“Hiya again! I know it’s been awhile since our first case but we just recently had another which took a lot of twists and turns but I think I am letting a certain group write out this case as they were much more affected then I was. So here we go! Only the facts girls!”
“We knoooow! Only the facts~”
. . .
“Ugh, Twilight how long does it take for someone to find one of all those magic items we saw be scattered? It’s been a few weeks and nothing! I even had time to make posters about our club!” Spike said as he looked away from his comic and pulled a stack of posters from his bag. They had just finished their classes for the day and the two sat in their clubroom not doing much of anything, Spike pulling a bit at his school uniform collar. “Ugh I hate uniforms but at least the color is cool. What do you think of the posters I made? It doesn’t have our names but has a number where someone can contact us.” Twilight was tapping a pencil against her chin as she looked over the large map of the city they had hung on the wall. She turned and grabbed one of the posters while fixing her glasses.
“'Are you having a problem that can’t be explained? Do you need private help to stop something you can’t call the police about? Try calling the Magic Detection Squad!' I don't know about the name it's on the nose yes but also makes us sound like crazy people you haven't put any of these up yet did you?"
"Umm… nooope! Of course not..." She looked at him before shrugging it off and going back to her research. The local school paper hit their floor as it was delivered but neither paid attention to the headline.
"New Candidate for mayor rises! Local father and school teacher, Sombra Black, promises change for Canterlot City if elected!"
. . .
"Hiya Big Mac! Is Applebloom home?" Big Mac had been drinking some homemade apple juice after a long workout when a knock pulled him away from the delicious drink. He opened the door and looked down to see two familiar girls standing there. Scootaloo was wearing a slightly too long black leather jacket over a purple undershirt and dark blue jeans. The jacket had a cloud with a rainbow lightning strike patch on the back. Sweetie Belle was wearing a white dress with a light pink skirt, the dress seemingly to have been made by an expert's hand. Three diamonds seemed to have been stamped onto the skirt.
"Applebloom was told to go get some apples from the orchard but knowing her she is probably taking a nap somewhere."
"Thanks, Mac we'll go find her and help her with her chores!" The two girls ran off and Big Mac chuckled remembered the last time they tried helping Applebloom with her chores. They somehow ended up covered in tree sap and had with not gotten down a single apple. "Those three are just like their sisters."
Applebloom was, in fact, doing her chores or rather she had been before she had climbed one of her family's trees to get down an apple and ended up taking a nap with a cowboy hat on her face. She wore blue overalls with one side unhooked as it was broken.
“Ay Mac, have ya seen my hat?!”
“Applebloom has it! Said she didn’t want to get too hot while doin her chores!”
“Fine but she better not mess it up!”
. . .
Applebloom was, in fact, doing her chores or rather she had been before she had climbed one of her family’s trees and ended up taking a nap with a large cowboy hat on her face. She wore some worn down blue overalls with one side hanging low due to a lost button, a green undershirt, red boots, a green bandana around her neck, and a large pinkish bow. Her bright red hair fell across her chest as she slept. A breeze blew through the orchard and caused one apple to fall on the young girl’s head. She luckily caught herself before she fell and jumped down, grabbing the apple and shrugging taking a bite of it as she walked along with her wagon of apples.
“Man this was supposed to be Applejack’s job but she’s gotten so busy with school and her friends. She owes me one after… this…” She was silent as she came across a single dead tree. The grass and flowers around the tree were dead and the land took on a grey and ashy look as it everything there was stolen of its life. She walked to the tree and touched it, cold and devoid of life. She sighed and felt bad for the tree, a bit of her sister coming out of her right then. Before she could leave something caught her eye on one of the bare branches, an amulet seemed to be stuck on the tree. She climbed up and snatched it before landing on the ground and looking it over. It was a simple black necklace with a red jewel pendant that seemed to draw the girl in. A shiver went over her spine as she swore she had seen something move nearby but nothing was in the sea of trees but her. A whisper came across her ear as if the wind itself was speaking.
