Chapter 9
The Cat's Out of the Bag
The morning seemed grayer than normal in Ponyville as Applejack walked her sister to school. After last night, she needed to make extra sure that Apple Bloom did not get into any further trouble.
For Apple Bloom, it was degrading to have to be escorted when she was trusted to get there on her own any other day. The filly sighed as they walked down the road, normally enthralled by simply seeing the townsponies prepare for the annual Nightmare Night festival. She loved watching how slowly, over the course of days, the town would transform from its colorful, cheery look to something spooky and scary. It was almost like stepping into another town for her. Only this time, the town looked the same as ever in her eyes.
Two pegusi were hanging cobwebs on a building, throwing a few stuffed spiders here and there to add to its appearance.
Below that, a unicorn was decorating the front of his shop by setting up a bubbling cauldron. Next to it, a ponnequin of an ugly witch, complete with a broom, pointed hat, and a wart on her chin was set.
To Apple Bloom, not one decoration captured a single aspect of the dark world that inspired Nightmare Night in the days of old. After what she saw, everything around her looked like a twisted, bastardized version of what she had come to know. It was like looking at a reflection of what they thought of what happened during that time of the year, when spirits and monsters would roam in their midst. She thought it was maybe some trace of a memory stored at the back of everypony's consciousness of the time Courtney said the dark kin were hunted.
Even though the dark world was plenty scary, it was also beautiful, mysterious and awe-inspiring. Not so much was the next decoration Apple Bloom saw of a mural depicting a vicious wolf creature under a full moon being painted on a wall.
"Why do they have to make 'em look so mean?" Apple Bloom wondered aloud.
"Make what look so mean?" Applejack asked.
"Werewolves. Yesterday, I saw a picture o' one in a book, an' now, somepony's paintin' that up fer Nightmare Night. Why do they think werewolves are so scary?" the filly said.
"Think about it like this, Apple Bloom: It's late at night, an' yer finishin' up work in the apple orchard. Ya hear a sound behind ya, an' when ya turn to look, there's a hairy, six hoof, two-legged, red-eyed monster lookin' at ya. It snarls like a timber wolf, lunges at ya, then takes a bite outta yer leg. Ya try to crawl away, but then it jumps on ya, and eats ya alive! That sound like it ain't scary?" Applejack replied.
"It sounds like you ain't met a werewolf. An' they got yellow eyes," Apple Bloom said, the last part too quietly for her sister to hear.
"You ain't never met a werewolf either. An' if I have anything to do with it, you ain't gonna," Applejack said.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Apple Bloom asked. "Why would ya need to make sure I never met a werewolf, if they don't exist?"
A nerve snapped in Applejack's brain. If there was anything she did not want to talk about, it was the monsters of Nightmare Night. If she had, she would only begin to worry her sister. Or worse, make her curious about it. As it always was when she forced to choose between telling the truth, or hiding behind a lie, she remained silent.
Apple Bloom noticed that. She knew her sister better than anypony else, and knew every technique she used to avoid lying. Silence was the one she used the most often. And despite what Applejack thought, it often made an open book out of her.
"Who's to say a werewolf's any different from Winona?" Apple Bloom began. "How do ya know it won't take a bite outta yer leg, an' just wants a belly rub? Or maybe there're other creatures like it who just wanna make friends with us, but they're scared o' how we'll treat 'em?"
The way Applejack stopped walking and looked at her made Apple Bloom feel like she might have said too much. She knew that ponies would be slow to accept the dark creatures, and wanted to introduce her family to them gently. Especially her stubborn, headstrong sister.
"What're you gettin' at?" Applejack said suspiciously.
Apple Bloom didn't know how to answer. Even though it was always very quiet and controlled, she knew that Applejack was very volatile, and saying the wrong thing would ingrain her with an undesirable mindset that would never change. She would have to pick her answer carefully.
"I'm just sayin' that dark kin might not be so different from us," the filly finally said.
That was not a term one normally heard, 'dark kin.' It made Applejack wonder where her sister picked it up.
