The Tale of Aethyll
Chapter 1: Bloody Beginnings
“Please… please come off…” She mumbled to herself, clenching her strained, white teeth. Her eyes, covered only by her long, teal hair, swelled immensely with tears as they came running down her soft, delicate cheeks. Tired, sweating, and weak, Aethyll sat in solitude at the dim edge of the Everfree Forest, far away from any other pony, with one hoof aggressively rubbing against her flank. Looking down, eyes widened, she began whimpering with fear and disbelief, her white fur becoming ragged and torn from her desperate act. She scrubbed and scrubbed relentlessly, but one fact remained. Because no matter how much she cried about it, and no matter how much she tried to remove it, her cutie mark was still there.
Earlier that morning.
Aethyll was lying down peacefully in her cozy bed. Turning to her side, she began opening her tired, light blue eyes, a hint of gracefulness shining through them, giving her sight of the majestic sun rising through the window. A small, weary smile arose from her lips as sunshine filled the room.
“What a beautiful day,” She whispered to herself while lowering the comfortable blankets from her body.
After stretching her four legs on the wooden floor of her home, she made her silky sheets and placed a satchel around her. The unicorn squinted and pouted at the mirror, looking slightly displeased with her messy appearance; glancing up at her hair, she huffed once, letting her bangs fall neatly in place. Smiling, she then brushed it through twice, which seemed to be just enough. The satisfied Aethyll then took a small whiff of the oak smell that resonated within her spacious home and then opened the door. A bright and busy Ponyville greeted her.
She trotted along the town’s roads, quickly greeting the ponies that she had become slightly familiar with. Considering her brevity in Ponyville, a feeling of acceptance and welcome was a surprising, but pleasant one for the bright, white mare. A plethora of greetings met her sharp ears as she passed both Sugar Cube Corner and Twilight Sparkle’s Library. Twilight, in particular, was a pony that she greatly admired; however, she was also one that Aethyll had not yet had the pleasure of meeting. Instead, her destination was one that was much further away from her own house than the fabled library as well as much more open: Sweet Apple Acres. That place was cluttered with apple trees as much as the Library was cluttered with books. She continued on down the road, and as soon as she got a glimpse of the trees shining against the rising sun, her horn glistened, a small notebook and quill levitating out of her carrying bag soon after. Using her magic, she flipped through the several noted pages, not paying attention to where she was walking, until reaching a checklist at the end of it with only one unchecked item; it was the promise Aethyll made to Applejack, and the very reason for her early visit.
“Help AJ gather-“ she read aloud, interrupting herself by her bumping into one of three broad looking stallions, one of them noticeably larger and with a stronger stance than the other two.
“Oh, my apologies. I-I didn’t noti-“
“Just who do you think you are, huh?!” The largest one rudely replied, cutting her off.
“Well… as I was saying, I am very so-“
“Oh I know who this is!” He cut her off yet again, turning his long head towards one of his companions, laughing. The two joined him in his condescending laughter, and the other ponies looked on with concern, but they clearly did not have enough of it to intervene. “You’re that new pony in town, right? Aryelle or something like that.”
His voice was stern and low; the demeaning comments he made began to anger Aethyll, and she started to glare at him with detestation. The other gossiping ponies looked to each other, amazed at her adamant stance with her hooves practically glued to the road. She began her reply with a voice just as strong and stubborn.
“Actually, my name is Aeth-“
“Yea, I don’t care. The only thing I need to know is that you know who I am,” the pompous stallion continued as his friends smiled and nodded in agreement. In the next split second, the gap between the stallion and the unicorn was halved, his face intruding her space. But she held her stance just the same as he went on explaining. “My name is Steele, but you can refer to me as The Steele Stallion, like every other pony does around here. And you better watch where you’re going. You wouldn’t want to get your cute, wittle mane all dirty, would ya? ”
Smirking with disgusting narcissism, Steele locked his eyes with hers, continuing his threat. He could sense the anger steaming in Aethyll and decided to push it further.
