Chapter 6
The Heart of a Child
Apple Bloom relished every second of being back outside. After the experience in the building she was just in, it was nice to be in a place where she felt safe. Having grown up in an orchard, she always felt more at home in the outdoors. And even in a land as strange as the other side of darkness, fresh air was fresh air.
Everything looked different as she walked back towards town, even though it was all the same. The different perspective allowed her to observe more of the landscape in new way that made her mind wander to whatever else went on in that world.
She asked question after question about the world beyond the darkness, and found the answers quite enlightening. For instance, she learned that normally the dark kin couldn't enter Equestria. But during the change of seasons, the magics of the two worlds would mix, creating doorways that the creatures of the night could freely use to walk between the worlds. Some of these doorways were conjured, like what the Cutie Mark Crusaders saw Courtney do back at her house. But, others simply appeared on their own as a result of the two magic's mingling.
Sometimes, civilians from the dark world would accidentally walk into Equestria, and get lost or trapped there. Or dangerous creatures would wander through the doorways, and encounter the light-dwellers. Courtney explained that it was the job of certain people (particularly those skilled in magic) to retrieve these creatures, in order to keep the worlds separated from one another.
Their topics ranged to other things, such as how in this world, there was no sun, and thus no creature there had ever seen sunlight. Or how there were no ruling princesses.
Apple Bloom was especially surprised to learn that werewolves didn't actually transform, and they stayed werewolves their entire lives. Courtney herself was very surprised to learn that ponies believed that drinking rainwater from a pawprint would do such a thing as turn the drinker into a werewolf.
At some point, the conversation turned to Equestria, and Courtney found herself learning new things as well.
"What exactly is a cutie mark?" the witch asked.
"It's just the most important thing a pony can get. It shows what a pony's special talent is," Apple Bloom explained.
It wasn't often that Apple Bloom got to freely talk about her and her friends' quest to attain their cutie marks, since everypony she knew already had one. Being able to talk to somepony about it was exciting for her.
"See, where I'm from, everypony tries to find what makes 'em special an' unique from everypony else. An' when they find it, they get their cutie marks on their flanks so everypony can see!" the filly explained.
"Interesting," Courtney said, "No one here gets symbols that show our talents. We have to put them on display for others to see. Come to think of it: neither you, nor your friends has one."
Bruce bumped Courtney with his head.
"What is it?" Courtney asked, slightly annoyed.
Bruce glanced over to Apple Bloom, who Courtney saw looked slightly forlorn. It appeared that she had said the wrong thing.
"Are you alright?" The witch asked.
"Yeah. I'm fine," Apple Bloom sighed, "It's just that me an' my friends have been crusadin' fer our cutie marks for months now, an' we aren't any closer to it. Sometimes, I feel like we'll never find our special talents..."
Hearing the filly's words awoke something dormant within Courtney. Something from her childhood, when all of her peers, and even her parents looked down on her for her passions. Growing up, she didn't have many friends to offer her solace, and wanted to spare Apple Bloom such an ordeal.
"You shouldn't give up trying to find your talent so quickly. It was years before I found out what I was meant to do with mine," Courtney consoled the filly.
"Well, it shoulda been easy for you. As soon as ya learn witchcraft, ya become a witch," Apple Bloom said.
"That's not quite how it went," Courtney answered.
What Courtney said next was something that she never divulged to anyone. For her, it was a doorway that led to many dark passages in her life where she felt insignificant and looked down on. But for Apple Bloom, it may offer her the encouragement she needed.
"You see, ever since I was a little girl, I was fascinated by magic. I started learning about it almost as soon as I could read, and I practised from morning to night. Unfortunately, there's not much to do when you practise witchcraft, other than exorcisms, academic pursuits, and keeping our worlds separated. And I had no interest in any of that. Suffice it to say, that didn't make my parents proud of me. They said that I'd be wasting my time if I didn't choose a direction. Especially my mother, who wanted me to take after her, and visit Equestria every year with her. But when I was fifteen, I met Molly, who wanted to be a performer. The only problem was that even though she was very talented, her show was rather bland. So, I decided to spruce up her act with a few special effects."
Courtney illustrated her point by creating a wisp of fog that danced around her, before it took the shape of a ghostly creature that offered a rose to Apple Bloom. Before the filly could accept it, the creature disappeared in a burst of mist.
