35. Greetings, dear pretender.
The Tale of Lord Barleycorn
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Chapter 35: Greetings, dear pretender.
---
To say Carrot Top wanted answers was an understatement. However, that did not mean that she would allow herself to be careless.
Upon exiting Everfree, she quietly turned to guide Jack further along the old, abandoned road.
Step by step the pair moved farther and farther away from town, and Carrot Top took note of the grass that grew beside the road. The further from the town they traveled, the taller and more wild it seemed to appear. The grass now stood eye level with her as she trotted ahead of her friend. She reckoned that it had never been cut since this spring, if at all, and that the Everfree’s unnatural taint had allowed it to reach such amazing heights… for grass, of course.
While the grass did loom in on the road and give the whole stretch of road an oppressive quality, Carrot Top was never more pleased that Hollow Shades had such poor road care. While it was unnerving to see such unnaturally verdant growth, it was perfect for obstructing her view of the forest path she and her friend had just left. If she could not see the path from traveling along the natural curvature of the road, than anypony who serendipitously blundered out of the forest could see them traveling in this direction.
It wasn’t until the exit vanished behind the treeline that Carrot Top breathed easily, but she still felt she should put more distance from the path for her own peace of mind.
Jack, meanwhile, seemed to share none of her concerns. Throughout the entire walk from the shrine he had remained silent. He followed behind Carrot Top like an obedient foal; his arms casually folded behind his back as he occasionally glanced about at the scenery as if this was nothing but a leisurely sunday stroll.
Finally, at a sharp turn in the road Carrot Top brought their journey to a halt. The path continued onward and upward, lazily snaking its way up a shallow hill which was eminently crowned with a tall stone monument of some sort, and around it sat more recognizable stones; gravestones.
What had happened in the Everfree had been stressful enough, and despite her adamant rationality in the face of old superstition, Carrot Top felt she did not have the nerves to go traipsing about a cemetery; daylight or not.
"Okay, this should be far enough," Carrot Top announced, still keeping her voice slightly hushed before turning to Jack with an annoyed glare, "Now what in Celestia’s name are you doing out here playing with rocks!?"
Jack raised his arms in a great stretch and yawned, "I was hardly playing, I think the historical society of Hollow Shades will be excited to hear their old shrine is standing again."
Carrot Top grit her teeth, she was not in the mood to get the same verbal run-around that Jack commonly gave everypony else.
"You know what I mean! You were dead tired last night, and I came out to give you some breakfast this morning but you weren’t there." Carrot Top punctuated her statement with a firm stamp of her hoof, "Do you have any idea how worr-"
A shrill, unmistakably female shriek prematurely ended Carrot Top’s outburst.
Both man and mare exchanged a brief but mutually concerned glance as they rushed back up the road, toward the sound of the scream. They arrived in time to see Twilight Sparkle, her wings were flapping about uselessly as if in her mad dash from the forest she had completely forgotten how to use them. The alicorn was bolting toward town as fast as her hooves could take her, still in the midst of screaming in horror from something Carrot Top and Jack had narrowly avoided.
Right behind Twilight was Applejack and Leadfoot. Neither were screaming, or maybe Twilight was beating them in sheer volume; Carrot Top wasn’t sure.
It was hard for Carrot Top to believe what she was seeing. She had personally seen Twilight lift a heavy water tower with just her magic, fight a changeling invasion at the Canterlot wedding, and outwit a unicorn that was using some evil magic necklace to make herself a threat to Equestria itself. Now here she was running like… well, like Carrot Top’s flower tending friends when rabbits approached their precious azaleas.
The cries died down as they fled toward the safety of Hollow Shades, and Carrot Top strained her ears to uncover anything monstrous lurking about in the forest. She could hear the shuddering of the leaves in the trees, a few scattered leaves dancing on the bare dirt path, but there was no gnashing of teeth or the crashing of something storming through the forest in search of equines to eat. In many ways the silence was worse, for it fed her already wild imagination.
Carrot Top had begun backing away from the path, eyes searching along with her ears for something amiss in the forest. Suddenly, her flank collided with Jack’s legs and she jumped and spun around, snapping into a fight or flight posture. When she saw Jack staring curiously down at her, Carrot Top quickly attempt to play off her embarrassment as annoyance by glaring up at the masked human.
"Well… that was unexpected," Jack then chuckled, "’Course, maybe it wasn’t. Little miss star butt was sayin’ some things she really shouldn’t have."
That comment caused Carrot Top to raise an eyebrow. She had to wonder when Jack bought into the superstitions of rural earth ponies, because he didn’t sound like he was speaking ironically.
"What are you talking about?" Carrot Top asked.
"First," Jack said, "I wanna say I’m sorry if you thought I snubbed you this morning. Things got… pretty weird last night."
Carrot Top suddenly felt a twinge in the pit of her stomach. Why didn’t she like the sound of that? "What happened?"
"I’ll tell you the whole thing, just let me sit down. I’ve been on my feet for hours." Jack motioned for Carrot Top to follow him to the side of the road.
Carrot Top would have been more comfortable if Jack would have chosen a more secure location for this round of storytelling. Good visibility or not, Carrot Top wanted to be back at the farm house where there was a good hundred and fifty yards between her and the nearest tree.
With utter fearlessness, Jack casually led Carrot Top to a large rock that sat near the side of the road and sat with his back to the woods. Carrot Top couldn’t understand how he could do this, surely he had seen the same screaming, fleeing ponies she had.
Whatever the case, Carrot Top was going to get answers, even if she had to kick him all the way back to town.
