//------------------------------// // 24. A champion for the placebo effect Part 2 // Story: The Tale of Lord Barleycorn // by Blue Cultist //------------------------------// The Tale of Lord Barleycorn - - - - - - Chapter 24: A champion for the placebo effect Part 2 --- The many conversations fell away one by one as each pony in the streets began to scan the moonlight town for the musician. Many of the parents were a little surprised that the foals had been telling the truth. Afterall a two-legged scarecrow sounded too outlandish to believe. Try as these onlookers might, no pony could see anything approaching from the alleys, or from the either end of the road. The soft whispers of a violin seemed to echo off the pale, moon-soaked boards of the closed shops that lined the main road. An ominous feeling began to sink in as ponies began to realize that the music did not seem to be approaching them from any direction, yet seemed to be steadily growing in volume. Only the foals and a few other ponies that were in the know about tonight's event wore a smile. Several of the foals were actually bouncing up and down as they excitedly proclaimed 'He's here, he's here!' to their parents and schoolmates. The sounds of the violin grew from ethereal whispers on the night wind in a matter of minutes, yet still the source of the music could not be pin pointed. The volume of this ghostly tune soon rose so that even the elderly ponies present could hear it, and few could remember when they had heard such talent. The search for the musician was forgotten as the ponies of Hollow Shades lost themselves to this beguiling song. The song continued, but while many of the ponies merely enjoyed the music the foals proved to be less inclined to sit and listen quietly. It started with a few, but soon all the foals were assembling in the middle of the road, staring up at something on the water tower. As the song came to an end, so did its hold on the attention of the masses. Many began to speak praises to the unknown artist, but their eyes were quickly drawn to their children, and the fact they were all stamping their hooves in applause and staring wide eyed at something in the sky. Nothing appeared out of place in the heavens, but when the stallions and mares looked a little lower they saw what their foals were really applauding. Silhouetted against the pale light of the moon was a tall creature unlike any of the town had ever seen. It stood on long hindlegs, while its long forelegs held a violin which was still humming with the final note of its song. The creature bent down on the roof of the water tower, showing remarkable balance despite its top-heavy stature. One of those long forelegs dug into the creature's sweater, from which it pulled a violin case. The instrument that had sung so sweetly was placed inside along with its bow, and unceremoniously stuffed back under its shirt. While the crowd had watched this silent musician, whispers were thrown around about who or even what it was. Several of the mares professed it were a spirit born of the forest, but others said it was a minotaur because of its bipedal nature. The general attitude toward the creature was one of casual fractionation, and the parents were simply glad to see their foals were not just making up stories. The whispering became a murmur that would not be uncommon during an intermission at a Canterlot musical. This gossip slowly died away as the ponies took notice of the creature's posture. It stood at its full height, one foreleg stretched out as if gesturing that the next act was about to begin. In a show of politeness the ponies shushed one another, and with the first few words of its next song the crowd was silenced altogether. There were three farmers in the North and as they were passing by They swore an oath, a mighty oath that John Barleycorn must die One of them says we'll drown him and the other says hang him high A whiff of the stick of the barley grain and a-beggin we will die With me fal-er-a-lind-a-me too-ra-lunda-me whack-fal-diddle-di-ay~ They put poor barley into the sack on that cold and rainy day They carried him off to the garden field, they buried him in the clay The frost and snow began to melt and the dew began to fall And barley grain rolled up he said that he'd soon surprise them all With me fal-er-a-lind-a-me too-ra-lunda-me whack-fal-diddle-di-ay~ Bein' in the summer season with the harvest comin' on He stands up in the field with a beard like any man The reaper came to wield his sickle he used me barbarously, He cut me by the middle so small, he cut me above the knee With me fal-er-a-lind-a-me too-ra-lunda-me whack-fal-diddle-di-ay~ Then next came master binder and he looked on me with a frown For in the middle there was a thistle, which bowled his courage down The farmer came with his pitchfork, he pierced me thru the heart Like a thief and robber or highwaymen they tied me to the cart With me fal-er-a-lind-a-me too-ra-lunda-me whack-fal-diddle-di-ay~ The thresher came with his big flail, he nearly broke me bones T'would grieve the heart of any mare just to hear me sighs and groans The next thing that they done to me was to drown me in