"As soon as we finished our first act together, I knew it was what I wanted to do with my magical skills: dazzle crowds with a phantasmagoria of illusions, pyrotechnics and light shows. So you see, everyone finds their talent eventually. You just have to find what you like to do," Courtney said.
"But, I don't know what I wanna do. Most foals find their special talent when they're about six or seven, an' I'm turnin' eight in a few months! I don't wanna be fifteen by the time I get my cutie mark!" Apple Bloom said.
"Then I guess you'll just have to keep trying as many things as you can. I'm sure one of them will become your cutie mark," Courtney answered. Next, she muttered to herself, but only just loud enough for Apple Bloom to hear, "If you want, you could take this job from me."
"I don't think I wanna do that. After bein' in that tunnel with that...what'd ya call it? A cavio?" Apple Bloom replied.
"Yes."
"Yeah. After that, I don't think I wanna see anymore dark creatures."
Bruce answered with a disappointed groan.
"Except fer you, Bruce. Yer welcome on Sweet Apple Acres anytime," Apple Bloom assured him.
Bruce groaned again as he affectionately rubbed his head against her, almost knocking the filly down.
"An' you, Courtney. Yer welcome at my place too," Apple Bloom continued.
"That's very nice of you to offer. But I'm not too keen to stay there longer than I need to," Courtney said as she walked ahead.
Courtney's words confused Apple Bloom. Equestria was a nice enough place when you weren't in the Everfree Forest, so what was she talking about? The filly briefly looked at Bruce, about to ask him what Courtney meant, only to decide against it when she realized that he only knew as much as Winona ever did.
"Hey, wait a second. Why don't ya wanna stay in Equestria an' get to know everypony," Apple Bloom said as she and Bruce caught up to Courtney.
"I'm not particularly fond of being murdered," the witch answered.
"But, there's never been a murder in Ponyville. It's full o' really nice ponies who are always glad to see newcomers. Especially Pinkie Pie. She'd throw ya a great big party if she knew y'all were comin'," Apple Bloom reasoned.
"It doesn't matter how friendly the people in your town are. People like me are unwelcome in your world," Courtney said bitterly.
Apple Bloom was stunned by the sudden change in Courtney's tone. Where she was from, ponies were always eager to make new friends. And from what she learned, the dark denizens valued friendship just as much. So, why was Courtney so resistant to going to Equestria.
"How would you know? You ain't been to Equestria before last night," she said, hoping that she would get some more information from the witch.
"I haven't, but others have. For centuries, people from my world have gotten lost in yours, only to be hunted down and killed for the sole reason that we were different from them. So great was their fear of us that ponies started creating devices for torture and execution to find dark kin who were hiding among them. I'm certain that many of them were innocent victims of mass hysteria, and all because of some baseless fear!" Courtney said.
What she heard rang to Apple Bloom. Granny Smith told a story one year about hunts for evil creatures. She always thought the stories about dark creatures were make believe, but now she was seeing how history had affected them.
"But, that was a real long time ago. Things mighta changed by now," Apple Bloom reasoned.
"Things don't change!" Courtney snapped, "I was no older than you when my father was killed by a light-dweller! I remember all too well how I was expecting him home for my seventh birthday, but all I got was the gift he intended for me!"
Apple Bloom stopped walking again when she remembered what Courtney said about her necklace. How it was the only thing she had to remember her father. In the back of her mind, she had thought about what might have happened to Courtney's dad, but never expected that it would be something so terrible like murder.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it. I know how ya feel, 'cause I don't got a dad neither. Or a mom," Apple Bloom apologized.
Hearing the filly's words brought a new light to Courtney. She realized how she had been acting, like she was the only one who had ever lost someone precious to her. Losing her father was the most horrible thing she ever felt, but now she was face to face with an orphan. And such a young one at that.
"Pardon me, but I never did ask your name," the witch said. She saw the filly's puzzled look, and decided she had better explain her reason for asking, "I'd like to know who I'm apologising to."
It then occurred to Apple Bloom that she never formally introduced herself. Normally, it was the first thing she would do when meeting a new friend. But then again, this witch wasn't exactly her friend.
"I'm Apple Bloom," she answered.
"Alright," Courtney began, "Apple Bloom, I'm sorry for what I said. I realise it was very selfish. A sweet child like you shouldn't be without her parents."
"It's okay. I never actually knew 'em," Apple Bloom said, only making herself and Courtney sadder by her own words.
