The Witch Of The Everfree Forest
Written By
Serra Quill
Twilight stood in a circle of well-placed stones and glyphs scraped into the ground. As she looked across the riverbank, her bracelet glowed, the earth beneath her shook as roots from nearby trees erupted from the ground. The roots entwined as they arched across the river, making a thick and sturdy natural bridge.
Twilight released her magic as she felt the tree root itself firmly, "That's better than that old log bridge," she said to Spike as he pulled the fallen tree from the river. "Hopefully she left the library intact, since there are a few things we need." she levitated a scroll to her hand as she checked and double checked her list, "Looks like I didn't miss anything, well, let's go Spike"
Sure, it might have been easier to have Spike just swim the water, but in the long run, she could use the bridge when she was alone now. As she passed across the newly made bridge, she looked up to the castle that lay in the middle of the forest path, Soon
"Applebloom, if y’all think yah’ gave me the slip, think again!" Applejack said as she stepped through the muddy trail, dirt trailing up her legs. She wiped her hand clean after the fall she just had, "Might not of lost yah’ both... How do yah keep clean in here?" she asked as she spotted the three girls moving quite fast through the forest.
"You think she will let me ride Spike for a bit today?" Scootaloo said as she grabbed some leaves off a nearby tree, jumping to get them before running back to her friends side.
Applebloom just shrugged as Sweetie jumped over a puddle, seconds later they turned as they thought they heard Applejack, but all they saw was the moving surface of the puddle, "Musta been the wind. C'mon girls."
"I don't know, my sister was really, really~ angry with me for borrowing those rubies, even if I did get ice cream after that fight," Sweetie said as she looked down. She then gasped as she turned to her friends, "What if I can ask miss Twilight to teach me a spell to find Rubies? I might even get a talent like my sisters!"
"And I could be a dragon rider!" Scootaloo said with a puffed out chest, until she saw her friends holding their giggles at their friend's stance, "What?" she said as she blushed.
"RD might do that stance well Scoot but... I think yah might have tah’ get a little taller for that to look cool." Applebloom said, patting Scootaloo on the head, to which Scootaloo growled.
"Just cause you got earth magic, you are so tall, I mean C'mon. Look at your bro, he's like... Like... Like tall," Scoots said as she raised her arms.
Sweetie belle jumped again as she startled the other two, "Ooh, ooh, look there's Twilight!" she said as she took off running, "TWILIGHT!!" she shouted waving her arms.
Water dripped down onto the grass as she slipped through the bushes, luckily the girls hadn't seen her, Applejack breathed a sigh but then she could smell herself. "Is that... That's me? Aaah that’s gawd darn awful! What is this?" she said as she flicked her arms so that the water or whatever it was came off as best as she could.
Getting up, she saw the girls once more, still keeping off the trail she came into the ears reach of the girls, "Dragon rider? What?" she heard Applebloom’s friend say, the small winged girl. Moving closer she could see that the path had been only walked on a few times, "So this is the new spot they go to, what's the big secret then sis?"
Applejack saw Applebloom's friend run faster as the two followed, not being able to keep up, she jumped onto the path and ran after them as fast as she could as her Stetson fell onto her back.
"Spike, will you bring me my pot, please? I want to get started on this potion so that the second part of the Veidrenspeich is ready for the next full moon." Twilight motioned as she read from the golden hardback that she held in her hands.
Spike moved from where he was as he stretched, his joints popped and spines extended out his back and along his tail, "Just be a sec then mom." he said as he ran back down the trail leading to their hut.
Twilight carried on reading... “TWILIGHT!!”... Twilight looked up and around to see nothing, "Strange, I thought someone called me," again she read from her book, flicking past a few pages she skimmed through. “TWILIGHT!!”... This time she had heard it, looking around to the path again, she saw the forms of three little girls running down a path waving their arms. Twilight began to wave back to them until she saw a fourth shadow coming closer to the girls, Twilight dropped the book as she ran in the direction of the girls, her form changing quicker than the eye could tell. Pads met the ground as dirt and dust picked up from the ground, her claws scraped through the earth as she picked up speed. This time she was no small cat, she was a lion, about to protect the children that come to her den, from whatever that shadow was.
Applejack looked forward at the three girls running faster, somehow making a small distance between them, that was until Applejack noticed something running towards them. A strange purple coloured lion looking creature rushed at very high speeds directly down the path, but why were the girls still running that way? Picking her pace up she soon caught up to Applebloom, who in turn stopped in surprise, "Applejack!?"