“Apple… bloom…” She turned and felt fear grip her heart before she slipped the necklace in her pocket as she heard her best friends calling out for her in the distance. She grabbed her wagon and rushed to the voices, not seeing the single blade of green grass sprouting among the grey land…
. . .
“You found a necklace on a dead tree? That’s pretty weird AB, you sure you weren’t just dreaming? Remember when we were little and you thought you saw a red falling star crash near our city?”
“Hey Ah did see that star! Ya swore that ya once saw your sis have wings Scoots so Ah don’t wanna hear about dreams from ya.”
“Relax you two we have bigger problems than trees and wings. That video contest deadline is coming up pretty fast and we don’t have a single idea on what we should submit! We have to beat Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara, oh to knock those annoying smirks off their faces will be beautiful! But we couldn’t decide on comedy, action, or romance!”
“Action is obviously the best but I’m still waiting for my replacement scooter after mine was stolen so no big car chase…”
“But comedy is cheap and really easy for the three of us, Ah mean what’s funnier than Scoots trying to be serious heh.”
“Yeah… hey!”
“But romance leaves way more of a mark than action or comedy, we can make a story that reaches the heart of the viewer!”
“I don’t know Sweetie, neither I or Apple is very romantic.”
“You two won’t have to be, love guru Sweetie Belle is here!”
“Love Guru? You haven’t even had a real date before.”
“Annnyway! We have to focus and try to combine our ideas into a video that will blow away everyone at Canterlot High!” The three girls began to think in their own ways, Scootaloo pacing around, Sweetie Belle writing out her plans and different possible ideas, and Applebloom laid on her back and tapped her fingers on the ground. It was then the whisper from before came back and this time had a certain allure to it.
“Do you need my help… Let me free you from your burdens… let me free your friends from theirs…” The necklace from before fell from her pocket and she grabbed it before looking it over and felt the strange attachment to the object return. She shook her head trying to get rid of the voice as her friends seemed to have heard nothing. She tilted her head before slowly slipping the necklace on and her body began to convulse as her friends turned and rushed to her side.
“APPLEBLOOM!!!” They grabbed her trying to make her stop and Scootaloo even swung her hand towards her face but it was tightly grabbed by the girl as her eyes glowed red and a smirk grew across her lips. “A-Applebloom?”
“Sorry, I had to put her to sleep… now if you two nuisances would excuse me.” She tossed Scootaloo away like a doll, sending her crashing into the clubhouse wall, and Sweetie ran over to her friend as they looked up at Applebloom examining herself and stretching. “Been so long since I had a body but this one is strong and will do for now. As for you two…” She extended her hands to the girls as they felt something being taken from them but then Applebloom’s eyes turned back to their normal color and she threw herself away from her friends as she looked at them and teared up, running away.
“N-no… Applebloom it’s not your fault…”
“W-we have to go after her or she c-c-could get hurt!” Sweetie Belle stepped in front of her friend as she struggled to move.
“W-whatever that thing did to us weakened us down we need help. Should we call our sisters?”
“No they could get hurt too you saw how strong she was… we need people who can deal with magic or weird stuff like that.”
“Yeah like, who?”
“Didn’t Applebloom meet some witch doctor once? She told us about her, all we have to do is find her!”
“You mean Zecora right? But she never told us where to find her…”
“No, but she did tell us where they met! That weird shop where the Great and Powerful Trixie lives with her parents, right? We can ask there!”
“Ugh but that girl hates our sisters and she is just so…”
“Annoying? Irritating? Idiotic?”
“Egotistic but if it means helping our friend then we should hurry.” Both stood and ran best they could back to Canterlot City, however, things were far worse in the city than they could have imagined many of the citizens seemed to be drained of their color and all were wearing a downtrodden expression. “No… Scoots you don’t think…”
“That thing controlling her did this… if we don’t do something then all of the city can become like this…” The two ran to the curiosity shop as their sisters named it but it seemed to be closed and as they beat on the windows no one came. Before they could lose hope, Sweetie Belle’s eyes caught sight of a flyer someone had taped onto the side of the building.
