using the vines which covered them. Less than two minutes after the manna storm began, Applejack was using all her might to haul her friends away from the danger zone on a makeshift sled, leaving Ebony behind.
“Are you certain you judged the time correctly?” A buff, elder Bat Pony asked, his face baring the scars and wrinkles from the many years of Night Guard servitude. “I needn’t remind you both about the time tracking challenges when traversing the Everfree.”
“I’m as certain of this as I’m of my phantom wing sensation,” Moonlight replied, retracing their steps towards Trixie and Fluttershy’s last known location. “Believe it or not, those two ponies took down an Ursa Major no more than two days ago. Both I and Spectre have no doubt our allies are still alive.”
The commander raised an eyebrow. “You’re lucky that we’re obligated to investigate this magic storm. Because if you’re wrong, you two will be the first to explain to the Ponyville hospital Children’s ward why all the unicorns have cracked horns!”
“You have our word, sir,” Spectre added. “Everything we told you is accurate. I’ve never been wrong about dating magical anomalies before.”
“There’s a first time for every-”
“Sir, look!” Another lunar unicorn cried. “Dead ahead!”
From out of the undergrowth, an orange-coated earth pony staggered towards the Night Guard squad. Dragging behind her—laying flat on a sled made of charred tree trunks—there was a blue unicorn, a yellow Pegasus, and what looked like something between a border collie and a timber wolf.
“Fluttershy! Trixie!” Moonlight gasped, galloping at full speed to their friends. “And you, you must be-”
“Applejack, yeah, pleasure to meet you,” Applejack said, breathing heavily as she swayed back and forth on her hooves. “Could use a little… little help from… from you fine… folks…”
Moonlight caught Applejack as she fainted. “Commander Eclipse, get the unicorns to set up a teleportation matrix, now! We need to get these four some medical attention at Night Shift HQ.”
“Are you trying to usurp my rank, Moonlight Hunter?”
“Just do it!” Spectre snapped, rushing over to his partner’s side. “There’s no time to bicker about hierarchies!”
Clearing his throat, Commander Eclipse turned to the mixed squad of lunar and solar unicorns. “You heard what the pony said; set up a portal directly to base, stat!”
Eclipse then turned his gaze out into the distance, thinking to himself; What the buck happened out there?
A pleasant, familiar smell filled Applejack’s nose as she returned to the waking world. Feeling the soft surface beneath her hooves, she fluttered her eyes open to find herself still surrounded by nature.
Standing up, she found she had been sleeping on a bed of straw, inside a small cave with a cool breeze gently flowing through.
The cave wasn’t very big; about four times Applejack’s height and twice as wide. The broad, arched opening allowed the gentle morning sun to beam in – something which she had sorely missed with the perpetual twilight of the Everfree. Trotting out, she found herself in a broad meadow, filled with lush green grass and a gentle spattering of yellow flowers across low rolling hills.
Across the first hill, Applejack could see Fluttershy, sat in a circle of rabbits and other assorted critters – including Winona, cured of her affliction and sleeping peacefully.
“Oh, good morning, Applejack,” Fluttershy said with a soft smile, a trio of field mice resting between her wing feathers. “I’m glad to see you’re finally awake. I was just telling my new animal friends what an awful strain you put yourself under to get us back here. How are you feeling?”
“Not too shabby, if I do say myself,” Applejack replied, stretching her limbs. “But what do you mean when you say I got y’all ‘back here’? Where is ‘back here’, exactly?”
“We’re in the Night Shift headquarters, of course,” Fluttershy answered with a small giggle. “I must admit, I was quite confused when I woke up in here, too.”
“Wait, Night Shift? What in tarnation is-” Applejack stopped herself mid-sentence, a rush of memories flooding back. Her first transformation, her mind control under Ebony, and the brutal one-on-one duel that brought about her master’s end.
Looking back over the scenery, she realized that the meadow ended abruptly against a large pane of transparent glass. Beyond that threshold, she saw many Lunar Pegusi and Unicorns scuttering about their business.
Flicking her head back and forth between the meadow and the countless lab blocks beyond the pane, she gawked back at Fluttershy, lost for words.
“It’s best not to think about,” Fluttershy said, rubbing the back of her head with her hoof. “Night Shift magic is quite a special thing. They could fit the whole of Canterlot in here if they needed to! Though I don’t envy the unicorns who would make that happen. Those poor ponies worked all day and all night to make this recovery cell especially for us.”
“So, you’re sayin’ they made all this… to help us?” Applejack trotted over to the glass and parked herself in front, staring at her front hooves. “But what about the… y’know, werewolf thing?”
“Oh, not to worry, Jackie,” another familiar voice spoke from the opposite side, though this one wasn’t quite as friendly. “The Great and Powerful: Trixie, has taken care of everything. You will be under the care of the Night Shift for now.”
“So, does that mean I’m not a werewolf anymore?”
“Um, sorry, Applejack,” Fluttershy said softly, avoiding eye contact. “Just as I’m still a vampire bat pony, you’re still a werewolf. It just needs to be managed every month.”
“Trixie must admit, she never expected to have such an important duty in providing you with control potions.”
She had been awake for less than five minutes, and already Applejack was starting to become irritated with Trixie’s third person self-aggrandizing. Though she had to admit, Trixie did have a point.
Applejack vaguely remembered being given a potion. It was sometime between passing out in front of the Night Guard and waking up in the meadow – though it was still a hazy picture.
