//------------------------------//
// Chapter 10: To Welcome the Unwelcome 
// Story: Witchcraft is Magic 
// by wingdingaling 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 10

To Welcome the Unwelcome


In order to better accommodate the company she had, Applejack invited her friends into the house before she told any of them what she learned. Each one was served a slice of apple pie, a la mode for Pinkie, so that things would be a little more comfortable for everypony.
"So, what is it you want to tell us, Applejack?" Twilight asked before she took the first bite of her pie.
"Actually, it's mostly concernin' Dash an' Rarity," Applejack informed.
"Something about us? Whatever could it be?" Rarity said as she took a dainty bite of her pie. She hoped desperately that it didn't concern her night demon. Even though she didn't see the monster again after she went back to sleep, she still felt wary of its obsessive presence, and the frightening attraction she felt toward it.
"To be precise, it ain't so much about you as it is yer sis an' foal," Applejack said.
"So spit it out already!" Dash snapped, eager to hear any information concerning Scootaloo and the night monsters. She recoiled slightly when she saw the way her friends were looking at her after her outburst. "Sorry. Keep going."
Applejack readied herself for what she was about to say, not only for her friends, but also for herself to come to terms with the truth.
"This mornin', Apple Bloom told me that she an' her friends met some monsters last night."
Everypony at the table gasped loudly and talked over one another.
"What did they do!?"
"How did they escape!?"
"That ain't what's worryin' me," Applejack answered, after she calmed her friends down, "I didn't get much outta Apple Bloom, but it sounded like she was gettin' awful familiar with 'em. Like she was tryin' to make friends."
Her words sent a shock of fear and confusion into all of the ponies at the table, especially Rainbow Dash and Rarity.
"But, Applejack. What if all they want is to be friends with us?" Fluttershy suggested.
The mere idea shot every gaze in the room right to her, making the yellow pegasus flinch slightly. Once she got over the shock of all eyes being on her, she said what was on her mind.
"Don't you think it must be very lonely living in the dark like they do? With nopony to share tea or play games with, I think it's only natural they would be just a little bit angry at others?" Fluttershy suggested.
It was always like Fluttershy to try and see the good in others before passing judgement, but her words would do little to sway her friend's opinions.
"It's not that easy, Fluttershy. We don't know what these things want from us," Twilight said.
"We hardly know anything about them to begin with," Rarity added.
"But, that's exactly it. We don't know anything about them," Fluttershy reasoned. "Twilight. You said that Owloysius has been going away at night with a giant owl creature, didn't you?"
"Yes. What's your point?" Twilight said.
"Well, just that maybe they're only having fun somewhere flying in the clouds. After all, you said he's returned home safely two times in a row."
Twilight hadn't thought of it that way. She knew there had to be some reason for what was happening, but for all of her theorizing, researching and hypothesizing, that particular idea would never have crossed her mind.
"Rarity," Fluttershy continued, "You said that you thought the demon in your dream was very handsome, and that you wanted to get to know him better. But, when he became ugly, you didn't like him anymore. Don't you think he might have been just a little hurt by that?"
"But...But he tried to turn me ugly as well," Rarity tried to rebuke, but still felt slightly ashamed of herself.
"Oh...Um...Maybe, he wanted to show that he would love you no matter what you looked like?" the timid pegasus suggested.
Rarity nibbled the tip of her hoof. The notion itself was probably one of the most romantic she ever heard, but the thought of it happening to herself made her wince inwardly.
"Rainbow Dash. You said the ghosts in your house called Scootaloo's name. Did you recognize them from somewhere?" Fluttershy asked.
"I've never seen either of them in my entire life. And Scootaloo doesn't know that many adults outside of us," Rainbow Dash answered.
"But, they seem to know her. They could have known her when they were alive, couldn't they?"
That simple suggestion gave Dash a new objective. She would have flown off to do some investigating, if not for wanting to hear what more Fluttershy had to say.
"And you, Pinkie," Fluttershy continued, "What if the ghost at your house was only trying to make ponies laugh?"
"No way was that thing trying to make ponies laugh! Starting fires and throwing knives isn't funny in anypony's joke book. And I wrote the book on funny," Pinkie said as she presented an oversized book with herself on the cover wearing a pair of gag glasses.
"But, sometimes when you make ponies laugh, it's at the expense of somepony else. Maybe, your ghost was trying to do that, but didn't know how to do it right?" Fluttershy suggested.
Once again, Fluttershy had a point. Pinkie briefly thought over that line of reasoning, before giving her response.
"I guess," the party pony said. "But that still doesn't explain the creepy shadows that moved all of the furniture."
Fluttershy was stumped on that point. Though she tried, she couldn't think of a reason that there would be shadows Pinkie's house. 
"That is strange. But, if I had to guess, it had something to do with the ghost disappearing. Of course, that's just conjecture," Twilight chimed in.
