//------------------------------//
// Chapter 14: A World Gone Crazy 
// Story: Witchcraft is Magic 
// by wingdingaling 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 14

A World Gone Crazy


When morning came in Ponyville, Applejack was outside at the first light to get her work started, as was her usual. After the animals were fed, she went out to the orchard to begin the season's harvest.
Nightmare Night was always a time when her orchard's apples were in demand. Apple pie made was a favorite autumn treat around those parts, and ponies always clamored to be the next in line when it was her apples that were being bobbed for. Because of this, she prepared a portion of the harvest to be used for the festivities before the real harvest began. Except, today, she found that she would have to delay that portion of work.
As soon as she entered the dew-soaked orchard, she found that the trees that were attacked were now nearly back to their former, healthy state, and even a few were bearing fruit.
Whatever miracle fixed her trees, she wasn't going to question it. She was about to go about her business when she saw several new, nearly full-grown trees among the others. Applejack realized that these were all in the same place that she had found the sprouts that were growing earlier.
She knew before that they weren't apple trees, but now she saw that they were like no other tree she had ever seen. The branches were curled and twisted, and the flowers on them were completely foreign to her. Certainly not from any fruit she knew. Unlike the pink or white flowers she as familiar with, these had deep red petals with long, spindly, black protrusions that looked like spider legs.
Applejack didn't know what it was, but if it was any more Nightmare Night shenanigans, she was going to stop it before it began.
For the entire morning, she sawed down each one of the trees, and hauled them away to the edge of the property to be mulched. There were more of these trees than she expected, having found them from the area where the trees were attacked some nights ago, to the edge closest to the front gate. However they got there, she was going to be sure that she got them all.
She took a quick breather midway through sawing one of the trees and looked ahead at the work she had yet to do. So far, in the hours she spent getting rid of the new trees, she had taken down at least five or so, from what she estimated. Around her, she could count at least four more, counting the one she was working on at the moment. She sighed, knowing she still had a long way to go before she could get to the work she needed done.
As luck would have it, Big Macintosh was already ahead of her on that project, as he came by hauling a cart full of apples behind him. "Hey! Big Mac," she called to her brother. "When yer done with them apples, can ya help me tear out these tree stumps?"
Big Macintosh observed how his sister was busy sawing a tree that he didn't recognize. Even though he too saw them earlier, he didn't see any reason to cut them down. But, as long as Applejack was getting rid of them, he figured that he may as well help her. If not for one small, yet crucial, factor. "What tree stumps?"
"The ones over--thattaway..." She had spent all morning cutting down trees, and now, when she looked behind herself, she saw a whole row of half-grown saplings, each one larger and more mature the further back they went. As if by some kind of magic, the strange trees had restored themselves back to their former health.
"Ya feelin' alright," Big Macintosh asked when he saw Applejack's surprised face.
"Yeah. I'm fine. Just a bit shocked is all."
"Well, snap out of it, sis. We still got apples to buck, an' we ain't gonna get anywhere if ya don't saw those trees faster."
Applejack was able to handle nearly any stressful situation. It was just one of the reasons that her friends relied on her so much to help them through difficult times. But, with everything that had been happening lately, it was becoming too much for her to handle. She would need some help if she was going to get rid of these trees. "I gotta go into town fer a bit."
"Need somethin'?"
"Just gotta see Twilight fer some help." She then turned her attention to the second story window of her house. "An' you stay in yer room 'til I get back, ya hear!"
Along with Winona, Apple Bloom had been watching Applejack cut down the trees for some time, and only realized what she was doing when she saw the trees slowly growing back as the hours passed. The filly said nothing to affirm Applejack's command, but gave her the hoof when she had her back turned. An action that earned a disapproving scowl from Big Macintosh.
Not that Apple Bloom actually cared what her brother thought. Not even bothering with him, she decided to take matters into her own hooves. "Stay in my room? Ferget it," she said to Winona, "Come on, girl. Let's go make another pie."
To Winona, making a pie meant that Bruce would come to visit again, and she could learn more about her new friend over a game of fetch, provided that Applejack didn't find out. With a wag of her tail, she hurried to the door as Apple Bloom packed up her books to read while she readied the pie.



