“Ahh-ahh-ahh-ahh-ahh...” Pipp hummed an eerie tune as she flew around the Brighthouse, watching as her friends hung up various decorations to celebrate her favorite night of the entire year... Nightmare Night. A night celebrated in all regions in Equestria with costumes, treats and partying all night long. “Looking good, everypony! This Nightmare Night is gonna be even better than the one we had last year!”
“Phew... I sure hope so,” Misty strained as she pushed a giant pumpkin into position right beside the front door. “At this time last year, Opaline was forcing me to spy on you guys at the party at Mane Melody. I never got to enjoy myself until she saw your magic in action and declared my mission over.”
“Ohhhhhhhhh... so that's why you were hiding behind the curtain when I pulled you out to dance!” Izzy said in recollection. “Eh, I just thought you were scared of the crowd.”
“Well... I guess I was scared of that too,” Misty said. “I just feel so terrible about trying to do all of those terrible things.”
“It's all in the past, Misty. What matters now is that we figure out how to stop Opaline,” Sunny said, causing the blue unicorn to look a little worried. “Do you really think we can stop her? I mean... she is pretty powerful now that she has her magic back.”
“Everypony has their weaknesses. We just need to find Opaline's,” Zipp said. “That gave me an idea for a theory. Did Opaline ever act... strangely around water? Water does put out fire, and I thought if fire was her weakness, we could use that against her.”
“Um... I don't think so,” Misty shook her head. “I don't think Sparky’s kind of dragon fire can be put out by water. Sorry, Zipp.”
“It's okay. That's why we keep coming up with some new theories,” Zipp said, although a bit disappointed. “To find a theory that will work.”
“But that's enough of the sad, Opaline related talk!” Izzy said, getting between them. “It's still Nightmare Night, right?”
“Ooooh! Yes, yes, yes!” Pipp said. “And I know just the song to help get us in the Nightmare Night spirit! Hit it, Sparky!”
Sparky babbled and hit the button on Pipp's phone, causing music to begin to play as they kept decorating the Brighthouse.
Pipp: There's somethin' kinda creepy happenin' tonight
Sunny: So call your favorite ghoulies
And get your costume right
Hitch: They may look freaky
But I promise they won't bite
Pipp: And they say the place is haunted
But the dancing's a delight
Ponies: It may look scary
But don't be afraid
Cause nothing's what it seems
At a monster party
It may look spooky
But don't have a fright
Cause at this monster party
We will rock all night
Bah-dah-dah-dah-dah
Bah-dah-dah-dah-dah
Cause nothing's what it seems
At a monster party
Sunny: Frankenstallion's spinnin'
Makin' everypony move
Hitch: And the mummy pony's
Really bustin' loose
Pipp: The wizards and the witches
Got nothin' to prove
Zipp: They just keep on rocking
Misty: To the monster groove!
Ponies: It may look scary
But don't be afraid
Cause nothing's what it seems
At a monster party
It may look spooky
But don't have a fright
Cause at this monster party
We will rock all night
Bah-dah-dah-dah-dah
Bah-dah-dah-dah-dah
Cause nothing's what it seems
At a monster party
Bah-dah-dah-dah-dah
Bah-dah-dah-dah-dah
Cause at this monster party
We will rock all night
Yeah, at this monster party
We will rock all night!
When the song was over, the Brighthouse was decorated with pumpkins, spooky bats and spider web streamers-- all ready for the biggest event of the year. “Perfect!” Pipp giggled. “All that's left to do is try on our costumes and make sure they fit!”
“Ooh! I can't wait to see what my costume is gonna be!” Izzy said. “It seems like only last year I was dressed as all my best friends!”
“Um, Izzy?” Hitch blinked. “That was last year.”
“Was it? Oh.”
But suddenly, the ponies' cutie marks began to glow brightly, but Pipp was anything BUT escatic about this. “No no no no!! We can't go on a Unity Quest now!”
“I'm so sorry, sis, but the Unity Crystals are never wrong-- somepony needs help,” Zipp pointed out. “We'll try on our costumes sometime when we get there, but we need to go.”
“I'll put Sparky down for a nap,” Hitch said, taking the baby dragon away. “All right, everypony!” Sunny declared. “Up to the crystals we go!”
XXXXXXXXX
~ 300 years prior... ~
The year was 1693… a dark time for most places, but especially dark for the citizens of Salem Massachusetts, in a time where there was witchcraft rumors and trials around every turn. Well… one story is more real than you might think, so let me begin the tale.
It was early one morning when Thackery Binx woke up to a bad feeling on his neck… it was late October, and the sun was beginning to rise over the horizon. When he turned to his left, he was stunned to discover that his younger sister Emily was no longer in her bed. “Emily?” he called out, but no one answered him… only a siren-sounding call resonating through the forest. “Emily?!” he called out again, before running to his best friend Elijah nearby. “Elijah! Elijah, has thou seen my sister, Emily?”
“Nay, but look,” Elijah pointed to violet smoke trailing over the forest. “They conjure.”
It was then that Thackery’s eyes laid upon the small female figure entering the forest and finally realized what the song meant. “Oh God, the woods!” he cried. “EMILY!!”
“She’s done for,” Elijah shuddered. “Not yet!” Thackery grabbed him by the shirt collar. “You wake my father! Summon the others! Go!!”
Elijah quickly sped off, and Thackery raced into the woods after his sister. It didn’t take him long to see where Emily had gone-- the cottage of the Sanderson Sisters, and Sarah Sanderson was leading Emily inside. So, he decided to creep as close as he could and save Emily from their dire hands.
