//------------------------------// // A Graveyard Chase // Story: G5 Adventures in Hocus Pocus // by ponydog127 //------------------------------// The ponies hadn't been in such a terrifying situation since the battle in Warnerstock... ...and facing Opaline with their friends from Bikini Bottom... ...and facing the Destroyer... ...and fighting the witch's ghost. To be quite fair, they've had a lot of terrifying experiences the last couple of months. But nothing could prepare them for facing three sister witches from 17th century Salem. Right now, their new friends had followed the black cat from earlier into town, not stopping for a while. “Hesperia!” Sunny panted. “Have you... ever... seen this cat before?!” “Maybe once or twice!” Hesperia said as they ran. “But every time I would see him, he would disappear!” “Wherever he's taking us,” Pipp said as she ran alongside Dani, “he sure seems persistent! Like he wants to make sure he wants us to follow!” Finally, the group stopped right in front of some gates, but Max immediately hated the feeling that this place was giving off. “Whoa whoa whoa whoa!” he exclaimed. “Come on, this is a graveyard!” “Graveyard?! Ewwww...” Pipp groaned. “I get this is Halloween, but we’re sort of being chased on the brink of our deaths here.” “It’s hallowed ground,” the cat explained. “Witches can’t set foot here.” Everypony else looked over toward Max and Zipp in shock, while Zipp merely shrugged. “He talks. Kinda like Scooby does,” she said, and this seemed to ease them slightly, just as the cat jumped through the iron bars of the gate. “Follow me! I want to show you something-- to show just what we’re dealing with.” The ponies seemed confused at this, but followed their friends through the maze of graves and tombstones, seeming to go on forever until they stopped at a grave on the far end of the cemetery. “William Butcherson… lost soul?” Misty tilted her head as she read the name on the tombstone. “Billy Butcherson was Winifred’s lover,” the cat explained, “but she found him sporting with her sister Sarah, so she poisoned him and sewed his mouth shut with a dull needle. So he couldn’t tell her secrets, even in death.” Pipp put a comforting foreleg around Dani to try and ease her... even though the group all seemed a little disturbed. “Winifred always was the jealous type,” the cat added, and suddenly, a thought hit Allison as to who this cat was and why he was talking to them and telling them all this. “You’re Thackery Binx!” “Yes,” the cat nodded with some sadness. “Whoa…” Hesperia couldn’t believe this-- it was all happening rather fast. “Then, that means the legends are true! Man... all sorts of revelations are coming to light today.” “Come along,” Thackery hurried them elsewhere. “I want to show you something else.” The ponies and their griffin friend were the first to follow alongside, and Binx turned to look at Sunny. “You ponies are from Equestria, yes?” Sunny's eyes widened at that. “Uh, well.. yes. You know about Equestria?” “I know many things about it... but not in the best light,” Binx explained. “I can tell you more about it if you would like... but we have bigger things to handle first.” XXXXXXXXX Back at the cottage, the fire department was just wrapping up going into the cottge to put out the fire, but there was no fire in sight, and they left soon after arriving while the witches waited in the bushes. “Who are they?” Mary asked. “Boys?” Sarah guessed. “Witch hunters,” Winifred said. “Observe, they wear black robes, and carry axes to chop the wood to burn us.” “Hold me!” Mary wailed as Sarah ate a nearby spider. “Sisters! Let me make one thing perfectly clear!” Winifred snapped. “The magic that brought us back only works tonight on All Hallow’s Eve. When the sun comes up, we’re dust. Toast.” But seeing her sisters’ confusion, she decided to come up with a more… abstract term. “Pudding!” This caused Mary and Sarah to scream before Winifred continued. “Fortunately, the potion I brewed the night we were hangs will keep us alive and young forever,” she said, causing the sisters to sigh. “Unfortunately, the recipe for that potion is in my spell book, and the little wretches have stolen it. Therefore it stands to reason, does it not, sisters dear, that we must find the book, brew the potion, and suck the lives out of the children of Salem before sunrise? Otherwise it’s curtains. We cease to exist! Does thou comprehend?” Mary nodded immediately. “Oh, you explained it beautifully, Winnie. The way you started out with the adventure part, and then you slowed…” “Explained what?” Sarah asked stupidly, and Winifred only shook her head… she wasn’t sure what to do with them now. “Come! We fly!” XXXXXXXXX At the same time, Thackery Binx had led everyone to the grave of his younger sister Emily, telling them everything that happened 300 years before. “Because of me, my little sister’s life was stolen. For years I waited for my life to end, so I could be reunited with my family,” he explained, and everyone