the well They left me there for a day and a half or until I began to swell With me fal-er-a-lind-a-me too-ra-lunda-me whack-fal-diddle-di-ay~ The next thing that they done to me was they dried me in the kiln They used me ten times worse than that when they ground me in the mill They used me in the kitchen and the used me in the hall They used me up in the parlor, among the ladies all With me fal-er-a-lind-a-me too-ra-lunda-me whack-fal-diddle-di-ay~ Well the barley grain is a comical grain he makes stallions sigh and moan For when they take a glass of me they forget their wives at home The drunkard he is a dirty guy and he uses me worst of all He takes me up in his dirty mouth and he stumbles against the wall With me fal-er-a-lind-a-me too-ra-lunda-me whack-fal-diddle-di-ay~ The lighthearted bounce in the singer's voice was one that the ponies could hardly believe could come out of such a creature. Normally when they thought of something so tall and, frankly, unequine they expected a voice that was low and rumbled like a dragon's stomach. The subject matter in the song was distasteful to some, while others seemed to understand that it was really about making distilled spirits. Unsurprisingly, most of these ponies worked at the brewery. This second song ended, and this time the crowd managed a polite if somewhat reserved round of applause. The creature atop the tower gave a funny sort of bow before it slid down to the edge of the tower. Gasps of panic rose up, as the ponies thought for sure the musician, whatever it was, would slip and fall to its death two stories down. The creature showed none of the crowd's concern as it gripped hold of the intake pipe that ran down the side of the water tower and leapt down. It spun as it came down, slowing just enough to come to a rough but harmless stop on the ground. Now that it wasn't under the bright glare of the silvery moon, the crowd stood aghast at what had been entertaining them and their foals. Many recognized it as one of old Slim Harvest's unusual scarecrows, and those who knew him better knew that it was wearing Slim's old hat. This scarecrow walked, actually walked from the base of the water tower to stand before the foals, where it gave a second bow. "Enjoy the show, did we?" It asked in a pleasant voice. The foals answered in nods and emphatic grins. "Good! And thank you all for getting such a lovely audience here to see me play. I haven't had one this size in over three hundred years." The scarecrow sighed, "Playing for my subjects is fine, but sometimes I wondered if they were just humoring me, and I was slowly learning how to un-play the violin." A few of the children laughed, but Thistle Bloom was the first to speak up in his defense, "No way, I thought you were great Lord Barleycorn!" More foals were quick to say similar words of praise, but Lord Barleycorn held up a sleeved hand to stop them. "Children," He said firmly, but quickly winked at them to show he wasn't being too serious. "Praise is not necessary, I said I would come and I did." "Can you play a few more songs?" "I could, but I could up the ante and tell you a story instead. It's about three trick-or-treaters who knock on their uncle's door and-" Lord Barleycorn paused, "You remember what I told you do on Halloween when you say 'trick or treat'?" This time Corn Crib beat everypony to the punch, "When you say trick or treat, the pony at the door has to give you a treat, or you get to play a trick on them!" Lord Barleycorn nodded, "That's right, of course you have to be in costume, and only if their lights are on. It's not fair to trick somepony who doesn't even know you came to his door." "But in this story, these three costumed foals go to their uncle's house, but instead of candy he douses them with water and puts lit firecrackers in their candy bags." Lord Barleycorn rubbed his sleeved hands together, "All of this is seen by a passing witch who decides to help them get their candy, and teach their uncle a thing or two." Lord Barleycorn felt a tug on his pant leg, and when he looked down there was a tiny pegasus filly smiling up at him, "Will we get to see the rag pony again?" A gentle laugh from Lord Barleycorn as he squatted down to sit closer to the young foal's eye level, "I'm sorry little seed, but I'm afraid she didn't feel brave enough to come before such a large crowd." The foal's lip quivered, "She didn't mind coming to the school..." Lord Barleycorn sank further down to one knee, the eyes behind his mask seemed to glitter in the moonlight, "No, but field spirits are a skittish lot. They normally only show themselves to the farmers who till that field, and only if the field is loved and taken care of. Even then they might be too shy to come out. I only got her to come to the school because she owed me a favor." Corn Crib blinked, Lord Barleycorn had never mentioned this to her before. A colt named Fox Tail tilted his head, "What did kind of favor?" "Why, I got rid of all the rabbits plaguing the fields around Hollow Shades, of course!" The scarecrow thumped its chest with its sleeved hand. "They were making such a mess of her lovely fields she would have trotted out to the