Kaidan

by Lupine Infernis

6th Candle

“Apple Bloom.”

The cinnamon scent of the cauldron’s brew lingered in Apple Bloom’s nostrils even after she turned away and looked over her shoulder. “Yeah?”

Zecora was holding a lantern, or at least something that looked like one; it had an exotic shape carved from dark wood and a rune of sorts etched onto one side.

“I am sorry to say, but we seem to have taken most of the day.” Zecora nodded in the direction of one of her windows.

Apple Bloom looked over and gasped. “Shucks! It got this dark already? Ah, my sis’ is gonna tan my hide.”

Apple Bloom had come to Zecora’s hut with the noon sun beaming in through the window. Now, it was practically pitch-black.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean ta stay here for so long,” Apple Bloom rubbed the back of her neck. “But I’m learning all kinds of neat stuff here.”

Zecora chuckled warmly. “It is comforting to have such an earnest student; most of my kind back home are rarely, if ever, so prudent. But it is best for you to head home, for the Everfree is no place to roam. I shall guide you, swift and quiet we shall pass through.”

“Ya don’t have to do that.” Apple Bloom said, though she was secretly relieved as she walked to the front door and pushed it open.

Yep, just as she thought.

The Everfree was creepy on the sunniest of days and the night truly brought out its hostile and independent nature.

Standing on the threshold of Zecora’s safe abode, Apple Bloom listened to the exotic chirps and cries of a myriad of insects. Less often, her ears would catch the stray sound of something slightly larger moving through the brush to feast on the chattering morsels.

The canopy was so thick that the light from Zecora’s home could not pierce it, making Apple Bloom feel as if she were underground; the notion made her briefly dizzy.

Zecora moved beside her and lit the lantern with a strange gesture of her hoof. Apple Bloom had been bugging her for months about Zebrican magic, but all she got in return was a mysterious smile and an assurance that time and hard work will give her the results she wanted.

Basically, the cliché line the masters gave the heroes in every adventure story.

“Stay close to me, Apple Bloom,” Zecora held the lantern high. Its light rolled across the ground and sent bright-eyed critters scurrying for the brush. Apple Bloom inched closer and swallowed. “Or, tonight, you shall meet your doooom.”

She looked up at Zecora’s exaggerated expression and snorted. “Well, ya’ll are th’ one that’s gonna have ta explain ta my sis’ about what happened, so that’s gonna be your doom.”

And with that moment shedding levity on them, Apple Bloom walked alongside Zecora as they took the dirt path back to Ponyville.

Darkness loomed ahead and, gradually, started to creep up behind them as they ventured further and further from Zecora’s hut. The sounds of the critters seemed to abandon them as well, for it grew quieter and quieter until each step Apple Bloom took was clear and crisp.

Eventually, it was just them, walking forward, unable to see anything beyond the dome of light the lantern graced them with.

Darkness.

Silence.

“I-I played dodgeball at school today,” Apple Bloom suddenly blurted out. She did not mean to, but now that she had, and now that Zecora was looking at her, she could not stop. “I almost got out, but Scoots came in at th’ last second an’ caught th’ ball before it hit th’ ground. She’s super-fast!”

Zecora nodded and made a hum – her usual response to most conversations. Apple Bloom knew it wasn’t rudeness, she just preferred to listen.

“An’ after that we went back inside an’ Miss Cheerilee had ta stop th’ lesson because Snips got his hoof glued to his butt again!” Apple Bloom snickered, the sound slicing through the still air. “I don’t know how he manages ta do that, but it gets funnier every time. Well, at one point it was sad, but then it got funny again.”

Apple Bloom’s next breath brought the smell of freshly-dug earth and something sickly sweet. The Everfree had weird smells like this all the time. Zecora said that when it got dark like this it was better to use your smell and hearing to find the herbs you need. Apple Bloom was still a beginner, but she was starting to learn which smells were good and which-

Apple Bloom stopped in place when she heard a twig snap.

Her second thought, following her initial thought of ‘what th’ heck was that?’, was disbelief mixed with slight indignation at how cliché the situation was. She was almost tempted to turn around and shout at the stalker, ‘seriously?’, but fear kept her pinned.

Zecora realized her stillness after walking forward a little and tilted her head. “What has you stopped? A-”

“Is there something behind us?”

“Something…?”