"Did you have any family growing up at all?" Courtney asked.
"Yeah. I grew up with my Granny. An' my brother an' sister too. It was just the four o' us for as long as I remember. But I don't think I'd have it any other way. Granny's real smart, an' she taught me lots o' stuff. My brother, Big Macintosh, is always helpin' me with my homework, an' other stuff. An' my sister, Applejack, she's one o' the best mares I know, an' I wanna be just like her some day," Apple Bloom said.
"You're very lucky to have someone to look up to. I'm an only child, so I wouldn't know about these kinds of things. But your sister sounds like a lovely person," Courtney replied.
"She is. An' maybe, I guess if ya felt like it, ya might wanna meet her?"
"Maybe some day. For now, we should get you home," Courtney said with a hint of a grin.
"Wait! I can't go home without my friends," Apple Bloom exclaimed. She had almost forgotten about them after the ordeals she went through.
"Right," Courtney said before she turned to Bruce, "Bruce, would you sniff you Apple Bloom's friends for her?"
The werewolf got to work right away, and started sniffing them out.
After rounding a corner, Bruce led them to Courtney's house, walked through the door and stopped in the hall in front of the doorway that led to the library. When the witch and the filly went to investigate, they found a rather humorous sight.
"Courtney...We have a situation here," Molly said, under great strain.
Whatever happened while they were gone, Molly was now on the floor, completely tangled in her bandages, and more of her limbs were broken off from her.
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle stood beside her with her bandages in their hooves.
"She just started falling apart all of a sudden," Sweetie Belle said.
"We tried putting her back together, but she just broke even more," Scootaloo added.
"I didn't break! You pulled my leg off!" Molly said.
"I thought we could use some of the bandages from there to fix your hand. Besides, we caught everything before it got away," Scootaloo said as she held up Molly's flailing limbs, which were all tightly bound together by more bandages.
"It would have been easier if we had an extra pair of hooves," Sweetie said to Apple Bloom.
"Sorry, but I got kinda sidetracked." Apple Bloom apologized to her friends. However, she didn't regret it one bit. She had been involved in many disastrous mishaps since she helped form the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and this would just be another page in their book of failures. Seeing the new world, spending time with Courtney and learning new things made it worth abandoning her friends in their time of need.
"So, I'd appreciate it if you could fix my bandages for me," Molly said, as she struggled to loose herself.
Courtney sighed as she looked at the scene before her. She offered her finger to Bruce, who nicked the pad of it with one of his claws, drawing blood from her.
"Molly, you know better than to let it go this far," Courtney gently admonished.
The sight of blood completely caught Molly's attention.
It had been so long since she fed, and she hated to be a bother. But at the moment, she was on the floor in shambles, leaving her no other choice. She pulled one arm free from her bandages and dragged herself across the floor at a surprising speed for having only one leg and one arm with no hand.
Courtney knelt down to the floor where her friend could reach her.
Molly touched her cheek to Courtney's bleeding finger, and breathed heavily as sweet relief washed over her. She couldn't remember the last time she felt so good as she absorbed Courtney's blood through her skin.
With a yelp, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle jumped away when Molly's disembodied limbs started flailing madly and broke free of their restraints.
Apple Bloom hid behind Bruce as Molly's limbs crawled across the floor toward her, and watched from behind him as they all headed for Molly.
The fillies watched as Molly's body parts all reattached to her frame in their proper place, their tissues rejoining, and becoming a part of her once more.
Also, as the seconds passed, their brown withered skin started becoming greener as it replenished itself on Courtney's blood.
Once her hand reattached itself, Molly's arms extended unnaturally, as if made of elastic to ensnare Courtney in a tight hug.
She had already had her fill, but it was such a rush that she couldn't stop herself. After drinking more of Courtney's blood, Molly's entire body became a more vibrant green color, and the flower buds in her fronds started blooming into pink, five petaled flowers.
She sighed contently as she fed, but was snapped out of her pleasure when she heard Courtney's voice.
"Molly...I'm getting dizzy..."
"Oh my!" Molly gasped as she let go of Courtney. "I'm sorry! It's just been so long! I'd forgotten how good it feels."
"It's alright. No problems heeeeeeere......" Courtney said as she stood up, only for her to fall over.
Bruce crouched down behind Courtney and caught her so she draped over his back.