"What did ya see last night?" she said after a long pause.
"More than you did. That's fer darn sure," Apple Bloom replied.
Neither sister said anything more. They only locked eyes.
For the first time in her life, Apple Bloom felt at odds with her sister. The creatures she came to appreciate and admire wouldn't be accepted by the one pony she held dearest to her heart, and it didn't sit well with her one bit. It meant there was only one thing for her to do. She would have to confront Applejack about it.
"They ain't as bad as ya think, Applejack. A lot of 'em are just like us," Apple Bloom finally said.
Applejack could not believe what she heard. When did Apple Bloom find those creatures? How many did she meet? And what the hay was she doing with them in the first place?
"Apple Bloom. I'm gonna make this real clear: I don't want ya anywhere near those things. I want ya indoors soon as the sun goes down. An' I don't want ya gettin' any ideas about makin' friends with 'em!" the farmpony scolded her sister.
"Why? What'd the ones you saw do that was so bad?" the filly asked.
Apple Bloom knew she had her sister pegged. She knew Applejack had seen them too, so maybe she would be slightly more open to accepting them if she coaxed her in that direction.
"I met some that were 'bout the same age as you. If ya got to know 'em, ya'd see they ain't so bad," she said.
"Listen to me right now," Applejack demanded as she clasped her hoof on her sister's shoulder, "There's a reason ponies are afraid of 'em. They ain't natural. They hide in the shadows to steal away ponies to their world. Or worse, eat 'em on the spot. Ya know all those stories Granny tells ya? They ain't just fer fun. They're warnin's fer foals like you who don't know any better, an' make an easy target fer some shadow monster."
"They ain't monsters!" Apple Bloom began, before she was stopped by her sister.
"I don't wanna hear about it. Now, start walkin'. Ya gotta get to school," Applejack said.
Changing Applejack's mind was never easy, but Apple Bloom wouldn't admit defeat. She just needed to wait for another opportunity to bring it up. And that was going to come sooner than she thought.
"Applejack!" Pinkie Pie said as she spontaneously appeared in front of the Apple sisters, "Something big's happened! Something huge! Something enormous! Magnanimous! Gargantuan!"
All Pinkie got was an orange hoof in her mouth.
"Forget it, Pinkie. I ain't in the mood," Applejack said as she and her sister walked past her.
"Do you not know what 'magnanimous' means? Somepony's been attacked by something!" Pinkie asked as she trailed after Applejack.
"Yer bein' to vague to make me care," Applejack said.
"You don't understand. Somepony's been attacked by some-thing!" Pinkie emphasized her point by curling her ears into horns and using her hooves to mimic fangs.
That was all Applejack needed to hear. She and Apple Bloom followed Pinkie around a corner to where a crowd had gathered around a stranger in town.
The stranger was a unicorn stallion. A newcomer who was covered in mud, and had twigs and leaves stuck in his mane, as if he had came by way of crawling on his stomach through every bush on his journey.
"Shoot! What happened to this guy?" Applejack wondered.
"Sh! He just got to that part before I got you," Pinkie hushed her friend before she turned her undivided attention to the stranger.
"I just barely got away with my life. I...I got to now," the stranger said before he started to leave.
"WAIT!!" Pinkie yelled as she grabbed the stranger's tail. "Start over from the beginning!"
"But, I need to see my parents. My mom's sick. And dad's--" the stranger said.
"Just start from the beginning! Lives are at stake here, mister!" Pinkie demanded.
There would be no reasoning with the pink mare, so the stranger conceded to her will.
"Okay," the unicorn began, "Last night, I was in the Everfree Forest. There were monsters all around me, hiding in the shadows, waiting for a chance to attack. But, I had them all at bay with nothing more than a song that I know. Then, something howled and stepped onto the path in front of me. It was too dark to see, but I knew it was staring right at me. And I knew it wanted me. Even if I tried to run, it was going to follow me to Tartarus and back. But, there was no way I wasn't at least going to try. My parents needed me at their home and-- Why am I still here? My parents are waiting!"