“You look upset. What are you going to do about it? Oh, right. You can’t do anything. You’re just a sad, talentless blank flank!” The haunting words sank deep into her skin, and her muscles tensed up. No one has called her that since she was a filly, which made the words hurt that much more. Her eyes began well up, but her anger remained. Just before Aethyll could say anything back to him, she heard her name from afar.
“Aethyll!”
Her eyes slowly shifted from his obnoxious, gray face to the orange pony far behind him who was waving one hoof in her direction. It was Applejack. As soon as the earth pony noticed that she had received the unicorn’s attention, she began to nod her head left and right, the expression on her face illustrating her extreme worry for the poor pony. Aethyll softened her glare. She remained silent.
“Heh, that’s what I thought. No pony can go toe to toe with The Steele Stallion.”
He shoved her off to the side, his friends mimicking him; she stumbled and winced but kept on all fours. Scoffing, the unicorn went on walking towards her friend, her graceful expression slowly returning to her face. A small smile appeared.
“Hey AJ, it’s good to see you again.”
“It’s good to see you, too, Thyll,” AJ replied, the small smile on Aethyll’s face widening at the sound of the nickname Applejack had dubbed for the teal-haired mare. She went on. “I’m really, really sorry ‘bout that. You see, that there is St-“
“Steele…or The Steele Stallion!” Aethyll mocked, mimicking his voice playfully. They both laughed at his obviously repulsive attitude as she sniffled away her unnoticeable tears. Sighing, she turned to see him walking away with pride and arrogance. In a softer tone, she went on. “Yea, we met. What’s his deal, anyway?”
“He’s in charge of makin’ weapons for Princess Celestia’s guards. Didja see his cutie mark?”
“No, I didn’t. It was kinda hard to see past that big head of his,” they chuckled.
“Ya got that right! Well, it’s a big ugly sword. The two “henchmen” he always walks around with have similar ones. No one dares insult them. The last one who did ended up paying for it real bad…What did he say to you anyway? You look a might upset,” she asked, still slightly concerned.
The white mare glanced quickly behind to look at her flank, shining in all of its blankness. “It’s nothing, really.” Her words said one thing but her face said another.
“Aww, don’t be lookin’ all sad now, sugarcube. C’mon, I have just the thing to cheer you up!” AJ insisted, and she headed off towards the apple tree farm, gesturing Aethyll to follow. She did so.
As they were walking, Aethyll noticed the sun still rising in the distance, just above the treetops. “The day’s just started,” she reassured herself. “It’ll get better.” Their hooves made less noise as they stepped off the cobblestone pathways outlining Ponyville and onto the dirt roads that cut through the trees towards the barn. Sounds of ponies conversing, carts rolling, and hooves stomping started fading from their ears; sounds of the calm wind blowing, chickens clucking, and cows mooing soon entered them. Aethyll took a deep breath in and exhaled a relaxing sigh. As they walked, Applejack noticed and turned her head, smiling.
“Peaceful, ain’t it?”
“Yes, very. It must be great living out here.”
“Haha, sure is! You should see Fluttershy’s place though. If you want peaceful, why, her place just screams serenity! Or, in her case, whispers it,” laughing, they starting getting closer and closer to the barn.
Applejack opened the gate while her filly sister, Applebloom, was out playing in the yard with Sweetie Belle. Shrieking with glee, the two little ponies galloped towards AJ and Aethyll. With happiness glowing through her cheeks, Aethyll bent down to greet them both, petting their cute, tiny heads with her hooves.
“Hi, Aethyll!” Sweetie Belle squeaked, her mouth opened wide in the form of a great, big smile.
“We’re so glad you’re here! We have so much to tell you about the Cutie Mark Crusaders! You’re…still a part of it ain’t ya, Thyll?” Applebloom said, following after her filly friend.
“Of course I am! I want a cutie mark just as much as you guys do. But…where’s Scootaloo?”