Applejack walked through town, all the way to the Golden Oaks Library. She figured that if there was anypony who knew what could be done about these strange happenings, it would be Twilight. Nopony else had such a vast collection of knowledge at their disposal, and may very well be able to help her with her problems.
Feeling slightly hopeful, she entered the library. "Hey, Twi! I gotta talk to ya," she called.
"I'm up here. And no yelling in the library," Twilight answered with a hushed shout as she peeked her head out from the now curtained upstairs area.
"Sorry," Applejack apologized, "I just need a favor is all."
"Alright. But, I want to finish up here first. Can you wait?"
"Sure. What for?"
"I'm working on a new project up here. And I think I'm near a breakthrough." Twilight returned behind the curtains. "Spike, do you have those new acorns yet?"
Whatever was happening, it was sounding seriously strange to Applejack. She climbed the stairs to investigate what was happening, and found herself in the darkened upper level. She had seen the curtains hanging there, but only now did she see what a difference they made.
There was barely enough light to see her hoof in front of her face, if not for the candle Twilight and Spike had burning on a small table. Set near the candle was a small bowl full of flowers and acorns
"Okay," Twilight psyched herself up, "I think by now, we can safely say that using shadows to move things is out of the question. But, I still have a good feeling about this new smoke experiment."
"And we know how that's been going so far. Up in smoke," Spike answered.
"Every great success is preceded by several failures, Spike," Twilight chided her number one assistant. "We just need to figure out how she got that image last night. Ready with the fire?"
"As usual."
The tiny dragon welled up a few embers before he spewed a small stream of fire into the bowl, singing the plants inside. First, they smoldered, until they burst into flame and created a cloud of smoke that filled the dark room, making all of the occupants within cough loudly.
"I told you, it's no good doing this without that witch," Spike said as he opened a window, and set to work pulling down the curtains that were blocking all of the light.
"We can do this without her. We just need to figure out what she did that we're not doing," Twilight answered.
"Yeah, because it's always as easy as just watching somepony else do it," Spike said as he fanned the smoke out the window with the curtains.
"We're going to have to analyze these in the basement. Sorry, Applejack, but this is going to take a lot of my energy. If you can just tell me what you need, I can help you out later," Twilight said, now magically holding her to-do list and a quill.
All of a sudden, with no warning at all, Applejack's friends were practicing witch magic. Whatever they were getting into, she wanted no part of it. "Uh...That's alright, Twi. I think I'll try somewhere else," she said as she hastily left. "Good luck with the research," she said, more out of formality than genuine well-wishing.
She left the library, feeling like she just avoided an oncoming train. She decided that she had better try another friend, even though she felt bad about not staying to talk Twilight out of trying her new magic. Then again, Twilight was the smartest mare she knew, so she would likely figure out what a bad idea it was in a matter of hours. With that in mind, she went to find another friend to help her.



Applejack walked inside Sugarcube Corner with the hope that maybe Pinkie knew something about what was happening with that crazy Pinkie Sense of her's.
Inside, it was strangely barren. No treats were placed on display and nopony was at the cash register. If not for the noise in the kitchen, she would have thought the place was abandoned.
"Pinkie? Ya back there," Applejack asked as she slowly approached the kitchen door.
"Huh? Whuzzat...?" came the dazed reply from the back room.
It may have been Pinkie's voice that called, but it still didn't sound anything like her. No unnecessary excitement, no overblown enthusiasm, no zipping out to the front area to greet the arriving customer. It made Applejack think that there may have been something wrong.
"Everything okay, Pinkie," she said as she entered the kitchen.
Once through the door, she found Pinkie busy at work creating all kinds of pastries. Cookies, brownies, cupcakes were all set out, and she was currently at work mixing a big bowl of strawberry sauce. "Uh-huh...all fine. Just setting up a party is all..." Pinkie answered.
"Ya expectin' a bunch o' ponies, or somethin'," Applejack asked as she looked over the great number of pastries.
