We all stood on top o' the wall, lookin' out over the remains o' th' macabre orchard beyond. Th' Mist had retreated from the trees, and appeared ta sink inta Cheerilee, 'bout five minutes back. But none o' us really noticed, we were too busy tryin' ta figure out what had just happened. After th' Mist left th' trees, they started ta rot an' crumble away, until it was like they had never even existed.
The mess o' corpses would say otherwise. Ah turned ta look at Cheerilee, "Alright, what did ya-?" Ah cut mahself off when Ah saw her. There seemed ta be some o' that purplish mist seeping from th' corners o' her eyes, an' Ah thought Ah could see a ghostly image o' a horn an' wings comin' from her.
".... M-miss Cheerilee?" Applebloom took a tentative step towards her old teacher. "Are.... Are you alright?"
".... They didn't listen." Ah couldn' quite hear her, but Ah could've sworn Ah heard a second voice when she spoke.
Applebloom stepped closer, "Ah'm sorry, Ah, uh, didn' hear ya there. Could ya, um, could ya repeat that?"
Cheerilee's head snapped ta face Applebloom, her pure lavender eyes starin' inta Applebloom's. "... They didn't listen," That time Ah know Ah heard a second voice. A familiar voice, "They wouldn't listen, didn't heed my warning, so I made them listen." Cheerilee turned ta look back out over the grisly sight. "...They should have listened..."
Th' wings an' horn seemed ta fade inta th' Amulet. Cheerilee blinked a few times before her eyes returned ta normal. She stumbled forward inta a scarepony, before sliding down to the floor. "Wh-what just happened?" She groaned out.
"Ah don't know." Ah confessed. "Ah was hoping ya could tell me...."
*^*
"Thank Discord they bought it..." Cheerilee thought as we landed in the barn's loft. I drifted the amulet over to it's hiding place.
"Thankfully thoughts are faster then actions..." I thought back. ".... Although, I am a bit worried that i was able to take control of you like that." I drifted forward enough to look towards Cheerilee. She had fallen onto her bed with a slight 'umf'. I could see her eyelids drooping as she stared dully ahead. "What did it feel like?"
"I don't.... Really know." She rolled over onto her back. "I guess the best way to describe it would be to say that I felt kinda like a puppet, only, everything you said felt like it would be something I'd say. Everything you made me do felt natural." She rubbed the back of her neck with a hoof. "You didn't have to snap my neck around like that, though."
"Sorry, I just-"
"Miss Cheeriwee, is it good to come out?"
"Are da scary ponies gone?"
Cheerilee's eyes snapped open. "Buck!" We both thought. Cheerilee tilted her head up to look at the Cake twins while I drew what little of me was poking out back into my haystack. "Y-yes. It's safe to go and play now."
"How'd ya fly like dat?" Pound Asked, tilting his head to the side.
"BUCK!" Cheerilee rubbed a hoof over her eyes. "Pound, I'm an Earth Pony. Earth Ponies don't have wings, so I can't fly."
"But, we-"
"I am very tired right now, so could you go play outside?" Cheerilee lifted her hoof just enough to glare at the Cake twins, who hadn't moved yet. "Now, please."
The two foals both made their way down the ladder with pouts on their faces. I slowly settled back into the amulet when I heard the twins let off a shrill "Big Mac!" which was followed by a muffled "Oomph". I mentally sighed "Cheerilee, I'm going to look into where Big Mac went."
"Mmmhmm." Cheerilee waved a hoof at me in a shooing motion.
I slid through the barn into the ground, then towards where I heard the twins collide with Big Mac. I lifted the smallest tendril i could manage to see and hear what was happening.
"-An' den we hided in da barn until Miss Cheerilee told us ta go an' play!"
Big Mac gently pushed the two foals towards the orchard. "Well, then. Don' let me stop ya from playin'. Ah need ta talk ta Applejack."
"That ya do." Applejack stood on the front porch, glaring at her older sibling. "In the house, now."
I quickly flowed into the farmhouse through the nearest wall as Big Mac followed his younger sister in. I stayed in the floor as i drifted from the living room towards the hallway. I stayed hidden as I watched Applejack and Big Mac walk past, then followed them into the kitchen. Applejack glared at Applebloom and Sweetie Bell before dismissing them from the room with a growled "Get out." Once the two fillies had left, I drifted up into the darkest corner I could find.
Applejack turned to her brother. "Where the buck were you?!"
"Ah jus' went to the old school-"
"An'?"
"Ah got some books-"
"Why?"
"Ah figured Ah'd teach the Twins how ta read." Big Mac Held a hoof up to Applejack's mouth. "An' Ah don' think they would like ta read somethin' like Granny's Book. Ah'm still gonna have 'em read it, mind."
"Good." Applejack snorted. She glared at Big Mac for a moment longer, before dropping her gaze with a sigh. "While ya were out, th' farm was attacked by Ferals. An' it was th' largest group yet."
"Ah'm sorry Ah wasn't there. Ya obviously fought 'em off, seein' as how th' farms still here." Big Mac sat down at the table. "Wha' happened?"
As Applejack began to recount the fight, I phased back through the wall, then down into the ground. I made my way back to the barn, back to my pile of hay.
"Hey, Twilight." Cheerilee cracked an eye open to look at me. "What did'cha find out?"
"Big Mac went to the schoolhouse to get some books for the Twins to learn how to read."
"There aren't any books left for foals like that. I, uh, had to kinda burn them for warmth last winter...."
You WHAT?!? I poked a tendril out to give my best Stare at her. I think I saw Cheerilee shiver. "Wait, if Big Mac didn't go to the schoolhouse...."
"Where did he go?" We chorused.