Pinkie was all ready to press a great, red stop sign in the stranger’s face, but it was Applejack who took the initiative to stop him.
"Ya ain't leavin' 'til ya finish that story!" she said as she grabbed his tail and plopped him back onto the ground.
Now there were two ponies detaining him. If he was going to get anywhere, the stranger was going to have to do as they said.
"Fine. Just don't hurt me, please," the unicorn begged, before continuing, "I ran at the monster without a second thought. I got closer and closer, and suddenly the thing lit up like a lantern! That's when I saw it reaching for me with its evil, clawed hand!"
Applejack's eyes lit up when she heard that. An evil, clawed thing that lit up with a mysterious light in the Everfree? She could not be sure if it was the same thing, but the description given was exactly what she saw, and it was seen in the direction she saw it fly. And now, she was learning how lucky she was not to get attacked by it.
"How'd ya get away?" Applejack demanded to know.
"With this," the stranger said as he magically retrieved a small object from his mane. "As soon as it reached for me, I held this up and it started thrashing around. It ripped up my jacket pretty good, and tried to get me again. But when it reached for me again, I held up my lucky coin right in front of it and it backed away, so I ran the buck out of there. I ran all night through the woods, never knowing if it was still chasing me until I got here just now. So, if you don't mind, I have to go take care of my parents!"
And the stranger left without another word.
Applejack did not know what was so special about that coin. The only thing of note about it was that it was how antiquated it was. It was something that came from centuries ago, probably from Granny Smith's day. Whatever it was about that coin, she thought she and her friends could have used something like it to protect the town from other monsters. But more importantly, she hoped this story drove home a point to her sister.
"Still think yer new friends ain't so bad?" Applejack asked Apple Bloom.
The filly did not answer.
Applejack knew she had not gotten through to her sister. She took after herself, after all. The issue would have to be taken care of. Otherwise, she knew Apple Bloom would keep exploring this dark new territory until the worst happened. But that would have to wait, or else Apple Bloom would be late to school.
"I'll catch ya later, Pinkie. I gotta get this troublemaker to school. Then I gotta be in the orchard. If ya need anything, bring anypony who can make it there," Applejack said.
Pinkie said something, but neither sister was listening. They both sulked to the school in silence, mulling over their respective problems.
Apple Bloom had to rush into the school as the bell began ringing. She sped away from her sister's side, and burst through the doors to the classroom.
"I ain't late! I ain't late! The bell ain't done ringin' yet!" she shouted as she quickly took her seat next to Scootaloo. She huffed and puffed as she unpacked her school supplies, and finally turned her attention to the front of the class.
"Alright. Since we're all here--" Miss Cheerilee began, but stopped herself when she saw the empty desk in the front row. It was going to take some getting used to, having one student lost in a tragic accident. But, she carried on with the introduction to the day's lesson as it was.
Apple Bloom had seen the way she looked, at the empty desk, and knew what her teacher was feeling. Even though Red Sky hadn't been particularly close to either of them, the mere fact that he was gone was like a hole in their lives
Even though she found him irritating, Apple Bloom had seen how nice he was when they actually spoke for the first, and last time. Thinking about him made her wonder what could have happened if she had known him longer. Maybe, if she was with him, she could have done something to save him and become his friend. He found his cutie mark before her, so maybe he could have helped her and her friends with theirs.
Her eyes drifted to his desk, the same way that he always did with her. It made her think that he might have felt something similar about her. What other reason was there that he was always staring? But, there was no way she would ever know now.
"Guess what's different about me," Sweetie Belle said as she flaunted her mane.
Apple Bloom turned her attention to Sweetie, and looked her over, but saw nothing of note.
"She said the same thing to me earlier, but I don't get what she means," Scootaloo said.
"You guys! Look," Sweetie Belle said as she emphasized the flower in her mane.