center of town and screamed if it would have relieved her of those long-eared pirates, it was really less a favor and more her showing gratitude, I suppose. She does send her deepest and kindest regards to each of you." --- Summer Harvest felt like he couldn't move. He had seen this scarecrow ever since he was a colt. He had watched his father make it, and over the years he had lost count of how many times he had stuffed and hung it on its pole. For years it hadn't scared a single crow, and just last week Summer had started to consider burning the scarecrows for warmth in the winter. Now he felt that even considering that would be the same as asking for a thousand years of bad crops. To see his father's scarecrow walking, talking, and wearing that hat was enough to make the farmer's teeth chatter. All that ran through his mind were the events of the past few weeks. The disappearance of the scarecrow and the burned section in his fields, the crows and rabbits suddenly terrified of his land, those events he had been able to wave off. The pumpkins and the strange lights that his wife had called forest spirits... those were harder to ignore. Summer forced his mouth shut, but he still felt a quiver of fear running through every muscle in his body. He knew the old stories just as every other pony did, he had just never seen any evidence to think the spirits actually existed. He had even gone so far as to outright declare they hadn't. Now one was standing before him, laughing merrily within spitting distance of his own daughter. "Of all the stories that I've heard, please please PLEASE let the one about spirits cursing ponies for passing insults be exaggerated..." Summer silently prayed. "Summer, You look like you're trying to swallow a pine cone." Harvest Moon sniggered, "There's nothing to worry about, the King of Autumn's a friendly spirit." Summer's head ratcheted around to face his wife, "How could you know that?" The umber-coated mare met her husband with an unconcerned smile, "I first met him in the forest weeks ago. He's responsible for all the pears we've been eating, actually, and for most of the good luck we've been having. Each time I walked away with a big smile on my face." "Y-your joking... why didn't you tell me about him?" Summer's ears bent back, his normally stoic eyes now wide with shock. "I did, but like you usually do, you blew it off as nothing but 'hogwash' and forgot about it. But now, I think I'll just say 'I told you so' and leave it at that." Harvest Moon playfully blew a raspberry at Summer. Summer's ears pricked up as he heard the whispers of his neighbors around him. Lowering his own volume, he hoped that his wife would follow suit, "But, how do you know he won't... y'know, curse us?" Harvest Moon patiently shook her head, "I don't think cleaning the barn, scaring the rabbits away, picking crops, and singing songs to foals are signs of a curse, do you?" "The barn too?" Summer blinked, he had nearly put the entire matter of the barn's cleanliness out of mind since Leadfoot had dusted it from top to bottom. "You're surprised?" Harvest Moon smirked, "Leadfoot can't even keep his room clean. I don't think that colt's ever even held a broom in his life." Summer had to concede that point, Leadfoot was at that age where colts wanted to act like bachelors. "Listen, I know he looks strange, and I was a little scared of him when I first met him." Harvest Moon turned back to watch the scarecrow as he told a joke to the foals and received an uproar of laughter. "But I really think he's what he says. I can't explain how he got the rabbits to leave us alone, or how he did the other things he did, but-" "Rabbits?" Mr. and Mrs. Harvest turned, seeing their neighbor Bean Sprout standing next to them. How long he had been there was unknown, but by the pale look on his face he had heard something else. "You said he got rid of the rabbits?" Bean Spout asked. "Yes, that's what he told me." Harvest Moon said plainly. "My son..." Bean Sprout swallowed a nervous lump in his throat, "He kept telling me how he met a scarecrow in the forest, and told him that he had sent the rabbits away by telling them about some magic rabbit that lives on the other end of the Everfree. I didn't believe him..." Bean Sprout bit his lip, but still a few signs of shame fell through his defenses. "He also said a scarecrow stole a basket of eggs, and I punished him for lying..." "Stole eggs?" Harvest Moon tilted her head, "That doesn't sound like something he'd do." "Oh but I'm afraid it is." The scarecrow said suddenly, slowly turning to face the adult audience, who shrank back a few steps when they fell under his gaze. "I did take a basket of eggs, and I had to promise young Wind Row that I would explain my so-called 'theft.'" Lord Barleycorn chuckled, "You see, while the good Mrs. Harvest has been all-too generous with her offerings of cooked pears, one tires quickly of them. I needed some variety, and rather than take from the entire town I saw an opportunity to help myself to one basket of eggs. For that, I did just as young master Wind Row has told you. I told the rabbits of a master rabbit I met ages ago. Perhaps he moved on