Twilight awoke in the morning, her eyelids slowly opening before she blinked a few times feeling a hoof nudging her. She looked up seeing Luna standing over her and watched as she took a step back, nodding to her and then walked over to where Zecora was, doing the same to her. Twilight let out a light yawn as she stood up and stretched, closing her eyes and smiling as a light shudder went down her body, “Princess it‘s a bit early don‘t you think?” Twilight watched as the alicorn looked over to her, pausing before she looked out the window,
“I thought it would be best to get everyone up early so that we could get an early start. Sunny Town is a good distance from here and should take about thirty minutes of walking or so… I would much prefer teleporting although… Discord would wonder what we would be doing all the way out here.” Twilight and Zecora both simply nodded in response to her words. The three took a few more minutes to get their bags secured to their backs before they set off, leaving the castle ruins and they follow the path back to the broken bridge.
Luna looked down at the two ponies before getting down low, taking Zecora on her back and she flew across the chasm before doing the same with Twilight. The three cautiously walked through the decaying and shadowy forest around them, Zecora sighing as she looked down at the ground while she walked. Twilight noticed this and looked over to her, tilting her head a little as she spoke, “Zecora… what‘s wrong?”
“This forest was once such a beautiful place… now nothing is the same, not even a trace.” As they continued through the forest they once again reached Zecora’s tree. The tree itself was far more rotted after the time spent in the chaotic magic of the forest. The bark was dark brown and shaded slightly with a sickly green color. The odor of decay and rot was heavy in the air and the three decided it would be best to continue down the path quickly. Passing Zecora’s former home, both Twilight and Zecora continued following Luna’s lead, Twilight eventually speaking up,
“Princess… if we keep heading this way we‘ll reach the exit to the forest.” Luna stopped walking and turned, looking back to her before pointing to their right. The forest next to them was heavily overgrown but there was the slightest of paths etched into the landscape before them. Luna remained silent as she started walking down the path, “Princess…?” The three continued walking down the overgrown path, occasionally having to push aside a branch or push a plant out of the way. The path swerved east and west occasionally before moving up north and south as well, still, they made progress. Luna paused after nearly twenty minutes of walking and looked up ahead. The forest was thick around them cutting off most light but ahead, was a bright light indicating life in front of them,
“Zecora… Twilight… ahead is Sunny Town. Under no circumstances are we to become separated for any reason.” Her horn then glowed brightly, a veil of magic coating the three of them, their flanks shining momentarily until their cutie-marks vanished, “If things turn ugly… we run. No hesitation.” The ponies nodded and together, they walked through the veil of trees into the bright light of the town before them, “We‘re not to let any of them know who we really are. We‘re safe in the day so be friendly.”
“Why hello there! Welcome to Sunny Town!” The three jumped and looked towards a pony walking towards them. His coat was a neutral grey color whilst his mane and tail consisted of a deep black with a few streaks of grey in the strands and as Luna had said, he bore no cutie mark, “Grey Hoof, at your service. Celebration planner extraordinaire!” Twilight stepped forward as Grey Hoof held out his own hoof and she raised hers, meeting hoofs with him as they shook,
“Very nice to meet you Grey Hoof. I‘m Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends, Luna and Zecora.” She pointed back at the two as she said their names and Grey Hoof looked towards them with a happy smile,
“It is very nice to meet you all. It‘s not very often that we get visitors all the way out here so please enjoy your stay. We‘ve only just started the party so please, eat and drink your fill.” Twilight looked back to Princess Luna and saw her looking around the town before them. In front of them, off to the left, were a few farming patches with various vegetables growing in them and to their right, a few tables with various trays of food and a few punch bowls and glasses as well. Twilight looked ahead, seeing a large farmhouse and a path leading off to the left. The three walked past Grey Hoof and continued walking towards the farmhouse, hearing a mare near one of the tables muttering something to herself as she looked down sadly. Her mane and tail were a carrot orange and her coat was a pale white.
