Witchcraft is Magic

by wingdingaling

Chapter 17: What's to Come

Chapter 17

What's to Come

A shadow drifted through the deepest part of the Everfree Forest, its glowing blue eyes piercing the darkness for its quarry. She knew it was out there. Bruce had reported seeing The Wicker Man in that area when he took Apple Bloom and Winona for their ride through the woods.

The shadow drifted along the shoreline of the lake, always keeping an eye on any potential hiding spots. Not that it could hide very well with its great size and glowing body, but there was definitely the chance it could find some way to ambush her somehow.

All around was the evidence of the creatures presence. Singed wicker straws, scorched plants and landscape, and the lingering stench of sulfur. Then something caught the eye of the shadow.

On a small tombolo that jutted into the lake, there was a charred mass of something lying there.

The closer she came, the less she could recognize it. It may have been some kind of animal, but then again, it may have not been. She dreaded the thought that some pony may have wandered their way into the woods to be devoured by The Wicker Man, but there was no mistaking the equine face and the four hooves.

It was a heartbreaking find for the shadow. Whoever this pony was, it was a certainty their family would be destroyed by the loss of a loved one.

She tried not to think that it was someone that she knew. The corpse was far too large to be any fillies she knew, and the absence of wings or a horn didn't make her think it was related to Sweetie Belle or Scootaloo. The thought crossed her mind that it may have been Apple Bloom's sister, but then again, as a farmer, she would likely be asleep by this hour to begin the day's labor as early as possible.

Speaking of, the hour was growing early, and the sun would be up in a matter of minutes. No less than half an hour at least. In a burst of darkness, the shadow scattered to pieces and merged with the various shadows around it.

---

"The bad news keeps coming, Bruce," Courtney sighed once she was done channeling her shadow. "The Wicker Man's killed again."

"Ooo?"

"No. It was nobody that we know. But, whoever it was, we can offer no solace to their family. We can only hope the family of the departed finds some way to cope with their loss..."

Bruce could see tears welling up in Courtney's eyes. The witch rarely spoke of her father, for she very often ended up crying when she mentioned him. It was likely that she was now thinking of her beloved father, for her empathy with the family of the deceased. Bruce knew that he could never make that kind of hurt go away, but did what he could for Courtney.

The werewolf rubbed the top of his head against Courtney's shoulder before he rolled onto his back and exposed his belly. In no time at all, Courtney started smiling after she began rubbing his stomach with her hoof. He never knew what she liked so much about belly rubs, but he liked how it tickled, and it never failed to make Courtney happy.

"The Hallow is already upon us," Courtney said once she stopped her session of belly rubs. "We should go home and rest for a few hours before we hunt again. And this time, we must find The Wicker Man."

There was no more time for the witch. It would take all of her energy and magical skills to save Equestria from disaster. Stepping out from the shadow of the tree she was under, she began walking to her next destination.

From where she was, it wasn't all that far to Fluttershy's cottage. Less than a mile, actually. In no time at all, Bruce and Courtney found themselves back in front of the small dwelling, noticing the same changes as Molly had before.

"It's awfully quiet here," Courtney noted to herself. In the back of her mind, she may have thought The Wicker Man had come by there, but there was no evidence that it had. Not even the scent of sulfur was in the air.

Going closer to the house, the witch and the werewolf could hear some kind of noise coming from the front door, like some kind of happy chatter going on. Glad that it at least sounded like her friend was having a pleasant time.

Silently, she opened the door and peered inside to see six mares and two fillies with their backs turned to the door as they watched a leafy, green showmare strut her stuff for the audience. Seeing that all was well, she let herself inside, staying behind everyone else, while Bruce only poked his head in the open door.

"It's all only a basic routine, but it does drive audiences wild when you implement it properly," Molly explained as she finished up her dance moves.

"But, isn't it a bit...risque. What about the foals watching," Rarity asked after she thought of the proper word to use.

Courtney rolled her eyes at the unicorn's puritan sensibilities.