Jack took a moment to get comfortable on the rock before clearing his throat, "Alright, I’ll start with last night. I woke up after a while to eat the food you left for me, thanks again by the way, and since it was still dark I was going to just go back to sleep. But… this is where I have to ask you to keep quiet about I’m about to tell you. You can’t even tell Leadfoot."
Carrot Top’s eyes narrowed dangerously, "Aren’t I keeping enough secrets to prove that I’m trustworthy?"
Jack quickly shook his head, "Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply anything like that, but this is… something I gotta stress now. Like I said, things got really, really weird last night and you’re the only one I think I can talk to about this."
Carrot Top still wore a firm glare as she sat down in the road.
Seeing how he had seemingly riled his one and only confidant, Jack decided it was best to get on with his story…
---
It was the umpteenth time that Jack had slumped back into the hay of the Harvest’s barn, and Jack was a little worried at how he was becoming used to it. He jokingly pondered that he’d somehow die of comfort next time he slept in an actual bed. Of course, his comfort partially came from simply being off his feet, and possessing a full stomach thanks to the charity of Carrot Top’s plate.
With his homespun blanket pulled around him and his mask folded into a thin pillow, Jack was soon asleep. His dreams came almost as swiftly, and felt himself drawn to the familiar forest of his home and the familiar haunts he knew as a child. He passed familiar trees and stones, along the winding stream that he had hunted tadpoles, and he felt his soul drink in the stillness and quiet that only came from peaceful places where no one else visited.
It was as he traveled a familiar deer path that he heard the loud hoot of an owl that the sunny dream-forest vanished in the blink of an eye. Jack went rigid, a terrified gasp escaping his lips as he clutched his chest and stumbled. He had been in mid-step, and thought for a moment that he had gone blind as the world was suddenly very dark. Another hoot came, and when Jack stood and looked about, he realized that he was deep in the Everfree.
---
"You were in the Everfree!?" Carrot Top flinched at her own outburst, and hastily looked up and down the road. Thankfully, she had not attracted any attention.
Jack nodded.
"You..." Carrot Top rubbed her forehead, "...are amazingly lucky. If you were anypony else Jack you’d be dead."
Jack sighed, "As I was saying..."
---
A quick pinch of his cheek was followed by a several slaps, and Jack was soon convinced that he was not dreaming. It was a perplexing situation, as he had never known himself to be a somnambulist. There was of course the possibility that living in a land full of colorful, magical equines had done something to him. Perhaps he could ask the princesses of the land about it, if they were as wise as Carrot Top implied they were.
His first thought was to try and double back the way he had been facing, but he quickly disregarded that idea. He had no idea if he had walked in a straight line from the farm, which was unlikely due the uneven, shallow hills that dotted the forest. Simply turning around and walking could send him deeper into this weird wood.
In the dark he could spy no familiar tree or rock, and grumbled as he began to look for a tall tree which he could climb. If he couldn’t see the edge of the forest in the dark, then he would have to spend hours in the safety of the tree until the sun could help guide him back to town. Sitting in a tree all night was not something that Jack looked forward to, but it was preferable than making himself a blatant target for forest predators.
His plan sadly now relied on him finding a tree he could clamber up. It would have to be one that was not only tall enough to reach above the treeline, but sturdy enough to hold his weight for hours.
---
Jack paused to let out a tired sigh, "… and here’s where the story gets to the part I don’t want Leadfoot or anypony else to hear."
At Jack’s behest, Carrot Top came a little closer as he spoke more quietly. The human also leaned in, and for the first time today he seemed concerned about secrecy. Worse, there was a odd degree of furtiveness in his eyes that made Carrot Top uneasy, although she tried not to show it.
"Alright, what happened next was that through pure happenstance I stumbled upon that very shrine back there, and I swear what happened next actually happened." Jack looked Carrot Top in the eye, seeming to plead with her as he began to wring his hands together.
Jack’s attention went to the ground, seeming to retreat from Carrot Top and the world for a moment.
"Back before… I came to this place," Jack said wistfully, "When I was a kid my dad used to tell me all kinds of ghost stories when we went on camping trips. He was good at it, and I was a little coward back then."
Jack then shook head and chuckled bitterly, "All it took for me to turn back into that same gutless six year old who was scared of a tree outside his window was traveling to the land of magic ponies and finding out forest spirits are real."
"W-wait… ‘real spirits?’" Carrot Top sputtered, "You saw..."
Jack responded with a very sober nod, "Real ghosts."
---
Jack had spied a clearing among the trees, a large oblong area where the trees allowed the silvery light of the moon to touch the forest floor. He might have ignored it, and returned to looking for a suitably sized tree to climb if something hadn’t caught his eye.
Large and mysterious stones lay basking in the moonlight, resting in a crumbled pattern that suggested they had once stood in a manner not unlike that of far and ancient Stonehenge. It was curiosity that made him abandon his upward glances to the clearing, and was soon stepping through the undergrowth into this unusually bright glade.
The moment Jack had fully stepped into the moonlight he was so stunned he could perform no further action.
Dozens, maybe hundreds of small, candle-like points of shifting witchfire danced upon the stones, while many more floated above the ruin in strange patterns. Music, far off and alien was suddenly heard, mixed with a voices that were cheerful yet oddly subdued. He only witnessed the dance and the cheer for a moment before the lights stopped their revelry and the music swiftly turned to silence.
For Jack, he was increasingly feeling as if he was the uninvited and unwelcome guest. He lowered his head and tipped his hat as if hoping these gestures might excuse his presence before he began a slow and timid escape back to the blackness of the undergrowth.