from his warren or maybe he's still there, but regardless the fact remains that the long-eared menace that blighted your farms are gone... For this year at least." "He's right, I haven't seen a rabbit nibbling on my lettuce in weeks..." One of the ponies in the crowd said. "Or snacking on my flowers..." Another pony said before the crowd began to murmur with newfound life. --- Near the back of the crowd stood Cherry Nova, who tried his best to seem nonchalant. Thankfully nopony seemed to notice that he had huddled together with the rest of the townsponies. He quickly distanced himself from the herd and put on a defiant face for sake of his own dignity. Whatever was under those rags, it stood tall enough that Cherry could see it clearly even with the crowd's heads between him and it. Another thing Cherry noticed was how practiced and well timed the creature's words were. Whoever or whatever it was, it was clearly a showpony, and an accomplished one to pull off wearing that ridiculous getup and play the violin so well. The flair with which this mystery stallion spoke, how he had gotten the crowd on his side by playing to their superstitious nature... Cherry had to admit it was brilliant. The town would easily buy anything this schemer said now. Cherry Nova allowed a jagged smirk to show, he knew that nopony was paying attention to him. If this showpony was after money, he was in for a huge disappointment; unless somepony in town was sitting on some secret hoard of gold, he wouldn't get enough bits for train fare. --- Lord Barleycorn put his hands behind his back as he teetered back and forth on the heels of his boots. "Ah, but where are my manners? I'm sure your foals might have told you my name, but please allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Lord Barleycorn, King of Scarecrows, Lord of Pumpkins, Protector of Fields, Sovereign of all Autumn, Crow's Bane, and... I could go on for hours with the list of titles I've picked up over the centuries. Besides, I've forgotten a lot of them." The crowd shuffled at the scarecrow's words, but one mare named Brass Buttons managed to find the courage to speak first, even if her words were a little shaky."Wha-what are you?" Lord Barleycorn looked down at himself, as if examining his body for the first time. "A reasonable question, but a difficult one. I am what you see." Brass Buttons shook her head, "I mean, are you a s-spirit?" "I preside over many things, and often walk unseen. I suppose I am by your definition." Lord Barleycorn's voice held a kind tone that spoke for his hidden smile, "I know many of the spirits that dwell in the woods, and here in Hollow Shades and beyond." Brass Buttons opened her mouth to speak again but Lord Barleycorn raised his sleeved hand top stop her. "And 'what' is your first question, and I already told you 'who,' I am right in assuming the next question on your mind is a 'why' as in 'Why am I here?'" The mare in question nodded. "Well, why I'm here is bit of a story." Lord Barleycorn sighed wistfully as he put a hand to his hat, "I normally don't appear to ponies as a rule, it's just more fun to work around you, I get more natural reactions when you see autumn's splendor and I'm not there hogging the spotlight." "But, something in your town tugged at my heartstrings." Lord Barleycorn removed his hat and placed it over his heart, allowing the crowd to see the very non-equine shape of his head under the burlap. "On a whim I encountered an unhappy little filly on her way to school and I decided to try and cheer her up. She told me of the woes and sorrows that had befallen her family and I quickly agreed to try and make things better." The scarecrow spun his hat between his sleeves, then set it back atop his head, "Here's the part where I normally play coy with your questions, but trust begins with a foundation of honesty so I will forgo my usual practice and speak plainly: I always keep my promises, and since I made it to a foal I intend to fulfill it." The crowd eased up considerably as Lord Barleycorn spoke, but nopony noticed the beaming smile that was etched into Corn Crib's face. Ponies that had been standing in dead silence only minutes ago now confided in each other in normal volumes. One of the local loggers spoke up, "So... what does this promise have to do with getting everypony here?" Lord Barleycorn dipped head head down in shame, "Sadly, I might have agreed to more than I can accomplish. You see, as a spirit of Autumn I can only remain until the first snow, or until the last leaf on the trees falls; whichever comes first. I can help pick crops, I can even have my court of pumpkins help pick up slack here and there but I can't make a pony's debts disappear." Summer Harvest bit his lip, this story was starting to hit a little too close to home. The scarecrow clapped his hands, seeming to drive away whatever sadness that had fallen around him. "So, I settled on something... ambitious. After conversing with several ponies, and local spirits, I devised a little plan that should chase away everypony's misfortunes." "I don't know if your mayor is here, but it would need his approval. I propose holding a festival, more