//------------------------------//
// First Signs of Possession 
// Story: MLP: The Return of Mareaxe 
// by B. J. Williams 
//------------------------------//

	When Apple Bloom came back, she noticed that none of the farm animals were nearby: the cattle, the hogs, the chickens, every creature was missing. Because of this, she didn’t know what was going on as she entered her orchard-side home confused about the incident today and why the creatures were gone.
“I’m home.” Apple Bloom said. She noticed that her sister was at the table testing some applesauce. The orange mare looked up and saw her younger sister.
“Welcome back, sis.” Applejack replied. “What’s up?”
“I an' my friends were going treasure huntin'.” She, actually, believed the false memory that was placed into her by Mareaxe. “We couldn’t find anything. What happened at your end?”
“Well, I was just testin' applesauce when Winona came in scared of somethin'. I told her to stay put while I checked to see what in the world was goin' on."
"Did you find anything?"
"Nope, I turned back and she was gone. Winona was acting unusually crazy, so I took her to Fluttershy."
"How was she?"
"Frightened by some unseen force. I found out the every animal in the town was frightened of this thing.” Applejack was looking around for Winona. "Normally, before this incident she hangs in the kitchen. Now, she's nowhere to be seen." She turned to Apple Bloom. “Apple Bloom, can you find him?”
“Okay. I’ll do that, big sis.”Apple Bloom went to find Winona. After, she left Applejack returned to testing the applesauce. But at a later time, she smelled something incredibly rotten. A scent that smelled twice as bad as decaying meat and her face turned green because of that.
“What in tarnation is that smell?” She thought. “It smells like a demon fart.” She stopped what she was, determined to find for the source of the stench. It was never found even after searching the entire house. It also seemed to disappear after Applejack looked through the area. "That's weird. The scent is gone." She thought for a minute. "I guess the source of that stench is gone too." Her conclusion was Applebloom and gotten very dirty at some point during the day. "I should tell Apple Bloom to take a bath after she finds Winona."
Apple Bloom was outside looking for Winona. She checked every place Winona would hang out in and some places that she would rarely hang out at. But her search had no results.
“Winona? Winona?” Apple Bloom stated. “Where are you?” She continued to search until she bumped into Pinkie Pie. Noticing this, Apple Bloom helped Pinkie up. “Hey, Pinkie. Are you okay?”
“Hey, Apple Bloom.” Pinkie said still tired from the lack of sleep. “I’m doing okay I’m just a little tired.”
“Anyway, can you help me find Winona?”
“Okay. I think I’m able to do that.” Pinkie Pie went looking around looking for Winona with Apple Bloom and it was Pinkie that found Winona. “Hey, there she is.” Winona was over by a bush.
“Winona, here girl.” Apple Bloom said. She saw Apple Bloom. Winona showing immense fear ran from her scared. “Winona, what’s wrong?” Apple Bloom started to run after her. Pinkie was able to stop her.
“Apple Bloom, it’s okay. She probably got scared of something, she’ll come back later.”
“No, it’s not okay.” The demon inside Apple Bloom stated. Pinkie thought it was Apple Bloom saying it.
"Apple Bloom? Are you okay? You need to relax."
"I AM PERFECTLY FINE!!" Pinkie was pushed back from the little filly. She wasn’t doing anything; she was thrown back by some unknown force. Pinkie was surprised but Apple Bloom wasn’t. “You know what I’ll just find Winona by myself!”
“What the… Apple Bloom, you didn’t have to push me back.”
“Just leave me alone, Pinkie Pie.”
“What’s wrong, Apple Bloom.”
“There is nothing wrong, Pinkie.” Apple Bloom turned her head toward her head toward Pinkie Pie.  Her body didn’t move. Her eyes did not blink as her head did a complete 180. “I am perfectly fine, even better than before.” Pinkie Pie was completely creeped out by this. “Now, leave me alone.” The young fillies head turned back and Apple Bloom returned to normal.
“Okay, I guess I’ll head out now.” Apple Bloom was surprised and turned around normally.
“I thought you were going to help me find Winona.”
“But you told me to leave you alone.”
“I don’t remember telling you that.”
"But then, why..." Pinkie Pie added two and two together. She ran away frightened. Of course, Apple Bloom didn’t know why. During the whole thing, Apple Bloom’s eyes did not blink once.