He had barely taken one step back when two of the lights sprang forward and hovered in front of his nose in a manner that suggested not only intelligence, but curiosity. When he moved his head, the lights would move with him. He tried once to fake the lights out with a quick jerk of his head but they quickly righted themselves, and Jack thought he head the echoes of an amused giggle.
Jack stood transfixed by the strange points of living light, wondering if they would, or could do anything more than observe him. His answer came when both lights made a short arc away from him in a motion that Jack thought resembled a hop. Each of these tiny willow-the-wisps surprised him further by burning brighter, expanding like miniature suns until they reached the size of the baseballs.
Perhaps seeking to differentiate themselves, or for some other mysterious reason, the duo’s dance along the visible spectrum grew more limited. While the one on his right vividly oscillated through warm reds, oranges, and yellows, the other cycled through the cooler shades of blue, indigo and purple.
"Greetings, dear pretender," The warmer-colored globe spoke in a chipper, high-pitched voice that reminded Jack of a chiming bell, "Hm, a shame you carry not your violin. Your merry tune would have been most welcome."
Jack was at a loss for words, but somehow found the fortitude to least croak out a weak "Hello..."
"It seems you frighten easier than expected," Said the cooler globe in a low voice that rumbled like far off thunder, "Tis a shame that his courage is naught but bravado."
"Still," The warm spirit offered, "When ponies glance us beneath the moon or boughs they often lose their tongues altogether. Pretender he may be, yet he has some mettle."
While Jack was still feeling very nervous, he felt that the compliment was genuine.
"If that’s the case, then maybe you can direct me back toward the Harvest Farm?" Jack asked as politely as he could, "I would hate to disturb you more than I already have."
The warm light answered first with a mischievous giggle, "Send you on your merry way after we called you hence? Most woeful I would be if I were to miss the opportunity to speak with you, dear pretender!"
So they had called him here? Jack knew of several legends concerning people being ‘enchanted’ and disappearing into the wilderness, but that those were generally Arthurian myths that oozed with romantic exaggeration. He had to force his mind to stop comparing his current situation to anything he had ever read. Those were old stories, and had as much helpful information as his father’s old ghost stories.
"Y-you did huh?" Jack chuckled weakly, trying to sound confident.
"Oh yes, and we must say you provide quite the marvelous show!" The warm spirit continued, "You caper and dance and sing with great enthusiasm, and are indeed a delight to behold."
It was then the cold spirit spoke up, "And a marvelous liar. That is where some of us take issue with your words and actions."
Jack wanted to groan and rub his forehead, but he kept silent. "Yeah, I can imagine why you’d be mad."
"Not I, but others are." The cold light rumbled, "I am more curious than insulted. From hence you come? Reveal thy intentions for speaking false of thy identity and we may consider what punishment may fit your crime."
"You… you’re really not joking are you?"
"I wouldn’t ever lie to you. Don’t worry, this story has a happy ending."
The mention of punishment brought several unpleasant scenarios to Jack’s extensive imagination, but through some miracle he managed to scrape together enough resolve to keep from breaking down and groveling like an idiot.
"I’m… well, not sure how I came to be here. I remember I had come back from the hospital, ate dinner as usual, caught up on the news, and went to bed." Jack slowly began to relax as he continued his tale, "The next thing I knew I was in the middle of the Harvest’s corn field, naked and facing hypothermia from a raging thunderstorm. I just wanted to figure out where I was and how to get home and sorta got roped into playing pretend and it all spiraled out of control from there."
The colder light made a sound resembling a snort, "So you do assume this role for your own gain."
"N-no! Well…" Jack backpedaled, "At first, yeah, I guess I did but that was before I knew anything about this place. Now I’m completely committed to helping these ponies."
"And what changed your mind?" The warm light asked.
Jack reached behind his head to drum his fingers on the back of his neck to help him put some order to his thoughts.
"A lot of little things, but the biggest is a kid I met in town. A little filly named Corn Crib asked me to help, and I promised I would." Jack said awkwardly, "I admit I didn’t really know what I was getting into, but I never break a promise to a child."
"And for the sake a child you postpone your search? Admirable." The cold spirit said, "But it does not excuse your masquerade..."
---
"... and that’s when they told me that if I promised to rebuild the shrine they’d forgive me for claiming to be some spirit-king." Said Jack as he wrapped up his tale, "They didn’t exactly say how I should go about rebuilding it, so when the opportunity arose I conned the princess and her friend into doing it."
"And… they -the spirits I mean- they just let you go?" Carrot Top ventured, cautiously.
Jack gave an uncertain shrug, "Sorta. After they asked me a few personal questions, they threatened me to put on a good performance ‘or else’ before just blinking out of existence. The rising sun started cutting through the trees and then they just weren’t there anymore."
"They left just like that?" Carrot Top blinked.
Jack nodded, "Just like that. I stood there for a while, but when I was sure they were really gone I was able to find the path back to this very road and slipped back to the barn before anypony was awake. I wasn’t going to get any sleep that was worth a damn so I grabbed my mask and I’ve been playing my role since."
"You haven’t slept?" Carrot Top winced, "After the day you had yesterday?"
"I’m managing." Jack said, half-heartedly.
"Jack, last night you could barely keep on your hoo- er, feet. You can’t keep this up!" Carrot Top chided, but her face quickly turned contemplative, "Maybe we can go back to town and tell everypony you need to visit some spirits or something so you sneak off for a nap."
Jack shook his head, "Tonight’s the first night, and I have to keep this act going to make it work. Besides, what if those spooks are probably watching me right now? If I don’t give it my all, then who knows what they’ll do."