"It could have been been another ghost that wanted to help you," Fluttershy offered. "If it was, it just means that they really aren't as scary as we think they are. In fact, I'm sure that if you met the werewolf at my house, you'd see it's not so bad."
Unfortunately, nopony quite understood what she was saying.
"What about the thing that destroyed my trees? Any idea how that mighta been tryin' to be friendly?" Applejack spoke up.
Though she tried to find the good in all things, Fluttershy couldn't think of a conceivable reason that something so terrible would be done as a misguided act of friendship. Try as she did, a reason eluded her, making her anxious that she wouldn't be able to drive home her point.
"But...But we don't even know what did it," Fluttershy stammered.
There would be no convincing Applejack with such reasoning.
"I don't need to have seen it to know what done it. Things like this have been happenin' fer years, an' always around Nightmare Night. I always tried tellin' myself it was just pranksters takin' their jokes too far. But after what I saw, I'm bettin' it was these monsters every time," the farmpony said.
Fluttershy ducked under the table so only her eyes poked up, and Pinkie was about take another bite of pie, until her plate jumped up and hit her face as Applejack slammed her hooves on the table.
"We can't let ourselves get too comfortable with 'em, just 'cause they're actin' friendly. We all heard the same stories as fillies, where the ponies would make friends with a monster, only to get killed! Or how they'd disguise themselves as ponies, so they could get close enough to eat 'em! What y'all do about it is yer own business, but I ain't lettin' anything happen to my family over it!"
Applejack's counter to Fluttershy's points also stuck in the mares' minds, creating a dilemma the likes of which none of them ever faced. They both made good points, but they didn't know who to believe.
As usual, it fell to Twilight to come up with a compromise.
"I think what we should do is at least try to approach them, but be prepared for the worst, if need be," the librarian suggested
"And how do you propose we do that?" Rarity asked.
"We should still take precautions, to defend ourselves against them, but not be afraid to approach them," Twilight answered.
"That sounds like a wonderful idea," Fluttershy said, "But, do you have any more books about werewolves? I think the one you have is outdated. Not that I'm saying it wasn't helpful. Only that I could use some new information."
"I'm not sure if I have any more books. But, I can check," Twilight said, having planned to ask Princess Celestia for any books pertaining to Nightmare Night later. "Now, how does everypony feel about my proposition?"
Though every answer was affirmative, they all carried heavy overtones of apprehension and doubt. Still, it was the only idea anypony had.
"Alright. Now, I think we should all adjourn, and start trying to find new information about these creatures," Twilight finished up
For the longest time, Rainbow Dash was practically shaking in her seat, eager to carry out her new mission. Now that the meeting was finished, she stuffed the rest of her pie in her mouth and flew out the door like a shot toward her destination.
"Looks like somepony has an idea where to start. We'll have to ask what she's up to later," Twilight said before she left Applejack's house.
One by one, they all left, until only Applejack was left in her home. She sat grimly at her table, thinking over the conversation that they all just had. But, she didn't care what anypony said. She knew the truth about those creatures, and was determined to keep her family safe, no matter the cost.



Outside on the property of Sweet Apple Acres, the five friends all started going their separate ways, except for Fluttershy who decided to join with her friends. Rainbow Dash was gone, so she went with her next choice.
"Excuse me, Twilight. I know you must be busy, but--"
"That's right, Fluttershy. Spike and I are going to be doing extensive research for the rest of the day. Sorry, but I won't have time for much else. But, if you want any books on werewolves, I'd be happy to loan them," Twilight answered as she wrote down a new itinerary.
"Oh, yes. Of course..." Fluttershy answered.
Twilight was a bust, so she decided to try her next friend.
"Rarity? I don't mean to impose...But, could I ask a favor?" Fluttershy asked.
"I'm so sorry, sweetness. But I've got to be home to prepare for any other intruders. And after that, I have to keep my sister from any further trouble," Rarity replied as she walked her way home.
"Oh. O-Okay."
Applejack was sure to be busy with her sister as well, so that only left one more prospective helper.
"Um...Pinkie? If it's not too much trouble. And...If you aren't doing anything tonight...Maybe, you could come to my house?" Fluttershy stammered.
"A sleepover? Now, of all times? Or, do you want to do a study session together? That's it! A study-slumber party! We can cram in all the book-learning we need over s'mores," Pinkie answered.
"Actually..." Fluttershy thought she should pick her next words carefully, for fear of an infamous Pinkie outburst. "I didn't want to say this inside, because of what everypony might think. But...I sort of......................invited the werewolf to come to my house tonight..."
"YOU DID WHAT!?!?" Pinkie shouted.
"Pinkie, you don't have to be afraid," Fluttershy quickly assured her excitable friend.
"Not be afraid because you asked a monster to visit you!? Has all that time living alone with animals finally got to you!?"
"No..." Fluttershy answered as she half hid behind her mane, "But, if you came to my house, you'd see he's not so scary."
"Not so scary!? A mountain made of fangs and sour candy would be less scary than--" A new thought occurred to Pinkie in that moment. "Waaaaaiiit a minute here. You? Fluttershy? Not afraid? Of a werewolf!?"