Luna and Zecora followed Twilight as she approached the farmhouse, shaking hoofs with the colt and he dropped his hoof back down as he stood before them, his body perfectly blocking the door to the farmhouse, “I wonder if you three could help me. My name‘s Roneo and over by the party tables is Starlet. I was supposed to give her a very special gift tonight but…” He looked down, his expression one of shame as he sighed, “I lost her gift, such a pretty thing it was too… I don‘t supposed you could try to find it for me, could you?” Roneo was a light cream color with a light blue mane and tail and also sported no cutie mark. Luna paused as she took in Roneo’s words, looking off to the side and down the path,
“We‘re not really supposed to run errands…”
“Oh, please? It would mean so much to me if you could find it. That gem is so shiny there‘s no way you could miss it!”
“…What do you think Twilight? Zecora?” Luna said as she looked between the two mares, seeing Twilight turn and look back at her with a nod,
“We might as well. We can‘t really have a proper look around without seeing what‘s inside that farmhouse anyway.” Luna nodded to her silently and they continued down the path, leaving Roneo looking across at Starlet.
The three walked down the path, the trees around them opening up once again into what looked like the main part of the town. There were many humble houses, along with a few party tables here and there along with a stringing of lights between them and above some of the tables themselves. Off to the side they noticed a pony standing at one of the party tables, eating a half-sandwich and not paying much attention to anything around him. His coat was a light brown and his mane and tail were a sandy brown color and like the others, he had no cutie mark either. In the distance, something caught Twilight’s eye, a very small sparkle near the dense trees. She motioned to the other two before she trotted over to it and picked it up. She paused as she looked down at the red gem in her hoof and looked back to the other two, “A ruby… do you think it‘s just a coincidence?” Twilight’s ears perked as she looked of to the side, seeing a pony with a coat of light green and a mane and tail of dark green watching them from far away. Twilight then looked over to Zecora hearing her speak next,
“It could be, or could not be, but for now let us take it to that pony.” Luna nodded to Zecora before looking back to Twilight,
“We still need to find Mitta.” Twilight nodded her head and slid the gem into her bag before the three hurried back to Roneo, seeing his eyes light up as Twilight withdrew the gem from her bag and presented it to the pony,
“This is it right?”
“Yes! Oh I can‘t believe you found it thank you so much!” Twilight was knocked to the ground as Roneo pushed past them and hurried over to Starlet, the two talking excitedly before embracing one another. Twilight shook her head as she stood up and dusted herself off,
“A bit excited wasn‘t he… come on girls, lets see what‘s inside this farmhouse.” The three entered, the scent of dust and wood heavy in the air as they walked inside. Twilight looked up and around before walking over to a large box, her horn glowing softly before the box began sliding, the mares slowly making their way through a small maze of boxes around them. After a bit Zecora paused as she trotted over and picked up a small metal crank. She looked back at the with a curious look,
“What would this be doing here? Perhaps something it fits is near.” All three then paused as the sound of faint sobbing was heard near them, Twilight slipping past Zecora and walking around the corner before she stopped and laid down before the pony who was covering her face, a small puddle of tears under her. Her mane and tail were a deep crimson whilst her coat was a lighter grey color,
“It‘s not right… nothing is right… it‘s just the same thing… again and again and again!” Twilight reached out, laying her hoof on the arm of the pony and she jumped, backing up against the container behind her and staring wide-eyed at them all, “Who…?” Twilight stood up, smiling gently towards the pony who looked at Twilight before her gaze shifted to the princess, “I told you to run! Why would you come back!?” Luna stepped forward as the pony seemed to calm down, breathing slowly as she wiped away her own tears. Luna raised a hoof and touched the pony’s mane,
“Mitta, we need to find Ruby. And the faster we do, the sooner we can leave… I just wish we could bring you with us.” Mitta shook her head and looked down in response, sighing softly to herself before looking back up,
“Every new pony who finds this village follows the same events… None of us know where Ruby is but… if you go out the northern exit of the town you‘ll find where she used to live… The key to her home was dropped down the well long ago after…” She stopped and looked down, tears sliding down her face once again, “Princess… and both of you as well… you have to get out of here--” She looks back up at them with pleading eyes, “Please! I was only barely able to help that little filly escape the village when she got here! It‘s not too late if you leave now!” Zecora stepped forward and shook her head as she looked upon the mare,
“Finding Ruby is what we must be doing. She holds a key to Equestria‘s renewing.”