Apple Bloom dared to turn around, but all she saw the yawning blackness. Her field of vision extended somewhat as Zecora lifted the lantern higher, but there was nothing but the path they had already walked on.

Zecora hummed. “Be wary of where you tread, but do not let this place hold you with dread.”

“Y-yeah, you’re right. Sorry.”

Apple Bloom hurried to match Zecora’s pace and looked straight ahead.

Not that it really helped; she was just as afraid of something suddenly lunging out from the darkness as she was of something following close behind with long, bony claws poised and waiting to sink deep into her flesh.

“S-s-so, anyway, Big Mac showed me th’ proper way ta buck a tree, so that all the apples fall in the buckets.”

“Hm.”

“It’s less about strength an’ more about knowing th’ right place ta buck.”

“Hm.”

“See, every tree has this, uh… this ‘pressure point’ like how ponies have spots all over their body that hurt a lot if ya press on them too hard. Ya gotta find th’ tree’s pressure point an’ then you gotta make sure that went ya hit it, you’re not doin’ any damage ta th’ trunk.”

Apple Bloom looked over her shoulder.

“… Zecora, could you please check again?”

Zecora stopped and shone the light behind them. Nothing.

“Okay, thanks. S-sorry.”

“Hm.”

Their footsteps were so loud.

Why were there no other noises? It was so quiet that Apple Bloom swore she could hear her own heartbeat. It must have been thumping quite hard because the edges of her vision seemed to waver.

She took in a breath and scared herself with the noise. “Ah!”

Zecora glanced at her and simply smiled reassuringly.

Apple Bloom returned the gesture with her own uncertain rictus and looked straight up, swallowing thickly.

Darkness above.

Was an enormous spider prowling above and spinning webs to entrap them?

Another twig snapped behind them. Or… was she hearing things?

Apple Bloom glanced over her shoulder.

Darkness. Nothing.

“There is a-” Zecora began so suddenly that Apple Bloom flinched. Zecora opened and closed her mouth for a second, surprised. “Sorry.”

“N-no! I mean, no, that’s fine.”

Zecora nodded. “There is a tree back in my land, one most grand. I used to climb it when I was young, so that I could watch the setting and the rising of the sun. My mother and father would scold me so, for the tree was sacred, only for the shaman to go.”

Apple Bloom raised her eyebrows. Zecora rarely spoke of her homeland. “Really?”

“But alas, I would go as I please, and the other children, who were so scared, I would tease. One day, the shaman came as I climbed at night; I tell you, I received such a fright.”

Apple Bloom’s attention was diverted by what sounded like a third set of hooves trotting behind them.

“He was a kind sage and he said I was very brave for my-”

Apple Bloom’s breath left her, and her panicked mind registered it as somepony else. She exclaimed and pressed against Zecora’s side.

“P-please!”

Zecora sighed and swung the lantern around.

Darkness. Path. Nothing. Silence.

This was the third time now and Apple Bloom felt her face heat with shame. She hung her head and fought back tears.

“I’m sorry.”

Zecora put the lantern down and lowered herself until she was eye level. “Do not feel bad, child; your fear is in no way strange or wild.”

“But you’re not afraid.”

“I was at first.”

“Huh?”

“Yes. Why, for a week, I could not complete a single verse.”

Apple Bloom gawked. “So, even you were scared?”

Zecora nodded. “With time, this place will become familiar to you; the words I speak are true.”

Apple Bloom was not sure if she could ever get accustomed to the Everfree enough to roam it at night, but Zecora made her want to believe it could be done. “… I’m still kinda scared.”

“There is no shame in that,” Zecora stood and picked up the lantern. “If anything means to cause you harm, then I will squash them like a gnat.”

Apple Bloom snorted again and stood. “I feel bad for anything that comes at us, then.”

Zecora smiled.

It took a bit, but Apple Bloom was ready to move on.

Darkness ahead.

Darkness behind.

Darkness above.

They had walked for a while now.

Apple Bloom was still unnerved by the silence, only broken by things she only half-believed to be genuine and not something her overactive imagination was creating.

A gust of wind briefly moaned through the gaps in the branches on the sides of the path, making Apple Bloom huddle closer to Zecora.

Another sound.

“Zecora?”

The lantern showed nothing behind them.

“Thanks.”

They walked on.

Silence.

Darkness.

But then, Apple Bloom could see light ahead – a pinprick.