accurately, the spirit festival known as Halloween." Lord Barleycorn explained, "Its very similar to what you call Nightmare Night, though with some differences. I know songs, plays, even stories that can be used to draw in ponies seeking a little of the bizarre." In the back of the crowd, Cherry Nova snorted in contempt, "And there we are, the baited hook presented to unwitting fish. He'll probably want a cut of whatever the town takes in; fifty, sixty percent I'm betting." Bean Sprout worked his way to the front of the crowd, "How exactly will a festival help the town? Most ponies don't know about our town, and those that do generally avoid it." Lord Barleycorn chuckled, his chest heaving under his ragged shirt. "That adds to the mystique. Halloween is a celebration of the bizarre, of horror, of candy, a chance to be whatever you want for a night. This whole town could become the biggest attraction in Equestria if we could get the word out. Charge a little here and there, and you could get the lumber mill open and get this town back on its hooves." "But... we don't own it." Said another logger. Lord Barleycorn shrugged, "Or build another one, one owned and operated by ponies who love the woodworking craft. Whatever money's left over could be spread around to help those who need it. And to ensure ponies come, I'll set aside some of my duties to entertain ponies who might come on by. Where else could they find a friendly spirit but Hollow Shades?" Cherry blinked, this scarecrow was sounding more and more like he was going to turn the town into a theme park. What the doctor couldn't place was this con artist's angle. Where did he benefit? Not far from him, Cherry could hear Mayberry's unmistakable voice. "Silver, I think he wants to speak to you." "M-maybe if I stay back here, maybe he won't notice..." Mayberry's brow furrowed as she glared at Silver Lining, "Silver..." Silver Lining groaned and placed a hoof to his forehead, "I know, I know... just give me a moment. I gotta figure out what to say to... that." Silver Lining stood silently, eyes closed as he tapped his forehead in thought. One last deep breath was taken to still his nerves before the mayor of Hollow Shades moved past the other ponies to step out in front of the crowd. Hiding his apprehension, Silver Lining looked the scarecrow from top to bottom. He hadn't had a very good view from the back, but aside from the unusual stance and hoofware the scarecrow looked like it had just stepped down from its post save for one detail. The small, glittering eyes that rested within the eyes of the burlap sack shone with a pervasive wonderment that belonged on a foal. It was this detail that gave Silver Lining a moment to pause and feel a portion of that very wonderment. "Um... I-I'm the mayor of Hollow Shades." The old stallion spoke with confidence, but it was swiftly undercut by the trembling of his ankles. "I don't want to rain on your parade, but we don't have the money to hold anything spectacular. How much would this f-festival cost us?" "The cost would be negligible for you, all I would require is a stage and your help." Lord Barleycorn waved off the stallion's concerns as he casually walked within conversation distance, "The stage would be for those interested in learning a few short comedies for foals and visitors alike. Those of you with woodworking skills would be able to exercise them, and I've already made certain that the chains that kept the lumber mill's doors shut are gone. Whatever is usable is yours for the taking. I doubt the unfeeling pony who owns it would miss anything." Hidden in the crowd, nopony saw Carrot Top smirk, "So that's where he was this morning." "I have no use for bits, so you can keep whatever you make. The only thing I require is time, and ponies who can sing, act, or play music." The scarecrow tapped his chin in retrospect, "Although, if some of you feel that you must repay me in some way, I would like to see a bit more consideration taken for the old traditions. The spirits of the forest have almost given up hope of ever being respected again, that ponies have forgotten them." Silver Lining blinked, this offer was sounding just too good to be true. "Really, that's all you want?" "I think asking for your time is a tall order in itself. I normally wouldn't dream of asking so much from hard-working ponies at this time of year, but as I said, my time is short." Lord Barleycorn looked up at the moon, then proceeded to take a long deep breath, "And of course my success or failure falls on your decision. If nothing else, the foals could help me while the rest of the town prepares for the Fall Harvest Festival." "This... is a lot to consider." Silver Lining glanced back at his fellow ponies, "Can I have a day to consider it?" "I've already spent far too much time assessing the situation." Lord Barleycorn shook his head, "I have to fulfill my promise by the end of the Fall Harvest Festival and no later." "There is a big problem with this plan of yours." Nearly the entire crowd had to turn their heads to look back far enough to look at Cherry Nova, who was wearing a smug smirk on his face. "How exactly are you going to get