"No...Just one. I said some things to her that really made her sad. So I'm going to...going to...going...to..." Pinkie swooned briefly before resuming her speech, "I have to make up for being such a meanie..."
"Ya must've said somethin' real bad to go all out like this," Applejack noted as she looked at more plates of treats she didn't notice when she walked in. That, and she noticed that one of Pinkie's hooves was bandaged, and figured that it had something to do with Pinkie and this strange new mare.
"Yeah...But I hope this makes it better...I made her some extra fudgy brownies...My chock-full-of-chocolate-chocolate-chip-cookies...My own specialty, signature cupcakes...And specially for her:... a great, big bowl of...blood pudding... Made with my very own, super-sweet blood..."
Applejack's jaw dropped as her head whipped between the bandage on Pinkie's hoof and the bowl of what she originally thought was strawberry sauce. "What the--!! What the buck are you doin'," Applejack said as she backed away from the bowl of red liquid.
"I guess my party guest likes bloodstuff...So I'm going to show her how sorry I am by making as much as I can without passing out...I think I'm almost done ...Unless you have some blood you can spare?..."
Hearing that sent a shock through Applejack's entire nerves. "No thanks. I'm savin' mine fer later. Have fun bein' crazy," she said as she quickly backed out of the kitchen, then ran out the door.
She stopped to collect herself once she was outside, and wondered what the buck Pinkie was doing to herself. In any case, she figured that this would only be a one-time thing, and Pinkie wouldn't inflict any more harm on herself once her party was over. Once she reasoned that much with herself, she went on to try getting help somewhere else.



"Rainbow Dash!"
After the first two failures, Applejack decided that Rainbow Dash was her best bet. Sure, she wasn't always around, and she almost never showed up on time, but she was dependable when it mattered the most.
She doubted that Rainbow Dash would know much about these monsters, but she would likely be as eager to learn a way to stop them as she was herself.
Applejack scanned the skies, looking for a misplaced, low-hanging cloud that was sure to be Dash's napping spot. Finally, near the middle of town, she found what she was looking for.
"Rainbow Dash! I got somethin' I wanna ask ya," Applejack called to the cloud.
"Just a sec', AJ. I want to finish this page," Dash answered from her cloudy perch.
"Whatcha readin' up there? Another Derrin' Do book?"
"We're reading about ghosts," Scootaloo answered as she poked her head over the edge of the cloud.
"Ain't ya supposed to be grounded," Applejack asked the filly.
"Yeah, she's grounded," Dash answered. "After what she did last night, I told her she's not leaving my sight for the next week. So, here she is," Dash said, ruffling her filly's mane.
To Applejack, it looked like she was being way too lenient with her foal. If it was herself in that situation, she would have had Scootaloo confined to her room just like she had done with her own sister.
Then, it occurred to her what they were reading. They had said that their book was about ghosts, so maybe they were looking for ways to get rid of them before she arrived. "So, that book up there? What're ya readin' about?"
"We already told you: ghosts," Dash answered as she and Scootaloo flapped to the ground.
"I got that. I mean, what about ghosts are ya readin'?"
"We're trying to find safer ways to call them to our house," Scootaloo answered.
"What!?"
"Yeah, and it's really cool stuff too," Dash continued, misinterpreting Applejack's surprise for enthusiasm. "There are all these different ways to summon different kinds of ghosts. But, we're looking for a better way to call them without making any mistakes again."
"Ya done this before," Applejack said with wide-eyed horror.
"That's kind of a story for another time," Scootaloo interjected.
"Oh, right. Don't want to scare AJ away," Dash chuckled, before looking back to her friend and seeing she was gone.
"I think we're one step ahead of that, mom."



Everything was going all to pieces. Applejack came to town, looking for her friend's help to get rid of whatever was happening at her orchard, and now it turns out that they were all getting involved in the strange happenings. There had to be some escape from this craziness, and Applejack knew just where to find it.
Of all the ponies who would not associate themselves with something horrifying and repulsive, she knew that Rarity was the mare to go to. So, her next stop became Carousel Boutique. Granted, she didn't expect Rarity to know a thing about these monsters, but it would be nice to get away from her problems for a little while.