“She’s out getting us volunteer positions at the hospital, and we wanted to ask if you wanted to join us!” Sweetie Belle asked enthusiastically, practically jumping up and down at the thought of the C.M.C. working together at the hospital.
“Oh, I’d love to, but I have to help out Applejack; I came with her to help her gather the…uh…” she turned to Applejack, smiling embarrassingly, forgetting what it was that she was supposed to collect.
“We’re collecting the Fire Lilies today,” AJ said, finishing Aethyll’s thought, then giving her a friendly wink. The two fillies’ eyes glowed with wonder.
“Really? I heard so much about them; I can’t wait to see what it tastes like!” AJ’s little sister replied.
“Yep, and I need a unicorn in order to gather them. Unfortunately, Rarity and Twilight were busy today, but I was lucky enough that Aethyll here was so willing to help. I really appreciate it,” she said in a soft manner, kind eyes looking towards the generous unicorn.
“I’m happy to help!” Aethyll responded, smiling to her. She then turned to Sweetie Belle and Applebloom. “I’ll see you girls later, I promise.”
“Do ya Pinkie Promise?” a smiling Applebloom asked, Aethyll looking slightly confused.
“What’s a Pinkie Promise?”
“HI THERE!”
“AHH!!!!” the unicorn yelled out, falling on her back in a fright as Pinkie Pie, coming out of nowhere, hovered over her.
“Do you promise that you’ll see these girls later?” Pinkie asked, pointing at her with her hoof. Aethyll’s eye started twitching out of shock.
“Y-…yea?”
“Cross your heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in your eye?!” the pink pony interrogated, gesturing her hoof to the eye that was open wider than the other.
“Y-…yea?”
“She’s good to go, girls!” she winked, zipping off into the distance soon after. The two satisfied fillies started walking away from the paralyzed Aethyll, mouth agape, eyes still twitching.
“Okay, we’ll see you later then, Aethyll!”
“Y-…yea,” she replied quietly to herself. Applejack went down to help her up as Aethyll slowly regained her senses.
“That’s, uh, Pinkie Pie. She does that sometimes.”
“Oh, does she?” the white mare replied, now on all fours, but still looking unsettled. Applejack chuckled.
“Yea, she does. You shoulda seen her down at Dodge Junction.”
“What happened at Dodge Junction?” the curious Aethyll asked.
“It’s a long story. I’ll tell it to you some other time; right now, we got some lilies to pick!” Aethyll’s smile returned as she nodded, and she walked along with Applejack after she picked up some tools from the barn.
The sun shone overhead as they trotted along the dirt path towards where they were heading. The trees moved back and forth against the wind, and Aethyll could hear the clattering of tools in the bag she brought. It was nice for her to get out of the town every once in a while. Though it was not nearly as busy as Manehattan, Sweet Apple Acres had gentle breezes and beautiful scenery; both were things she was not necessarily accustomed to experiencing back in the heart of the town. Another quality it had, one she especially enjoyed, was solitude. It was not that she did not like being around her friends. No, that was not it at all. It was more so the fact that she enjoyed the quietness; it was a chance for her to think to herself, something she does not often get to do. Even with Applejack beside her on the road, her mind still wandered into random thoughts. That soon ended.
“We’re here!” Applejack boomed, and just in front of them was a small tree covered in lilies stained by the colors red, yellow, and orange. In the presence of the mid-day sun, the flowers appeared to burn, much to the delight of Aethyll, whose eyes reflected the lilies’ light.
“They’re amazing,” Aethyll said to Applejack, who proceeded to lean her hooves against the tree. It was quite thin and easy to move, so lowering it was no arduous task for the earth pony.
“Sure is!” she grunted as she spoke, bringing the lilies down to Aethyll’s level. “And it’ll be even more amazing to eat after we harvest them. Here’s where you kick in. You see, only unicorn magic can pick ‘em off safely. Otherwise…well…they’re called Fire Lilies; I think you get the idea.”