"No!...I mean...I was at first. But, then I tried to talk to him, and he was actually very sweet. He also said that he...wanted to bring more of his friends to my house...
"And you said..." Pinkie motioned for Fluttershy to continue.
After pausing for what felt like an eternity, Fluttershy finally answered, ".........................................................................Yes...
"Okay, let's think about this. You met a monster that said it wanted to bring more of its monster friends to your house, and you said 'yes!'" Pinkie said.
Fluttershy only nodded.
"So, tonight, your house is going to be flooded with creepies, crawlies and assorted spooks!?"
"A-Are you doing anything tonight?" Fluttershy repeated, now trembling with fear for what was to come.
"Of course I'll be there! How could I leave you at the mercy of the monsters of the night?" Pinkie affirmed.
"Oh, thank you! Thank you so much," Fluttershy said, as she hugged Pinkie so hard, her eyes bulged.
"No problem! So, what do we do before it comes?" Pinkie strained, before she was let go.
Fluttershy thought briefly thought about how she would accommodate her new company, without running the risk of getting hurt by any of them.
"We could buy them some lupins," she suggested, earning a confused look from Pinkie.



"Spike?" Twilight called once she got through her front door.
"Up here, Twilight," the dragon replied from somewhere in the upper levels.
The purple unicorn looked around the upstairs area, only to find no sight of her number one assistant.
She looked outside on the balcony, but still no Spike.
Finally, she looked up, to find him in the branches, spreading barbed wire across the treetop.
"I've already got the branches on that side of the house. I'd like to see that thing try to get in tonight," Spike said as he twisted the wire around another branch.
"As much as I appreciate what you've done, Spike, I think we need a change of plans," Twilight replied.
"One step ahead of you. I made an alarm system from all the spare cans and string we had lying around the place," Spike said, demonstrating the effectiveness of his makeshift alarm by lightly swatting a can.
As soon as he had, the whole string fell on top of him, tangling him up in its length. Once he lost his balance, he ended up hooking on one of the barbed wires and suspending himself in the air.
"Actually, I meant we might not need these after all," Twilight explained as she magically removed everything the Spike had hung up.
"What!?. But, I spent all morning setting that up" Spike shouted before he was shaken free of the wire and landed next to Twilight.
"I know. And, I'm sorry to let your work go to waste. But, after I spoke with everypony, I think I have a better idea about what to do," Twilight said before she walked back inside.
"What is it? Some kind of magic spell?" Spike asked as she noisily shook off the string of cans and followed her downstairs.
"Well, no. It's a little bit different from that. Or, a lot different to be exact," Twilight said as she rummaged through her shelves.
"Hire a professional monster hunter to get rid of it?"
"No. I think we should..." Twilight paused, not sure of how she was going to convey her plan to Spike, "I think we should invite it inside...?"
"Invite it!? That's the worst idea I've ever heard!" Spike shouted. He knew it was so unlike Twilight to come up with something like that. It had to be somepony else's idea. "This was Fluttershy's idea, wasn't it? Don't you remember what happened when she wanted to make friends with a parasprite!?"
"She had a point that we don't know anything about it, and how Owloysius has come home safely twice. Maybe, it just wants to be friends with him?" Twilight said as she finally picked a book off the shelf.
"Yeah? And I'm a duck in a dragon suit!" Spike rebutted.
"Spike, we need to take the chance that it might not be dangerous at all. For all we know, it really is just trying to make friends with us," Twilight said.
After living in Ponyville for so long, Spike could tell that Twilight was heading toward the basis of another friendship report. He knew that once she was headed toward that, there would be no swaying her, so all he could do was throw his claws up in defeat.
"Here," Twilight said as she magically gave Spike a book, "We'll need to read up on any known bird species, and see if the information can be made relevant to this unknown one. But first, I'm going to need you to take a letter to Princess Celestia, requesting any books she has on Nightmare Night."
Spike was already ahead of her. Before she even said anything, he had collected a quill and parchment, ready to write down anything she wanted.



The school day ended, and all of the foals left the school, feeling slightly smarter than they did that morning. All except for the Cutie Mark Crusaders who barely paid any attention at all. They were much too busy thinking of plans for when they got home.
Sweetie Belle bolted from the school, and into Carousel Boutique, where she ran upstairs to her room to begin her studying.
the book she had taken was the wildlife encyclopaedia. During free reading time at school, she flipped through it, finding it to be very insightful about each creature that was featured in its pages. Not only was she learning about creatures she only thought to be make believe, she was learning which ones were actually hostile, and how to keep them at bay.
She hadn't actually read very much up to that point. Only scanned most the pages, but still knew that the book would be a valuable asset to her, the way she learned such information.
Just before school ended, Sweetie Belle had gotten all the way up to the 'W' section, and stopped at a page for something called a 'wendigo.' The name sounded almost exactly like a windigo, but was much, much different.