"But, all foals have to learn about that kind of thing at some point, don't they," Sweetie Belle asked. "If they didn't, don't you think they'd all end up as melodramatic as you?"

Everyone else in the room laughed heartily at Sweetie's observation, though Courtney tried to stifle her laughter, not yet ready to reveal herself to the crowd.

Rarity herself was flustered by both her friend's reactions and her sister's surprisingly mature statement. "Yes. I suppose so. But, not when they're so young."

"I'm not so sure of that," Molly said as she continued another basic dance routine, though it was much less racy than her first, yet still suggestive. "I learned when I was around Sweetie's age, and I feel that I turned out rather well adjusted." The leafy mare's performance became gradually more suggestive as she spoke, prompting Rainbow Dash and Rarity to cover their foal's eyes.

From the back, Courtney saw how her friend was showing off for the crowd. After all their time together, Courtney knew her role as the second half of the act was to add a special visual flair to the main show. That in mind, she decided to lend her talents to Molly's performance.

It began when Molly started to glow, then she was enveloped in flames that took the shape of the fiery ensemble Courtney had donned earlier. Only this time, it took a form more suited to Molly's revealing tastes.

With a final spin that created a flourish of sparks and embers, Molly showed off her performing prowess by striking a pose that showed off every endowment her body had.

Wide-eyed and slack-jawed, the audience all started clopping their hooves on the floor while Molly did a curtsy before her clothes fluttered off her body and fizzled out.

"That was breathtaking," Fluttershy exhaled as a smile crawled across her face.

"It was the greatest thing ever," Pinkie shouted, now able to stand, but not without a minor head rush.

Rainbow Dash slowly stopped clopping her hooves and began staring objectively at the guest of honor.

"You're thinking of ways you can show her up, aren't you," Scootaloo asked.

"I know I can do it without looking so frilly. But, how do I get hips like that?"

"It looks like drinking blood works," Sweetie Belle suggested, making Dash and Scootaloo both groan quietly.

Normally, Rarity would reprimand her sister for such a vulgar suggestion, but her mind was elsewhere at the moment. Ever since Nightmare Night came near, she had been struggling with what costume she wanted to wear, but now she had seen the inspiration she required. Somehow, someway, she was going to replicate Molly's dress and become the queen of Nightmare Night. All she had to do was find a way to safely ignite the dress without burning herself.

"You really know how to put on a show," Twilight complimented, before she magically retrieved some parchment and a quill. "Could you tell me more about that magic while I take notes? For scientific purposes, of course."

"You'll have to ask my performing partner about that," Molly said as she pointed to the back of the room.

Everypony looked, and the adults were shocked by the sight of a blue-eyed shadow and a monster that filled the doorway. The foals, however, were delighted by the familiar sight of their friends.

"Courtney," the fillies shouted as they rushed forward to hug the witch, whose eyes went wide when she was embraced.

"How odd. She usually scares children back home," Molly said to Pinkie, who started giggling with her new friend, though she wasn't quite sure what 'children' were.

Bruce groaned in the doorway, disappointed that he wasn't getting any attention from the fillies.

"Sorry, Bruce. We're happy to see you too," Sweetie Belle said as she and Scootaloo hugged his face and scratched his ears.

Once all the attention was on him, Bruce backed out of the doorway and into the yard where he could play with the fillies uninhibited. Soon after, they were joined by the green werewolf who had taken up residence in Fluttershy's house, who jumped high over Bruce's head in a playful fashion.

Everyone else had moved outside to watch as more of the animals joined the fun. From the doorway, and from the very shadows of the property, animals of light and dark frolicked with the others. Birds flitted about, rodents scurried back and forth, reptiles crawled and slithered this way and that, creating a sight that was unlike any the others had seen.

After she had slipped away from the crowd to sprinkle chalk on the ground, Courtney glanced over at Molly, who she knew was about to burst from the sight of all those animals playing with the fillies. Unfortunately, their night had to end soon. They would only be able to rest for a few hours before they returned to hunt down The Wicker Man once and for all.