"Oh...I don't remember the carpet being this soft," she said as she ran her fingers through Bruce's fur.
"That was the most disgusting thing I ever saw. Ever," Scootaloo said.
"Oh, sweet Celestia..." Sweetie Belle groaned. She couldn't stand the sight of blood, and the mere idea of drinking it made her turn a sickly shade of green.
Apple Bloom was also disgusted by what she saw, but she also saw it a different way than her friends. From what she saw, she realized that Molly desperately craved blood. Nopony, but somepony who greatly cared for her would consent to have their blood drained by her to keep her healthy. In a terrifying, disgusting way, it was the most beautiful act of friendship she had seen in a long time.
"Now that you're taken care of, could someone get Bruce? I need him to take me to my work room," Courtney said, still in a daze.
Bruce turned his head to face Courtney, and groaned to let her know he was there.
"Oh, there you are...Do you still have those ingredients?" Courtney asked.
Bruce obviously still had the pure white bag still in his mouth, but he rattled it anyway for Courtney to see.
"Lovely. Now I can get to work..."
Without even needing a command, Bruce knew where Courtney wanted to go. He walked out of the room with his mistress draped over his back with Molly in tow in case her friend needed help.
"What kind of work do you think she's doing?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"What else? Witchcraft," Scootaloo answered as she hurried down the hall with Apple Bloom.
That was all Sweetie Belle needed to hear. She ran down the hall after her friends, and followed them after the dark creatures.
Down the hall, their three hosts opened a door that led to a flight of stairs. As eager as they were to find out what was about to happen, they hesitated at the top when they saw where they were about to go.
At the bottom of the stairs, their new friends disappeared into an unfathomable darkness that swallowed them whole. The only thing they could make out down there was the familiar smell of earth, and the only noise was of their friends' steps on the creaking, wooden stairs.
"Gee. It's...really dark down there. Do ya still got those matches, Sweetie Belle?" Apple Bloom said as they all stared into the darkness.
Sweetie produced the match box from her mane, and tried to strike a match a few times. Each attempt was done unsuccessfully.
"Come on...Come on," she grumbled as the match refused to ignite.
"Let me try," Scootaloo said as she took the matchbox from her friend. She too tried to strike a match, but it still remained obstinate. "Darn it, Sweetie Belle! What did you do to these matches!?"
She looked up for an answer, only to see her friends both staring into the darkness.
Somewhere far below, they watched a faint light glow, then dim.
Seeing the light filled the fillies with a strong apprehension. Even though they were so eager to see the witch work a moment ago, not one of them was willing to brave the darkness at the bottom of the stairs. Neither Scootaloo, nor Sweetie Belle understood why they felt so afraid. To Apple Bloom, it was all too familiar.
Apple Bloom recognized the light as the one she saw last night in the Everfree, but much smaller. Whatever it was, it made her feel like she did at the hilltop building she visited with Courtney, but somehow different.
The first time, it was as if she wasn't wanted inside the building, but this time, it felt like she was being welcomed inside. Beckoned by some kind of ethereal, sinister force, like a fly being invited to the spider's parlour.
"Let's wait up here for them," Apple Bloom quickly said, suddenly afraid to find out what was down there.
She got no argument from her friends, who both walked away with her back to the library.
In the dark room below, Molly and Bruce were trying their best to help Courtney.
"Alright, let's get you situated," Molly said as she tried to stand her friend upright.
No good, since Courtney was still dizzy from the loss of blood, and started wobbling again.
Before she fell, Bruce grabbed a nearby chair and placed it behind Courtney so that she fell right into its seat.
All the while behind them the light shined and faded in the darkness.
"How fortunate there was a chair there," Courtney swooned as her head slowly stopped spinning.
To get the work started, Bruce placed the bag he held on the wooden table before them, and opened the bag so that its contents spilled out. Among them, Molly noticed the walnuts Courtney had bought.
She didn't know all that much about witchcraft, but after knowing Courtney for so long, she learned at least a few things. For instance, walnuts were particularly potent ingredients for memory altering spells, earning them the nickname 'the forget-me-nut.'
"Walnuts? But they're only fillies," Molly said.
"Fillies who have seen far more than any light-dweller should have. As innocent as children supposedly are, they could be the ones who commence our downfall," Courtney said as she magically summoned her other ingredient bags from the shadows, and began drawing magical signs on the table.