While both were icy creatures, windigos were pony-like in shape, and froze lands where disharmony was abound.
Wendigos, on the other hoof, were emaciated, bipedal monsters with hearts of ice that ate everything in sight. The scariest part was how they only became hungrier the more they ate, so they kept eating more and more. And there was no limit to what they could eat.
The description scared her so much, Sweetie actually read the page to find out how to keep them away. She was relieved to learn that they only appeared when their name was called, and that ponies were only in danger if the wendigo called back. Still, she wasn't about to run that risk.
But, now that she was home, she could more thoroughly do her research.
"Sweetie Belle?" Rarity called.
Sweetie groaned when she realized she would have to temporarily put off her work.
"I didn't hear you come in," Rarity said as she poked her head through her sister's door.
"It's alright, Rarity. I didn't touch any of your stuff downstairs," Sweetie Belle said, wanting to get back to her book as quickly as possible.
"It's not that. Only..." Rarity wanted to confront her sister about the creatures she saw, to learn if they were as harmless as Fluttershy suggested. But, not in a way that sounded like she was prying. It would be easy enough. A lady is tactful, after all. "We never did talk about what happened last night."
"Yeah we did. You said I was grounded, and that was your final word, and then you had to get your beauty sleep," Sweetie said.
"I didn't say that."
"Actually, that's exactly what you said."
Sweetie Belle was right, now that Rarity thought about it. But, that wasn't the point.
"What I mean to say is that we need to discuss the details and repercussions of what you did last night," Rarity said.
That wasn't very Rarity-like. She often didn't care about little things like what was happening in her sister's life. It made Sweetie Belle wonder what prompted this sudden inquiry.
"What kind of details?" Sweetie asked.
"Only the imperatives: what you were doing out there. Why you did it. And, most of all, if you met anypony."
As clever and savvy as Rarity thought she was being, her sister saw how strange this questionnaire was. Almost like she was trying to get at something. Curious to find out what, Sweetie Belle decided to play along.
"Meet anypony? Like who? Zecora?" the filly wondered.
"No. Perhaps a stranger. Maybe somepony slightly...unnatural," Rarity said.
Whatever Rarity was trying to say, it was starting to sound weirder and weirder.
"Nope. Nopony like that," Sweetie answered.
"Sweetie Belle!" Rarity said tersely, though she quickly regained her composure, "I need to know if you were in any danger last night, from anything, be it a manticore, cragadile, or something otherworldly!"
So much for tact.
Sweetie Belle couldn't be sure, but it sounded like Rarity may have known something about the dark kin.
"You mean like, a ghost?" Sweetie said
"Yes. Or anything to that nature," Rarity answered.
Sweetie Belle couldn't have known how, but somehow, her sister knew at least something about the creatures she was with. She decided that she should ease Rarity into the know of what happened.
"Maybe, something like a werewolf too?" the filly suggested.
"Yes! Yes!?" Rarity said.
"But, what if maybe werewolves aren't that dangerous at all?"
Rarity paused a moment, before answering.
"...Aren't they?"
"No. Maybe, they're more like giant dogs who want to make friends with us. And, what if I wasn't in any danger with it, or anything else. Like witches, or blood-drinking plants?" Sweetie Belle said.
"Sweetie Belle...?" Rarity began, but didn't know how to finish.
It was so much for Rarity to take in. The monsters from her foalhood were real, and now her sister was making friends with them. The confusion Rarity felt back at Applejack's house hit her again, only worse this time. Whatever happened to the horrible monsters she always heard attacked and killed ponies who didn't know better?
"Don't you think that perhaps it's a bad idea to make such strange friends?" the fashionista said.
"I don't know what's so strange about them. They only want to make friends, just like us. In fact, one of them is a lot like you. She's stylish, fashionable, and she goes crazy over the smallest things. She even gave me this," Sweetie explained as she showed the flower in her mane. "I think you'd like her if you met her. I might even see her tonight, if that's okay."
Rarity thought over what Sweetie Belle said as she looked at the flower. Any mare who recognized such beauty as Sweetie's new friend couldn't be that bad, could they?
"I see. But, as pleasant as your new friends sound I'm still not sure you should be going out at night again," Rarity said.
"I guess so. I know that even though the dark kin are really nice, there are still some scary things out there. Like wendigos," Sweetie answered.
The filly quickly covered her mouth with her hooves, realizing that she let slip the name she wasn't supposed to call.
"You mean 'windigos,'" Rarity corrected.
Sweetie Belle sat in silence, until she heard no voice calling back, and let out a relieved sigh.
"Are you quite alright?" her sister wondered.
"Yeah. I'm fine. And, you're right about staying in tonight. Besides, if my friends want to visit, they'll come to us," Sweetie Belle finally said.
"Of course," Rarity said nervously."



Without even bothering to talk to reception, Dash burst into the newspaper offices, grabbed every obituary from up to eight years ago, flew home, and got cracking on her research.