As she sprinkled chalk, she stopped when she became aware of a pink light glowing next to her, finding it to be Twilight with a magically levitating quill and parchment.

"Hi. I don't know if you remember me, but we met at the library last night," she greeted the witch.

"I do remember," Courtney said as she resumed sprinkling chalk. "Twilight, yes?"

"Right. And you were..."

"Courtney."

"Oh. That's right," Twilight said, slightly embarrassed that she had forgotten the witch's unusual name. "So...Courtney?"

"Yes?"

"I can see you're busy right now, but do think you might be able to tell me a little bit about that magic you used?"

After she was done creating a perimeter for the gateway between their worlds, Courtney paused once more, unsure if she should divulge such information to a light-dweller she barely knew. Then again, she did nothing but break her mother's rules since she arrived in Equestria, so what difference would it make? "Of course. Ask away."

The way that Twilight giggled so giddily made the witch feel like she had made a mistake obliging the unicorn's request. But, she would simply have to endure it.

"So, the first thing I want to ask you about is that thing you did with those acorns. I've tried to replicate it, but I can't find any scientific basis for those components."

"And you won't. This is magic, not science."

"But, every spell I know has some connection to science. How else can ponies in your world use magic?"

There were two fundamental things wrong with what Twilight said. The first being that there were no ponies in her world. The only thing that came close were night mares. The other being this pony's idea that magic was somehow scientific. "Sorry to say, but it's not so simple a thing as studying it like some medicinal serum. It's more esoteric than that," the witch explained.

Twilight had only begun scribbling her notes when she stopped before the first word was finished. "Esoteric? How does that work," she asked. "If anypony wants to use magic around here, they need to have a firm grasp of the source and functions of magic in the world."

"That may work here, but if you don't change your mindset, you'll never be able to use witchcraft," Courtney explained as she started working on a second circle perimeter.

"Um... Okay. Can you give some kind of example how to start learning it," Twilight earnestly asked.

"I'm sorry, but I can't help you with that. If you truly want to understand witchcraft, you need to learn it on your own. You need to dedicate yourself to its study and meditate for hours on end what you've learned. Even a basic spell like the one you tried replicating takes a slight understanding of the nature of witchcraft," Courtney said, her mind then going to Apple Bloom, who had already cast such a spell.

Thinking of Apple Bloom made her wonder if the filly had already found her answer after the night's events. But, that was a longshot at best. Still, she would need to do something to encourage the filly, and sent a shadow slithering away into the night.

"Okay. Next question," Twilight said, too engrossed in what few notes she had taken to notice what had just happened. "What makes your eyes glow like that?"

"Darkness," was all Courtney said as she stepped under the shadow of a nearby tree so that her eyes illuminated.

"Uh, right," Twilight said, after slightly jumping from the sudden sight of the other mare's ghoulish eyes. "Care to elaborate on that?"

"That's it, plain and simple. In the absence of light, my eyes glow."

"Is it some kind of bioluminescence?"

"No. That would imply a chemical or biological reaction of some sort. It only happens when I'm standing in a shadow. Hence, darkness."

"But that isn't how things work," Twilight said, growing gradually more flustered as their conversation went on.

"Maybe your magic is based on science, reasoning and other rot, but mine is something that everyone must feel and experience for themselves before they ever understand it. It is not technology. It is not medicine. It's magic. Science has no part of it."

"So, how does somepony where you're from experience the first steps to understanding witchcraft," Twilight asked now ready to take some notes.

"Once more, everyone has their own way of discovering such a thing."

Twilight was about ready to put away her quill and paper.

"Or, you could do what I did."

"Which was?"

"Fast for a week, strip naked and run screaming into the moonlit forest like a dancing madwoman."

"Got it," Twilight said as she hastily reviewed her notes after writing them. "Fast for a week. Strip..." Twilight's face changed when she realized what she had written, "Strip naked and run screaming..."