Pinkie Pie was running alone trying to make sense out of what in the world happened, she is wide awake now. She encountered Sweetie Belle.
“Hey, Pinkie.” Sweetie Belle said as she froze in place except for her face.
“Hi, Sweetie Belle.” Pinkie Pie replied. “How’s Rarity doing?”
“Rarity’s doing fine. Although Opalesence is avoiding me and when I get close to her, she scratches me then runs off.”
“That explains why there are scratches on your face.”
“Honestly, I don’t know where they came from.” Pinkie Pie was confused.
“What do you mean?”
“I just suddenly found these scratches on my face recently.”
“So, you don’t know where they came from?” Pinkie showed concern.
"Nope." Pinkie Pie noticed Sweetie Belle not moving.
"Sweetie Bell, you're all stiff."
"I am?"
"Let me help you with that." Pinkie tried to move her and found out it was completely impossible. "Damn, you're very stiff. I can't even move you."
“Well, I just have one question.”
“What’s that?”
“How’s Asva doing?” The demon inside Sweetie Belle said, but it was too subtle for Pinkie Pie to hear the demon.
“What?” Pinkie was surprised. “How do you know about that!?” Sweetie Belle closed her eyes. When she opened them, both of her eyes were completely black, thus terrifying Pinkie Pie and the audience.
“We know everything about you.” The demon inside Sweetie Belle replied. “EVERY THING!!”
Pinkie Pie ran away screaming; she knew something was wrong with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. Then, she ran into Scootaloo and bumped into her. Pinkie Pie got back up and got Scootaloo up.
“Sorry, Scootaloo. I didn’t see you there.”
“Watch where you are going.” The demon in Scootaloo replied.
“I said sorry. We need to help your friends something is wrong with them. We got to help them.” Scootaloo put her hoof up to Pinkie's throat.
“They are perfectly fine.” She grabbed Pinkie with one hoof. “And I am perfectly fine.” She threw Pinkie Pie pretty far. She landed in garbage. Scootaloo flew toward her with a few blue fires floating around her.
“There is something wrong with you too? Why are the cutie mark crusaders acting this way?” Pinkie almost started to cry. “This isn’t the cutie mark crusaders I know. WHAT THE BUCK IS GOING ON HERE!?”
“That is because they are possessed by me and my demon comrades.” Pinkie stopped crying and turned completely pale from fear. “I think I said too much. But even if you did spread this around who would believe you? You are all alone, Pinkie Pie. Because no pony will believe you.” Then, Scootaloo teleported away; this left Pinkie Pie alone frightened and sad.
Her mane fell completely flat and Pinkie was filled with sorrow. She even tried telling ponies like Lyra and Bon-Bon, but like possessed Scootaloo said. They did not believe her thinking that Pinkie had a dark humor thing going on.
Pinkie Pie later that night locked her house. Something, she had never done before. Of course, she didn’t need to. Pinkie Pie was in her bed completely frightened from knowing that the cutie mark crusaders were possessed and they had reminded her of something she wished she could forget.

It was dark that night. The sky was clouded over by the dark energy of demons and fog was going across the ground. The possessed cutie mark crusaders came to the center of town with the plan that Mareaxe created. When the demons talked to each other, this time they used their real names.
“So, Noghkali.” Possessed Applebloom stated to Possessed Sweetie Belle. “Did you remind Pinkie of her most dreaded memory?”
“Yes, Anvanver.” Noghkali replied. “She is now filled with sorrow.”
“Ansirt, did you find out the fears of all of the ponies?” Anvanver asked possessed Scootaloo.
“Yeah.” Ansirt replied. “I know their fears.”
“Everything is going to Mareaxe’s plan. Next thing is to get some more ponies to join us.”
“How do we do that?”
“Are you that stupid? We would kidnap ponies and use the book’s magic to allow demons to possess them.”
“So, is how we will do that?”
“Yes, that is how we are supposed to do that!!”
“You two, be quiet.” Noghkali stated. “Some pony is coming this way.” So, the fillies hid and they found Lyra with her lyre. She was going home from Bon-Bon’s house. She was concerned about the fog and her music reflected that.
“Perfect, that will be our first victim.” They were able to sneak up from behind Lyra. They knock her out using knock-out gas from a stink bomb shaped like a banana. After knocking her out, they put her in a bag. "Our first catch." The lyre was left there. They didn't know how important that lyre was to her. Then, they carry her out to the darkest part of the Everfree Forest where they used arcane magic to possess Lyra. They eventually done the same thing with Bon-Bon, Carrot Top, and Berry Punch. The dawn was coming and they wanted to get the seven ponies they needed to begin the next phase.
"Okay, what are we going to get now?" Noghkali asked. "It's almost dawn. We need to find one more pony before going to stage two."
"But where are we going to find a pony at this hour?" Ansirt asked. Then, at that moment, they saw Derpy "Ditzy Doo" Hooves making her morning run. "That is our pony."
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Anvaner said. "Get her." The other two ponies tried there best to get her and they failed and Derpy was completely unaware of what was going on. "Never mind, it's too late to get her now. We'll go back to our places as those weak fillies. Then, we will come up with something to catch that Derpy."