ponies to come here? You'd need some sort of publicity stunt just to get anypony to look this town up on a map." "There's a heckler in every crowd... but he's got a point. I don't have an answer for that." Jack bit his lip, feeling his silence growing more awkward by the second. "I got you off your script." Cherry grinned inwardly, "Let's see you bounce back from that." "That's simple, really." No sooner had Carrot Top spoke, the entire crowd turned its eye on her. "All we'd have to do is take a few pictures of Lord Barleycorn, and write up a short sighting about how a mysterious creature's been sighted and that he plays music, entertains ponies, and that rumor has it that he's the King of Autumn, and that he's holding a special festival just for the town of Hollow Shades." Cherry Nova's nostrils flared, "Great, another optimist." "It would require somepony to travel to Ponyville to spread the word." Silver Lining frowned, "And even then, there's no telling if anypony will listen." "At least give it a try." Lord Barleycorn pleaded, "I'll shoulder the responsibility for this performance, and if it's a wash out I'll have nopony to blame but myself." Silver Lining raised an eyebrow, "You mean you'd do all the work yourself?" Lord Barleycorn stared straight into Silver Lining's eyes, "... If I have to." The scarecrow felt a tug on his pant leg. A tilt of his head found Corn Crib sitting by his side. "No you won't." The filly was resolute as she looked up at the scarecrow, "I'll help you." Other foals soon ran to his side, shaking his pant legs in hope that he'd look at them too. "I'll help too!" "Uh-huh!" "You can count on me!" Removing his hat, Lord Barleycorn reached up to scratch the bare burlap with his sleeved hand. "Well, how about that." The scarecrow knelt down, glancing between the gathered young ponies with gentle eyes, "Children, you don't have to help an old soul like me. It would be a lot of work, and you would need your parent's permission." The straw hat was pulled from his grip, and again Lord Barleycorn found Corn Crib was the one who had his full attention. The brim was firmly held in the filly's teeth, which bobbed up and down as she trotted in front of him. Corn Crib reared up to place her front hooves on Lord Barleycorn's knee. The foal locked eyes with the creature under the burlap for a moment, and although she had his hat in her mouth, Corn Crib managed a happy smile before plopping the hat back on his head. "You're helping us," Corn Crib's lip quivered a little, "Why wouldn't we wanna help too?" "Kid, you really know how to play my heartstrings." Jack smiled as he dabbed his eye with his sleeve. "Oh... come here." Lord Barleycorn laughed as he lifted the filly up and pulled her in for a hug. Corn Crib eagerly wrapped her forelegs around the scarecrow's scrawny neck and hugged him for all her worth. She even got to nuzzle his hay-scented cheek before he set her back down among her class mates. "I wouldn't mind if she helped you out." Harvest Moon called out. Summer Harvest shot his wife an incredulous look, "H-hey! We need all the help we can get with-" "With Cousin Golden and her friends we'll finish in a day or two." Harvest Moon said matter-of-factly, "Let Corn Crib have this." Summer Harvest winced, "But..." "Think of it as an after-school project." Lord Barleycorn stood up, "And she would be on her way home before supper time." "Can I help too?" Wedge asked as he walked up next to Corn Crib. Thistle Bloom quickly joined her friends, "What about me?" Lord Barleycorn raised his sleeved hand snapped his fingers, quickly grabbing the foals' attention with the unknown sound. "I could think of things for you all to do, if you would like to help me, and of course your parents have no objections." "Now hold on," Silver Lining frowned, "What exactly will these foals be doing to help in this... festival?" The many parents of the foals around Lord Barleycorn nodded, showing protective scowls at the creature twice their size. "Nothing strenuous." Lord Barleycorn said plainly, "Carving pumpkins, learning some songs, scary stories, plays... helping me to make this main road the spookiest in Equestia." The scarecrow reached into his sweater and removed the violin case, once again putting the instrument under his chin. "If I may explain it like this maybe you can understand the tone I want to set." Lord Barleycorn cleared his throat, "It's not meant to be a solo, but bear with me." Lord Barleycorn began with long soothing drawls, and now that he was close enough to the crowd they could see the long, pale fingers gripping the bow. Lord Barleycorn didn't sing so much to start, but spoke softly as if he was delivering some performance that hung between song and poetry: 'Twas a long time ago, longer now than it seems In a place that perhaps you've seen in your dreams.