"Stay there, Ah'll protect yah!" Applejack said as she ran faster at the lion.
Twilight was not far now, whoever it was had ran past the girls and straight toward her, she growled as her muscles burned with energy. Jumping as she came into contact with the unknown person, whoever it was she was unwelcome if she was following these poor little girls.
"STAY AWAY FROM MY SISTER YAH VARMINT!" Applejack shouted as she held Twilight at bay, her strong arms equal to the strength of even a lion.
"Sister?" Twilight said, her face going from angry to confused in an instant. At hearing a lion speak, Applejack began making her best goldfish expression.
"Geez sis, why’d yah follow me! Ah’ thought ah’d’ heard yah earlier.. Sorry Twilight, ah’ really didn't mean to bring her." Applebloom said as she apologised. Applejack and Twilight looked over to her and her friends.
Applejack then turned back to the lion who gave a small chuckle, "It's quite alright girls, I never said I was hiding, I just didn't want to put anyone in any danger of coming into the forest."
"The lion... It talks?" Applejack said, still stunned as she got back to her feet.
"Beg my pardon," Twilight said apologetically before releasing her spell, standing as her original self again as Applejack gawked at her. It wasn’t just her surprise though, Applejack hadn't seen such a slender body before, not to mention the fact that she looked so much like the Princess. She was very tall just like the Princess, and seemed to have a very regal aura in the way she talked and moved.
"Sorry about that, if I had known you were Applebloom's sister, I would have reacted differently. I thought you were stalking them." Twilight said as she rubbed the back of her head.
"The... th-the lion became a woman..." was the last thing Applejack said before fainting.
Twilight sighed as she used magic before she hit the ground, "Not surprising really, the practice of transmutation ended when the forest became like it is today. All of my students were lost to me, so I guess seeing this magic was too much."
"Ah, don't know~ Sis has seen some really fancy magic, Ah’ mean, her friend is the student of Celestia. Not tah’ brag, but mah sis is cool too, one of the strongest in Equestria," Applebloom said as she blushed while looking with pride at her sister, until she noticed she was still unconscious, "well, when she doesn't faint she is."
"It's quite alright. Now, we can't just leave her here, can we? Come along, Spike will be back shortly and your sister will arise soon." Twilight said as Applejack began to rise into the air, her clothes floating like there was no gravity. Twilight began walking back again, "So my little friends, to what do I owe the honour of your presence today?" Twilight asked, already used to the whimsical group of rapscallions and their funny idea's to gain talents in their rush to grow up.
Sweetie Belle bounded forward in front of the group as she began walking backwards, "Miss Twilight, would you happen to know of a spell to find rubies? or... or any crystals at all?" Twilight looks slightly distraught before nodding.
"I do know of a few spells, though it was never my speciality, I did know someone.... a long time ago who was rather versed in those spells, though"
The air grew chilly after her comment, the group deciding it would be best to stay quiet until they got back to Twilight’s cottage. It didn't take too long, and as they arrived so did Spike holding the large black pot whilst he stared at the floating body at the side of his mother, who in turn just shrugged. With a thud the large cauldron dropped into the middle of the four logs; carved runes and symbols littered the area.
Twilight moved her arm up and pointed it toward her house. As the wooden slats on her window opened, a small woollen cover floated out which she used to cover Applejack, and lowered her to the side of the ring of logs. "Now girls, I just have to do this small task and then I can teach you magic, even to you two."
At that point both Applebloom and Scoot's eyes shot wide, Applebloom then looked to Sweetie Belle who was also surprised, then back to Twilight, "Yah mean, Me and Scoots can use magic, like Sweetie.... And not our own magic like Null or Valkyrie magic?"
"All in due time my little dear's." Twilight said as a book and several phials containing ground up materials floated next to her, "All in due time..."
Applejack found herself having the most wonderful dream, all her family around her, Granny smith jammin out to her favourite album..... Actually, that was slightly creepy, but who would like to see their grandmah's dance moves? As she walked around she saw lots of people she knew, although she had to walk in the opposite direction when she saw Braeburn. Even in her dreams he doesn't usually leave her alone. It was so nice to have a dream like this every now and again, though something was off. Every now and again she saw a flash of purple amongst the crowd of the Apple family. That's when she saw Applebloom and her two friends race over from the food stand over to a lady who was sitting down, her slender legs coming out of a well-cut green dress, her body language speaking years of wisdom.