“I… I‘ll do what I can for you just… just be careful.” The three soon left the farmhouse and continued down the path towards the green pony from before. She stepped forward with a gentle smile on her face and waved to them,
“Hello there, it‘s always nice to see new visitors in our town. My name is Three Leaf, just let me know if I can help you in some way.” They simply nodded to her before continuing down the path, leaving through a gate in the fenced end of the town. Ahead of them was a small flash of grey and blonde before it was gone, heading down the path far ahead of them. Twilight’s eyes widened as she pointed ahead and the three began running down the path,
“That must have been Ruby!” As they continued down the path, the trees became much denser, blocking out the sun above them and as they looked ahead, a small home sat at the edge of the path, only the door and the shutters on the window noticeable against the crushing darkness around them. Twilight and Luna lifted their heads, their horns glowing and creating light around them as they walked, Zecora walking off to the side and peering down into an old well,
“This is the well that the mare spoke of.” She walked to the side and slid out the crank, pushing it in, “Slide in the crank, fits like a glove.” She took it into her mouth and began winding it slowly. Twilight and Luna waited a short while before a bucket rose to the surface of the well, the zebra slipping her head inside and drawing out an old rusty key, “We now have the key, let‘s open that door. Be careful though, no telling what‘s in store.” Zecora trotted over and fit the key into the lock, the door opening with a gentle nudge from the zebra as she walked inside followed closely by Twilight and Luna. The inside of the home, although illuminated looked old and dark. The only things inside were a small writing desk and a fireplace sitting in the middle of the room opposite the door. Zecora had walked over to the fireplace and was staring down into it, completely silent until Twilight walked over,
“Something wrong Ze--” Twilight leaped back in fright and covered her face shaking her head rapidly, “This… this is where she was murdered… her bones… in the fireplace!” Luna paused for a moment, walking past her and over to the fireplace,
“Burnt bones aren‘t going to hurt us Twilight but still… what a horrible thing to do to a pony…” Luna looked around slowly before she stopped, her eyes darting left and right quickly, “Everyone… look.” Twilight and Zecora looked up. The house around them was much older and decayed around them, boards had rotted away and the door was hanging off a rusty hinge. Cold had begun steadily filling the air and Luna began slowly backing towards the door, her face looking pale as she continued looking around quickly, “This is bad… this is so bad…” Twilight looked back to her and shook her head tilting it slowly,
“Princess… we can see this house as it really is now. But we‘re okay! It‘s still only a little past noon!” Luna pushed the door open with her back leg and shook her head in response, turning and heading out before being closely followed by the pony and zebra, “Princess!”
“Twilight… if the town we saw was from years and years ago… potentially a thousand… then the forest would have overtaken it.” She looked up towards the dense forest above them, “The town… there is no sunlight in Sunny Town.” The three then took off down the path, heading directly back to Sunny Town and Luna skidded to a halt as she looked around quickly before growling, “It was all a trick… those events lead to this town being dark!” As they cautiously walked through the town, an otherworldly version of Grey Hoof’s voice filled their ears,
“There was no other way… she was going to spoil the party.” They continued forward, treading slowly as they looked around. The three suddenly froze as the ground began to give way near the trees before them, hoofs rising from the ground before pressing against the decayed earth, a head rising next, a skull with glowing red eyes and a few hairs hanging down from its head. The body was nothing but bones and heavily decayed flesh, the scent in the air wafting from it would be enough to make the most adamant person sick. It spoke with the voice of Three Leaf as it took a few steps towards them,
“The curse had befallen her this very night. She had the mark… she had to die!” Three Leaf stayed standing before them, not moving at all as her eyes watched them closely as they hurried past her and downwards, Twilight’s eyes darting from left to right and as she sees a boulder barring their path she yells,
“Together! We have to push it now!” As they began pushing it another of the decaying ponies began slowly walking towards them, speaking in a deep voice they hadn’t heard before,