Apple Bloom saw it, and wondered how easy it was for somepony to miss something like that. The same thing happened when she found Courtney's necklace, and that was such a beautiful accessory. This flower was just as breathtaking as the necklace, with its gradient shades of pink with dots of black and yellow on its five petals. Now that she thought about it, it looked just like--
Apple Bloom gasped when she realized where that flower must have come from.
"Apple Bloom. Pay attention to the front of the class, please," Miss Cheerilee implored before she went on with her lesson.
The filly grumbled, not understanding why she was being singled out when her friends were distracted as well. But, there were more important things to ask about.
"Did they go to yer place too, Scootaloo?" Apple Bloom asked her friend next to her.
"No. I thought they did, but...I don't think I should talk about it here," Scootaloo answered.
"Okay. But, I got something to show y'all at recess."
"What?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Just wait 'til then," Apple Bloom said as she returned her focus to the lesson.
Though the red moon shone brightly, there was one street in Macabria that always was darker than the rest. A place that Courtney did not visit if she could help it. Not that it was a terrible neighborhood. Quite the contrary. But, she always dreaded a visit to her mother's home.
The witch walked past many posh homes, wondering what kind of snob would need such a large house. Until her question was answered when she reached her mother's front gate.
Past the pointed, metal gate, her mother's house was a perfect reflection of everything Courtney couldn't stand about her. The other homes were so grand, but mother's was far more ostentatious and gaudy. While others lived in homes of gray or brown brick, mother's was polished black or white marble stone at the end of a flower-bordered path with a three-tiered fountain on either side that oozed black mist.
Eyes glowing in the shadow of the grand abode, Courtney opened the creaking gate and walked forward to the front door. After a moment of hesitation, she knocked on the door.
"Mother?" the witch called out.
There was no answer, and she knocked again.
"Mother!"
Still no answer.
After several seconds, the door creaked open, revealing the dark inside of the house. The only light within came from the candles that cast their glow on the walls around them.
"Depart the premises. The mistress is not in," a low voice croaked from inside.
Barely visible in the darkness, Courtney could see the outline of her mother's manservant. He stood in the doorway, seeming to change his size, shape and even shift further and closer to Courtney in the dim, flickering light of the candles.
He was always a mystery to Courtney, who had never learned his name, or even clearly seen his face. Who, or whatever he was, it was no mystery why mother kept him around. He was every bit as reliable as any familiar. And since mother hated animals, it suited her perfectly.
"I'm here to see my mother," Courtney said, knowing full well how he answered any visitor.
"And you shall not. Her work has called her to the neighboring province. She will return on the eve after The Hallow," the servant informed her.
Of all the rotten luck, that was the worst of it. Courtney had no desire to face the evil that threatened Equestria, and now she left without a choice.
"Couldn't she come back? She's the only one who can help the light-dwellers! Without her, they're going to die!" Courtney pleaded.
"She knows full well of the demon that walks among them. The harvester of their essence, and what robs them of their souls. But, she has placed her trust in you to make right the troubles of the other world. It would do you good to not disappoint her. Now, depart the premises. The mistress is not in," the shadowy servant said.
And with no discernible movements, the door was shut, leaving Courtney alone in the dark yard.
Anger flooded the witch's mind as she walked. Why did mother have to do this to her? If she knew what was loose in the world, why did she leave it up to her daughter!? Of course, that was what Courtney was going to do to her mother, but she was a much more powerful witch than herself. It was just a part of her spiteful nature, she guessed as she dug her nails into her palms.
At the end of the street, where the moon shone brighter, Courtney could see Bruce and Molly waiting for her arrival.
"Did she say anything?" Molly inquired as soon as her friend arrived.
"She's not there," was all the witch answered.
"That's not a problem, is it?" Molly hopefully asked, despite the obvious answer.
"It's a very big problem. It means I have to handle this myself," Courtney sighed.
Bruce reared up to his full height and grunted.
"I'm sorry, Bruce. But, I can't ask either of you to come with me. It's going to be very dangerous, and I don’t want this burden of you," the witch said to her pet.