“And Trixie got this knowledge from somepony else, didn’t she?” Another, friendlier voice approached Trixie from behind – to which Trixie huffed like a school filly, turning her nose up at the lavender unicorn.
“Trixie will have you know, Sparkler, that she is quite capable of concocting all kinds of chemical mixtures.”
“Twilight!” Applejack called, pressing her hooves against the window. Had it not been for the obstruction, she wouldn’t have hesitated in batting Trixie aside to hug Twilight. “Am I ever glad ta see you! This whole ‘Night Shift’ business is givin’ me quite the headache. Maybe you could explain a thing or two ta me.”
“I can certainly try, Applejack,” Twilight replied with a giggle, her face flushing red. “But first we need to take care of some business. I’ve passed on this official story to your family: You fell ill while searching for Winona and are resting in Canterlot Hospital for specialist care. If all the testing goes well, you’ll be able to return to Ponyville within the week.”
Applejack squirmed and bit her lip. “Twilight, you know as well as I do that I don’t like lyin’. Especially when it’s to my family.”
“I know, Applejack,” Twilight replied sombrely. “Though technically speaking, you were ill in the Everfree forest, and you were taken to a hospital in Canterlot. So, what I said wasn’t technically a lie, was it?”
“Hmmm,” Applejack pondered, rubbing her chin with her hoof. “I guess not. Still, I feel uneasy keepin’ only a half-truth ta myself.”
“Ugh, you are so pedantic, Applejack,” Trixie groaned. “Haven’t you been doing so for some time already, regarding Twilight’s involvement with the Night Shift? Not to mention the whole business with Decadence.”
Both Applejack and Fluttershy shuddered at the name. They had both tried hard to forget all about Decadence, but they could no longer deny there were those who sought to usurp that monster.
But again, she had to admit that, despite her obnoxiousness, Trixie did have a point. “Well, I suppose as long as it all ain’t difficult between us, then what the Apple family don’t know can’t hurt them.”
“Trixie knew you would see things from her perspective,” Trixie smirked at Twilight. “Something she thinks would benefit other Night Shift unicorns. Wouldn’t you agree, Sparkler?”
“No need to rub it in, Trixie,” Twilight chuckled, taking Trixie’s boasting in jest. “I freely admit you did a fantastic job at replicating the necessary wild magic affliction potions. All you need to do is practice reversing the polarity of the neutron flow, and maybe a dash of transformative quantum flux powder as well for the taste.”
“Err… say what now?”
“Oh, sorry, Applejack,” Twilight giggled, blushing a little and clearing her throat. “I meant to say that Trixie’s potions didn’t keep your wild magic as stable as regulations dictate. But we can fix that.”
After a few minutes of casual chatter—with Fluttershy helping to fill in the blanks of Applejack’s memory—Twilight clapped her hooves together as she remembered something she was supposed to return.
“Oh, Applejack! I’ve got a little something for you.” Reaching over to her saddlebag, Twilight pulled out a brown Stetson hat.
“Oh, my great giddy aunt Apple!” Applejack exclaimed, her face lighting up with joy. “You found my hat! I’d almost forgotten about it with this whole wild magic debacle. And it looks as good as new! Thank you, Twilight.”
“Not a problem, Applejack,” Twilight replied, opening the cell door to give Applejack her long awaited hug. “Rarity fixed it up for you the moment Pinkie Pie delivered it. I’m surprised how well she’s balanced pet sitting on the side of her day job at Sugar Cube Corner. Some days I swear there must be more than one of her; like the reflection in the mirror coming life or-”
A persistent beeping sound cut off Twilight before she could ramble any further. “Huh, Two o’clock already? Well, it looks like my lunch break is over. I’d best get back to all the paperwork on the Ebony incident. I’ll need you both to stay in the recovery cell for a day or two longer while we continue to monitor your wild magic levels. Beyond that, don’t hesitate to call if you need anything else. I’ll be around as long as Spike can look after the library.”
“And if Trixie may add one more thing?” Trixie removed her hat, holding it against her chest. “It was quite an adventure with you both, and I’m glad you’re both safe. You’re both good ponies who Twilight deserves to have as friends.”
“Aww, shucks, Trixie,” Applejack replied with bashful chuckle and a wave of her hoof. “I didn’t know you had it in you. And speakin’ in first person, too? This must be my lucky day!”
Trixie snapped her gaze away from Applejack, blushing heavily. “And lucky you should be considered! It’s not often the Great and Powerful Trixie provides such level of compliments.”
“Um, Twilight?” Fluttershy spoke up. “There is one more thing I’d like to ask – um, if that’s okay with you, of course.”
“Sure thing, Fluttershy. What’s up?”
“What exactly happened to Ebony Star? Applejack told me she exploded into a mana storm when she died.”
“Come ta think of it,” Applejack added. “I saw the magic bursts breakin’ out of her, but nothin’ afterwards. Did she die?”
Twilight and Trixie looked at each other for a moment, sharing a nervous expression.
“Well, not exactly…” Twilight trailed off.
Somewhere deep in the lower vaults of the Night Shift containment facility, situated in the maximum-security area, a vault containing a patch of scorched earth lay behind several armed guards and layers of magic barriers.
Inside, the petrified body of what looked to be a half pony, half timberwolf stood; its last moments of terror before being encased in its fossilized tomb captured for only the most authorized eyes to see.
END