“Please… stay with us. We will never let the same happen to any of you…” Zecora backed up for a moment and slammed against the boulder pushing it far out of their way before they continued running towards the path to the farmhouse. Zecora suddenly tripped and hit the ground hard, Twilight yelling to Luna as the unicorn turned and ran back to her, grabbing her hoof and tried pulling her up. Zecora’s leg was bound to the ground by a hoof, and Twilight took a step back as another of the skeletal ponies rose from the ground and grinned a hellish grin out of his decayed jaw. Zecora looked up at Twilight as she began letting out shorter breathes, the zebra’s coat slowly darkening and becoming messier,
“Twilight… you have to leave me! I can distract him while you flee!” Twilight’s face went pale as she yelled out, Luna grabbing her and pulling her hard,
“Zecora has made her choice Twilight, let‘s go!” Twilight’s face remained one of despair as she shook her head and the rotting pony before them stood and looked to them with a dark cackle aiding the voice of Grey Hoof,
“Stay with us… FOREVER!” Zecora reached into her bag and withdrew a vial, smashing it against the ground and a bright flash erupted around her, Grey Hoof backed away as he roared and recoiled and Twilight and Luna hurried down the path and towards the exit of the town. As they approached the exit Twilight turned seeing Grey Hoof standing at the far end, near the farmhouse and what must have been Starlet and Roneo standing much closer to them, the voice of Roneo filling their ears,
“Don‘t go… all we want is your friendship.” They paid him no heed as they continued running towards the exit, a final skeletal pony rising up in front of them but it paused and stepped to one side, not barring their path and spoke with Mitta’s voice,
“Your friend… I promise I‘ll look after her… I‘m so sorry that this happened to you…” She looked down and Twilight walked over to her along with Luna,
“Please… do whatever you can for Zecora…” Tears were welling up in Twilight’s eyes and Mitta looked to her with a nod,
“You have my word. Now GO!” Twilight and Luna ran out through the gates of the town, the corpses rising from the earth and walking steadily towards them as they quickly rounded corners and continued to flee, tears flying back behind Twilight as she ran, both mares with determined looks on their faces.
They soon reached the edge of the forest, Twilight panting hard as she stumbled a bit, feeling the princess steady her with a hoof she looked up and nodded before they looked behind them seeing none of the civilians of Sunny Town chasing them and turned away from the forest. Twilight looked up at the sun and let out a slow sigh before dropped her head and silently weeping,
“You‘ve both suffered a heavy loss…” Luna paused as she turned her head back to the forest. Standing at the edge was a mare with a coat of light grey, her mane was styled a medium length and was an orange and blonde mix. Her cutie mark depicted a magnifying glass and her eyes were a deep glowing yellow as she stared at the two of them, “Twilight Sparkle… you were the one who rescued the young filly when she came to the village…” Twilight sniffed and wiped her eyes as she turned towards the pony before them and looked up at her with deeply saddened eyes,
“Why didn‘t you just appear to us before we went into that hellish town!?” Luna held out her hoof as Twilight let out a yell and charged her, Ruby pausing as she stood her ground,
“Only those who have been through that town and have escaped… those are the only ones I can talk to.” Twilight slid to a halt, standing inches from her with an angry expression as tears stream down her face,
“It‘s still your fault that we lost Zecora in there! How could you let that happen!?”
“She was lost before she even made her choice. The curse spread to her when she was tripped by Grey Hoof now be quiet and I can tell you where you need to go now.” Twilight fell silent as she backed away from Ruby, her ears lowering as she continued to softly weep, “The next path you must follow is in the cave of the ursa major. Treading silently will make this a very easy task for you both.” Ruby then nodded with a deep sigh, “I pray for your safety in the coming days… I‘m so sorry that you lost your friend. I‘ll look out for her, along with Mitta. Do not despair though, she will be in comfort and friendship with the blanks.” Luna nodded her head slowly and Ruby began walking back into the forest,
“Ruby, when this is all over we‘ll find a way to break the curse on Sunny Town and lay them all to rest.” Ruby stopped walking, looking back at her with a grateful gaze,
“I know you will, farewell.” She then disappeared into the trees of the Everfree forest and Luna looked down at Twilight embracing her tightly as the mare silently wept against her light purple coat.