"Then they can punish me for getting in your way." Carrot Top said firmly, "You’re not worth a flying buck if you drop from exhaustion on stage."
Jack rubbed his hands together as he let out a yawn, "I’m used to long hours, you don’t have to worry about me."
Unconvinced, Carrot Top responded with a stern frown, "Have you even eaten anything?"
That question seemed to catch Jack off guard, "I was... planning on sneaking something from the restaurant later."
Carrot Top let out a groan as she shook her head.
"Jack… no. Just… no." She muttered, "I’m not going to let you do this."
"Do what?" He blinked.
"Don’t play dumb!" Carrot Top angrily stamped her hoof as she glared up at the human, "Throughout this whole burden you’ve put on yourself! You’ve slept in a dirty barn for weeks, you’ve gotten sick, sprained your ankle, and lived on scraps from Harvest Moon’s table. Now you’re exhausted, hungry, and over-working yourself."
"But-"
"But nothing!" Carrot Top continued, cutting Jack off, "If the spirits get mad at you, then they can turn me into a toad if they want, I’m not going to stuff my face at the restaurant or sleep in a comfy bed knowing my friend is going without. Not any more."
Carrot Top stepped back onto the road, motioning for Jack to get up with just the narrowing of her eyes.
"We’re going back to the farm and you’re getting a nap. I’m going to get you something decent to eat, and then I’ll be joining you in town as the rag pony." She grimaced for a moment at the thought of that stuffy mask, but pushed her concerns aside for now, "Now, get up. The more time we waste the less time there is to set up the play later."
Jack’s first instinct was to argue, to throw out some excuse to try and convince the mare that he was perfectly alright. The problem however was that nothing, not even a weak lie came to mind to combat Carrot Top’s forcefulness. Perhaps he really did need some sleep.
"I get the feeling that I’m not going to win this argument." Jack said quietly as he slowly rose up off his stone.
"Then you have some sense in your head." Carrot Top teased, managing to show a little warmth in both tone and smile, "Come on, we’ll try going along the outer roads and avoid the town and everypony there."
Jack nodded, and seemed resigned to follow the mare.
Carrot Top however had to think about the future. If she was going to play the role of the rag pony for ponies who knew her and not just for the schoolfoals, she would need to make some alterations to her costume.
---
Despite the indisputable poverty of the ponies of Hollow Shades, they had successfully managed to donate six spare beds for the small clinic for the sake of visiting royalty. These beds were by no means spacious or comfortable, but they were all vast improvements on the rock-hard cots the girls had slept on for several nights. Comfort, however was not what Twilight Sparkle was presently focused on.
She knew the ponies outside the clinic were likely concerned for her, seeing how they had all heard her screaming in abject terror. Laying on the bed across from her was Applejack, who was holding the cornhusk doll that her grandmother had sent like it was a teddy bear. Their friends were all around them, having come in response to their distress and had done their best to calm their nerves in their own ways.
Once the pair had been able to recount what had transpired out by the old shrine, the others had no reason to doubt that Hollow Shades was indeed haunted.
After several attempts of prying Fluttershy out from under one of the beds, Rainbow and Pinkie decided to leave her be for now.
Twilight's panic had long since departed, thanks to the books that she had spread across the homespun blanket that served as a comforter. Both volumes of Myths and Mysteries of the Everfree were open, and her magic flipped the pages back and forth. She was now intimately familiar with the contents of each page, needing only a glance to be reminded of its contents. While there were multiple passages that spoke of something similar to the spectre she encountered, each example differed from the spirit’s temperment to its appearance.
"Twilight, please stop." Rarity reached out and stopped the pages as Twilight to cycle back through one of the thick volumes, "You've been looking through those books since you got back. Are you sure you're okay?"
Twilight looked up from her books to Rarity, then to the faces of her other friends. All of them were concerned for her and Applejack, and while her research had yielded... mixed results, her silence was clearly making them all nervous.
"I'm sorry girls. I'm just... trying to figure out what it was." Twilight said, closing both volumes to ensure that her friends had her full attention.
"Ah know what I saw." Applejack shuddered, "And Ah won't forget it fer the rest of mah life."
Rainbow Dash tilted her head to the side, "The bunch of twinkling lights or the-"
"The head." Applejack hugged the doll closer to her chest, "Trust me Rainbow, that was the scariest thing I ever seen. Worse than Changlin’s or Discord ‘even... Ah thought fer sure Ah wasn't gonna get away from it."
"Look, I don't know much about these ghosts as you or Pinkie, but you said yourself that you were saying things that could have gotten them mad, so... I guess they just wanted to give ya a big scare?" Rainbow shrugged.
Twilight wilted a little, "Well, Applejack didn't say anything like that. It was all me. She even tried to stop me but I kept talking and the next thing I know... guhh... I don't wanna think about it."
Pinkie rubbed her chin, but soon a thoughtful smile quickly formed.
"Well, I have an idea!" Pinkie proudly declared, "If you're all worried that some mean spirit will try to do that to you, then ask Lord Barleycorn to make you a Dame."
Rainbow turned to level a confused stare at her pink friend, "Uh, the last time a stallion called me that, I gave him a fat lip."
"No no no, I mean ask Lord Barleycorn to knight you too!" Pinkie clopped her front hooves together excitedly, "Lord Barleycorn said that no mean spirit will try and scare me or Fluttershy since we’re working for him, so if he knights the rest of you-"
"-Then that spook would leave us all alone." Rainbow smiled as she remembered Pinkie's story at the restaurant, "How does that sound, Twi?"
