Apple Bloom swallowed hard as she stood outside the Everfree Forest. She could feel thousands of eyes burning into her from all different sorts of creatures, rabbits and manticore and timberwolves alike.
But she didn't feel the watchful gaze from them.
It had been an entire year since that terrifying night when she followed Twilight Sparkle into the Everfree Forest.
It had been an entire year since she saw the gray coated earth pony that led her to a peaceful town in the middle of the forest.
It had been an entire year since she learned the truth and fled for her life.
And now, in her eleventh year, she decided to go back to the nightmare; to figure out the truth.
She had been haunted by memories and dreams of the place, ponies screaming in agony as they were transformed into those horrid creatures, or the sickening thud of a ponybeing beaten within an inch of its life and then burned alive.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't force those thoughts out of her head.
Swallowing hard again, she reluctantly put one hoof in front of the other and slowly entered the sinister forest.
-
As Apple Bloom neared Zecora's hut, she kept her eyes peeled for her special friend; the gray earth pony named Ruby.
She longed to have somepony she trusted by her side, somepony to make her feel safe in the place that shook her to her core.
But here she was alone, all except the sounds of the forest echoing through the trees.
"Z-Zecora..? Are ya home?" Apple Bloom whispered at the door.
Inside, nothing moved, so Apple Bloom raised her voice a little.
"Z-Zecora?".
Still nothing.
She must be out getting herbs. Apple Bloom thought to herself.
Without Zeccora to guide her safely through the forest, Apple Bloom was frozen in her spot; unwilling to even head back down the path that led to Ponyville.
Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw an orange tail disappear behind some trees.
"Ruby!" Apple Bloom shouted and suddenly gave chase, leaving her fears behind.
When she turned the corner, she saw nothing.
"Hey, Ruby! It's me, Apple Bloom! Remember me?" the little filly called out, her face wide in a huge smile as she waited for Ruby to show herself.
"You should not have returned..." a sinister voice whispered from behind her, sending chills up along Apple Bloom's spine.
"P-Please d-d-don't hurt me..." she whimpered, unwilling to turn around and face the horrible monster she knew was there.
"Don't worry, Apple Bloom, Mitta wont hurt you." a softer voice spoke, and Apple Bloom recognized it as Ruby's.
Spinning on her hind hooves, she turned to face her old friend and reeled back in shock at what she saw: Mitta had once been a gray mare with a dark red mane. But now, her beautiful mane was torn and ragged; hanging limply over her skeletal face. Her coat no longer showed gray, in fact she had little coat at all! What little of her coat that did show was dark black, mere patches that covered her bare skeleton and dripped with ooze and rotten flesh.
As Apple Bloom backed away, Mitta turned her red eyes to the ground in shame and Ruby trotted forward.
"Don't be afraid, Apple Bloom; Mitta isn't like those other ponies. She was my friend, and still is." Ruby reassured her.
"Why have you returned?" Mitta asked darkly, not holding any resentment but her current state forcing it through her voice.
"Ah...Ah came back tah learn the truth about what happened tah everypony in Sunny Town..." Apple Bloom admitted nervously.
Ruby and Mitta shared a worried look, although it was harder to read on the skeleton's face.
"Apple Bloom..." Ruby started, turning her head to the filly. "There are some things in this world that aren't meant to be learned...".
"But ah've had nightmares every night since then! Whenever we're harvestin' the apples ah think ah see one of them hidin' in the bushes or the trees. Please, Ruby, ah have tah know!" Apple Bloom begged.
Apple Bloom..." Mitta said calmly. "The truth is an unspeakable horror that the living must never repeat. You will never know peace from our nightmare, even if you do learn the truth."
Apple Bloom glared at the cursed pony and stomped her hoof down. "An' why should ah listen tah you? You're one of them!" she shouted.
Mitta's eyes sparked and swirled in anger. "I did NOT kill her that night! I am only in this form only because I did nothing to stop it! You will watch who you raise your voice to and accuse, little filly!" Mitta boomed as her coat grew darker, her voice catching a raspy edge.
"Mitta..." Ruby squeaked, her eyes laden with tears.
As she heard her friend's sadness, Mitta collapsed to the ground and covered her snout with her hooves. "Not again, not again, not again..." she whispered to herself, horrified.
Apple Bloom had backed herself up against a tree the moment Mitta's rage erupted.
"Apple Bloom..." Ruby whispered as she approached the scared filly, her eyes darting over to her ashamed friend. "The truth is more painful than what we all must live through. Promise me you will not go into Sunny Town or try and find out what happened. Just go home, and never come back here." Ruby begged.
"No." Apple Bloom said simply, holding her ground.
"Think carefully about what you're saying, Apple Bloom..." Ruby said, trying to reason with the stubborn filly.
"Ah haven't gotten a good night's sleep for an entire year now! Ah want tah know what's goin' on with the ponies in Sunny Town and whose bones those are in the fireplace." Apple Bloom shot.