“Hey, look!” Apple Bloom squinted to see better. “Yeah! That’s the end of the path!” Vigour swelled within Apple Bloom as she giggled and tapped her hoof against the dirt. “Wanna race?”

She meant it jokingly, but Zecora gave a low, ‘oh?’ and suddenly sped up.

Pleasantly surprised, Apple Bloom lowered her head and charged. “Heh! I won’t lose!”

The darkness no longer bothered her – she ran full-tilt, grinning as the light ahead grew brighter and brighter. She could scarcely make out the shapes of Ponyville’s buildings and see the streetlights promising safety and comfort.

And not only that, but there was another shape there, too – one with a familiar hat.

“Applejack!”

Apple Bloom and Zecora cleared the distance in no time, and the darkness receded. Apple Bloom imagined it giving a frustrated moan as they evaded its clutches.

But then, as she looked up into her sister’s furious face, she pondered that perhaps it was laughing wickedly.

---

Applejack had just arrived to look for her when they came back. She had been worried, though most of that worry changed to anger – as it usually did – which translated into a lecture on keeping time and not making one’s kin work themselves up imagining the worst.

Apple Bloom weathered through it and soon found herself back home. She entered the dining room and let out a long sigh of contentment. She absorbed the familiar sounds and smells, feeling as if she could take on the world.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had ya ‘round our neck of th’ woods, have we?” Applejack noisily came through the door, Zecora following close behind. “Lemme jes’ make ya one of our famous pies as thanks for lookin’ after this one.”

Zecora wobbled over – Apple Bloom frowned in concern – to the dining table and sat down heavily. She put her lantern on the table and exhaled heavily.

“Zecora? You okay?”

“Hm?” Zecora looked over and gave a tired smile. “Yes, do not concern yourself with me; I am tired from running, for I am not as fit as I should be.”

Applejack turned on the oven. “Oh, Apple Bloom, could ya go an’ make sure the barn’s locked? I was meanin’ ta do it myself, but I forgot.”

“Alright, sis’,” Apple Bloom walked through the threshold that separated the kitchen from the living room. “Be back soon!”

Apple Bloom went outside and stopped on the front porch. “Wait, this mornin’ Big Mac said not ta lock it tonight. I think. Umm… shoot, maybe sis’ remembers.”

She went back in.

Apple Bloom could hear Zecora talking.

“… anything with her around.”

She frowned and crept closer, hiding away in a spot where she could see her sister and Zecora sitting at the table. Applejack looked concerned and Zecora looked…

Haunted.

Applejack shifted in her chair. “What are ya sayin’?”

Zecora inhaled shakily. Her body was trembling. “She was afraid. She kept asking for me to turn around with the lantern. She thought something was following us.”

Apple Bloom felt a cold block of ice in her belly. Why was Zecora not rhyming? It seemed wrong for her not to.

“I saw nothing. There are sounds in the Everfree all the time and I heard nothing odd,” Zecora stared ahead and licked her lips. “When… when we were almost out, she moved forward a little. I… I do not know why, but I turned around one more time with the lantern.”

There was a long silence.

“And behind us, I saw a pony with no head.”

---

---

“Brrrrr!!” Rarity hugged herself and looked around. “That sent a ghastly chill up my spine.”

“Yeah, that was pretty good!” Rainbow Dash held her hoof out. “Must be all that camping experience, huh?”

“Might be.” Applejack bumped it, then stood to blow out a candle.

Twilight tapped her chin. “So… was that a tale based on a personal experience?”

Applejack returned and laid down with a shrug. “Sort of. Years ago, I was walkin’ with Big Mac on th’ road one night an’ we were being followed by a stray pup.”

“What happened?”

“We named her Winona.”

“Aw, that’s cute.”

Trixie rose suddenly. “Ah, enough of these amateurish ramblings!”

“Hey, you mixed the chips with the popcorn! Those salts aren’t compatible!”

“Let the seasonings fight to the death! Trixie shall terrify all who are present with a tale to end all tales!”

“Must be her childhood…” Rainbow Dash murmured.

Author's Note:

This is based off a story I once read as a kid but could never find again. It stuck with me all this time and it's something of a relief to get it out in writing

Comments

[Ice Justice]

This really is such a treat for the October season. Such a variety of stories! So far my favorites have been the dog and Filthy Rich.

[Moosetasm]

Let the seasonings fight to the death!

Oh god I love Trixie.