“‘Are you having a problem that can’t be explained? Do you need private help to stop something you can’t call the police about? Try calling the Magic Detection Squad!’ Maybe they can help us!”
“I don’t know… that name is pretty crappy.”
“Not really in the place to be picky!” She pulled out her phone and the girls leaned close to the phone as it was answered by a boy who seemed to just have woken up.
“Ouch!"
"Sorry, Twi! It was an accident! Hey, put down the broom!! Hello? This is Spike.”
“Umm… we were gonna ask for the Magic Detection Squad?” They heard a curse as another voice came into the call and seemed to argue with the boy before his voice returned.
“Sorry about that, my partner had a disagreement with me so what can we do for you?”’
“Look our friend is being controlled by some necklace and she… did something to the people around Canterlot City they seemed to be drained of all their happiness…” Spike didn’t answer for a minute and a much more determined voice answered.
“Where are you two?”
“Umm in front of the curiosity shop?”
“Curiosity Shop? You mean that weird looking pawn shop for anything strange. Okay, we’ll be right over! Don’t leave unless you have too and don’t chase after your friend I know how much you must want to but that might not be her.” The wait was torturous for the two girls but Spike and Twilight did arrive on two bikes, Spike skidding to a stop expertly while Twilight’s hair was a mess, her glasses were crooked, and she was out of breath.
“I-I hate bikes! My legs are on fire… I am one of the smartest students in all of Crystal Prep and I did not sign up for exercise!” Spike smiled softly at his partner and asked her to give the bike to Scootaloo while she can ride on his back.
“Hey did we meet at-” Scootaloo blushed and covered his mouth while laughing lightly and glaring at the two.
“Oh, I did meet you two before at the arcade riiight?” They nodded and smiled while Sweetie Belle tilted her head and shrugged.
“So you two can help our friend? That necklace is controlling her right?”
“That’s the theory but we saw some of those people you talked about, the happiness sucked right out of them but Twilight saw something else about them had changed.”
“It seems like it happened to you two as well, your shadows were stolen…” The two girls looked down and blinked as the words were proven right, their shadows were gone and they didn’t leave any even if Twilight’s and Spike’s were there. “Whatever your friend is doing it is stealing a bit of their lives away but looks like she didn’t finish with you two. If she is on feet then she couldn’t have gotten too far but where-” A loud crash and police sirens could be heard about a mile away and the group on the bikes while going towards the sound as fast as they could. A large crowd were surrounding a holdup as the police were all aiming their guns at Applebloom as she sucked the shadow out of another person and let them fall.
“No!!! Please don’t hurt her!!” Twilight and Spike looked at each other and nodded as she sent him into the air and he slammed a fist into the ground, cracking it as flames burst around him. Before their guns could aim at him they were stolen and raised high in the air and thrown away. Twilight pushed her way beside Spike and defended Applebloom.
“We’re sorry but you all were about to make a big mistake.” Twilight started before she and Spike felt a hand on the backs of their necks and they fell to their knees as it felt as if something was being stolen from them. The sensation stopped as Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo tackled their friend away and Twilight used her power to pull the two girls close to them, placing a shield around the four as Applebloom’s eyes glowed and her necklace sent a blast all around, sucking the shadows out of the police and the crowd in one strike.
“Element holder… if you wish to save the girl then bring the others to the edge of the Everfree Forest!” The girl pointed at Twilight and vanished as the shadows surrounded her and she was gone.
“Element holder? What did she mean?” Sweetie Belle asked the two but neither Spike nor Twilight knew another about any elements she could be holding.
“I’m not sure but that thing is clearly confused, but at least now we have a location, the Everfree Forest isn’t too far from here and now we have a chance to take your friend back but this is obviously a trap.” Twilight raised her fist and the other nodded and cheered in agreement before they rode to the forest and stopped at the edge. The sun was setting and the forest took on a much more sinister look as if the shadows themselves were beckoning the four.