That's when the woman stood and made her way through the fray of Apple's, to which Applejack found herself sweating. For some reason she wanted to get out of this situation. As she came closer the dream began to bend and warp, her family members disappearing one by one until they were face to face, the woman raised her arm and then poked Applejack in the head... Seemingly popping the dream.
As Applejack’s eyes flung open she came to a sight she’d only heard of during her D&D nights when she played with her brother; a black cauldron with swirling magic flares coming from it, and evil witches chanting into her brew as she made an evil concoction. Though there was a difference; her sister and her two friends were sitting to the side happily talking to a FREAKING DRAGON!!! Applejack sat up and got to her feet.
Twilight turned her head to the now awake Applejack, "It seems you have arisen… What? Oh, don't worry, he is harmless, and wouldn't hurt a fly"
"That's a dragon, raght? Why, why would a dragon be here?"
Twilight looked over to the three girls and her son, Scoots sat around Spike's neck as he lifted her up, only to slide off and be caught by him, "Because he is my child."
"You had a dragon child?!!" Applejack exclaimed as Twilight let off a soft giggle shaking her head.
"No, I had found him as an egg, abandoned in the forest. The great Dragon migration had past many a year prior and he was lost to his mother. I found him and decided to hatch him in hopes he would find his way back to them when old enough. Though my old heart could not let my son go, I have seen too many people disappear from my life to want of my own family to also leave my side."
Applejack looked over to Twilight with knowing eyes, "Ah’ know the feelin’. Though it's strange, there's a dragon, though ah ’ can agree on wantin’ to be with your family. That's why Ah’ was worried Bloom would get into trouble bein’ in these wood's" she said as she looked over to her sister, just before her eyes shot wide, "Oh dangit, where's mah manners, I never mentioned mah name miss."
"It's quite alright Applejack"
"What? But how did you...?"
"Your dream. Your emotions let it stray, and I was able to see small amounts of the dream and the names of your family... Does your grandmother always dance like that?"
Applejack blushed furiously before nodding, realising something was missing, she began to fret just before Twilight levitated the old brown hat back over to her, "You dropped this in our tussle, I think this is important to you so I kept it safe."
"Worth more than mah life." Applejack then dusted it off and stood up stoically with her hands on her hips, "Well, looks like Bloom'll be safe here. It was nice ta meetcha Miss Twilight. Just don't teach her too much or she’ll be nose high by the mornin." Applejack then turned around and looked at Applebloom who held a red crystal that glowed, "What... What's that?"
The crystal then floated into the air and lit the area in a red glow, "AH’ DID IT GIRLS, AH’ DID IT!" Applebloom then began to dance around on the spot doing a little jig of joy. "Ah’ know some magic now!"
Applejack looked back to Twilight, "Magic? Like actual magic?"
Twilight smiled at her, making Applejack blush slightly from her regal form, "Magic is not only limited to the body; one has their own magic they can tap into, but there are more forms in this world that have yet to be discovered. Your sister is quite skilled with druidic magic if I do say so." Twilight said with a glimmer in her eye as she looked at Applebloom.
"Druid magic? What's that? Ah’ve never heard of such a thing."
"Many won't have. I am sure the only ones who do know now are either lost to us or do not wish for anyone to know. Alas, I am alone, though the future might change, soon all will change and I think you will be one of the ones most affected by this change my dear."
Applejack looked over to see Twilight contemplating, She talked so much like the Princess did, "Well, Miss Twilight, Ah’ think Ah’ better go. Mah brother is tendin’ the farm by himself and might need some help.... Feel free to come over, it's always nice to have a neighbour over for a good hearty meal every now and again."
Twilight pulled herself from thought as she turned back to Applejack, "I think I will take you up on that offer, It has been too long since I have seen how morta- people cook food, I can only seem to bake one thing anyway"
"Just' make sure Bloom get's home by nightfall. Don't want her out too late. See y’all later." Applejack shouted over to the girls and Spike, who in turn waved his large claws.
Twilight watched the retreating form of Applejack as she left, "So that's Honesty. Quite fitting; I guess it's time to come out of the sleeping forest and awaken old tales." a vial containing blue liquid then floated into her hands, "The time draws near sisters, what say we awaken the castle and have some fun once again?" Twilight began to smile as she looked north at the moon. "Yes, a bit of fun is in order."