It was the worst thing she felt since she was faced with making the fillies she had come to adore forget about her and the dark world. What she was charged with next was even worse than that.
Molly hesitated to speak her next words. If anything, she wanted to stay there, safe in her home. But she knew if Courtney went alone, she was at even greater risk of not coming home at all.
"It doesn't matter, Courtney. We're both going with you," she said, trying to sound brave.
"Molly, you understand that--" Courtney began, before Molly interrupted her.
"I don't understand any of it. I don't understand how this...demon found its way to us. And I don't understand why the burden has to fall to you. But as your friend, I can't allow you to go alone. And, going anywhere without your familiar is just irresponsible," Molly said. It was one thing to follow Courtney to her mother's house, but another altogether to let her do something so dangerous alone.
Bruce grunted in agreement. Though he was only a werewolf, he understood the importance of staying together when things were bleak.
There was no way that Courtney to say 'no' to them. Having known them both for so long, she knew they would not relent until she allowed them to come, especially Bruce.
"Alright," Courtney agreed. "First thing's first, we're going to have to prepare."
Recess was always a time when the colts and fillies of Ponyville could stretch their legs, and work off their pent up energy so they could feel more refreshed and eager to learn than ever when they returned to the classroom. Not so for three particular fillies, who congregated underneath the big tree at the edge of campus, far from any other foals.
"So, what did you want to show us, Apple Bloom?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"These," Apple Bloom said as she produced the books she was given from her bag.
"This is it? But, you get books all the time from Twilight," Scootaloo said as she examined one of them.
"Ya gotta open first," Apple Bloom said.
That in mind, Scootaloo opened the book she was given, and scanned its pages. Gradually, her eyes grew wider when she started to realize what she was reading.
"What is it? Is it something funny?" Sweetie Belle asked as she looked over Scootaloo's shoulder, only for her jaw to drop when she saw what was on the pages.
"Where the hay did you get these?" Scootaloo asked.
"I think Courtney left 'em when she was at Sweet Apple Acres last night. Look at these," Apple Bloom said.
Apple Bloom hoofed them the other books, and they all opened one of their liking, eagerly anticipating the secrets of the dark world that were awaiting them.
Barely any time passed when they all finished the first page they were on. After that, they all started flipping through their respective pages, engorging themselves on what revelations were to come through the pages. Each one of them found every tiny shred of information to be more enlightening than anything they learned in school.
Their study time was interrupted by a ball suddenly flying in and hitting the trunk of the tree they were under, knocking a few acorns down from its branches.
"Hey! Watch where you're kicking that thing, butterhooves!" Scootaloo said as her heart raced furiously.
"Sorry," the colt said as he came to retrieve his ball, "We were just...uh..."
He trailed off as his eyes were drawn to the thick foliage of branches above the fillies. After what he had seen last night, he swore the thing outside his window was following him. Even now, he thought he could see it's face hidden among the leaves. With a shudder, he quickly ran back to his friends in the open field.
"Weirdo," Scootaloo said before she and her friends returned to reading their books.
The fallen acorns were a fortuitous happenstance for Apple Bloom, whose concentration was barely shaken even after the ball impacted the tree.
"Hey, you guys! Look at this. It says here that hundreds o' years ago, witches communicated far away by burnin' acorns and flowers," she said as she displayed the pages she was scanning.
"Why didn't they just write a letter like everypony else?" Sweetie Belle asked, not understanding the significance of the discovery.
"That's not the point, Sweetie Belle. It means we can still talk to each other, even though we're all grounded," Scootaloo said.
"That ain't it at all. It means we can talk to Courtney if we need any help," Apple Bloom said.
How did they possibly miss that!? Scootaloo was especially excited to learn that she could talk to her new friend, who was sure to know how to handle her ghost problem.
"What does it say to do?" Sweetie Belle asked as she and Scootaloo crowded around Apple Bloom.
"Um...Let me see," Apple Bloom said as she reread the page.