“You two don’t have to go in, we’ll get your friend back.” Spike said but the girls shook their fears off in an instant.
“Applebloom is our friend and almost sister… we would never forgive ourselves if we abandoned her when she needed us most besides, she would do this for us!”
“You two are good friends, okay team let’s go! Spike lead the way with your fire and I’ll be in the back in case someone attacks.” He nodded and took the lead while igniting his hands and using them as a light.
“Sooo how did you two end up like this? Were you able to do it when we first met?”
“Well we came into contact with a mysterious object that fell from the sky and the radiation from it must have manipulated our DNA to give us enhanced abilities such as pyrokinesis and telekinesis.” The girl nodded but seemed to have trouble wrapping their heads around it as Twilight went off on a scientific tirade and Spike chuckled.
“We touched a magic rock and it gave me fire powers and her basically the force.” Twilight pouted at his explanation and blew her hair out of her face.
“I guess if you wanna be boring sure let’s just go with that.” The group walked for around ten minutes before the hairs on their arms stood and Twilight grabbed the girls and pushed them to the ground as Spike blasted fire at the ground around them. Dozens of shadowy figures with eyes that reflected the red of the flames had surrounded the group. Twilight stood back to back with Spike as she levitated several stones around them. “Right into the trap, let the girl go or we’ll have to force you to.”
“I see you disobeyed and didn’t bring the elements… no matter they can’t be too far and once you all are disposed of I will chase them to the ends of the earth. You want the weakling back? Take her the, I have no need for a puppet any longer!” The necklace floated off Applebloom and shadows swirled into the form of Applebloom and this shadow put the necklace on before grabbing the girl and throwing her to the group. “You can’t hope to beat every shadow I stole but you’re welcome to try. Kill them all!” Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo held their friend while picking up sticks and rocks to defend her. The army of shadows roared and ran towards them while Spike blasted fire out at them and Twilight shot beams of light out that annihilated them. Scootaloo hitting her stick and breaking it on one of the shadows. She looked at the stick before plunging it into the eye of the shadow and delivering a solid punch to its face. Sweetie Belle’s stick was stronger and she swung it towards a shadow’s head, knocking it down and then blocking two strikes from two more from behind her. She jumped away and playfully stuck her tongue out at her friend’s shocked expression.
“What? You think that my crazy sister wouldn’t teach me how to defend myself?”
“T-Twilight we’re being overrun here! She stole a good chunk of the city and I’m not sure if we’re making any progress doing this!” Spike clapped his hands while igniting them with more flames as he was forced to stick to punches and kicks as they had gotten too close. Twilight had started to sweat as she spun things around her like a tornado to keep the shadows at bay but had not trained enough to keep this up for too much longer.
“We don’t have to beat them all! As long as we get that necklace then the shadows should return to their rightful owners!”
“Should or will?”
“Not the time Spike!” Spike kicked off one of the shadow’s heads and blasted several fireballs into the sky and Twilight used her powers on them to make it rain fire down. Spike rushed to the girls and blocked them from the fire, some of it getting on his back.
“D-doesn’t that hurt?”
“Nah my skin is pretty tough and near fireproof. Spike and Twilight stepped up to the shadow Applebloom but were surrounded again as the shadow girl backed away from the two. The real Applebloom finally woke up and didn’t seem to remember anything but that she had attacked them back at the treehouse. She held her friends and apologized but they shook their heads and didn’t blame her. They gave a quick explanation of what was happening as they watched the shadows all attacking Spike and Twilight. Applebloom looked at the shadow version of herself and glared while the three looked at each other and nodded before running around the shadows and heading for the necklace. Before they reached the shadow AB they were stopped by two familiar shadows.
“S-Scootaloo… Sweetie Belle…” The two shadows struck quick and knocked back their counterparts as they surrounded Applebloom and shouted at her.