"Ah'd be up fer it." Applejack quickly blurted out, eager for some measure of cessation of her dread.
As shaken as she still felt at the memory of the woods, Twilight still was able to feel sympathy for her friend. While Twilight had only known the tame, boogey-mare ghost stories her brother told her in her early years, Applejack had admitted to knowing far grimmer stories. Applejack had previously admitted to thinking that those stories were just old pony tales, stories from a darker, less enlightened point in Equestria's history. To go from believing those old tales were just ghost stories, to coming face-to-face with a dark, terrifying spectre like that? Twilight was amazed that Applejack wasn’t hiding under the bed with Fluttershy.
"I... wouldn’t say no to it." Twilight then hesitantly said, "If Lord Barleycorn will even talk to me after-"
The harsh ring of the bell above the clinic door cut Twilight off, and for a moment she thought the scarecrow would be walking in to admonish her for her earlier words at the shrine. Almost as quickly as she reasoned away such baseless fears, they were proven unnecessary when Dr. Cherry Nova poked his head into the clinic.
There was an instant where he looked surprised, as if he had forgotten that Twilight and her friends were reluctantly boarding in his infirmary. Twilight swore that she heard a poorly hidden groan of disgust as he slowly trotted into the room, a saddlebag full of what looked like vegetables purchased from the vendors in the street.
Preferring not to make the situation more awkward than it already was, Twilight stepped forward and greeted the doctor with a polite smile.
"Hello, doctor. Found a lot of good food at the festival?" Twilight asked.
The doctor’s frown deepened slightly, "Hmph, hardly. Since most of my patients never pay me in bits for my services, I usually get paid with food. This is just the latest installment."
He continued to walk, passing the mares until he reached his desk in the back. There he slung his bags on desk and sat in his creaking, wooden chair. He seemed eager to ignore the mares as he pulled a washed potato out of his coat pocket and began to eat it raw with the help of a salt shaker from one of his drawers.
Seeing how the conversation had come to complete stop, Rainbow decided to sate some of her own curiosity. "Say, uh, doc... you got a minute?"
Cherry Nova didn't look up as he salted his next prospective bite, "Anything more than that and I’ll have to call it an appointment. Speak."
Rainbow cleared her throat, "Well, it’s about your name."
The doctor suddenly glared at Rainbow, letting her know she was treading on thin ice, "What about my name?"
Rainbow faltered, "Well, uh, I wanted to ask if you ever did any stunt flying?"
Cherry snorted and turned his attention back to his potato.
"No." He said sternly, "I’ll let the reckless fools and glory hounds in the Wonderbolts go whizzing around in circles, thanks. I prefer to keep my hooves on the ground."
Rainbow’s eye twitched before she glared back at the doctor, "Whaddya mean ‘glory hounds?’ The Wonderbolts are the greatest fliers in the world!"
The doctor rolled his eyes, "Pfft, and they have the royal coffers to dig into and keep their little show running. Best equipment, best food, a huge training facility? Nothing’s too good for them, and it’s all handed over on a silver platter. All they gotta do? Put on mediocre shows for the masses."
Rainbow was sputtering with rage, not sure where to start, dismantling the doctor’s brazen claims, or the doctor himself.
Regardless of Rainbow’s exasperation, the doctor continued to voice his thoughts, "They’re an institution now. Most of their members just walk in off the street, get roped in as unpaid interns they call ‘reserve members’ until one of the old guard retires. Used to be a time when competition kept them innovative. Now? They’re doing the same ol’ tricks I saw as a colt."
Rainbow grit her teeth and began to advance on the doctor, having had enough of this defamation. She could already imagine herself punching out a few teeth as her wings flared out, ready to leap over the desk at him.
The fragile peace of the infirmary was kept in place by four points of azure magic, each holding one of Rainbow Dash’s hooves to the floor. Rainbow herself nearly fell on her face when she failed to continue forward, and a look down was all that she needed to understand why.
"H-hey, Rarity!" Rainbow fumed, craning her neck around to glower at her friend.
Rarity kept up her spell, wincing as she felt Rainbow try to forcibly pull her legs off the floor.
"Come now Rainbow, let’s keep things civil." Rarity frowned, walking up beside her prismatic friend.
"C-civil!?" Rainbow stammered, "You heard what he called the Wonderbolts!"
Rainbow noted the doctor wearing a small, yet unmistakably smug smile. If only Rarity would let her go she’d wipe that stupid look right off his face!
"And he’s perfectly entitled to his opinion." Rarity said diplomatically, "And we are guests in his, er, ‘home,’ and it behooves us to remain as polite as possible."
Cherry Nova leaned back in his chair, seemingly confused by Rarity’s actions. It was if he had not expected any genuine polite behavior out of any of them.
Deciding to capitalize on his apparent shift in attitude, Rarity addressed the doctor with a practiced and professional smile, "Doctor, would you mind me asking you a few teensy questions? None of which are personal, I assure you."
Cherry regarded her for a moment, eyes boredly moving from the rest of the mares in the room before returning to Rarity.
Finally he shrugged, "Sure I guess. If only because you asked so nicely."
"And I’m most appreciative." Rarity said as she released her magical grip on Rainbow Dash.
The pegasus grumbled some vaguely threatening gibberish as she slinked back to the line of beds.
"Well, since you’ve clearly been out and about for the better part of the day, I suppose you’ve seen the various comings and goings of the local ponies." Said Rarity, "I don’t suppose you, or maybe somepony else has seen Lord Barleycorn just now?"
The mention of the scarecrow brought a sour look to the doctor’s face, "Pfft, no. And frankly I’d prefer to avoid him, whatever he is."