She entered the boutique, feeling a wash of relief at the sight of the frilly, pink interior. Nothing in the entire place had a trace of a feeling of Nightmare Night within. Knowing Rarity, it was because such things were 'improper' and 'unladylike.'
"Coming," came Rarity's voice from the back after the bell above the door rang.
Hearing that familiar musical trill of a voice made her worries ebb slightly as Rarity came out to the fitting area. "Welcome to Carousel Boutique. Where everything is--" She cut her usual greeting short when she saw who had arrived. "Oh, hello, Applejack. Have you come to acquire some new farm gear?"
"Naw. Just wanted to stop by is all," Applejack answered.
"But, as long as you're here, I must insist that you take this," Rarity said as she magically retrieved a new article of clothing.
When Applejack received it, she found it to be a sleeveless, brown gown; sturdy, yet ventilated; and with enough coverage to protect the wearer from the sun, perfect for outdoor labor. "Thanks, Rarity. Ya just made this fer me today?"
"Oh, no, no, no. Part of it was made last night. Though not by myself."
"Really? So, who made it? Sweetie Belle?"
"It wasn't me. It was a bunch of brownies," Sweetie Belle answered as she came out of the back room with a book on her back.
"Sounds like they had too much sugar in 'em if they could make somethin' like this," Applejack joked.
"No, not 'brownies.' Brownies. See," Sweetie Belle explained as she opened the book she had to the page pertaining to the small, rodent-like creatures.
"Is that a rat wearin' a jacket?"
"It's far from being an ordinary rat," Rarity said to Applejack. "It's a helpful little dark creature, which overnight washed my dishes, polished my jewels and made that gown you're holding."
Applejack was surprised to hear that she was holding something that was made by some monster. Enough to make her drop it as she jumped.
"The best part is that most ponies have them living in their house, and don't even know it. I bet if you left out some cream for them, you wouldn't have to do so much work in the mornings," Sweetie Belle said.
"They just live in ponies houses," Applejack said, trying not to shout.
"Yep. You probably have some living right under your floorboards. I bet you're even standing near some right now."
Applejack looked all around herself, imagining all kinds of monsters that may have been hiding within every fold of fabric and tiny crevice that she could see.
"As a matter of fact, my sister and I were just reading to see if there were any more friendly, helpful creatures to invite to our home," Rarity added.
"Yer invitin' these things inside," Applejack said, now on the verge of shouting.
"Uh-huh," Sweetie affirmed. "And, as long as you're here, can I ask you something? See, I have this new friend who I'd really like to see again, and I want her to feel welcome here. So, if it's not too much trouble: can I borrow some of your blood? Rarity won't give me any of her's"
"Sweetie Belle, we've already been through this. If you want any blood, you must use your own."
"WHAT THE BUCK IS GOIN' ON AROUND HERE," Applejack finally snapped, shocking the other two ponies. "All day, I been runnin' into trees growin' back from stumps, ponies practicin' witch magic, ponies callin' ghosts, ponies lettin' monsters into their houses, an' ponies bleedin' themselves dry! HAS THE WHOLE DANG TOWN GONE NUTS!!!? AM I THE ONLY PONY STANDIN' BETWEEN DECENCY AN' A NIGHTMARE!!!?"
"Well...no. Night mares are pretty skittish, and they don't come near ponies between anything," Sweetie said to calm the farmpony's nerves.
Her effort was in vain, since Applejack bolted out the door faster than either sister could blink.



After striking out so many times, she finally decided that she should see Fluttershy for help. Normally, she wouldn't bother, since Fluttershy was definitely doing her best to avoid being anywhere near anything scary. All Applejack needed now was somepony who could offer her some much-needed counseling, and there was nopony better than Fluttershy for exactly that.
Her heart fluttered at the wholesome sight of Fluttershy's cottage, knowing for certain that this was going to be her safe haven from whatever horrors her friends were involving themselves with. With a budding merriment, she trotted across the bridge to have a heart-to-heart with her friend.
Once she was halfway across the bridge, she heard a mighty splash as something jumped high out of the water in front of her. At first, she thought it may have been a sea or an otter. When the creature reared up in front of her, she saw herself confronted by another wolf creature.