There were no instructions, but the picture on the page showed a creature burning the ingredients on a piece of white paper in a dark room.
"It doesn't say. But I think we can just do what he's doin' in the picture," Apple Bloom said.
"But how? What do we know about witchcraft? I can barely use any magic, and I'm a unicorn," Sweetie Belle said.
"It wouldn't hurt to at least try, would it," Scootaloo rebutted.
"Using fire to cast magic wouldn't hurt?" Sweetie questioned, completely deadpan skeptical.
"It doesn't matter if we do. This book says that some spells only need the will to use them," Scootaloo said, pointing to the passage that instructed so.
In only the few seconds that her friends spoke, Apple Bloom had gathered a few acorns, and tore a piece of paper from a book in her bag. Of course, she had no idea if it was the kind of spell that only required the will to do it, but there was always the chance.
"There. We just need flowers now," she said. Luckily, there was one ready at hoof. "Sweetie?"
"Oh, no you don't. This was a gift, and I'm going to keep it! We can just use those flowers growing by the tree," Sweetie said as she protectively covered the flower in her mane.
"But, what if a flower from the dark world works better?" Apple Bloom reasoned.
"Forget it. I've got the matches. And if we don't use those flowers, I'm not using them," Sweetie Belle said.
Sweetie Belle had a point. She had all the leverage in this case, so they did as she wished and plucked the red and purple flowers from under the tree.
All the ingredients were placed on the piece of paper, and Sweetie Belle struck a match. It flared to life, and she applied the flame to the middle of the paper, while her friends kept a lookout for anypony who might see them with the matches.
Nothing happened. The ingredients only snuffed out after a second of smoldering, and the fillies all frantically fanned the air to clear it of any smoke that would attract unwanted attention.
"I told you it wouldn't work," Sweetie said as she stopped fanning.
"We gotta try again," Scootaloo said.
"Are you crazy? We're lucky nopony saw us with all that smoke," Sweetie rebutted.
"Come on, Sweetie Belle! I know we can get this. Even if it takes us a hundred tries, we can do this. I know that Courtney thinks we can. Why else would she have given us these books?" Apple Bloom said.
There was reason in Apple Bloom's words, though her friends weren't quite sure what she was getting at. Despite that, they agreed with her to try again.
They gathered more ingredients, and this time Apple Bloom focused all of her attention on the process. She pictured in her mind the image of the pitch black mare with ghostly blue eyes, as well as the strange, two-legged creature she became in her home in the red of the flame. Both images stuck clearly before her, and she called out the witch's name in her mind, hoping that it would somehow boost the power of the spell.
The match touched the ingredients, and Apple Bloom kept up her focus on smoldering flame and smoke, still with the image and name in her mind.
It looked as if nothing was going to happen again. They all raised their hooves to fan the smoke away, only to see it stop rising when it reached their eye level. In a sudden poof, the smoke stopped amorphously billowing, and took the shape of a two-legged creature in an old-fashioned dress.
The image of the creature was busy doing something, though it was hard to see what. It looked like it was packing something, if they had to guess.
They were all excited that the spell had worked. Apple Bloom guessed that maybe her friends had contributed to the power of the spell as well to make it so. She took the initiative to address the witch, clearing her throat first.
"Hello?" the yellow filly said.
"Bloody hell!" the image of Courtney shouted as it quickly turned around. She was shocked by what she saw before her. "Apple Bloom!? How did you learn smoke channeling?"
"We all did it," Sweetie Belle proudly proclaimed.
"All of you!? But--Can anyone see you!?" the witch said.
"Maybe, if they got really close," Scootaloo said.
The smokey image of Courtney would have shouted, if it were not bumped out of the way by a much larger image that barked excitedly when it saw the fillies.
"Hi, Bruce," Apple Bloom greeted him.
“Urf! Urf!” Bruce answered.
"Is that the fillies?" another familiar voice said before the smokey image of its owner appeared in front of Bruce. "It is! Sweetie, did you get my blossom?"