listened sadly, the ponies comforting one another with solemn expressions. “But,” Binx continued, “Winifred’s curse of immortality kept me alive. Then one day I figured out what to do with my eternal life. Now, I’d failed Emily, but I wouldn’t fail again. When Winifred and her sister’s returned, I’d be there to stop them. So, for 3 centuries I guarded the house on All Hallow’s Night when I knew some airhead virgin might light that candle.” That's when everyone went to look at Max with a scolding expression. “Nice going, airhead,” Hesperia scolded. “Hey look, I’m sorry, okay?” Max said as he stood up. “But we’re talking about three ancient hags versus the 20th century. How bad could it be?” “Bad,” Binx answered vaguely. Allison held the spellbook tightly in her hands, but she couldn’t help but wonder what was in it, so she decided to open it and take one tiny peek. But, Binx saw her from Emily’s grave. “Stay out of there!” he hissed, and Allison immediately shut the book. “Why?” she asked. “Because, remember back at the cottage? This book holds Winifred’s most dangerous spells!” Sunny argued. “She and her sisters can’t get it. Or... anypony else for that matter.” “So let's torch this sucker,” Max said, dropping the book on the ground before lighting the lighter. But, some sort of supernatural force kept the flame from burning the pages. “It’s protected by magic,” Binx said, resulting in Hitch blowing the flame out before it got him burned. But before another word could be spoken, laughter rained above them, and they looked up in terror to see the witches flying in on their broomsticks, Winifred staying over the middle, Sarah to the left and Mary to the right. “AH!!” Pipp and Dani screamed and clung to their siblings when they saw Sarah getting closer. “Brave little virgin who lit the candle,” Sarah said sickeningly, “I’ll be thy friend.” “Hey, take a hike!” Allison waved a branch in Sarah's face, causing her to retreat with pain. But during the scuffle, they accidentally left the book unattended. “Booook…” Winifred singsonged, causing the book to start rising. “Come to Mummy!” “Afraid not!” Binx leapt on the book to prevent it from rising. “Thackery Binx, thou mangy feline! Still alive?” Winifred taunted. “And waiting for you!” Binx snapped. “Ah! Thou hast waited in vain,” the old witch said. “And thou will fail to save thy friends, just as thou failed to save thy sister!” Binx let out a fearsome hiss, and Winifred dove closer to the ground in an aerial attack. “Grab the book and run!” Misty screamed, and the group broke into another run across the graveyard, eventually stopping back near Billy's grave. “They can’t touch us here, right?” Max said, and Binx was hesitant to answer. “Well... they can't.” “I don’t like the way you just said that,” Dani shook her head fearfully. “Believe me, Dani,” Hesperia shuddered. “None of us do.” But before anyone else could say a word, Winifred started chanting an incantation. “Unfaithful lover, long since dead. Deep asleep in thy wormy bed. Wiggle thy toes, open thine eyes. Twist thy fingers towards the sky. Life is sleepy, not to shy, on thy feet so sayeth I!” Suddenly, the ground began to rumble for a few moments, causing something to stir from beneath the ground. All of a sudden, a zombie crawled from the ground and looked dead at the group. “AHHHHHHHHH!!!!” they all screamed and ran away as fast as their legs and hooves could take them. Confused as to why they ran off, Billy turned to look at his grave and mumbled to himself-- he was a zombie with a sewn-shut mouth? “Hi. Hello, Billy,” Sarah greeted cheerfully, but Winifred had no patience for this. “Catch those children! Get up! Get out of that ditch. Faster!” she barked, and Billy slowly climbed out of the grave and staggered after the Salem kids, ponies and Binx. Speaking of Binx, the black cat had led them to a hole nearby. “In here!” Dani slid down, followed by Allison, Hesperia and Pipp and Zipp. Unfortunately for the others, Billy was getting closer and closer by the second, and Sunny knew they had to act fast. Seeing a tree branch nearby, she smirked and galloped over to it. “Max, ponies! Give me a hand!” The group heaved as hard as they could just as Billy had gotten close, and once he reached a specific point, they let it go, letting it smack Billy’s head off and letting them slide down into the dark hole. “You guys okay?” Zipp asked. “I think we are,” Hitch said as Max lit his lighter. “What is this place, Binx?” “It’s the old Salem crypt,” Binx explained as Allison handed the book to Max. “It connects to the sewer and up to the street.” “Charming...” Allison said sarcastically as Pipp felt herself begin to puke at the sight of the rats and other things down below. “Dani, avert your eyes.” “Don’t worry, I won’t.” “Relax,” Binx tried to reassure. “I’ve hunted mice down here for years.” That seemed to make the group shudder that much worse, and continued to follow the cat through the crypt... unaware of what was happening up above the surface.