"Now you listen here, Apple Bloom!" Mitta snapped, pushing her snout into the filly's face. "I have lived in this nightmare for over two thousand years, reliving the same day over and over until the sun sets and I become this abomination with the urge to kill! During the night I'm not even allowed back into the town I grew up in, but Ruby has it off far worse...She's never allowed back into town and is forced to spend an eternity wandering aimlessly through this stupid forest!" Mitta screamed, black ooze forming around her skeletal mouth.
Apple Bloom's eyes lit up in fear and shock and she backed up hurriedly into the base of a tree.
"Mitta, stop it; you're scaring her." Ruby said sternly, and Mitta simply grumbled and turned her back to Apple Bloom.
"Mitta's right, Apple Bloom. The things we go through daily are things that a little filly should never have to go through. Go home and stay there." Ruby continued.
But Apple Bloom stood her ground, eyes locked into Ruby's.
For a long while, they simply stood there looking at each other.
"We can't stand here all day, Ruby; they'll have our scent." Mitta said, breaking the static.
"Fine, if you wont go home then at least stay close to us; this forest is a dangerous place." Ruby said irritatedly and trotted off into some bushes.
Mitta stood there staring at Apple Bloom, waiting for her to follow.
-
"Where are we goin'?" Apple Bloom asked boredly.
They had been walking for what seemed like hours, and the forest had hardly changed a bit.
"Have you ever heard of Princess Luna?" Ruby asked.
"Of course! She's Princess Celestia's little sis an' the pony who raises the moon for us. She's awfully friendly." Apple Bloom piped up.
Ruby stopped dead in her tracks.
"You mean she came back? What about her plans? Was she not punished?" Ruby asked, disbelieving.
"Yea, she came back! An' ah don't know all the details, but her big sister forgave her an' now she only comes out durin' the night." Apple Bloom said.
"Well then, it appears we have missed quite a lot since then..." Ruby said sadly.
"Don't ya'll ever get out tah see the rest of the world?" Apple Bloom asked curiously.
"Silly foal," Mitta said harshly. "We are bound to this forest forever..."
"Mitta, she doesn't know that. And no, Apple Bloom; none of us can leave even if we tried. And trust me, we've tried. And to answer your original question, we're going to the Moon Castle." Ruby explained.
"Moon Castle? What's that?" Apple Bloom wondered.
"In the old age, before Princess Luna's banishment, the two sisters lived in different parts of Equestria to watch over their kingdom equally. Princess Luna made her castle in the Everfree Forest." Mitta explained.
"How come ah've never heard about a moon castle?" Apple Bloom continued.
"Perhaps the princess wishes to keep her dark past a secret." Mitta replied. "Or perhaps she has forgotten it even existed...".
Apple Bloom sighed as she trotted tiredly in between Ruby and Mitta, her hooves aching with each step.
"Are we almost there?" Apple Bloom wondered aloud.
"Almost, little filly. But now we're entering the most dangerous part of the forest, so stay close and stay quiet." Ruby whispered.
Mitta herded Apple Bloom closer to Ruby as they pushed through a series of thick bushes.
"Oh mah gosh..." Apple Bloom whispered in amazement.
-
Before the trio stood the ruins of an obviously once magnificent castle. Moonlight glittered down from the sky and made the pathways sparkle as the group passed under the rusty portcullis.
As they entered the courtyard, Apple Bloom felt her heart stop. The courtyard was undoubtedly twenty times more beautiful than anything in Canterlot!
Vines scaled the walls and covered stained glass windows, unimpeded from the lack of gardeners for one thousand years. A large fountain gently pumped clear water from the center, which then flowed slowly throughout the entire castle via small canals.
Statues depicting ponies and monsters alike were aligned neatly in a row, plaques adorning their respective pedestals.
"Whoa...Who is THAT?" Apple Bloom asked completely captivated by the large statue of an earth pony standing on her hind hooves and holding a saber in her right hoof, a battle standard clutched in her left. Her sword hoof was raised in a challenging gesture and her stone face betrayed a mocking smile.
"That was High General Moonius." Ruby explained. "She led the battle against Princess Celestia. Although why she has a statue I am unsure, as the castle was abandoned after Luna's banishment."
Apple Bloom stared deep into the stoney sockets and cautiously reached her hoof out to touch it.
"Do not touch anything!" Mitta whispered angrily, smacking Apple Bloom's hoof down.
"Come on, you two; we have somewhere to be." Ruby called impatiently from the opposite end of the courtyard.
Mitta and Apple Bloom shared a glare before Mitta trotted off; leaving Apple Bloom to turn back to the statue.
As she turned her head away to catch up to her friends, she could have sworn she saw the statue's eyes flash red.
-
"Where are we now?" Apple Bloom asked, carefully lifting the cover of a dusty old book that had been left on the ground.