The light in the room slowly slithered toward the witch.
"How? What are they going to do? Cute us to death?" Molly rebutted.
"Why must I be the adult here?" Courtney sighed. "Once they tell the others about us, they'll tell them how to find us. And as it was so long ago, and even now, it could spell torture and a fiery demise for us."
Molly understood where Courtney was coming from. She never lost anyone to light-dweller's fear, but had lost many siblings who never found a friend who was willing to offer their blood. And those who did never kept those friends for very long. It made her feel like she had to resign to her fate, and whither and die before she ever became a singer. But when she met Courtney, she found someone, who in seven years never once complained about the blood-letting. To her, it was more than a fated meeting. It showed her that nothing was absolute.
"That's not what they're all like, Courtney. As little time as I've spent with those fillies, I can tell you that they only want to do good. Even as I was falling apart in public, they did nothing but try to put me back together. And when that failed, they brought me here so that you could fix me. Thanks, by the way. My point is that even though there may still be rampant fear and hatred of us, there may be others who are willing to learn about us, and become our friends. And maybe one day in the future, we might be expected to come to their world. Welcomed even," Molly said.
Courtney thought over what Molly said to her as the light slithered around the legs of the chair, and between her ankles. She remembered how Apple Bloom invited her to meet her family shortly before, and how she herself almost felt like accepting. Apple Bloom really was a sweet girl, and she could see so much potential in her. She would have liked to help the filly discover it, but it wasn't the way things could be. After tonight, they would never see each other again, and Apple Bloom would forget she ever existed.
The light slithering around her drifted up to the table, and hovered in front of Courtney, where it glowed more brightly, taking on a more defined, more horrifying shape.
Courtney looked back at it, and saw all of her thoughts reflected in the light's form: a strange mix of dilemma with a touch of sadness.
"I need to get some work done. Could you keep our guests occupied?" was all the witch answered.
As her best friend, and her familiar, Molly and Bruce knew when Courtney wanted to be alone. Not finding it necessary to say anything, the two left Courtney in silence with her gloomy little light, and her bags of ingredients to finally get her work done.
When she was finished, Courtney came out of her dark chamber with pouches of her finished concoctions.
The smaller of the two, she put away into her pocket of shadows. The other, she kept in her hand as she looked for her friends.
They weren't difficult to find, since she heard their voices coming from exactly where she left them in the library.
She reached into her bag, and grabbed a pinch of powder for the fillies, but hesitated just before she got to the door.
"Alright, watch me. If you really want to turn heads, you need to act like you want to. Observe," Molly said as she strode across the room and back.
From what Courtney could see from the doorway, Molly was teaching Sweetie Belle her style of showmanship. At the moment, she was teaching the filly how to capture and audience's attention.
To Sweetie Belle, it looked like just a normal kind of walk. Just quicker, with slightly exaggerated movements. Then again, it was similar to how she had seen the models her sister worked with walk, and everypony looked at them.
"Okay. Here it goes," she said as she slowly emulated Molly's walking pattern. It was difficult for her to translate it from a two-legged upright posture to her quadrupedal posture, but after a second or two, she sped up to Molly's pace. Until she tripped over her own hooves.
"Have a nice trip, Sweetie?" Scootaloo giggled, as she rode on Bruce's shoulders.
"Remember what I told you, Sweetie Belle: confidence is key," Molly reminded as she demonstrated once more. "If you feel confident with your stride, you can keep the proper stance and rhythm. And if you display confidence, others will pick up on that, and won't be able to take their eyes off of you."
"That sounds like a lot of work just to walk," Sweetie Belle said.
"It's true, it is a lot of work. But a simpler way is to wear the right clothes," Molly said, as she showed off her revealing ensemble. "Example: I have a shapely figure, and what I wear accentuates it. This in turn catches the eye of swooning gentlemen, jealous ladies, and the irritation of puritans who think they can better society by mandating what they think women should wear."
It was like a revelation to Sweetie Belle, who already had access to all kinds of clothes. Maybe she could be like her sister, and find ways to make things stand out. Only, she would be drawing attention to the ponies, and not to the clothes they were wearing.
Meanwhile, Apple Bloom was busy reading a book she found on one of the shelves. While she was browsing earlier, she found a book titled Wildlife Encyclopaedia, Fourth Edition. In its pages, she found information about all kinds of creatures that would have made Fluttershy either giggle with glee or shudder with terror. One or two of them, she recognized from what she had seen that night, but many others were completely new to her. At the moment, she was reading a page dedicated to werewolves.