Unlike the giant, gray monster she fought off last night, this one was much shorter and slimmer, with dark green fur. What really drew her attention were its clawed hands, which she saw were slightly webbed, and the large stick it held in its teeth.
It took a step toward Applejack on a pair of long, powerful-looking legs, which made the farmpony think it could bound toward her as quickly as it leapt out of the water. She prepared herself to buck that thing in the face on a snap notice, until she heard a familiar voice call it away.
"Flipper. Come back, please."
Turning to the source of the voice, the monster jumped high into the air, off of the bridge to the ground near Fluttershy's house, where it ran on all fours across the yard to the waiting pegasus. "Good boy," Fluttershy said as she took the stick from the monster. "Do you want to fetch again?"
The werewolf answered by barking and jumping excessively. Through her time with the dark creatures, Fluttershy was beginning to gradually understand them, and the werewolf sounded like it was saying it would love to fetch again.
"Alright. Here you go," Fluttershy said as she took the stick in her own teeth and wound up for a throw.
The werewolf ran back and forth until the stick was thrown into the river again, where it passed Applejack before it jumped into the water and paddled after the stick.
As the werewolf swam, another noise was heard. One that sounded like a mix of a bleating goat and a bugling elk. Next, a creature like a goat draped in seashells came in and splashed excessively as it brandished its horns to the werewolf.
"Billy. Be nice. Flipper is only playing a game. If you want, you can play too," Fluttershy gently admonished.
The goat creature snorted at Fluttershy, before unleashing a headbutt that sent her and the werewolf flying away from the river.
"That creature is awfully territorial, isn't it," Fluttershy asked her new canine friend after they landed.
The werewolf answered by shaking its fur dry all over Fluttershy, who cringed under the sudden shower.
"Why don't we go play in another part of the river," Fluttershy offered.
The werewolf huffed.
"Let's go over here, where Billy won't get us."
The werewolf barked in Applejack's direction, bringing Fluttershy's attention to her friend.
"Oh! Hello, Applejack," the yellow pegasus greeted her friend. "Did you come by to say hello to my new friends?"
It was frightening enough to see Fluttershy standing with a monster, but then she saw as what looked like hundreds of monsters crawling out of every shadow on the property. Each one crowded around the pegasus, like a horrible entourage. Soon, she was surrounded by a whole throng of monsters, each one staring at Applejack. Even in the shadows where the monsters came from, Applejack could see more eyes peering out at her.
Her heart began to race, and her nerves bristled under her skin. Once she locked eyes with the werewolf, she let out a blood-curdling shout that resonated far into the distance. Ponies in town were given a jolt by the noise, ruining their current activities. Babies were awoken from their naps, and cried profusely. Glass rattled. The pious prayed to Celestia to save them from the demon making that doom noise.
Deep in the Everfree Forest, animals ran for cover. A hydra heard the shout and sank deep into its mud puddle to escape the horrible sound. A pack of timber wolves began howling in concert with Applejack's shout.
Once her throat had begun to hurt (but mostly because she finally ran out of air) Applejack stopped yelling and stormed off the property back to her home.
All of the dark creatures on the property had covered their ears, dug underground or dove underwater to escape the noise, but the green werewolf covered Fluttershy's ears to spare her the horrible noise.
Fluttershy trembled with her eyes wide open. "Dih...Dih...Dih...Dih...Dih..." Fluttershy stammered, until the werewolf shook more water out of its fur, showering her once more.
"Dih...D-Did I say something wrong, Applejack," Fluttershy asked, once she was snapped out of her borderline catatonia, and realized that Applejack was nowhere in sight. "Applejack?... Oh my. I think I have to lie down..." She then staggered a few steps, before falling, and being caught by Flipper, who then carried into the house by the scruff of her neck.



"I got a good feelin' this pie's gonna be even better than the last one," Apple Bloom said to Winona as she worked on the nearly finished pie.
Using what she learned from Granny the last time (and after several botched attempts), she had a feeling that this one was going to come out better, both in taste and appearance.