The minutes passed, and she hoofed through each and every page, finding nothing. She tried to remember when Scootaloo became an orphan, and ended up jumping between several different years listed in each of the pages to find a lead.
One year. Nothing.
Two years. Nothing.
Three years. Still nothing.
Four. Nil. 
Five. Zilch
Six. This was getting annoying.
Finally, something stopped her. On the page she held in her hoof, there was Scootaloo's name.
After the momentary shock of finding her adopted daughter's name in an obituary, she read the sentence to find that it said the deceased in question were survived by their infant daughter, Scootaloo.
It was a tiny relief that she wouldn't have to deal with anything else as weird as she was already doing. Of course it would be ridiculous for Scootaloo to be dead. But, there were more important things to handle. Putting any other thoughts aside, she began reading the article in full, and what a revelation she found.
It seemed that years ago, there was an accident with the weather, and a terrible storm struck Ponyville, claiming the lives of many ponies.
The two in question were named Lulu and Skip Tumaloo. Scootaloo's parents. And their portraits showed them to be a pale green, earth pony stallion with a gray mane; and a purple, pegasus mare with a turquoise mane.
The mystery had been solved. Somehow, Scootaloo's parents had returned from the grave to claim their daughter once more.
Dash would never allow that. When she adopted Scootaloo, she swore to give her the foalhood that she deserved, and now, she was faced with the task of protecting her from an undead threat.
There was no time to waste. Dash had to get right to work, ghost-proofing her house.



As she was putting the finishing touch on her project, Rainbow Dash heard a rapid flapping noise that distracted her from her work.
Looking out the window, she saw Scootaloo slowly ascend into view.
After a second of straining, the filly finally got enough altitude to land in their front yard, huffing and puffing.
"Scoots! What the hay are you doing flying this high on your own?" Dash exclaimed before she burst into the yard.
"I waited for you to pick me up. I was down there for almost half and hour before I flew up on my own," Scootaloo answered, having expected her mother to help her fly to their house, the same as she did every day without fail.
Was school really out already? Even though Scootaloo was always able to flutter down to the ground on her own, her little wings prevented her from flying back home. It made Dash picking her up from school a necessity. Dash wondered how long she spent on her work. Still, all that time spent ghost-proofing the house was sure to keep the spirits at bay. She imagined how when the ghosts came tonight, how they would shrivel and fade when they tried to set hoof on her property.
"Wow, you've been busy," she heard Scootaloo say.
Once she came back to reality, Dash realized that Scootaloo was already in the house, and that she hadn't cleaned up anything since she began her work.
"Mom? What's this?" Scootaloo asked.
Dash's heart nearly stopped at the thought of what Scootaloo found. What would she tell her daughter when she asked why she had it!?
Without another thought, Dash flew into the house, intending to stop Scootaloo from seeing too much, but froze when she saw she was too late.
Inside, Scootaloo was surprised to find the house decorated with symbols of the Royal Sister's cutie marks, from talismans hung from the ceiling to having them painted on every step on the stairs and drawn on every wall. But, the thing that surprised her the most was finding the newspaper with the faces of the two ghosts she had seen.
"Where did you find this?" Scootaloo asked.
Rainbow Dash could think of no answer.
"Why do you have it?"
Still, no answer came.
Scootaloo became anxious as she held the paper in her hoof, and more so at her mother's silence. Whatever was happening, it seemed that Rainbow Dash knew more than she was letting on.
"You've seen them, haven't you?" the filly asked.
"Scootaloo, that's crazy. Ghosts don't exist," Dash answered, realizing that Scootaloo said nothing about ghosts shortly after.
"They want me, don't they?" Scootaloo said.
"Honey..." Dash uneasily answered.
"They said my name when I saw them. And I know you saw them too. Did they call my name then?" the filly pressed.
There was no way to answer that question for Dash. She knew that if she lied, Scootaloo wouldn't believe her, and the truth would only frighten her. Still, Dash figured she had better choose the option that would salvage their relationship.
"Yeah. Your dad called you, before I saw him in your room," Dash confessed.
"In my room..." Scootaloo shuddered at the idea that her ghostly father was in her room without her knowing.
"It's alright. I took care of him. And I spent all day putting up these symbols. We should be safe those ghosts now," Dash assured the filly.
"No. We won't," Scootaloo said.
"Don't say that, Scootaloo! This always works for other ponies," Dash replied.
"It's just a superstition! We need salt!"
Scootaloo realized what she was saying at that moment. These were her parents she was talking about. She never knew them, as they died before she was a year old, and now, they were coming back for her. What if she never got a chance to see them again? How come they were only appearing now? Luckily, she had the solution to the problem.
"Wait," Scootaloo said to Dash as she reached into her saddlebag, and produced a book from within.
"What's that?" Dash looked at the cover, but couldn't read the title the way her daughter was holding it.
"I got this from Apple Bloom. It's supposed to be a book about how to get rid of ghosts," Scootaloo explained.