"It worked for me. Who knows what it will do for you."

By then, Courtney was finished with both magic circles. It was late, and the sun would be up soon, but she still had a little energy left to put on a show for her new friends.

She put her magic to work, as a great mound rose from the middle of the first magic circle. Leaves carried by wind swirled around the mound while ghostly lights flashed like spectral lightning, and soon it reared up to reveal its form as the upper body of a massive werewolf that towered over the ponies. The beast howled loudly as if to proclaim its rule over the lycans, followed by a refrain from Bruce and Flipper.

The theatrics ended when the monstrous entity's body shrunk and morphed into a singular, disembodied werewolf head, which opened both its fierce yellow eyes and its gaping fanged maw.

The ponies all stood in awe of the sight before them, equally terrified and amazed by the sight before them. The adults all wondered what summoning that abhorrence was supposed to accomplish, but the fillies knew what it meant, and were enraptured by the idea that a gateway to the world they admired so was so close to them again.

"Alright. Any lost animals go through here," Courtney instructed, having learned from last time to have two gateways, with one leading to the wilderness beyond Macabria.

Bruce rounded up the animals, guiding them through the portal, and separating the wild ones from the domestics. However, there were no domestics this time.

From above, two more shadows flew in from above. "Owloysius," Twilight asked, recognizing the figures of her pet and the monster he left with.

The larger creature stood up and ruffled its feathers. With one last look to Owloysius, it hobbled toward the portal to return home, until next year when The Hallow neared.

"Wot 'bout you? Comin'," Bruce asked the green werewolf.

"Nah. Ah got no 'ome back theh. And this luverly little buhd-'orse's lettin' me stey long as Ah lahk," Flipper answered.

"Not a bad spot, either. Plenny o' room ta roam 'round, an' all the lupins ya can nosh."

"Bruce? Is that all of them?"

The others only heard Bruce groan, but it seemed like the witch could understand them. After seeing what happened with their new friend, their fillies playing with the animals, the horrifying magic the dark kin used, and all the other events leading up to where they were now had turned their previous beliefs on their head. Like the fillies before them, they had all clung to the stories they knew from their foalhood, which were now slowly ebbing away the more they saw.

Once all the animals left, the jaws of the shadowy werewolf head closed and the whole thing melted away. Now that her energy was spent, Courtney simply created a swirl of shadows for herself and Molly in the other circle. "Our night's over. Molly. Bruce. It's time to go home."

"But, you just got here," Scootaloo said, "Can't you stay any longer?"

"Please! I want to see you two do another show," Sweetie Belle begged.

"I'm sorry, but we can't do that," Molly explained to the fillies, which earned a raised eyebrow from Courtney. "Everyone has their home to return to at the end of the day. We have to go back to ours now, to prepare for our next visit. And I'm sure you need to go home to yours as well."

Neither filly wanted their friends to go, but they had a point. They were both beginning to feel tired, and realized that it was time for their night to end.

"Okay," Sweetie Belle conceded, "But you'll come back tomorrow night, won't you?"

"Of course we will. We still have time before our worlds separate again, and we'd never leave without saying goodbye to you," Courtney assured her, though she doubted her own words.

Courtney and Molly both hugged the fillies, firmly rooting their promise to come back to them.

Twilight had heard how the witch said their worlds would separate again, and was about to step forward to press her for more information about her magic. But then, she was pulled back by both Dash and Rarity, who didn't want their foal's moment interrupted by their nosy friend.

Bruce said his goodbyes next by licking both filly's faces, which earned him more scratching behind his ears. But soon, he left to the portal between worlds.

With one last look to their new friends, the two dark kin allowed the fillies to go back to their families and left for the portal next.

"We can't stay in Macabria long," Molly said to Courtney as they walked away.

"I know."

"We need to work fast to save them all from The Wicker Man."

"I know."

"How long can we take to prepare?"