Seeing them like this made Courtney hate herself for what she had to do. Why did these fillies have to be so sweet and friendly? Why did her friends have to get along with them so well? Why did Apple Bloom have to remind her so much of herself? Maybe what Molly said was true, and the beings of light and dark could live together.
The witch ran the magical powder through her fingers, and prepared for what was to come.
But not just yet.
She knew that at some point she would have to erase their memories, but this was one that the fillies would cherish as long as they had it. She could allow them that pleasure for just a minute longer. So long as mother didn't find out.
A thread of shadows wrapped around Courtney's bag of powder, and pulled it into the darkness where it was swallowed up. She knew that if she didn't hide it, the fillies would ask about it until she let slip what she was planning to do.
"Alright. I'm finished," Courtney said as she walked into the room.
"So, we're ready to leave?" Molly asked with a hint of excitement in her voice. After talking to the fillies, she simply couldn't pass up the chance to visit a world inhabited by tiny equines.
"That's right. Let's go," Courtney said.
Any other time, Courtney would have declined her friend visiting Equestria with her, but after their conversation a moment ago, she couldn't see the harm. Also, Molly was quite adept when it came to agricultural affairs, and the essen seeds could use her green touch.
"Already? But we want to see more of the city," Scootaloo asked from her perch atop Bruce.
"Yeah. Molly said you work in a cabaret. I want to see the kind of shows you do," Sweetie Belle added.
"No, we should go to the soothsayer's house. He might be able to tell us what to do for our cutie marks," Scootaloo rebutted.
"But, I want to see other performers. We already tried putting on a concert before, but seeing those street performers made me think we should try more things," Sweetie said.
"Maybe another time. But, we need to get you home now," Courtney said.
"Ya mean we can come back?" Apple Bloom asked hopefully.
Hearing the filly's budding glee put a dagger in Courtney's heart. Without another word, she used her magic to summon two masses of shadows. One that swallowed the book that Apple Bloom was reading; reference material, in case the witch needed it.
The other quickly took the shape of a bat-like creature that startled the foals. The creature spread its wings, and became the column of shadows that linked their worlds together. Whether it was a real creature, or just a product of Courtney's theatrical skills, they had no way of knowing. And before they could ask, Courtney started herding them through.
The fillies went first, followed by Bruce, who dropped to all fours to accommodate the smaller space he was about to enter.
Molly giggled quietly before she stepped through the shadows.
Courtney exhaled deeply to psyche herself up for the work she had ahead of her and followed after, while the portal closed behind them.
Back in her hut, Zecora was pacing frantically, wondering what she was to tell her friends in case the fillies didn't come back. She knew she should have kept a closer eye on them! She knew how inquisitive they all were! What would she say? How could she tell them? How could she console them when--
"OH MY GOODNESS!!! LOOK AT US!!!"
Zecora nearly jumped through her ceiling when she heard the sudden shout from an unfamiliar voice. She ran to her back room to investigate, only to bump into a wall made of fur, which started licking the side of her head.
"Bruce please, step aside! Let our other friends inside!" Zecora asked as she pushed Bruce's head back.
She backpedaled to the main room of her hut, followed by Bruce, who just barely fit through the larger door. When nopony else came, Zecora looked into her back room, and saw the Cutie Mark Crusaders in the clutches of an unfamiliar green mare with a leafy mane. Next to her though, was her pitch black friend.
"Courtney! Help!" Scootaloo strained under the pressure of Molly's hug.
"Molly. That's enough," was all Courtney said to make her friend's arms unravel.
"I'm sorry! I just couldn't resist! They're so adorable!" Molly squealed as she shuddered giddily.
"That lady's got some serious problems," Apple Bloom said as she and her friends crawled away from Molly, and hopefully out of reach of her bizarrely elastic arms. They were stopped short, however, by bumping into Zecora's knees.
"Apple Bloom! Sweetie Belle! Scootaloo! What were you thinking when you went through?" Zecora scolded the foals, who all retreated back to the safety of the dark creatures.
"You've nothing to worry about, Zecora. They never left my sight when they intruded into my home," Courtney assured her striped friend.
"That's a lie. You left town to go to that scary buildin' on the hill," Apple Bloom said.