First ghosts, and now Apple Bloom had books about them. Just what the hay were those fillies doing last night? Whatever the case, they could talk about that later.
"I think maybe, we can call ghosts with it too," Scootaloo finished.
"Whoah, whoah, whoah! Wait a second! You want to call these ghosts here!?" Dash said.
"I know it's scary, but they're my parents. Maybe they just want to see how I'm doing."
"Uh-uh! Forget it," Dash said as she closed the book, and tried to take it, only for Scootaloo to hold it tightly.
"Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo snapped.
The sheer stern tone of Scootaloo's voice made Dash stop resisting and listen to her.
"Last night, I learned probably the best lesson in my life. That even though things like this are scary, they value having friends just as much as we do. How would you feel if somepony didn't want you around because you were different than them?" the filly said.
Dash recalled her foalhood when she was ridiculed for not being able to fly as well as the other pegasus foals at school. She had no way of knowing, but maybe how these ghosts felt was similar to the way she felt back then.
"Alright. What do we do?" Dash asked.
Scootaloo immediately set to work, reading the table of contents for a lead. What luck. There was a section in the back dedicated to summoning ghosts. She flipped all the way to the back of the book, but found something strange there.
Stuck in the pages there was a note that read, 'Absolutely, DO NOT cast any spells in this section FOR ANY REASON. This means you, Apple Bloom.'
"Looks like somepony doesn't want us doing this," Dash said, looking for a reason to not summon the ghosts.
"Actually, somepony doesn't want Apple Bloom using this magic. See? It's okay for us." Scootaloo turned back to the book to remove the note, so she couldn't see Dash nervously bite her lip. "Oh. But it says that we can only cast this spell when the moon's out. We'll have to wait a few hours."
Once again, Dash felt a tiny relief. Her appointment with the otherworldly was going to be temporarily postponed, but what would she do when the time finally came?



Apple Bloom rushed home as fast as she could ahead of her sister, who was waiting outside the school to pick her up. Constantly, Applejack had to tell her sister to slow down, but no matter how she tried, Apple Bloom kept hurrying as they walked on.
Finally, the Apple sisters reached home, and Apple Bloom ran straight indoors while Applejack resumed her work in the orchard.
Winona had been waiting on the porch for her ponies to come home, and barked excitedly when they came. Expecting the usual attention, Apple Bloom ran right inside past her. Curious, as to what the filly was doing, Winona followed her in.
Once inside, the dog watched as Apple Bloom went about her own work.
Immediately, the filly went to the kitchen, and got out bowls, flour, butter, sugar, cinnamon, and of course, apples.
"This is gonna be good, girl," Apple Bloom said to her dog as she gathered the ingredients. "We gotta make sure everything's ready for tonight."
"What's all this ya got goin' on here, youngun?" Granny Smith said as she walked into the kitchen.
"I'm makin' a pie for my friends," Apple Bloom answered as she mixed the flour and butter.
"A pie? You ain't expectin' company. Yer friends are grounded, same as you," Granny said, knowing full well that responsible mares like Applejack's friends would properly discipline their foals.
"I got other friends who ain't," Apple Bloom responded. Though Applejack already knew about her new friends, she wasn't quite ready to tell Granny yet. After all, it was Granny who nurtured her own fear of the dark kin with her stories, and who knew how the old mare would react.
"Well, that's different," Granny said, momentarily disregarding who these friends might be. "But, let me show ya how this is done. If ya wanna make yer friends feel welcome, ya gotta make the pie right. Like this," she continued as she took the bowl of flour and butter from her granddaughter, before she could mix it with a spatula.
Apple Bloom watched as Granny showed her how to properly mix the two ingredients, using two knives to mix them while adding thimbles of water, all helpfully provided by Winona.
"Oh. Okay," Apple Bloom said as she took the bowl back, and started mixing the pie crust. "Hey, Granny, can ya help me with the fillin'? I know nopony makes a pie better than you."
"Ya got that right, pipsqueak. I mighta been around a while, but makin' pie is somethin' ya only get better at as time goes by," Granny answered.
Granny cracked her hooves, which set off a chain reaction of cracks through her body before she got to work.
"By the way, what're these friends yer expectin' like?" the old mare asked.
"Well..." Apple Bloom thought about her answer. She looked over at Winona, who, of all creatures wasn't going to have an answer. She didn't want to lie to Granny, but decided she was obligated to answer as her granddaughter. "They're from outta town, but they already know Zecora."
"Some o' her kinfolk from Zebrica?" Granny asked as she chopped up some apples for the pie.
"No. I think they're from farther than that. Not sure where exactly," Apple Bloom answered.
Winona huffed quietly, earning an irritated glance from Apple Bloom.
"But they're pretty different from us," the filly continued. "They use a different kind of magic, like Zecora does, but it's not the same thing."
"That so? What's it like?"
"Um..."