~ For the song that's about to be sung Has been around since the Everfree was young~ Now, you've probably wondered what Halloween's about. Then sit, listen, and try not to shout~ Silver Lining opened his mouth to object; to say a song wasn't necessary, but his argument was quickly forgotten as the violin and the scarecrow began to sing: Fillies and colts of every age Wouldn't you like to see something strange? Come with us and you will see This, our town of Halloween This is Halloween, this is Halloween Pumpkins scream in the dead of night This is Halloween, everypony make a scene Trick or treat till the neighbors gonna die of fright It's our town, everypony scream In this town of Halloween I am the one hiding under your bed Teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing red I am the one hiding by the window pane Tongue like a snake and spiders in my mane This is Halloween, this is Halloween Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, Halloween In this town we call home Everypony hail to the pumpkin song In this town, don't we love it now? Everypony's waiting for the next surprise Round that corner, mare hiding in the trash can Something's waiting now to pounce and how you'll scream This is Halloween, red 'n' black, slimy green Aren't you scared? Well, that's just fine Say it once, say it twice Take a chance and roll the dice Ride with the moon in the dead of night Everypony scream, everypony scream In our town of Halloween I am the clown with the tear-away face Here in a flash and gone without trace I am the who when you call, who's there? I am the wind blowing through your hair I am the shadow on the moon at night Filling your dreams to the brim with fright This is Halloween, this is Halloween Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, Halloween Halloween, Halloween Tender lumplings everywhere Life's no fun without a good scare That's our job, but we're not mean In our town of Halloween In this town, don't we love it now? Everypony's waiting for the next surprise A skeleton yak might catch you in the back And scream like a banshee Make you jump out of your skin This is Halloween, everypony scream Won't you please make way for a very special guy? Ol' Lord Barleycorn's king of the Pumpkin patch Everyone hail to the Pumpkin King, now This is Halloween, this is Halloween Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, Halloween In this town we call home Everyone hail to the pumpkin song La la la la-la la La la la la-la la Weeeee! Much like with the performance at the school, the foals had joined in with the repeating chorus, growing more and more excited at the promise of a Nightmare Night like no other. This time, many of the adults joined their foals in applauding the scarecrow's music. "This is all nice, but if this is so similar to Nightmare Night," Cherry Nova said, once the applause had started to die down, "Why don't we just wait until Nightmare Night? What does this Hallow weed have that it doesn't?" Lord Barleycorn answered quickly, "Me." That bit of blatant egotism earned him a few laughs from the children. Lord Barleycorn made a sweeping gesture with his hand, "Have you ever seen my like?" Cherry opened his mouth, but quickly shut his mouth in favor of an irritated scowl. He mentally patted himself on the back for not falling for this... thing's wordplay. If he had said no, the creature would no doubt jump to a conclusion and lead the audience, and make exposing him an even more uphill battle. If Cherry had said yes, he would have to prove it. The trouble with that was that none of the creature's taxonomy fit any of the medical books that Cherry had studied a decade ago. Its tall, straight posture was indicative of minotaur anatomy, but that oval-shaped head didn't possess any bovine features. The long, thin forelegs, the very unequine skeletal structure of its hind legs, and lack of hooves had him stumped. It might be a species new to Equestria, but Cherry was certain that it was no apparition. Cherry's silence allowed Lord Barleycorn to claim victory by placing his hands on his hips and chuckling, "I can't imagine you have. But if you're so focused on the children's safety, I would not be opposed to a chaperone. Trust must be earned, after all." "That's not a bad idea." Silver Lining mused, smiling brightly, "And since you seem to be so interested in our 'guest' Cherry, I nominate you for that position." Cherry blinked, suddenly feeling like he had sidestepped a snare only to end up falling down a pit. "But... I'm not, I mean..." Cherry coughed, needing a few seconds to gather his mind for a rebuttal, "Stockholm's their teacher, he's better at working with foals than I am." "Yes, but Stockholm's not here and he sees the foals for six hours every weekday." Silver Lining said, "Of course if there's an emergency I can understand you having to take off, but I think having a doctor around to supervise things will make things even safer for everypony involved." To Cherry Nova's horror, the parents of the brats actually seemed to be considering this proposal. "I look forward to seeing you in the afternoon." Lord Barleycorn chuckled. "But the afternoon is when I take my nap..." The corner of Cherry's mouth twitched, "You can't really be serious about this." "Well, I'm sure the parents of Hollow Shades will have a lot to talk to their children about when they head home. Whether or not they allow their foals to participate in... whatever it is Lord Barleycorn here has in mind will be done under your