"Are you so unwise to leave three foals unsupervised?" Zecora said to Courtney.
"Actually, I was looking after them while nature girl here was wandering off. I'm Molly, by the way," Molly answered for her friend.
"Zecora is my name. Brewing potions is my game," the zebra answered.
"What were you doing while you were gone anyway," Scootaloo asked.
Before Courtney could answer, Apple Bloom did for her.
"She was lookin' fer ingredients fer a spell in some kind o' loony bin."
"A spell? What spell was it?" Sweetie Belle said excitedly.
Courtney didn't like the way she sounded, for she knew that the next question was going to be.
"She said it was gonna protect our orchard," Apple Bloom answered.
Relief washed over the witch, now that she didn't have to answer any questions. But they were starting to make her anxious. They held onto their memory of the dark world for long enough, and it was time she ensured she was not found out.
Courtney summoned her bag of memory powder from her pocket of shadows, and readied a hoofful of the stuff. She was just about to sprinkle it over them, until she felt Molly's hoof stay her's.
The leafy creature then motioned for Courtney to listen to what the fillies were saying.
"She can do that? Wow! You never hear about that in your Granny's stories," Sweetie Belle said.
"Yeah. How come there are never stories about how nice the dark creatures are?" Scootaloo added.
"I don't know, but I can't wait to make more friends with them," Apple Bloom said.
Both Molly and Zecora grinned when they saw how Courtney's face changed.
Slowly, the witch lowered the bag she was holding, as the fillies' earnest words sank into her once more. She just couldn't do it.
Her friends smiled at her, knowing what she was thinking, while Bruce stuck his snout in the bag, and began eating the contents within.
Courtney whipped the bag from Bruce's muzzle, and quickly placed it in her pocket of shadows. Having been snapped out of her thoughts, she was now able to hear what was going on around her.
"Courtney. Do not fret for what you will hear, but I've found something something terrible, I fear," Zecora said.
Earlier that night, Zecora found something in the woods that she meant to tell Courtney about, but with the arrival and disappearance of the foals, she had to put it on hold. Now, she could show Courtney what she had.
"What's this?" Courtney asked as Zecora gave her three twigs that were slightly singed.
No sooner did she finish speaking, did she and Molly realize what they meant.
"Where did you find these?" Courtney said.
"Three of four miles from my home. That it was so close chills me to my bone."
"That doesn't quite rhyme," Molly almost stammered, trying to alleviate the air of fear.
Unknown to the ponies of Equestria, something horrible walked among them. An unstoppable force from the centuries before that killed many dark kin.
"Hey. Is everything okay over there?" Scootaloo asked.
Everything was not okay, but the adults couldn't let the foals know that.
"Let's just get you all home," Courtney answered.
It was all too obvious that she was avoiding the question. Before they could press the witch further about the issue, they all heard hooves rapidly approaching the front door.
"Apple Bloom!" A familiar voice called.
"Applejack!" Apple Bloom gasped.
That was all the approaching mare needed to hear.
The very second she heard her sister's voice, Applejack threw the door open with all her force. The very second she did, a chill wind blew through the hut from the outside, extinguishing all of the lights and enveloping the room in a terrible darkness that swallowed each of the dark creatures. Not even Courtney's glowing eyes appeared through the thick shadows.
In the doorway stood seven ponies and a dog. With only a sliver of moonlight, they appeared as black silhouettes. Though the harsh glares of the three in front were all too plain to see in the light of Applejack's lantern.
"Scootaloo! What the buck are you doing out here!?" Dash yelled as she darted in front of her foal.
Scootaloo had never seen Rainbow Dash this mad before. And the way she scolded her was something she never experienced before either.
"And you, Sweetie Belle! Have you any idea what could have happened to you," Rarity added. After what she and her friends discussed that night, she wasn't about to let her sister go out at night ever again.
Calmly and steadily as anything, Applejack and Big Macintosh walked between the two mares.
Applejack cast her stern gaze to the fillies, but Big Macintosh's face was as unchanged as ever. Dash and Rarity scared them enough, but seeing Apple siblings was something else. While the other two mares outright exploded with rage, these two maintained their composure, which seemed somehow more threatening. But it was Applejack's harsh glare that made all three of them cringe.
"Start talkin' Apple Bloom. I know yer the ringleader here, so ya better have a dang good explanation fer this," the farm pony demanded.