“Got it,” Aethyll chuckled.
With the help of her magic, she started to gently pull at the fiery flowers one by one, carefully placing each individual lily inside the basket AJ put beside her. This required all of her concentration, and as time went on, her mind began to strain; Applejack was suffering as well; holding the tree down, no matter how small it was, began draining her strength, her legs getting weaker by the minute. Sweating, Aethyll looked towards Applejack, noticing that she, too, was getting tired.
“Hey, AJ, think we should rest?”
“Yea, that sounds like a good idea to me,” she responded, gradually letting the tree return to its normal state. They both laid down on the soothing grass, resting. The basket next to them was nearly full, but they talked for a short while, laughing at each other’s jokes, and gossiping about other ponies, as did most of the ponies from Ponyville.
“And then, there was this one time when Twilight spent the whole day obsessing over the fact that she forgot to send one teeny-tiny letter to Princess Celestia. Can you believe that?” Applejack and Aethyll laughed at the thought, enjoying their time with each other, but they were soon interrupted. Emerging from the dirt road were Steele and his two companions.
“Well, well, look what we have here,” Steele said, observing the two lone ponies. “Hey, look, Rock; they even gathered all the lilies for us!”
“They sure did!” Rock agreed, Applejack and Aethyll now rising to their hooves.
“What do you mean we gathered them for you? You ain’t gettin’ one petal from us! And how did y’all know about this place anyways?” Steele smirked at her response, tossing a small notebook at them.
“Your smart friend, the blank flank, dropped that when she rudely bumped into me. Lucky for us, it actually had some information worth having. Now, give us the lilies and we’ll be on our way.”
“Never! And what would you want with our lilies anyway?” AJ questioned, her eyes squinting at the stallion. Aethyll stayed quiet, not knowing how to handle the situation.
“What any other pony would want them for, of course! The money,” an evil smile appeared on his face as the weak Applejack placed herself in front of the basket. “Well, I wasn’t expected to have this much fun, but I’m not complaining!”
The stallion huffed through his nostrils and then dashed towards Applejack at full speed. The poor orange pony realized that she was not safe when it was already too late. Steele rammed against Applejack’s side hard, flinging her backwards and away from the basket as the shocked Aethyll stood and watched. Applejack laid on the ground, unconscious and badly bruised. He then turned to the unicorn.
“You wanna go against me too, blank flank?”
Aethyll took a moment to soak in what had just happened right before her eyes. She looked at her injured friend then back into the eyes of the culprit responsible.
“You…hurt my friend,” the expression on Aethyll’s face shifting from shock to hatred as she spoke.
“Yea. I did,” he replied. He then picked up the basket and turned to leave.
Time had slowed for Aethyll at that very instant. Everything had gone quiet. She could no longer hear the trees rustling in the wind, the chickens clucking, or the cows mooing. She could not think about anything besides what had just happened. She could not feel the pain her mind faced from using her magic beforehand. And she could not see the stallion walking away. She would not see it. Because he could not walk away from her. Her horn illuminated brightly, brighter than ever before. One tear escaped her eyes as the white mare charged towards him, letting out a loud cry. The light from her horn grew stronger and stronger as she neared him. Her horn flashed once on impact then immediately died out, the Fire Lilies bursting into flames in the air just as she hit him. Steele was on the ground the second after, and his two friends looked at her, both speechless.
As if she were in a trance, Aethyll shook her head and looked down to see the product of her actions. Small fires from the Fire Lilies dimly lit the area as the sun began to set. Her eyes moved back and forth, trying to comprehend what she just did. She did not accept it at first, but the evidence was clear. Steele was dead.
Just then, Applejack began to wake from her injury, the fires glowing around her. With her vision still blurred, she could only slightly make out Aethyll’s appearance.
“A-Aethyll?”
Before Applejack could say anything else, Aethyll turned away and ran, too ashamed to be near her. She ran all the way towards the Everfree Forest and when she finally stopped, instead of catching her breath, she cried.