"I got it right here," Sweetie said as she once again flaunted the flower in her mane.
"And you look adorable," Molly giggled at the sight of the tiny unicorn wearing one of her flowers. "Do you remember what I taught you about drawing attention?"
"I sure do. But, I still don't have the walking right."
"Hey, can I talk to Courtney?" Scootaloo interjected.
As soon as she finished speaking, the image of Courtney shoved her way in next to the images of her friends.
"Can we make this quick? We don't know who might be watching," the witch said.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders all scoped the area, seeing nopony who would see them from where they were, though they huddled more closely around the smoking image when they were done.
"Okay. Courtney, I have a ghost problem at my house," Scootaloo said.
"Ghosts," Sweetie Belle gasped. "Like in the stories, with rotting skin and bloodshot eyes?"
"Not at first. They started out looking normal. But, when they tried to attack me, they started turning into monsters," Scootaloo said to Courtney.
"Dear me! You were almost attacked by a ghost!? What could you have done to provoke it?" Molly gasped when she reappeared in the image.
"I don't know. But--But I think they know me," Scootaloo said.
"What do you mean, 'they know you?'" Courtney asked as her image drifted in front of Molly's, while the top of Bruce's head peeked in from below.
"Last night, I heard them calling my name before I saw them," the orange filly explained.
"Alright. All of you, listen to me," Courtney said before anyone else could start talking, "What I'm about to tell you is very important. Stay indoors tonight. Under no circumstances are you to leave your homes."
"But, what if the ghosts come back?" Scootaloo said, on the verge of trembling with fear.
"You can keep them at bay with salt. Sprinkle it around your entire house, and in front of every doorway. Do this, and you can keep out nearly any spirit. But, no matter how safe you feel, do not feel like you can mock them. Speaking ill of the dead is the surest way to make them come after you with double the effort. I'll be at your house tonight to take care of it," Courtney said.
Scootaloo shuddered to think that she would have to stay holed up in her house, protected by nothing but a ring of salt, while the ghosts tried to find a way in. But the promise of being protected by her new friend put most of her doubts at ease.
"Okay...Do you want directions to my place?" Scootaloo asked.
"I won't need them. Bruce already has your scent, and he can send me in your direction," Courtney said as she scratched Bruce's ears. "Is there anyone else in the house we should be aware of?"
"Just my mom."
"Not the one that yelled at you in Zecora's house? She hardly looked old enough to be anyone's mother," Molly asked.
"Well, about that--" Scootaloo began, before she was cut off by the bell ringing, signalling the end of recess.
"We gotta go now," Apple Bloom hastily said, "Take care, y'all."
"Goodbye."
"Goodbye."
"URF!!"
And with those final goodbyes they all snuffed out the flowers and acorns, fanned away any errant smoke, and buried the remains.
As they walked back to class, a new idea occurred to Apple Bloom.
"We can't stay in tonight," she said simply
"But, Courtney said that we shouldn't leave. Remember? 'Under no circumstances,'" Sweetie Belle reminded her, imitating Courtney's foreign accent on the last statement.
"Don't ya realize what we just did? We cast magic! We gotta start practicin' more," Apple Bloom reasoned.
"Okay. So, why don't we just do it at home," Scootaloo rebutted.
"It ain't that simple, Scootaloo. This is somethin' new. Somethin' strange. Ponies won't understand it at first, and might end up tryin' to stop us if they found out," Apple Bloom said, remembering the conversation she had with her sister earlier that day.
Once again, she had swayed her friend's opinions. There was always something about Apple Bloom's way of speaking that made them see things the way that she did, and opened them to a greater understanding.
"Alright. But how do we practice?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Each of us takes a book, an' reads it. We read 'em carefully, an' we work off of whatever we learn, like what we just did. We'll meet at the tree house tonight to share what we learned. An' remember to keep salt with ya fer protection," Apple Bloom answered.