Apple Bloom stalled for an answer as she added cinnamon to the bowl. Perhaps she stalled a little too long, since she ended up putting in too much cinnamon, though she only realized it as Granny mixed it into the apples and sugar. Oh well. Maybe they liked extra cinnamon. But, she still had to answer Granny's question.
"Well, where they're from, they take Nightmare Night pretty seriously. Like, they practice real old magic that ponies used back when they thought there were two worlds, like in yer story," Apple Bloom finally said.
Granny paused for a half second. Probably quicker, as Apple Bloom didn't even notice it.
"That old? I didn't think ponies still remembered that kinda stuff," she resumed as she poured the filling into the crust."
"They do. An' it's really, really neat stuff. The best part is that ya don't have to be a unicorn to use it!" Apple Bloom said.
Apple Bloom sounded a little bit too excited to Granny Smith. The old mare remained silent as she put the pie in the oven, until she turned to face her granddaughter.
"Follow me," she said plainly as she exited the room.
"Huh? Where?" the filly wondered.
"Livin' room. It's story time, youngun."
"But, it ain't even dark yet," Apple Bloom said as she and Winona followed Granny to the next room.
"It don't have to be fer this one. Have a seat where ya like," the old mare said.
Apple Bloom did as she was instructed, and took a seat on the floor next to her dog.
"So, what're we gonna hear?" the filly asked.
"Just another story ol' Granny knows. One I ain't never told anypony. Not even my own foals. But, I think ya need to hear this one. Sit back, an' listen real good," Granny Smith said, as she took her seat in her rocking chair.
The seriousness in her grandmother's tone made Apple Bloom scoot a little closer to her dog for comfort. Then, she prepared herself for what she was about to hear.



Not so long ago, but before you were born, there was a town full of happy folk. They lived their lives peacefully, harvesting their crops, and plowing their fields. It was the kind of place where everypony knew each other, and treated one another as family. Except for one pony.
Smack in the middle of town lived a stallion who everypony did their best to avoid, though they always left a small part of their crops for him. Not because they held him in any regard, but because they feared he would curse their families, whither their crops, or make their livestock sick. No matter what happened, he was often blamed for it.
Rumor had it, this stallion practiced a strange kind of magic that wasn't natural to the good folk of the town. Not one pony had ever seen him cast a single spell, but in the dead of night, they could see lights coming from his window that came from no lamp, and those who passed by could hear him mumbling strange words from inside. And if they looked into his window, they could see him dancing with shadows, or drawing strange symbols on his floor and walls.
Some folks believed that he was once a powerful magician. Others thought he was kinfolk to demons. Others still just thought he was a crazy old stallion, though hundreds of years old. But, no matter how much they feared him, he never bothered another soul, so long as nopony bothered him.
One night, a filly, no older than you, who had been hearing stories about the stallion her whole life snuck out of her house to find the real answers to the mystery surrounding him.
She walked to the distant house, knowing full well that she wasn't going to like what she found inside, and stopped before she knocked. She knew that she would be better off home in her bed, but she could stop now when she had come so far.
Lightly, the filly tapped on the door, hoping nopony would answer. When no answer came, she almost left, had the door not opened on its own.
"Come inside," a voice croaked.
The filly didn't want to have anything more to do with this stranger, but now she had reaped what she'd sown, and she felt herself compelled to do as she was told.
The inside of the house was almost no different from her own, except for the strange symbol drawn on the floor that she was standing on. And the stallion himself was far from unusual, looking only like your average pegasus, save that he looked ancient as dirt.
"What brings you to my house?" The old stallion asked.
"I...I wanted to see what-- If anything I heard was true," the filly answered, "I heard you use a kind of magic different from unicorns. That, you also know demons."
"Demons!?" The old stallion scoffed, as if the very notion was ridiculous. "No. I've dealt with things far more terrible than demons. I've seen the dark side of the world we know, and I've embraced it. I was given power on a silver platter, and I devoured it whole. It's consumed me. Surrounded me. Made me one with it. And you..."
The filly recoiled as a withered hoof was pointed in her face.
"You have a certain quality about you. The same curiosity I had when I learned from my master."
"B-But I don't--" the filly said.
"Don't lie to me, filly. You are brimming with the desire to know my secrets. You and I are the same." The stallions face changed as a grin curled onto his face, which made the foal cringe. "And it's because of this that I am choosing you as my protegee."
The filly didn't know what the word 'protegee' meant, but she could have guessed from the way he said it. In a way, she knew the old stallion was correct. More than she ever felt before, she wanted to run home and tell her parents to move away. But, the old stallion had swayed her. She did want to learn more about his secrets, and the ways of his magic.
"Alright...I'll be your protegee," she stammered.
"A wise choice. First, you must learn the fundamentals. Perhaps a taste of what is to come," the old stallion said as he stood next to her within the symbol on the floor.
The filly became frightened as she watched her new mentor's eyes glow a malevolent orange before he sprinkled a powder that smelled like peppers all over them.