“You call yourself our friend? After hurting us and nearly turning us into one of those joyless husks of people! Look at what you did to your own city! Stealing and hurting countless people because you weren’t strong enough to resist the lure of power and beauty. Those two fools came here to save you and will die fighting a useless fight as you sink to your knees like the coward you are! Imagine who else you could have hurt! Your precious family~” Applebloom stepped back from the shadows and shook her head at the shouts as their voices filled her head and she screamed to get them out as they blamed her.
They were finally silenced as Scootaloo knocked her shadow down and then landed a swift kick to her face as the shadow vanished back into her. Sweetie Belle tried to headbutt the shadow but found that headbutts hurt before she kicked the shadow’s feet from under it and then elbowed her in the face. The shadow went back into her and the two girls looked down at their friend who apologized again and again but they hugged her and told her that they never blamed her.
She looked up at her friends as they held their hands out to her. “Come on Apple girl, let’s finish this and give that shadow some hell.” Applebloom looked down at her sister’s hat, her father’s hat, on the ground and then slipped it back on before grabbing the hands and standing beside her friends. A tiny light shined in the center of Applebloom’s chest as they walked to the shadow and it laughed at the sight of the three girls.
“Come to see the last bit of fight in your champions leave them? I must admit they lasted longer than I thought they would.” Spike’s raging flames were much smaller and didn’t last as long with the ones on his hands now fully gone. Twilight was pushed back as her tornado was gone and she cast a shield around the two but how long it would last was anyone’s guess as it was cracking already.
“No, we came to stop you.” The shadow frowned as she floated above the three and the shadows around began to swirl around her.
“You think so… the time for games is over and I think it’s time you three disappear!!” She aimed a hand at the three with Spike and Twilight shouting at them to run away but the girls stood determined. The shadow taking in all the darkness around her, even the storm clouds above them as she prepared to annihilate the three in one attack. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle each grabbed one of Applebloom’s hands as they closed their eyes but she kept her eyes open and looked up at the shining full moon that was now uncovered by clouds. “Die!!”
A beam of concentrated shadow and darkness shot from her hands and towards the three but as Applebloom grabbed her friend’s hands back and shut her eyes the small light in her chest expanded to her friends and shined as brightly as the moon. The blast hit a barrier as a large blue shield that seemed to be made of moonlight itself was protecting the three. Three symbols were on the shield, an apple with a heart in the middle, a wing with a lightning bolt in it, and lastly a star with a music note in the center.
“N-no!! What is this!?” Applebloom opened her eyes and stepped towards the shadow as the shield pushed forward also.
“This is the gift that my friends bring me, the strength the three of us share! You’ve hurt them, hurt me, threatened my city and family! Now I sent back all your hate back at you and take back my shadow!! I am not you!” The shield reflected the blast back and knocked the shadow out of the air. She fell on the ground cursing and turned to attack but was met with a stick to the face by Sweetie Belle and then a punch by Scootaloo before Applejack grabbed the shadow by the bandana and smirked. “You know Apples are pretty hard headed right?” She headbutted the shadow down before taking the necklace and the all the shadows vanished back to their owners and Twilight let her shield fall.
“You three did it! You beat that shadow with a giant shield like some kind of anime fight if only you had mechs…” Twilight flicked Spike on the forehead to get him to stop before they smiled at the girls.
“I think you three did an incredible job and I would like to make you three honorary members of our little club. Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Applebloom you three saved the city this time.”
“Only after I put it in danger. We would love to join you two, maybe even help change that dumb name heh. But I don’t think the city is saved until we give this to you.” They handed the necklace to Twilight and she nodded before putting it in her bag and smiling at the pouting Spike.
“Heh, what’s wrong Spike?”
“...Everyone’s a critic… come on girls, Twilight is paying for dinner!!”
“Wait what?!” The girls cheered and Spike laughed as they all ran back to the forest entrance, Twilight rolling her eyes with a smile using her magic one more time to steal Spike’s wallet before giving chase.