//------------------------------// // Ch. VII: Truth // Story: The Witches of Moonlight Lake // by Phoenix Heart 27 //------------------------------// The group of 7 ran as fast as their hooves could carry them towards Solange’s house. As soon as they got in, Solange called out to her mom. “In the kitchen.”, Sam said in a wavering tone. Noticing the uneasy tension in the air, the group came into the kitchen. Only to come into the sight of Solange, Terra and Amaris’ moms sitting at the table. Little Apollo nestled in his cart seat chewing on a toy. Once he saw his mother however is when he started crying and getting fussy. Immediately going over to her fussy son, Solange picked him up and began soothing him (whilst the others cooed over their “nephew” as he steadily calmed). “Somepony wanna explain why Apollo was in his cart seat and why his diaper bag is packed? Because I’m sure for one, that it's close to his bedtime and two, that I didn't plan on taking him anywhere this time of night.”, Solange said in a tone that only a concerned mother can muster. “He was in his cart seat because Falling Star is on his way here to come pick up his son.”, Sammy explained. “But ma, this ain't Falling’s weekend. Why in Tartarus is he coming-”, Solange started before being interrupted. “-I called him and told him to take Apollo for a few days. Believe me, what will happen these next few days...we don't need an innocent baby in the house for. Besides...you probably will be so distracted and confused that you won't be able to take care of him properly.”, Sammy explained as she interrupted her daughter mid freak out. Solange just looked at her mother like she’d grown a second head before gently placing her now calm son back in his carrier. Just as she finished rehooking Apollo in his seat, a horn honked on the side piece of street. Looking out the screen door, Terra saw that it was Solange’s “on-again/off-again” coltfriend, Falling Star in his old beat up yellow cart. Getting out, he approached the door which Terra quickly opened up and let him in. “Ladies and gentlecolts, good evening to you all.”, Falling said in a mellow speech. “Hi Falling Star. Apparently my mom's called you up to take Apollo?”, Solange said in a completely even tone. “Yes I did! Here Falling, here's his playpen, diaper bag and of course, the baby.”, Sammy said as she passed Falling everything (and Apollo). “While I'm not sure why I’m getting him this weekend but judging by the completely serious look on your face Ms. Bridleway, I won't question it and just take my son.” Falling started in a demure voice as he placed everything by the door before grabbing his son “What day do you want him back?”, he finished with a questioning glance to his ‘ex’. “Oh... probably best to keep him the rest of the week. He has plenty of pre-made bottle bags in the cooler inside the diaper bag. He also has plenty of clothes and toys. Now please, go.”, Sammy urged as Solange gave her foal a quick hug and kiss and her ‘ex’ a quick hug before the father and son left. Once the pair were gone, the three older mares urged the 4 other equines that weren't their daughters out of the kitchen and upstairs. With a quick blocking spell and a silencing spell on the whole first floor, Bundty Cake came back and sat down with her completely confused daughter as the others did. “Okay, now can somepony please explain just what on Equus is going on?! Because I’ve had one heck of a night and I'm already regretting drinking!”, Terra said as she rubbed her head in pain. “Okay. Girls, do you remember how we used to tell you about those old faery tales about witches and wizards of the... malevolent nature?”, Sammy asked. Gaining a slow but steady round of uneasy ‘yeses’ as a reply. “Well...girls, answer me this. Do you remember the story of how ‘Moonlight City’ got its name?”, Diana asked. Getting a similar response as Sammy. “Of course. The town was rumoured to have been the nesting grounds for a coven of dark witches. Those who followed McCracken’s teachings and idolized Tartarus. They were one of the worst covens around in the dark ages of ponykind. Moonlight City got to be known as such because of the lake that the witches were supposedly drowned in, which happened to be called Moonlight Lake. That's also why the lake and forest around it are forbidden.”, Amaris answered in an unsure tone. “Correct. However that story that you’ve all been told in school practically your whole lives…” Bundty sighed as she grabbed a water bottle from the fridge with her magic “... it's not the truth. Or at least part of it is the truth anyways.”, She finished with a deep sigh. “W-what do you mean?”, Solange asked. Steadily getting more unerved as the story went on. “Well...the part about the witches is correct…” Diana started while receiving shocked gasps from the three teens “...what was falsified was the fact of how many witches and how they died. You see they didn't die by water. The night the coven was exposed and captured, they were about to sacrifice a young colt by the name of Calm Breeze. Their ritual was supposed to bring forth the most fearsome deity of them all: McCracken.”, Diana finished to even more shocked gasps. “Luckily for Calm Breeze, his family had gotten the entire village together and went searching for him. Their trail lead them to a cabin in Swallow Forest--which is now known as the forbidden forest where they attempted to surprise the three witches responsible for so much destruction and misery. However the witches sensed the village was coming for them and they fled on their broomsticks. Now here's where things took a bad turn