"A few hours at most. Then we have to come back."

"Can we still come to see the fillies."

"I don't know."

And with that, they were swallowed by shadows and disappeared into darkness.

"Wow...I'm going to be up 'til morning after all that," Rainbow Dash said to nopony in particular.

"Actually..." Scootaloo answered as she pointed her hoof to the brightening horizon.

---

The sun peeked over the edge of the hills, driving away the darkness as it shined its light on Sweet Apple Acres. Apple Bloom and Winona were both sleeping peacefully, until the gentle rays of the sun touched them and roused the filly.

With a quiet yawn, Apple Bloom raised her head and sleepily looked around the yard. She was almost sure that what had happened last night was too wonderful to have been real, but the missing pie and the massive paw prints in the ground led her to believe it was so.

Looking ahead, her heart fluttered when she recognized the new trees in the orchard. "Winona. Look," she said as she gently shook her still sleeping dog.

Winona woke up, and saw what her filly was pointing at. In the orchard were the trees she had noticed been growing dramatically day after day. Now, they looked fully grown, and almost ready to harvest. For Winona, it was something of a wonder, since ever since she was born she saw that trees took years to get as tall as herself. For Apple Bloom, it was exciting to see that she'd be able to enjoy the fruits she loved so from the dark world.

Behind them both, they heard the door open, finding Applejack in the doorway when they looked. The farmpony looked as scornful as ever when she found her sister out of her room again at such an odd hour, conveying the profound disappointment and disdain she felt for her sister that moment. Without a word, Applejack stepped onto the porch, and held the door open, never once taking her eyes from the filly.

Once again, Apple Bloom locked eyes with her sister, feeling abjectly at odds with her. She knew that Applejack would never understand a thing about the wonders she had seen or the things she had come to know, so she didn't even bother objecting or protesting. Instead, she simply walked inside.

Winona watched as her filly trudged inside, then looked to Applejack. After what she had done, she knew that Applejack would never trust her to look after Apple Bloom again. She had already allowed the filly to leave after hours twice, and hadn't alerted anypony in the house. It was against her very role as a dog to allow such transgressions to happen, no less two times in a row.

Applejack continued to stare at Winona waiting for her to go into the animal pens to help with the day's work. Instead, she was surprised to see the dog go inside and follow her sister.

"I was gonna let ya go to the Nightmare Night party tonight. But, ya just disobeyed yer way outta that," Applejack said.

With everything that had been happening the past few days, Apple Bloom had forgotten that the beloved holiday was so near, let alone upon her. But, even if she had been allowed to go, she would likely have declined. If she had gone, it was very likely that Applejack would do nothing but restrain her from having any fun, knowing how she had been acting lately.

She found it unnecessary to say anything to her sister, who would only assert that she was the only right in the world. Silently, Apple Bloom went upstairs to her room with Winona to find a way to pass the time before the day ended.

"Send Winona down in a few minutes. I'm gonna need some help here soon," Applejack called as her sister walked away from her.

Apple Bloom said nothing to Applejack. Only muttering under her breath to go buck herself across the yard.

"What was that," Applejack demanded to know.

Apple Bloom remained silent.

"I'm talkin' to ya, filly! What did ya say to me!?"

Apple Bloom disappeared upstairs, never once looking to her sister.

"Land sakes," Applejack huffed before she slammed the front door shut and stormed off to begin her work.

Upstairs, Apple Bloom was equally irritated. Ever since these events began on that fateful night, she had been drifting further and further from her sister. Once, they were so close, more than sisters. Applejack was the very image of everything Apple Bloom aspired to be when she was older: strong, brave, honest, determined and focused. Now, after nothing more than making a new friend that she didn't approve, the two were pushed away from one another.

Maybe it really would have been best if she never met Courtney. But, if she hadn't, she would never have realized there was truly nothing to be frightened of in the dark, and that there was a whole world that valued friendship the same as them on the other side of it.