Mary and Sarah Sanderson looked around, swearing they heard something, but Thackery had hidden, making it impossible to see him.
Winifred Sanderson, the elder of the three, opened a window and gazed outside. “Oh look, another glorious morning… makes me sick. Sisters!”
“Yes, Winnie?” Sarah answered. “Coming, Winnie!” Mary called. “Must have been an imp…” Winifred muttered before going to her book on the shelf. “My darling, my little book. We must continue with our spell now that our guest of honor has arrived. Wake up. Wake up, darling.”
The book then proceeded to open its one eye, and this delighted Winifred as Thackery snuck around. “Yes, well come along. There you are. Mary!”
“Right here, Winnie. Right here. Sorry,” Mary came over. “I notice sister Sarah isn’t helping.”
“I lured the child here!” Sarah argued. “Leave her be, she has done her chore,” Winifred spat, grabbing Mary by the ear. “You’re right, I’m wrong,” Mary rubbed her ear. “All right… tis time.”
The book quickly openned and flipped itself to a certain page, and Winifred began to read from it. “Bring to a full rolling bubble. Add two drops oil of boil. Six, but the hour with the herb that’s red. Turn three times, pluck a hair from my head. Add a dash of fox and a dead man’s toe. Oh, a dead man’s toe and make it a fresh one.”
Thackery had no idea what the witches were planning, but he knew he needed to act fast to save Emily. As he snuck inside while the witches were making the potion, Mary’s strong nose caught wind of him. “I smell a child.”
“What doest thou call that?” Winifred pointed at Emily. “A child?” Mary guessed, but frowned… she could have sworn she smelled another one. “Hah! Sisters, gather round. One thing more and all is done, add a bit of thine own tongue.”
The three of them took a bite of their tounges and spit them into the potion, resulting in it being ready and Winifred took out a spoonful. “One drop of this and her life will me mine… I mean, ours,” Winifred corrected. “All right, girl. Open up your mouth.”
“NO!!” Thackery jumped up, causing the witches to turn to him in surprise. “A boy!” Sarah said in delight. “Get him, you fools!” Winifred snarled. But thanks to playing with Emily so often, Thackery was able to escape them and ran to the cauldron, pushing it over and causing the potion to bubble out, causing Winifred to scream. “Ahhh! My potion!!!”
“Emily!” Thackery tried to run to his sister, but Winifred hits him with blasts of electricity and he drops to the ground. “Winnie?” Mary called. “Winnie, look.”
Mary was now pointing to Emily who has somehow ingested some of the potion. Emily’s life force is glowing around her. “Sisters, prepare thyselves. ‘Tis her life force. The potion works. Take my hands, we will share her!”
“Oh Winnie, how generous of thee,” Mary said. The sisters went over to Emily with hands intertwined and began to suck away her life force. When they are through Emily has grown very old and died. The sisters, however, are much younger now, causing them to cackle victoriously. “Winifred, thou art a mere spring of a girl,” Mary said as they danced around in celebration. “Liar,” Winifred sneered. “But I shall be a spring forever once I suck the lives out of all the children of Salem.”
Then, her eyes fell on Thackery. “Let’s brew another batch.”
“You hag!” Thackery snarled. “There are not enough children the world to make thee young and beautiful.”
Needless to say, Winifred and her sisters were not pleased. “Sisters, did you hear what he called you?” Winifed spat. “Whatever shall we do with him?”
“Let’s barbecue and fillet him,” Mary suggested. “Hang him on a hook, and let me play with him,” said Sarah. “No!” Winifred barked. The book soon floated over to her, and after skimming for a minute, she found the perfect punishment. “His punishment shall not be to die, but to live forever with his guilt.”
“As what, Winnie? As what?” Sarah and Mary asked. “Jump back!” Winifed said, and the three of them began to do a spell, Mary and Sarah muttering mambo-jumbo in the background. “Twist the bones and bend the back… trim him of his baby fat… give him fur, black as black, just… like… this.”
They each hold their hands over Thackary and he began to groan with pain, shrinking down so we see that he has been turned into a black cat. Sarah went to pet him and he swatted at her, causing the others to laugh. Suddenly there was a pounding at the front door-- the other villagers have arrived. “Open! Witches! Daughters of Darkness!! Open this door.”
“Quick, hide the child!” Winifed ordered, and Mary covered Emily with a tarp. But, evidently it did no good, cause an hour later, the sisters were ready to be hanged. “Winifred Sanderson?” Mr. Binx called. “I will ask thee one final time-- what has thou done with my son, Thackary? Answer me!!”
“Well, I don’t know,” Winifred answered with a smirk. “Cat’s got my tongue!”
The sisters then shared a good laugh before they began to sing, causing the villagers to cover their ears. A man holding the ‘book’ threw it down to cover his ears and the book landed right at Winifred’s feet, opening up and Winifred saw the spell that it revealed to her. “Fools! All of you! My ungodly book speaks to you. On All Hallow’s Eve when the moon is around, a virgin shall summon us from under the ground. Oh, we shall be back. And the lives of all the children shall be mine!”
As the sisters cackled, Mr. Binx gave the signal for the three to be hung, and once they were gone, the villagers departed… unaware that Thackery Binx would spend the next long while stopping anyone from resurrecting those dreaded witches.
And that our pony heroes would be helping him achieve this very task.