The doctor leaned forward again, his chair creaking as he rested his head on one hoof.
"And if you’re asking, then I’m guessing you haven’t seen him either?" Cherry asked with a slightly curious intonation in his more obvious disdain.
"Well, erm, no. Not me personally." Rarity hesitated, knowing better than to go into detail about an incident that was unmistakably private.
The doctor gave a short chortle before he returned to looking bored, "Hmph. Well, that’s good. I prefer to keep away from that huckster. I don’t know what he really wants but I doubt it’s just a foal’s play."
Back on her bed, Applejack's ears perked straight up and her mouth hung open at such open disrespect. After what she had experienced just a short while ago, she half expected some grisly phantom to appear out of the shadows and… she didn’t want to think of what it would do.
Rarity had noticed this reaction in Applejack as she looked back to her friends. It made her pity the farmer, partly for being subjected to such grisly tales as a child but also for the fear that now clung to her so tightly.
"Erm," Rarity began again, hoping to steer the conversation onto something else for the sake of Applejack’s nerves, "Regardless, I believe the play will be a success. For bored farm-foals they’re still going over their lines with a dedication I’d call ‘impressive.’"
If the doctor heard any of that, he didn’t show it. He merely flared his nose and looked up at the ceiling as he took another bite of potato. Rarity, however, could note a new hint of disappointment in his face.
"Speaking of ‘impressive,’" Cherry said sarcastically as he glanced toward Twilight and Applejack, "What did the princess, the Apple, and the Harvest colt see that had you screaming like a gang of fillies on their first Nightmare Night?"
Rarity faltered, biting her lip as she wondered what she could tactfully reveal without stepping on somepony’s hooves.
Before Rarity could find a way to sidestep around the issue, Cherry continued, "I heard that you saw some goat-head bugaboo in the forest."
All of the girls now watched the doctor with wide eyes. Twilight had risen off the bed, feeling as if she needed to be on her hooves to better understand how Cherry Nova knew this. Applejack had done the opposite, and had tried to make herself smaller by sinking into the mattress and hiding under her hat. Pinkie quietly hugged Applejack, trying to comfort her friend. Fluttershy peeked out from under her bed, but did not come out. Rainbow merely looked surprised, while Rarity was left wondering how he knew this, and secretly began to fear that the doctor might suddenly become the same frightful apparition her friends had seen in the woods.
As he waited for an answer and got only gawking stares, Cherry raised an eyebrow and spoke with a measure of annoyance, "By those looks, am I right?"
Twilight and several other of the girls nodded slowly.
"And are you going to tell the townsponies those lies?" The doctor said, as bluntly as a hammer.
Twilight’s mouth hung open, and she felt like somepony had pulled the rug out from under her, "I’m sorry?"
"Well, perhaps that’s a bit harsh." Cherry backpedaled, but held no true apology in his tone, "Maybe you aren’t lying about what you saw, but if you really believe you saw something, I guarantee it’s some elaborate trick."
Twilight’s mind spun. She had considered that matter already, but outside of extraordinary magic and deviant minds she could find no reason to believe what she saw was a ruse. The Everfree held all manner of secrets, and the disrespect she spoke seemed perfectly to line up with the fright she had received.
"I can’t accept that." Twilight said with a short, stiff shake of her head, "I’ve seen all kinds of illusions, and that was… just too perfect."
"And how do ya know it was a goat?" Pinkie asked, timidly.
"The Harvest colt nearly bowled me over in the street when the three of you came screaming into town. I was worried there might have been an accident so I followed him until he dove into a haystack behind Tablecloth’s." Cherry explained, "I had to drag him out and shake him to get him to stop blubbering. But, when he muttered about ghosts I left him to his cowering and went on with my day. I’m sure the whole town’s talking about whatever it is you saw right now."
"And if you substantiate those rumors you’ll have the whole town eating out of the scarecrow’s hooves. Well, more so than they already are, of course." Cherry frowned, "What better way to get the uneducated masses on his side than making a believer out of the princess? It’s pretty convenient, wouldn’t you say?"
Twilight clenched her jaw. She wanted to tell the doctor that if he believed she was so mistaken that he could just go out in the woods and see for himself. While the thought of seeing him running back to town with his tail between his legs would feel so cathartic for Twilight, she knew better than to suggest something that would put somepony in danger, real or not.
Another breath was needed to center herself, needing some measure of calm before Twilight addressed the doctor again.
"And what exactly would you want me to do?" Twilight asked, at last leveling a glare of her own back at the stallion, "Because I would love to know what you seem to."
"What I want you to do is simple," Cherry calmly stated, "Arrest the creature in that scarecrow costume and unmask him."
Now it was Pinkie’s turn to drop her jaw, "What!?"
"Did I stutter?" Cherry scowled, "Whatever he is, he’s clearly made of flesh and blood and yet ponies still think he’s some sort of spirit."
"I’m not going to even entertain that idea of doing that to him." Twilight said with a sense of finality, "However you might feel about Lord Barleycorn, I’m not going to assault somepony just because you believe he’s a fraud. All you have is hearsay and conjecture."
"Twilight," Rarity spoke up, gently getting her friend’s attention, "Perhaps some fresh air would help Applejack? She um, does seem to be getting worse in these cramped accommodations."
At Rarity’s behest, Twilight turned her head to look at Applejack. The apple farmer was even more nervous as she had been when they had arrived, and still was clinging to that doll like it was a life preserver.
This observation combined with Rarity’s slight but hinting nods toward the door clued the princess into the fashionista’s real intent.