watchful eye. Best of all, it won't cost the town much." Silver Lining seemed especially proud of that last part. "In the meantime, I'll send a few ponies to the lumber mill in the morning to see what's serviceable. We might even have some wood that's salvageable." The former loggers among the rabble were especially pleased at this news. "Well, if everything is agreed to, I'll take my leave. I'll be back tomorrow afternoon." Lord Barleycorn tipped his hat to his audience, "Until then I have leaves to paint, deals to make, and local spooks to stir up. Until then, take care, and enjoy this joyous night." Lord Barleycorn then winked at the children, "Be seeing you tomorrow." With a curt bow the scarecrow turned away, heading toward the nearest cornfield. The ponies watched him go without a second look back, but before Lord Barleycorn disappeared into the rows of cornstalks they heard him sing one last tune: "I see the days grow shorter, I feel the nights grow cold~ Young ponies feeling restless old ponies feelin' old~ I sense the darkness clearer, I feel a presence here~ A change in the weather, I love this time of year~" The last words rang out as the dry leaves of the cornstalks rustled, and like a night wind, Lord Barleycorn was gone. Foals finally returned to their families, who were all eager to return home. The show that had been promised was clearly over and the chill in the air that had been forgotten and ignored by Lord Barleycorn's arrival was now biting at each and every nose. Summer looked to his wife and daughter with narrowed eyes, "You two are going to have a lot of explaining to do when we get home." --- Ponyville Library, the following morning. --- "Water bottle?" "Check." "Packed lunch?" "Check." "'Myths and Mysteries of the Everfree,' Volumes one and two?" "Check." "List of things to do while I'm gone?" Spike let out a sigh as he saw the size of the scroll sitting on Twilight's desk. "Check..." "Twilight, you've gone over that checklist three times, I don't think you've forgotten anything." Rainbow groaned as she crossed her front hooves and hovered in place. The rest of the Elements of Harmony were sitting patiently, waiting just inside the door to the Ponyville Library. Rarity's bags were full of this and that, but thankfully they weren't as packed as when she went camping with Rainbow Dash. "I'm just making sure I don't forget anything. Since there aren't any train stations or chariot routes to Hollow Shades, I'd rather not have to run all the way back just to get a quill or some other small thing." Twilight said as Spike slipped her packed lunch into her saddlebags. "I'd like to know why we're setting out so early." Rarity groused, "I understand this Hollow Shades is within walking distance to Ponyville, but really, was this necessary?" "Its so if we get there we have plenty of sunlight to investigate and be on our way." Twilight explained, "There's probably a place we could stay the night at, but-" "I'd... really don't want to stay the night there." Fluttershy whimpered, already hiding behind her mane. "Yeah, because chariots know better than to fly there." Rainbow muttered under her breath. "What do ya mean?" Applejack smirked, "You scared Rainbow?" "I ain't scared of nothing!" Rainbow countered, but a shudder came over her, "It's just... the place is creepy! The air doesn't feel right and the winds just go wherever they want!" "I have friends on the weather team, they used to tell me horrible stories they heard from the Hollow Shades weather team." Fluttershy gulped, "Going there is just like going into the Everfree Forest." "Maybe I should bring some more scrolls. It sounds fascinating." An odd smile appeared on Twilight's face, but she quickly wiped it off when she saw the looks her friends were giving her. "I mean, I think I'm ready." Twilight Sparkle took one last look at the checklist that was still hovering in front of her. She had left the library in the young dragon's claws before, and he had proven to be capable of handling things for her on a temporary basis on more than one occasion. "You know what Spike? I'm about to do something I don't think I've ever done before." Twilight's horn flashed and the checklist crumpled itself up and was tossed in the nearby waste basket. Spike blinked, stunned to see Twilight disregard a checklist so casually. "We've been in Ponyville long enough for you to know what needs to be done without me pestering you." Twilight said with a warm smile, "You just take care of the place while we're gone, and... please no parties while I'm gone?" "Yeah, cause if you throw a party while I'm outta town, how am I going to help you set up the streamers?" Pinkie asked, having been surprisingly quiet until now. The other ponies smiled and rolled their eyes. "Alright, unless there's anything the rest of you need, I'm ready to go." Princess Twilight said. "Don't give Rarity the chance." Rainbow muttered under her breath. Rarity cocked her head up at Rainbow Dash, "Come again, Darling?" Rainbow quickly tried to look innocent as she turned toward the door, "Nevermind, let's just get going. The sooner we get there the sooner we can leave." --- To be continued... ---