She remembered being told that in Macabria they tried to make friends with the creatures that were turned away by others. She certainly felt that that was what was happening with her and Applejack. If anything, she felt like it was in Macabria that she belonged at that very moment.

Apple Bloom opened her bedroom door, ready to sit down and let the day pass by her. But, she was puzzled when Winona found something lying on her pillow.

When she investigated, she found it to be a pouch made of white paper, and when it was unfolded, she found it to be filled with acorns, flowers, and a small book of matches.

The filly looked at the components that had been given to her, debating whether or not she should use them. She became convinced when Winona shut the door to deter any onlookers or intruders.

Without any further doubts, Apple Bloom began arranging a portion of the components so that they'd burn quicker and brighter before she lit the match. She wasn't too sure about what she had done before to execute the spell, but conveying her will to speak to Courtney in the lit flame seemed to work.

Apple Bloom concentrated hard on the flame, picturing the bipedal creature from the dark world in the flickering match before she cast it onto the components.

There was a billow of smoke, and soon the image of Courtney appeared in the haze. She was lying in bed with her back turned to the filly, while at the bottom of the image was something large that rose and fell as if taking long, slow breaths.

The large mass shifted as its head rose into view, revealing Bruce's face. Looking toward Apple Bloom, the werewolf rose to his paws, and jostled Courtney awake.

"What is it," Courtney mumbled.

Bruce pointed toward Apple Bloom.

"Apple Bloom," Courtney said when she turned to face the filly, "What brings you here so early?"

"I just wanted to thank ya fer what ya did last night," Apple Bloom said after briefly thinking about her answer.

"It was nothing. I just thought you'd like to see what happens as The Hallow nears," Courtney said concisely, wanting to go back to sleep.

"But, it wasn't nothin' to me. I know to you it mighta just been some trip in the woods, but it was more than that fer me! I been learnin' so much from you since I met ya. An' last night, I think I learned somethin' ya wanted me to know."

"And what might that be," Courtney asked, now intrigued.

For a moment, Apple Bloom paused to think about her answer again. She wanted to find the right words to convey how she felt to her friend, and accurately tell her what she learned. "I...think I know what Nightmare Night's all about. Ever since I was born I thought it was about puttin' on some funny costume an' eatin' a bunch o' candy, but last night I saw it was more than that. It's about welcomin' change, an' acceptin' it. It's about appreciatin' life an' death so that ya can have the best o' both when ya cross from one to the next. An' it's about appreciatin' the spirits, an' showin' 'em ya care..."

Courtney saw how Apple Bloom's face changed when she said the last sentence. A face she had only read about in her romance novels, but knew it as when someone had fallen in love. More than that, she was surprised that Apple Bloom had given such a complete and thought out answer. "You must have seen something quite enlightening," she answered, not wanting to pry.

"Yeah...I really did," Apple Bloom trailed off. Last night, she didn't know what she expected to find. She knew the answers to her curiosities would be found if she stayed with Courtney, but never imagined they would lead to a drastic change in herself. And she certainly didn't think they would lead to her first kiss.

"Is that all you wanted to talk about," the witch asked.

Apple Bloom hesitantly nodded.

"Alright," Courtney yawned. "In which case, I'm going back to sleep. Good night." And she laid down with her back turned to Apple Bloom.

In truth, Apple Bloom had one more thing to say to Courtney, though she didn't know if now was an appropriate time to ask. She was about to dispel the smokey image, when she saw how Bruce was looking at her. Looking to her side, she saw Winona looking at her the very same way.

Both canines had a nagging look of persistence in their faces, making the filly realized that it was now or never. Without even inhaling, she quickly blurted out her thoughts.

"Courtney, I wanna be a witch!"

She thought that maybe Courtney had already fallen asleep, but then the witch rolled over to face her, now more alert than ever as she sat up straight with her arms folded atop her knees.

"Is that so," Courtney asked, as if she hadn't expected Apple Bloom to say so. "You know, it's not a simple task to accomplish. It takes vigorous studying to become as adept as I am. And even before, you must have some understanding of the nature of it. And that's beyond simply casting neophyte spells."