for the coven. There were a few unicorns in that search party that were skilled trappers. Using anti-magic net launching spells they shot two of them down and the third witch willingly gave herself up and the three were captured.”, Bundty continued. “A day after they were captured, they were taken back to the very woods they resided in and were burned at stakes. The leader of the cult however, right before the flames consumed her, summoned the power of all three of them and placed a powerful curse upon the land. With the promise that they would be back stronger than ever, they perished and their ashes were dumped in iron boxes and forever rest at the bottom of that very lake.”, Sammy finished with a sigh. “Woah.”, Was the collective response of the teenagers. “Indeed girls. However there's more to tell you. You see, what the townsponies forgot was that each of the three witches were mothers as well. The one who handled the caldron had a son, the one who handled the cross had twins a filly and a colt and the one who handled the voodoo doll had a daughter. Those 4 young ponies knew what their mothers and fathers were and they weren't afraid. Throughout the years and their bloodlines, the story of the witches’ fierceness and cunning were passed until it became legend amongst those who believed in it. Now I know it may seem like we’ve gotten off track but believe me this is all necessary information. Anyway, many years ago, when the three of us were in high school ourselves we went to a fair on the boardwalks. We came across a fortune teller’s caravan. While Bundty and Diana were sceptical about it at first, I wasn't and convinced them to come with me to get our fortunes told. So we went. What we were told next haunted us so bad that we hadn't talked about it in almost 20 years….that is until today.”, Sammy told the intrigued trio of young mares. “What was is mama?”, Solange asked. “She--she told us that we would bear the bringers of a new age of death and destruction. At first we didn't know what on Equus that meant, but after a few years went by and when you girls were born….somehow and I'm still not sure how, but I could tell something was wrong with you. Not wrong in the sense that you were unhealthy! Quite the opposite really. See around the time you were 1 year old, I noticed your magic surges would switch colors from blue to blood red sporadically. Diana and Bundty Cakes noticed this in you girls as well. Whenever it would turn red, something terrible would happen. Like for instance one time when you were 2 you accidentally killed our neighbors dog and you didn't look the single most bothered by it. In fact you laughed and clapped like it was a funny cartoon.”, Sammy explained. Tossing it to Bundty to continue. “Or the time when you, Terra were 3 years old and you tried to help your cousin’s cat from out of a treehouse. You burned the house and killed the cat. Hell, if it weren't for my quick thinking, you could have easily killed both you and your cousin, Branch.”, Bundty Cakes added before tossing it over to Diana. “And I recall once when you were still a foal, Amaris. We had given you a stuffed dragon to play with and not even 10 minutes later, you had the damned thing brought to life and it was spewing fire all over the apartment we were in at the time. Thankfully your dad managed to put the fires out, but sweetpea...your eyes looked as black as onyx as well as your aura. Yet you just sat there and giggled.”, Diana finished as she rounded it back to Sammy. “The point is, originally, we thought that your magics were simply having those spurts that all young unicorns get. It even mellowed out by the time you three started school. However, with the way things have been going on with you three this past week. We can no longer deny this is true.”, Sammy capped it with a grim tone. “What is?”, Amaris asked with a quivering voice. With a slow inhale, Bundty Cakes spoke. “That the three of you are the reincarnations of the leaders of the cult. The Daughters of McCracken.” The three young mares gasped in horror at this shocking revelation. None of it made any logical sense. However, what was supposed to be an eye-opening moment, turned into exactly what the mother’s were expecting. “Oh. My. McCracken!”, Amaris shouted. “Sweet merciless Devil!”, Terra shrieked. “By the dawns...We're witches!?!”, Solange screamed. This set off a tumble of confused speaking/shouting from the teens. Unable to help their girls anymore, the mothers’ simply hung back as the teens basically went into a state of semi-shock. “Wait wait wait! Does that mean?...Is that the reason why we felt that connection to those things we found in the cabin? Because those things...were ours to begin with?”, Solange finally reasoned once she stopped screaming hysterically. “Faust’s mane, that makes perfect sense!”, Terra added. Due to their hysterics, none of the young mares noticed their horns lighting up. Or the fact that the back door had flung open on its own as well as the broom closet door in the hallway. They certainly noticed when out of nowhere, three broomsticks slammed into their sides. “Ow...”, groaned all three girls as they curiously picked up the offending brooms. “I think the brooms activated once their mistresses returned. But why now, is the question.”, Diana whispered quietly as they watched the three young mares go with their instincts and inspected the brooms. Unknowingly oblivious to the conversations of their mothers, the three young mares took in the sights of the somehow familiar brooms. “This feels…. familiar?”, the white one commented. “Indeed….like we’ve done this