A small excitement was welling up in each one of them. Their slow walk to class became a light trot as their minds filled with ways that they would be able to practice their newfound skills. Though none of them said anything, they knew they were all going to meet that night
Back in the dark world, Courtney sighed as she recovered from the weight that had been added to her mind.
"This is not good, Molly. Not good at all," the witch said.
"I know. I'm worried about Scootaloo as well. We should have had Bruce direct us to her last night," Molly agreed.
"That's not what I mean."
Bruce let out a questioning grunt.
"It's because they've learned a basic spell," Courtney answered her pet.
"I see no harm with them learning something as simple as a communication spell," Molly said.
"That's because you don't practise magic, Molly. You don't know how the light-dweller's view magic like ours, or how they think of us. The ponies there might see those fillies practicing witchcraft as some kind of unnatural pact with a demon, or call it heresy to their own way of life. I don't know much about that world, but I've heard rumors that it's ruled by a goddess who banishes those who displease her to their moon. And if that's true, and this despotic theocrat catches wind of their new hobby, it may put the three of them in danger."
The idea that the fillies may be in danger broke Molly's heart. She had just met them, and now, somehow, they were putting themselves in danger.
"That's horrible! How can we keep that from happening?" Molly asked.
Courtney did not know a way. She only wanted to help the fillies better understand the way her world worked. And now, they may have been heading down a path from where there was no return. And it was all her fault.
Birds chirped quietly in the branches of the trees of Sweet Apple Acres. Beneath it all, Applejack slowly walked through the orchard, noticing something quite odd about the trees that had been attacked.
The day before, they were all ragged and bare. Now, they were budding new leaves and the wounds on their bark were healing. Some of them even had flower buds growing on them, meaning they could still bear fruit.
None of it made sense. After what had happened, she and Big Macintosh were prepared to tear them out of the ground and haul them away to have them mulched. Now, as if by some miracle, the trees were blooming back to life.
She stopped walking when she almost stepped on something. At first, she thought it was a tree root, but when she moved her hoof, it turned out to be a tree sprout. At first, she thought that maybe it came from one of the fallen apples. But if it had, why was it not there before? And why was it spaced so appropriately from any of the other trees? It was almost like it was put there by somepony who knew agriculture as well as herself.
It wasn't an apple sprout, Applejack noticed as she more closely examined it. In such a situation, she would have dug it up before any more of them could infest the orchard. But before the thought even occurred to her, she saw out of the corner of her eye her friends arriving through the front gate.
It was fortunate that everypony had come, especially Rainbow Dash and Rarity, for she had important matters to discuss with them in particular.
"I did what you said, Applejack. I brought everypony who could make it," Pinkie proclaimed as she presented their group of friends.
"Great. So, that means we're all here," Twilight said as she checked off Applejack's name on the list she brought with her. "Okay, let's bring Applejack up to speed. Last night, Pinkie's ghost came back, as did the monsters that came for me and Fluttershy."
Ever since Fluttershy reported the incident, she tried to explain what happened. But, her timid nature and the urgency of the situation kept her from being able to divulge any details. Even then when she tried to open her mouth to explain, Twilight talked over her.
"However, Rarity said that her monster disappeared. As well as Pinkie's. The nature of their disappearance indicates that there is some otherworldly force involved. I've already written a hypothesis that you can all read later," Twilight said.
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at having something else to read.
"Fluttershy said that the werewolf came back to her yard, and the lupins were useless to deter it. We're going to have to find a new way to keep it away from her," Twilight continued.
"But--" Fluttershy tried to say.
"The monster from my house came back for Owloysius, who for the second night in a row left with it, and came back by morning. This leads me to believe that they go someplace together. I need to plan a way to follow them, as I anticipate it to show up again. And finally, Rainbow Dash has nothing to report. What about you?" Twilight said over Fluttershy.
"Nothin', I don't think. There was a shadow here in the orchard thataway, but it went away after a second. But, that ain't nearly as important as what I gotta tell y'all," Applejack answered, capturing her friend's attention.