She paid attention to exactly how much of each ingredient she was putting into the pie filling, (especially the cinnamon), and even added a few ingredients of her own. Everything, but the secret ingredient that only Granny knew. But she made up for it with presentation.
The crust of the pie had been pressed and scalloped to perfection, and she was working on slicing the shapes of tiny flowers into the top crust.
"Gotta be real careful on this part, Winona. We need this to be just right," Apple Bloom said as she focused her concentration on making a precise cut. Except, she focused too much and nearly fell forward and ruined the pie, if not for Winona catching her. "Thanks, girl," she said as she finished up cutting a design into the crust.
"What's this ya got goin' on," Granny asked as she hobbled into the room.
"I'm makin' another pie fer my friends," Apple Bloom proudly proclaimed, "An' I did it by myself."
Winona made a noise that sounded like a mix of a whimper and a growl.
"Well, Winona helped little."
"Ar-roo-rooooo."
"Fine! She helped a bunch."
"Oof..."
"'Nother pie, huh," Granny asked, "So I guess yer friends liked the first one?"
"They must've. I found the empty tin outside with a bunch o' pawprints around it."
"Pawprints? Ya ain't bringin' timber wolves here, are ya?"
"No. I think Bruce'd scare away any timber wolves that tried to come," Apple Bloom explained as she put the pie in the oven.
"That one o' yer friends," Granny asked as while she set the time and temperature on the oven.
"Who?"
"This Bruce fella ya mentioned."
Apple Bloom didn't know how to answer that. Granny was open to many things in her old age (partly due to mild senility), but she didn't know how the old mare would handle something like a werewolf. "Yeah. He's a friend o' mine. I think ya'd like him if ya met him."
"Really? So, what kinda friend is he if he leaves pawprints where he walks?"
"Uh..." Once again, Apple Bloom had to pause to think about her answer. She had no idea how to gently break it to Granny, but she wouldn't have to.
Winona made a noise and brought Apple Bloom's attention to the door, where hooves could be heard walking on the porch.
"Oh, horseapples! I'm supposed to be in my room! Come on, girl," Apple Bloom said hastily as she and her dog rushed out of the kitchen and back upstairs, just as Applejack walked back inside.
"Hey, Granny," Applejack sighed as she walked in, and looked at the mess of ingredients that were out, "Just finished a pie, huh? Better make another one, 'cause I feel like I'm gonna need to binge a whole bunch o' pie after the mornin' I had."
"Rough day, youngun," Granny asked.
"I don't wanna talk about it." Applejack didn't want to pass any of her worries to her grandmother. Especially after she came home and found those strange trees had grown back completely, as if they had never been sawed down at all.
"Alright. But, when ya feel ready, ya can talk it out with ol' Granny," the old mare answered before she left the room. "Right now, I gotta get some more apples, since Apple Bloom used 'em all."
"Apple Bloom was out o' her room!? Son of a--" Applejack stopped herself from exploding again, and was about to look for Apple Bloom to give her sister an earful. Then, she stopped when she noticed something on the counter.
There was a book there. One of the ones that Apple Bloom said she got for Nightmare Night, she remembered. It was sprawled open, as if her sister was reading it before she hurried away to do something else.
The page it was opened to had pictures on it of bizarre symbols that Applejack had never seen or heard of before, but she had a feeling that it was about something about the magic her friends and family were getting involved with.
She was about to slam it shut, until she found something on the page that elaborated how to dispel the magic spells that were shown in the picture. Once she was finished there, she examined the cover of the book, and found the title to be A Practical Guide for Magical Defense.
Finally, a stroke of luck. This book was going to be the answer to Applejack's problems. Within the pages were the instructions to deter anymore unwanted visitors an evil magic.
Feeling a new sense of hope, she took the book outside with her when she decided to finish the day's work before she set about to reading how to keep her family safe.



Even on one of the busiest streets of Macabria, one building was always a draw for the public for the boisterous merriment that could be heard from across the street.
Inside, the assortment of weathered elders trying to recall their younger days, amicable bar hosts who gossiped with the rummies, sailors on shore leave, hopeless singles who tried to forget their lonely woes, unscrupulous businessmen, and the usual waiting staff all enjoyed themselves as the shows went on.