exact thing before.”, the brown one added. “Almost like...”, the blue one continued before abruptly stopping as the trio huddled together. Holding their heads in pain, the three of them all but screamed as their eyes turned completely black. Their horns cast a protective shield around them as the surrounding areas began to become disorganized and messed up. Fearing this would happen, the mothers quickly managed to grasp ahold of the magic sphere and, just as quickly teleported them all away. Teleporting was a relatively easy thing for unicorns to do. Teleporting with a group was...for lack of better words, a bit more tricky. Yet the experienced mares were strong enough to withhold the connection long enough to reach their destination. When they arrived, they couldn't help but shudder a bit at the unfamiliar cabin. Despite their obvious fear, the trio of moms boldly approached the aged cabin. Pushing the old, creaky door open, they gently placed the solid white sphere that contained their daughters in the middle of the floor...unknowingly atop the pentagram on the floor. “Okay, well we're here. What shall we do now?”, Sammy asked as she stepped back away from the protective shield. “We don't do anything. It's all on them now. We’ve done our job. Now they need to figure things out. I just hope they choose the right path for them.”, Bundty Cakes replied, already preparing the lanterns around the desolate room with light. Diana, likewise was already preparing a note to the girls as Bundty went with decidable tactics and stepped back onto the raggedy porch. The other two mares following suit. With the crackle of electricity that usually signaled a protection spell wearing off, the three gave a sad look at their daughters before teleporting back home. When the sphere finally disappeared from around them, the trio of newly-realized witches rubbed their eyes and groaned, as if in pain. Finally finding their hoofing, the three young mares took in their new surroundings. “Wait! This is that cabin! Why are we here again?”, Amaris asked confused. “Don’t know? Maybe something around here could--”, Terra started before being interrupted. “-Girls! There's a very cryptic letter here. Only thing is, I can't exactly see what it says.”, Solange blurted out as she discovered the note. At that point, Terra remembered that Solange always carried her reading glasses in her purse. Noticing said purse laying next to its owner, she grabbed it in her magic (which is still green) and rummaged through it until she found the glasses. Hoofing them to Solange, said mare cleared her throat and began to read the note, which was strangely in pony Latin. It read: aperire librum.  ea enim responsa.  invenire serpens, feles, et in media nocte vespertilio furrure.  et illi tibi. Benediximus “Well...I guess I’ll actually open that book I found. Let's see what we’re working with.”, Solange said as she carefully reached for and picked up the book she found before (as to how it got there, they only managed to assume that their moms brought it with them). Gathering around her, Terra and Amaris were stunned when Solange opened the book. There, right before them was a picture of one of the most disgusting creatures that anypony had ever seen. He looked like a pony, but only in face and body. His back legs were that of a goats, forelegs of a lion and wings of a bat. The most distinguishing features that he had were the pair of bull’s horns atop his head and the short, but neat goatee he sported upon his blood red face. Capped off with a long almost demonic tail with a point and the trio automatically knew who they were looking at. “Dark Lord McCracken!”, the trio gasped before the same wave of magical energy came forth and blasted them in all directions. “Ugggghhh….wha-What happened that time Artemis?”, the white one asked as she rubbed her head again. “Do I look like a timey wimey tuner? Your guess is as good as mine, Solaria”. The brown one replied with a buff as she stood up and helped the white one up. “Will both of you shut up for a second?!? My head hurts enough without your questions Solaria and your sass, Terra Nova.”, the blue one griped as she rose to her hooves. “Sorry Artemis. Just a little frazzled now. It is almost like...”, Solaria trailed off in thought. “...Like we’ve just been asleep for a long time and now we're awake?”, Terra Nova completed the thought her ‘sister’ had started. “Exactly...Now I admit, even I had my doubts about if my spell would even work. Apparently I was wrong! Our souls did stay in a state of sleep mode for” Solaria paused to look at the cellular phone in her purse “SWEET CERBERUS'S LUNCH WAGON!!! It's been 500 years! See?”, She finished as she showed the date of June 6,26 A.L. “Clearly in our absence, the pony of nightmares managed to break free of her celestial prison. Apparently technology has advanced quite a lot since we've last been on these lands. Just look! Oh if the dark lord saw these cell phones, he’d have a field day! Ohhhh! Wait!--what was that note our mothers’ left?”, Terra Nova asked as she found it. Re-Reading it aloud for confirmation: aperire librum.  ea enim responsa.  invenire serpens, feles, et in media nocte vespertilio furrure.  et illi tibi. Benediximus “Why do we need to find beasts?”, Terra Nova asked. “Don’t you get it? Our familiars! We must be ready to receive ours! It's a sign.”, Terra Nova replied as she set the parchment down. “I suppose so.”, Solaria agreed. “Well, if we're going to find them or...more accurately have them seek us out, then we’d best get moving.”, Artemis said as they summoned their brooms and headed out.