Apple Bloom tried to think of a way to answer, but she didn't think that even her sister could believe what happened.
"Uh...We..."
"Do you remember what me an' Granny have been tellin' ya all these years? Did ya forget how dangerous the Everfree is at night?" Applejack said.
"I..." No other words came to Apple Bloom.
"Ya done a lot o' really dumb stuff, but this is worst! Ya put yerself, an' yer friends in danger! One foal already died here today, an' that's one too many in the first place!"
Applejack paused, to allow the seriousness of her words to sink in. Before she could speak again, Zecora stepped in.
"Please, Applejack, there is no reason to fret. It was only a short time before the fillies and I met," the zebra explained.
"That ain't the point, Zecora. My sister was out at night, an' I'm gonna find out why," Applejack answered.
"I understand this is so, but the hour is very late, and home you must all go," Zecora said.
Apple Bloom dared to be relieved. If her sister listened to Zecora, which was as unlikely as anything, she could temporarily avoid any punishment. And it seemed like she was in luck.
"Fine. But we're gonna have a very long talk about this first thing tomorrow," Applejack said as she turned to leave. She agreed with Zecora, but there was no way she would let her sister off the hook.
Apple Bloom looked up at her brother, hoping he'd offer some kind of comforting advice like he usually did, but he remained completely silent. It was his way of telling her that she would get no help from him.
He guided the fillies out the door while Twilight stayed to apologize to Zecora.
"I'm sorry for barging in like this, but we were looking for them. And when Applejack realized where her dog was leading us...Well, you know how she is," the librarian said.
"Perfectly understandable are her feelings of protection. I myself have a brother for whom I have great affection," Zecora answered.
That was an interesting piece of information. As long as she knew Zecora, Twilight never knew she had a brother. Then again, Zecora didn't talk about her family all that much in the first place.
Twilight would have loved to stay and pursue the subject, but the zebra was right about the late hour, and everypony would be better off home in bed.
"Okay. Thank you for understanding. Come on everypony. Let's go home," Twilight said.
"Winona. Come," Applejack commanded her pet.
The dog, however, did not budge. She was busy staring deep into the shadows of the hut.
Through the veil of darkness, she knew something was there, though she couldn't be certain. Something there was speaking to her, telling her not to make any noise, or come any closer. Something that made her feel afraid.
A glint of yellow in the darkness sent her running after her pony, too glad to be going home.
"Good night. Sleep tight. And don't let the parasprites bite," Zecora bade her friends as the left. Once they were gone, and Zecora shut her front door, the lights in the hut flickered back to life, and the shadows slipped away.
When the dark creatures stepped forth, Courtney was now sporting a pair of tea specs, which covered her glowing eyes.
"Did you see that? They would have been so cute if they weren't so stern," Molly said to Courtney.
"I'm sure. But I've always been more of a werewolf person," Courtney said. When she wasn't keeping a wary eye on the ponies, she was looking at Winona, and wondered exactly what kind of werewolf she was, if at all. "Sorry for all the trouble we've caused you tonight, Zecora," Courtney said to her friend.
"I must say, it has been no fun. But, everything is right, and you, my friend, have work to get done."
"Are we going to see more night mares?" Molly asked.
"They call them 'ponies' here. And we can't stay to gawk at them. Remember, we have work to do," Courtney said.
"Yeah, alright," Molly conceded.
"Then let's go."
Molly would have giggled again, if not for the sake of seeming professional. She and Bruce joined Courtney at the door, until Zecora had one last question.
"You visited the asylum on the hill. Is my brother there still?" the zebra asked.
Courtney had no plans to tell Zecora about her brother. The answer would only worry her. But since she asked, she was forced to tell.
"I'm afraid not. A portal opened in his cell, and he's somewhere in Equestria now," Courtney said.
She paused for a moment when she saw Zecora place a worried hoof over her mouth.
"But, don't worry. I think I've found him," the witch assured her friend.
Bruce groaned quietly.
"Sorry. Bruce tracked him, and I know where to find him," Courtney corrected herself.
"I've not seen him in so long. He must feel so bitter and grim. When you find him, tell him I meant no wrong. And say his sister loves him," Zecora said.
"Said and done," Courtney assured before she left for the night with her friends in tow.
Evil lurked in the woods outside, and the ponies had to be protected from harm. The three of them would watch over the night travelers, and then their work would begin.