“I-I didn’t mean to…to kill him! I’m so…so sorry…” she apologized with no one there to listen, but she felt that it needed to be said.
“I didn’t mean to, I really…” she continued, finding it harder to speak the more she bawled. Looking down at herself, she noticed a stain on her flank in the shape of a drop.
“Oh, no. His blood is on me…”
Placing one hoof on her flank, she began to wipe at the drop of blood, but it was not going away. Her eyes widened and she continued to rub harder and harder, but it remained. She started to enter a state of denial.
“N-No…this can’t be…” she thought silently to herself.
“Is this…my…cutie mark?”
Chapter 2: A Stronger Magic
Darkness dominated the dimly lit room as one of Lord Baddon’s loyal subjects gradually approached him. He, himself, was sitting on the large, obsidian throne in the center of the hall; sleek brown and black clothing with silver outlining covered his black fur coating. A metal helmet, adorned by several scratches and bumps with two horns protruding from its sides rested comfortably on the Lord’s head when a gray unicorn, mane as black as his and twice the length, knelt on the rugged carpet before him.
“My Lord,” the unicorn spoke softly, bowing her head out of respect.
“You may speak,” Baddon replied sternly, his eyes resting on the mare; the guards around them looked towards her as well, for it was not often that one of the Lord’s six students came to report to him in person. Usually, they would send a letter or a messenger.
“I came to inform you about the mare I wrote to you about, Aethyll.”
“What of this mare? Is there any news of this talent I’ve been hearing so much of?”
“No, my Lord, but I assure you, she is extremely powerful, even more powerful than Night Mare Moon and Discord,” she replied, smirking slyly to herself when she knew she had caught Baddon’s attention.
“What do you mean by this? What about her abilities is so dire that you felt the need to come all the way here, to Tartarus, from the Everfree Forest? Explain yourself,” the Lord impatiently demanded, his gaze solidifying on her as she maintained her grin. The unicorn spoke softly.
“I’m saying this…because they’re gone now. Destroyed. All because of her.”
The entire room went silent; most of the guard had confused expressions on their faces. Who were destroyed? Or what were destroyed? The only two who seemed to understand what the unicorn meant were Lord Baddon and the mare herself. His eyes widened with amazement, and he lifted his head, intrigued by her statement.
“All of them?” the Lord inquired.
“Yes. All of them,” she confirmed.
He stood up from the throne and advanced towards her. A smile arose on Baddon’s face before he spoke.
“This is the moment we have been waiting for. Round up all of the ponies, mares and stallions alike. Now is the time to strike.”
“Yes, my Lord. What shall I do about the mare?”
His guards proceeded to open the two large iron doors leading from the hall to the city.
“Recruit her. We have an army to build.”
Three days earlier on the day of the incident.
Humming to herself in her cottage, Fluttershy was preparing food for her pet, Angel Bunny. She gently placed a few thin carrot slices in a wooden bowl, mixing them together with an assortment of other greeneries. Smiling after putting the finishing touches on the meal, the kind pegasus then stepped towards her window to call for Angel, who has been outside for a long while now.
“Angel Bunny!” Fluttershy said in her cute, hushed tone. “Your dinner is ready! Would you please come in now? It’s getting awfully dark outside.”
She looked around after her statement, trying to see if she could spot the devious rabbit herself, but she could not. Suddenly, she felt a tug on one of her wings, causing her to let out a short yelp. When she turn around, a tired, sweaty Angel Bunny greeted her sight, his tiny ears drooping down along the sides of his relatively large head. She relaxed her nerves and spoke to him.
“Oh! Angel Bunny, you startled me. I didn’t know you came in already. I hope you’re hungry because I prepared you the most wonderf-“
Fluttershy was cut off by Angel, who persistently continued to tug on her wing, glaring at her with impatience.