"We are inside the Royal Library of Moonas." Mitta explained, following Ruby closely. "Although why, I am not sure.".
"There's a book here I want you both to see." Ruby said simply as she continued wandered through the old and broken shelves, some of which had long since been standing.
As Ruby continued her quest for the book, Apple Bloom began to wander as well, and soon she had lost sight of the group.
Sniffing a blue book in the corner, she began to wonder why this place was abandoned.
Princess Celestia wouldn't be so mean as to run all the ponies out of here... Apple Bloom hoped.
The thought of her kind ruler once being a malicious pony was unthinkable and hurt the little filly's head.
As she turned back from the book, she found herself frozen in fear and pressed up against the wall.
Standing in front of her were three shady ponies that Apple Bloom could see through, albeit not as well. They simply stared at the terrified earth pony; their eyes ebbing red.
As Mitta stored around the corner, they disappeared.
"Apple Bloom!" she hissed furiously and roughly herded Apple Bloom back to Ruby. "Do not leave our sight again!"
Apple loom wanted to ask Mitta if she had seen those ponies, but she hated Mitta when she was like this. She simply grumbled to herself and trotted up to Ruby.
"Apple Bloom, please don't wander off like that; this place is very old and dangerous." Ruby said, a red book standing in front of her.
"What's that?" Apple Bloom asked, ignoring the statement and motioning to the book.
Ruy sighed and took her hoof off of the book. "This is a history book that talks about what happened at Sunny Town." Ruby said sadly.
"And this," Mitta began, holding a smaller grey book in her mouth. "Is the captain of the guard's log book. It will have the pages from that day.".
"Well then let's read 'em!" Apple Bloom said excitedly, bouncing on her hooves.
Ruby smiled sadly and opened her book.
"Chapter Seven: The Curse on Sunny Town" Ruby whispered, and Mitta turned her head to hide her tears.
"On the sixth moon of the Summer Sun calendar, early in the day, a little town in the Everfree Forest was preparing for a celebration.".
"Although there were but seven ponies who lived in Sunny Town, they rarely had visitors. Among the seven residents where Grey Hoof, a light grey earth pony with a black mane who was the unofficial 'Mayor' of Sunny Town (although no election was held, no pony objected out of respect), Three Leaf, a dark green earth pony with a light green mane who specialized in growing the towns food, Roneo, a light tan earth pony with a blue mane, Starlet, an earth pony with a red mane, Mitta, a grey earth pony with a black mane who was possibly the sister of Grey Hoof, although any records concerning their births could not be found, Gladstone, an earth pony with a brown coat and an orange mane, and Ruby, a light grey earth pony with a blonde/orange mane." Ruby lectured, her voice weakening at the mention of her name.
She swallowed hard and continued.
"Just before the party kicked off, Ruby reportedly found a lost gem that belonged to Roneo. She returned the gem and earned a cutie mark of a magnifying glass; possibly representing her talent for finding things. However, since the town of Sunny Town was very secluded, it is possible that the townsponies did not realize what a cutie mark was and panicked. In the events that followed, Ruby was brutally beaten and then burned alive in her home.". Ruby choked out, crying softly. Mitta wrapped her hoof around her friends neck and hugged her.
"These events were reported in an unmarked letter addressed to Princess Luna herself, signed simply with an 'M'. It is believed that the pony known as Mitta wrote the letter, but no proof can be gathered to support this theory due to the fact of Princess Luna quickly flying to the town's location and cursing the ponies. Reportedly, she changed the beings into creatures of undeath; never to be free nor earn their cutie marks. All contact with the town was cut off immediately thereafter.".
"It is alright, Ruby; all of that is behind us." Mitta said comfortingly.
"It still hurts..." Ruby replied, and nudged the Captain of the Guard's log book towards Mitta, who flipped it to the middle of the book.
"Seventh Moon, Seventh Summer Sun Cycle, Mid day: Responded to letter from the town of Sunny Town concerning a murder. Dispatched three royal night guards to town, and when arrived, reported residents writhing in pain on the ground. Medical units dispatched and all contact lost with guards. Loss of contact with medical units shortly thereafter. No further units sent, Princess Luna alerted to letter's origin and content upon receivement. Reported to have left for the town shortly after." Mitta read aloud.
"I assume the guards and medical unicorns were turned, but we may never know." Mitta admitted.
Apple Bloom's head spun as she tried to take everything in. Her body ached with emotions; rage, sorrow, depression, fear... Then suddenly she felt nothing.
"Ah don't understand..." She whispered. "Ah don't understand how ponies could be so mean...".
"Apple Bloom, it was a much different time back then..." Ruby explained.
"That doesn't mean anything!" the little filly cried.
"Come now, little one. Lower your voice and follow me; it is time to leave." Mitta whispered as she led the group out of the library.
Apple Bloom turned back to look at those evil books and saw the three ponies from earlier disappear around a corner.