"Maybe, yeah." Twilight cleared her throat, "Maybe a walk around the town will do us all some good."
Cherry, who was not blind to the reasons six mares’ polite exit, merely furrowed his brow as he slumped back in his chair.
"Fine," He said, "Go and enjoy the festival."
Now eager to leave, Twilight levitated her tomes to her travel bag and moved beside Applejack as she and Pinkie helped Applejack off her bed. The orange mare was shaky, and although she faltered for a moment she left the doll on the bed.
Fluttershy dug herself from under the bed, more afraid of being without her friends than the haunted town.
Rainbow was the last to join her friends as they left the clinic’s door. She took a moment to make a childish face at him by sticking her tongue out before flying out the door to join her friends.
Cherry, now alone in the empty clinic fumed as he bit his potato and chewed loudly as he tried to push the whole conversation out of his mind. It seemed the princess wasn’t going to do anything about the situation with the scarecrow, and he had been denied the satisfaction of even riling the Wonderdolt fangirl into a fit of anger. Now he was just left with the muffled sounds of carts and talk from outside.
Somehow, his eyes fell on the Apple’s cornhusk doll, which was laying on it’s side on the bed. He considered brushing it aside and napping on the comfy looking mattress, as if in defiance of the ignorance that surrounded him. However, he didn’t really feel like sleeping.
He finished his snack, then almost mechanically he pulled a shot glass and a bottle from his desk drawer. He had already poured himself a drink before he had even really thought about it, and frowned as he thought of what Silver Lining would say if he smelled alcohol on him should the old codger came sniffing around.
Cherry shrugged; the glass was full, and he wasn’t going to waste good drink. Still, he felt the doll’s eyes on him, judging him.
To this, he cast a sneer toward the effigy and broke the silence by muttering, "Oh shut up."
---
To be continued…
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It was good and not too obtrusive.
I'm not entirely sold on the fact that the spirits are actually a thing. It was just something that Jack came up on the spot from what I can tell, unless of course the Princesses are up to some shenanigans.
....Okay those 'will-o-wisp' are definitely Luna and Celestia putting on a show...Would it be wrong for me to be wrong on my assumptions and imagine its the actual spirits instead of those two?
looks like one got past ya
Can't wait for the next chapter. And your style of writing is spot on. Lord barley corn is one amazing character you have created.
Unless, in a real turn about, Celestia and Luna are also pseudo-spirits too in some manner? Equestria with Celtic underpinnings sounds amazing.
Here's hoping Cherry Nova gets some sort of serious wake up call...
8092993 Hah! I didn't even consider that. One warm, one cold indeed.
Good work, looking forward to the next chapter!
Love the chapter, thanks for the update!!
8092993
The sisters are definitely playing shenanigans. Especially after Celestia's comment about how they had "found another one", I don't believe for a moment that they're sitting this one out.
But at the same time, I don't know that I can rule out forest spirits. The Everfree has a unique magic all its own, so it's entirely possible that there actually are spirits in there.
As I'm so fond of saying in response to most choices: Why not both?
Please expunge the non-word that ends in the word "regardless" from this text.
I'm rather enjoying the story. So much so that when I finish a chapter it feels as if I've barely started!
You're listening to audiobooks WHILE writing? As in literally, while writing? You must have some kinda focus to be able to pay attention to both at once.
8092997 Yeah, one of my bookmarks for editing went unremoved. ^^;
8093252 Sorry, what? Can you clarify what you think needs changed?
8093470 Something about it focuses me. The two I always seem to return to are Christopher Lee reading Fall of the House of Usher and The Dunwich Horror read by Caden Vaughn Clegg. Although last night I was listening to A Legion of One from the Black library. Good stuff. I guess I sorta soak up the way these men talk while I write.
I'm still enjoying the story. Also, "irregardless" is not a word.
Warm and cold spirits? Cold Speaking in ye olde English, asking about his intentions? That's Celestia and Luna jerking him about isn't it?
8093488 I'm surprised some people aren't catching the OTHER hints I've been dropping. x3
Don't you ever stop. It's really good, easily my favorite story in FimFiction.
Y'know, this seems a silly thing to point out, but you forgot to take the chapter title from the narration like you'd done in earlier chapters. Still, it's nice to see another chapter up!
Really happy that this is getting continued. It's definitely one of the more creative and interesting stories here.
8093515 I mentione- oh right. I'm not allowed to let others know about....
The thing....
Come on, I can't wait to see Cherry get what's coming to him, and the Festival, that will also be aawesome
8093750 Did I change it so that line got edited out? well then I better change it.
8093515 Naturally, I did. But I don't want to spoil such a good story for those who like surprises.
Now, if it was a BAD story, I'd spoil the heck out of it like Redlettermedia's Mr. Plinkett going to town on the Star Wars Prequels... and the hookers he keeps in his creepy basement.
The Grogar head was a good choice to scare poor Twi half to death with.
great update
Another great chapter, irregardless of small errors. I could care less what the critics say, for all intensive purposes this will remain one of the best stories on the site. I wonder if the king of Tambelon actually existed or was he just an old legend supposably from when Sunbutt and Mooney Tunes were fillies?
i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/134/620/130441009012.png?1308103147
Gosh what a great chapter. Though was the title different at first? I swear it was.
8094360 Yeah, someone pointed out that the title didn't continue my running theme of naming chapters after a random line from the chapter. The line got cut from the story during editing.
8094360 Same, it weirded me out too. It's them spirits I tells ya
Every time I see this story update, I drop whatever it is I'm doing to read it. This story is so damn good that it needs to be its own book.