The next thing she saw, the world became a swirl of shadows that warped everything around them as she felt herself lift off the ground and go flying. She tightly clung to the old stallion's leg, hoping the nightmarish ride would end. Soon, the motion stopped, and everything took a recognizable shape.
"Do you know where we are?" The old stallion asked.
"Um..." When she looked around herself, the filly couldn't recognize where she was. Soon, she began to notice the landmarks around them, and how the streets looked. They weren't too far from her own house, as a matter of fact. "Yes. This is the house where the two new ponies moved in."
"And, did you welcome them, as any good filly would?" the stallion asked.
"Yes. My parents and I came here to welcome the neighbors."
"Did you tell them anything? About me, perhaps?"
"My...My father mentioned you. He said that they would do good to avoid you. But, they only called it a local superstition, and that my parents should feel ashamed of themselves for talking such a way about an old stallion," the filly answered.
"Your father can sleep easy tonight, knowing that he was right to caution them," the stallion said as he raised his hoof.
The filly watched as once again, the stallion's eyes glowed their orange color, and a shadow appeared behind him, like some colossal monster born from midnight. She couldn't see what the shadow belonged to, but with a wave of the stallion's hoof, the shadow broke apart, and each of the pieces scurried to various parts of the house.
In the storehouse, she watched as a group of shadows jumped into buckets of milk, which bubbled up over the edges, and curdled. Another group went to the garden, and turned everything growing there to mulch. But most of them went into the house, climbing through the open windows, where the filly heard a sorts of calamity happening inside. It was a horrifying, wondrous sight to behold. One that she was sure to never forget.
"Do you see the power I have over the darkness? And what power it gives me over others?" The stallion asked. "But, it's not so much what I could do with it, as what others fear I could do. I could run this town if I ever wanted to, with a group of cowering, cringing ponies, all at my beck and call. And now, two more can be added to my entourage. Does this not appeal to you, filly?"
As horrifying as it was to admit, the filly was quite intrigued by the prospect of power. What wouldn't she be able to accomplish if she had the powers of the night at her command?
"Can I expect to see you at my house tomorrow night?" The stallion asked.
"Yes.." the filly answered, after a moment of hesitation.
"Very good. Now, do you know your way home from here?"
"Yes."
"Then, be off. You've seen enough," the stallion said with a smile, knowing that he would be able to pass his secrets to another.
Without a second to lose, the filly ran to her home, quietly reentering so as not to wake her parents. She didn't sleep a wink that night, wondering what she would learn next from her new master.
True to her word, the filly went to the old stallion's house the very next night, this time not at all afraid to knock.
Once again, the door creaked open on its own and the filly walked in, eager to hear more of the dark powers she would inherit.
Inside, she found the stallion hunched over his desk, breathing deep, ragged breaths.
"Are you feeling alright," the filly asked.
"Yes. I'm fine," the stallion croaked before he let out a light cough. "I'm sorry to have gotten your hopes up, but I won't be able to teach you anything I know. I didn't intend to tell you so soon, but there is a price to pay for learning such secrets."
The room around them became darker and darker.
"Now, the time has come for me to pay mine. I can see it now with its devilish lights, come to take me where I promised to journey so many years ago."
Without another word, the stallion stood and faced his door.
In the blackness, the filly couldn't see anything, but she swore she could hear the door opening, though it was just as dark outside. Then, from within the room, a great mass appeared, as if some liquid were congealing into a solid creature. She could only see the tiny lights, like evil stars that dotted its body, and the smell of burning sulfur that filled the room.
She and the stallion faced the creature that had come, until the stallion hoofed her a book.
"This will guide you where to begin on your own journey. Pray you take care of it," he said as he stepped forward.
Once he got close to the creature, flames enveloped the whole room, as a great, infernal doorway opened seemingly from the creature itself. Without even stopping from the force of the heat, the stallion walked right inside, and was swallowed by flames.
Soon, the doorway closed, and each of the tiny lights blinked out, until only two like a pair of eyes remained. These ones stayed longer than the others, until they blinked out at once, leaving the filly alone, as the moonlight outside illuminated the room she was in.
It was all too much for the filly, who last night so wanted to learn the ways of darkness, was now terrified of what was to surely come if she delved to deep into it. Not even bothering to look at the book in her hooves, she threw it to the floor, and ran all the way home, never once leaving her house after dark for the rest of her life.



"An' that's it?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Well, that's just the short version," Granny answered. "Point is: there're some things in the world that shouldn't be meddled with. Dark an' terrible things that could get folks into trouble. Especially fillies who don't understand the first thing about it."
The lesson she had just learned resonated to Apple Bloom, who didn't want to have power over others, or to delve so deeply into her new fascination. Still, what Granny said was going to stay with her for years to come.
"I'll be fine, Granny. I won't get into too much trouble," she answered before she stood up. "Come on, Winona. We can go read for a bit while the pie bakes."
The filly and dog both left for her room upstairs, while Granny was left in her rocking chair, slowly nodding off to sleep as she worried over what her filly may be getting herself into.