“What’s wrong, Angel Bunny? And why do you look so worn out like that? Did you steal that poor pony’s carrots again?” the yellow mare gasped; Angel looked unamused by her accusation and started pulling harder, attempting to get Fluttershy to follow him. She did so obediently, letting the tiny bunny pull her wherever he wanted.
“Um…Where are we going? If you don’t mind me asking…” Fluttershy asked as Angel pushed her just outside the door.
The bunny then climbed up one of her soft legs and mounted himself on her delicate back, his small legs resting along the pegasus’ wings. Pointing towards the Everfree Forest with a determined expression on his face, Angel Bunny spanked Fluttershy’s behind as a signal to start running. Shocked and wide-eyed, the mare leaped forward, letting out a hushed, “Ahh!” and set off across the small field in the direction of the treacherous forest.
Meanwhile, Aethyll sat in solitude looking at her hooves, scratched and worn from her desperate attempt to get away from everyone else. She did not enjoy this new feeling of loneliness. Not when she knew that soon, no pony would want to be around her. Thoughts were racing through her head, thoughts that she did not want to believe, and she maintained the visage of a worried pony asking to herself, “Did I really do that? Are these hooves the hooves of a…a murderer?” She replayed the scene in her head a thousand times over, and she could not imagine how it led to such a horrible outcome. She remembered the rage that flowed through her veins, the tears that flowed down her cheeks, and the magic that flowed through her horn. The intent to hurt him might have been there, but the intent to kill? No. She wouldn’t. Or at least that is what she kept repeating to herself. However, there was one thing she did not remember. Searching heavily through her mind, she still could not recall what she did both after she started charging towards the stallion and before he was already dead. It was almost as if she had turned into another pony for those few seconds. But it seems that those few seconds were enough to kill, and that realization sent an unwanted feeling creeping up her spine.
She looked back in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres, and, fortunately, it seemed that the lilies’ flames were not enough to start a massive fire. Thoughts of the Fire Lilies then came into her mind. Their beauty is what plagued Aethyll the most. Because she did not want to accept the fact that something as beautiful and serene as those lilies could turn into something so destructive and unforgiving. She did not want to accept the fact that she was like a Fire Lily. Taking a look back at her cursed flank and the blood drop cutie mark, she questioned herself further, her tears drying up on her face from having shed so many.
“Am I really a killer?”
Just then, Fluttershy came poking out from the distance, her bunny sitting comfortably on her back. As soon as Aethyll got a glimpse of her, she immediately covered up her cutie mark, since she was too weak from earlier to simply run off. The pegasus gasped upon laying eyes on the injured Aethyll and flew for a short distance before landing right next to her. As she neared, Aethyll became increasingly worried; she did not want to reveal her new, true self to any pony, especially not one as warm hearted as Fluttershy. Fluttershy looked worried as well and lowered her head, her eyes illustrating the quality of kindness that the unicorn had heard so much about. Angel Bunny leaped off of her and stood a little behind one of her legs.
“Oh my…you look terrible! Are you okay?” Fluttershy said softly.
“Y-yes, I’m fine…”
“You don’t look fine at all; we need to get you to the hospital! Those burn marks look absolutely terrible!” she said, pouting as Aethyll looked down, realizing the severity of her wounds. There was so much on her mind that she must have overlooked her own physical condition. Her tail tightened around her flank, and she tried to hide one of the wounds on her legs with her hoof.
“Thank you, but…I’m fine… really…”
Unsatisfied, the yellow mare looked at her with concern and slowly started to move closer to her. Whimpering quietly out of empathy, Fluttershy gradually lifted her hoof up to help her.
“Please, let me help y-“
“I said I’m fine!” Aethyll yelled, trying to hold back more tears as she continued to lie to the innocent pony. She failed in doing so, and a tear silently escaped from her eyes. Fluttershy was taken aback by her sudden outburst, but as soon as she noticed her crying, she approached the upset unicorn yet again; after all, it was in her nature to be sympathetic. She laid down in front of Aethyll, letting her long pink hair fall softly on her gentle legs. The unicorn hesitated, but she eventually gave in and let her approach.