It always leaves me wanting more, and it always leaves me excited for the next chapter. It's amazing! Not even most published books can capture my attention and imagination like this story can.
Just keep being you.
So Jack met with the spirits, huh? I suppose it had gone as well as it could have, but I hope he brings the violin back for them. Also, I really want to see Cherry Nova get what's coming to him for insulting the spirits.
I imagined the spirits having the voices of Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe from "Friends") and Alan Rickman (Severus Snape from "Harry Potter").
Snape: (sarcastic drawl) "Greetings, Lord Barleycorn."
"Howdy!"
Phoebe:
ALL HAIL GROGAR THE OVER-GOAT!!!
8094308
I'm gonna have to go and check if I didn't get cancer from that.
xD
Lord Barleycorn?
More like...
Lord Barely Corn!
Get it? Amirite? Amirite???
Ehe... hehe... he.
Anyway, this is good, I definitely didn't notice it being more verbose than usual until you pointed it out, so I'd say its not too verbose.
:>
8093479 Another great chapter!
I think your style ' fine and this chapter had a great sense of progressive complications.
Think we need more of Celestia & Luna as they'd be putting plans into motion too.
8093479
All hail the Frozen Throne!~
The guards of Winter soon shall come~
To the home and seat of Autumn's drum~
The beat of drums does grow longer~
as the fields and trees do so falter~
The children of the Queen soon shall wander~
In the halls of Winter's altar~
We watch the trees drift to sleep~
No more are the leaves in the breeze~
In the cold of Winter's Keep.
8094524
Love the Traffic reference
I have to say, this is honestly one of my favorite stories on this website. I'm eagerly waiting for more.
8093016 So, what, they're kelpies?
8105194
Much fae folklore comes from Celtics countrie, far more than just kelpies.
8106318 Yeah, but horses.
You know, if there's one thing I always dislike about spirits in this type of story, which is to say fairy tales and mystery stories as a general thing, is that they always act high and mighty when threatening someone they fully well know is incapable of hurting them back. It doesn't make them seem powerful and capricious, or even just prideful, it makes them look like petty bullies. If they had paid even the slightest actual attention, they'd be knowing perfectly well why he is there, what he has done and why he's doing it - which they're clearly fully capable of doing, being bodiless spirits and all. It makes that whole scene look like nothing so much as intimidating a helpless person for their own enjoyment.
Unless you're setting them up to be an ambiguously antagonistic force in this, it might not be the best portrayal, given the kind of setting and story this has been so far.
8119127 Actually, its an old Aesop fable. The Honest Woodcutter.
And don't worry, I have a plan and it should turn out well. =3
What a phenomenal story. I don't know how it flew under my radar, but it sure was a treat catching up on this one.
They say limitations breed creativity, and by barring yourself from a number of HiE tropes, I think you've proven that adage true. I cannot overstate how much I love the atmosphere you paint with this story; It's just an absolute joy to read.
What impresses me most about your writing though, is your commitment to character consistency. Dr. Nova is a character that by all means is detestable. He's the Smug Bastard, the Belligerent Drunk, and the Unwavering Cynic all in one... but even early on I had to acknowledge that he was right about Jack. The fact that you didn't backtrack on this to have him fooled by the new "spirits" is both frustrating from the other characters POV and incredibly satisfying from a writing standpoint. He's not wrong, he's just an asshole.
Though perhaps I am speaking too soon, and our two "spirit" friends will make another appearance that will convince the old fool.
Beyond that, I appreciate that you've dropped just enough hints at his history for the reader to believe he might have a touch of justification for his sorrowful, sour state; Yet not so much that he becomes a pitiable character rather than the antagonistic cynic you need him to be (at least so far, you may yet be redeemed, Dr. Nova!)
I must admit, however, that the mystical atmosphere you paint in this story has me clinging to the hope that there truly are spirits lurking in the fields and forests of Hollow Shade and the Everfree. I'm holding tightly onto the stone sphere plot thread in that regard ;).
I'd be happiest if the sorry old practitioner ended up being convinced by the real thing, after all. Of course, presuming they themselves aren't aware of their existence, it would certainly be amusing to see the ones that fooled the "pretender" just as surprised as others if such spirits really did make an appearance. Though currently my most prominent concern with regards to them is what one of them meant when they said "I think we found another one." I have a feeling it's not the obvious answer, and I can't quite puzzle out for certain which aspect of either our King of Autumn or his "arrival" that statement is meant to focus upon, so I look forward to what precisely the implications of that end up being.
In any case, I have to thank you for writing such a fantastic work of fantastical fiction. It really is just so much fun when you find a story like this that is too good to put down, and gets the mind racing with possibilities.
8093515
I think the one thing that goes against those hints are what happened to Twilight and Applejack, because scaring somebody half to death is not cool.
Though, that can be explained away by dream horse being too eccentric again.
Well I just discovered this story and proceeded to read it all in the course of one day..... so I blame you for my current lack of sleep.
Seriously though, this has got to be my favorite story I’ve read on this site in at least three years, so nice job to you.
The style seems pretty good to me. It has its flair without going overboard.
If these spectres are real, then this is kind of a pickle, and not just because the way Jack told his tale, they seem to tend towards petty and vengeful.
Meanwhile, ignorance is bliss. Dr. Cherry doesn't know what kind of misfortune and disgrace he's not so much inviting into his life as waving with legs and wings for them to come closer.
8233583
That also works. I was more of a Brothers Grimm kid. Might just be a German thing, I don't know how popular those are in other places.
8237205
The brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, I loved all of them. Once got to read a 100 year old Grimm story book. It had ones I'd never heard of. =3