Today, the lovely Molly St. John was performing a new song and dance act where she played a maiden high in the verdant hills, with a rushing herd of night mares in the distance that seemed to move in perfect harmony with her steps.
Now that her bandages were off, she was able to wear a costume that was much more audience-pleasing, and earned a loud din of excited shouts when she revealed a single bare leg to the crowd.
The show carried on, until the finale where the herd of night mares came out of the background and rushed onto the stage, disappearing into nothingness once they jumped off. When they had all disappeared, where Molly once stood was a more stunning equine than the crowd had ever seen. The epitome of animal beauty, as if taken from a child's feary tale.
With a gust of wind, the night mare blew away to reveal Molly giving a curtsy to the audience before she stepped offstage.
"All done up there," she called to the catwalk over the stage.
"On my way," Courtney answered as she walked down the steps of the first flight of stairs. Once she reached the landing she jumped onto the rail of the second flight and slid down to the ground.
Both women were happy their work day was over. Now, they had the rest of the day to themselves, until they began their night job. "So, what's your plan for tonight," Courtney asked her friend.
"Can we talk about it while I get changed?"
"Of course," Courtney answered, also eager to leave work.
The witch curled her lip to let out a short whistle. In less than a second, Bruce dropped from above with a ground shaking thud, ready to follow Courtney wherever she needed to go next.
They arrived at Molly's dressing room, and while she changed, Courtney waited outside with Bruce.
"So, aside from the obvious, what are we doing tonight," Courtney asked from the hallway through the cracked door.
"Oh, I don't know. I think I may try to go back to Fluttershy's house, in case she needs any more help with those animals," Molly sighed, clearly not enthused to be returning.
"If you want, you could come with me and Bruce to check on the spirits. Provided the..." Courtney paused, mindful not to mention The Wicker Man while others were around. "You-know-what isn't around."
"Don't say things like that! Just the idea of that thing romping to Fluttershy's house is enough to make me whither!"
"Didn't her friend call you a monster?"
"Like I needed to be reminded of that. I know I wasn't exactly treated like a guest of honor, but Fluttershy was such a sweetheart. Even if she thought I was a monster too, she was still so kind, and willing to look after all the animals she knew nothing about."
"She does sound like quite the Samaritan," Courtney muttered, glad to at least hear one of the light-dweller's was nice to her friend. "What about you Bruce? Planning the usual rounds about town?"
Bruce grunted in response.
"There's never an end to those ponies' troubles, is there? And as luck would have it, there aren't enough people like us to solve them."
Molly came out of her dressing room, now wearing her usual red dress, and stopped in the doorway. Courtney and Bruce both recognized the look on her face as the one she always made when an idea entered her mind.
"What are you thinking," Courtney asked.
"What if the light-dwellers had someone who could take care of their problems year round? You know? A full-time resident witch," Molly said suggestively.
"Good grief, I wouldn't be able to live there! Not with all those panicking ponies!"
"Not quite what I meant," Molly said with a shake of her head. "I'm talking about one of them learning witchcraft. Someone who has already clearly shown an interest, and an aptitude for magic."
Nerves snapped and connected in Courtney's brain as she comprehended what her friend was getting at. Admittedly, the thought occurred to her in passing, but she never thought about it seriously. Not even when Apple Bloom said she wanted to be a witch.
"I can't do that! The ponies would chase her out of town if they knew what she was doing!"
"Not the ones I met. And especially not her family, as you already know."
Courtney bit her lip, as she knew what Molly said was true.
"And still, wouldn't it be nice if they did have someone who could help them with their otherworldly problems the year round? It would eliminate the need for people like us. And, in the long run, it may get around that the people like us aren't the monsters they make us out to be."
Bruce grunted as he nudged Courtney's arm with his snout.
There was nothing that could be said to change Courtney's mind about her decisions, but Molly and Bruce both had strong points to make. She clenched her fist as it felt like her stomach was going to explode. "Mother's going to kill me..." she groaned through her clenched teeth.
Both her friend's smiled at her decision, sure that only good was to come for their future.