"But, that's exactly why I wanna do it. 'Cause I don't understand it. But, I feel like it's something I'm supposed to know. Like, an answer to a question that I never asked before. I know it sounds weird, but that's how it feels to me."

Whatever happened last night, Courtney could see that it had greatly affected her young friend. Whatever Apple Bloom felt, the witch could tell it was genuine. "I can see there's convincing you otherwise," Courtney said as a hint of a smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, "The first order of business: pick a familiar."

"A familiar?"

"Yes. An animal servant, if you will."

"Oh. Alright."

"And it can't be any old creature strutting around your property. A familiar is something that will be bonded to you for as long as you live, and there is no trading. You need to think carefully about what you choose. It will need to be something brave."

Winona presented herself tall and proud.

"Something dependable that you can rely on."

Winona lifted her head high.

"It also has to be loyal, and will never leave you behind."

Winona puffed out her chest.

"And it would help if it could defend you from danger."

Winona lost some of her composure.

"Or, in other cases, keep you from a path that leads to danger."

Winona returned to her impressive posture.

Apple Bloom thought briefly about what she would do for such a thing, but quickly realized the answer was right under her nose.

"I think that she found me," Apple Bloom said as she rubbed her dog's head.

"That's actually preferable in most cases," Courtney answered. "I'll come to your house tonight to begin the rites of bonding. In the meantime, I do need some sleep."

"Thanks! Should I do somethin' to get ready," Apple Bloom eagerly asked.

"Just be at your house when the sun goes down. And no leaving this time."

"Got it," was all Apple Bloom said before the smokey image dispersed.

A sudden wave of vertigo and excitement crashed over her. Over the course of a single night, her life was taking a direction she knew almost nothing about. Inside herself, she felt like she was about to burst from whatever it was she felt, and knew she had to let it out.

Hastily, she piled up two more tiny mounds of acorns and flowers before she lit a match for each, and applied what little magic she knew to conjure two separate images. In her excitement, she had trouble maintaining a clear vision, but soon the two smoking mounds bore images of Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle in their midst.

"Whoah," Sweetie Belle said with a jump after seeing the hazy image that appeared before her.

"What the hay is that," Scootaloo asked next.

"Everypony! Come to my house tonight," Apple Bloom excitedly announced.

"Huh?"

"Did something happen?"

"I'm gonna be a witch! Courtney's comin' here, an' she's gonna help me be a witch!"

"What?"

"Holy Celestia! How'd you get her to do that?"

"Just be here tonight when it happens! I'm gonna be a witch! I gotta get ready! I gotta start studyin'! Where'd I leave my books? I..."

As Apple Bloom's mind cleared, she saw the smokey image of her friends billow into nothingness. She stood perfectly rigid when she realized the impact of what was going to happen next. "I'm gonna be Equestria's first witch in over a thousand years..."

It was a precedent that was sure to alter the course of Equestrian history, and it was going to be the responsibility of a single filly to make sure things changed for the better.

---

"This is going to be the death of me," Courtney sighed as she stuffed her head under her pillow.

On her nightstand, the alarm clock began ringing, signalling the start of her day, making Bruce jump when he heard it.

With her fist clenched, and swirling with shadows, the ringing clock began to sputter, chug, then fall apart piece by piece.

"Bugger all..."

Author's Note:

What Apple Bloom says about the meaning of Nightmare Night ushering in change is more or less accurate about the original meaning of Samhain. And boy, oh boy, are things changing for her.
Also, what Courtney says about magic was added because some of my friends were asking for an in depth explanation as to why Courtney's eyes glow, and how witchcraft works in this story. But I say that it doesn't need any thought out, scientific explanation. That's what makes it fantasy. Also, does anyone remember how the force suddenly became lame when we learned about midichlorions in The Phantom Menace?
In closing, have fun and rock on \m/