“Um…What’s your name?” Fluttershy asked, starting the conversation slowly while looking up at her. Normally, she would not have spoken so much, but after seeing a pony in distress, she had to do something.
“Aethyll…” she replied, humoring her.
“That’s such a pretty name. My name is, um, Fluttershy,” she said, smiling and looking away, a bit of her shyness shining through her cheeks as she blushed slightly.
“Nice to finally meet you…” Aethyll replied, starting to calm down. “Applejack told me a lot about you.”
“Oh, you’re Applejack’s friend! She’s told me a lot about you, too. But, um, how come you’re all the way out here by yourself? And why are you hurt?” Suddenly, her eyes became wider and she buried her face in her hooves, embarrassed. “Oh…. I’m sorry. I’m asking too many questions…”
“No, it’s alright. There was…an accident,” she said, looking down as Fluttershy frowned.
“Is every pony okay?”
Before she could respond, Aethyll heard her name echoing from afar. She noticed some pony running towards the two of them. Aethyll did not need to question it any further; she knew it was Applejack. Who else could it be? Burdened with guilt, the unicorn could not bear to face her at that moment.
“I’m sorry, but I have to go.” Aethyll responded in a low voice as the echo grew louder and louder.
She then got up, her tail still covering her cutie mark, and headed straight for the Everfree Forest. Fluttershy flew up the moment she realized where the white mare was heading, catching Angel Bunny off guard as he tried to hold on to her flapping wings. While hovering in the air, she attempted to stop her the only way she knew how to: begging, pleading, and beseeching.
“W-wait! Please, don’t go in there! You’re hurt! A-and there are terrifying monsters in there!” she implored, her hooves covering her face, scaring herself at the mere thought of it. Aethyll turned her head once, looking at her one last time.
“I know. I’m one of them,” Aethyll responded dishearteningly, and she turned back towards the forest, her head lowered as her long teal hair trailed along behind her.
Fluttershy tilted her head, her eyes shaped from both sadness and confusion, as she watched Aethyll slowly disappear behind the dark trees which seemed to engulf her presence. She shook her head when she felt Angel’s small hand hit the top of her head. When she looked back, Angel was suffering from trying to hold on to her, and she then started to lower herself.
“Oh, sorry, Angel Bunny,” she said apologetically as the bunny finally let go of her wing, falling face flat on the grass, dizzy from the movement.
A few minutes after, Fluttershy then turned around to see the bruised Applejack running towards her frantically. Before she could say anything to her, Applejack addressed her, almost out of breath.
“Fluttershy! Did you see a white unicorn about yay high over in these here parts?” she asked urgently, her eyes and legs accurately expressing how exhausted she was.
“Um, she just went into the Everfree Forest…I tried to stop her, but she wouldn’t listen! D-did something…awful happen?” she asked fearfully in return. Applejack frowned as she looked towards the forest, realizing that she would never find the runaway mare, especially not in her condition. She sighed and then started explaining the entire situation to the pegasus. Fluttershy’s response was quiet, but appropriate.
“W-what..?!”
“I know. I didn’t think somethin’ like that could happen here in Ponyville neither.”
“What do we do?” Fluttershy asked. Applejack turned, looking in the direction of Ponyville.
“We have to tell Twilight.”
Meanwhile at the Library.
“Spike, please take these books to Rainbow Dash. She’s been asking for them all day,” Twilight commanded as she wrote down a few notes on a long scroll while simultaneously placing a short stack of books in Spike’s arms with the help of her unicorn magic. “She should be at Sugarcube Corner with Pinkie Pie and Rarity.”
The tiny purple dragon stretched and yawned with the books in his hands, tired from running errands for Twilight the entire day. “How come you’re not with them?” He asked coolly as the unicorn continued dabbling notes down.
“I’m busy researching a rare lunar event that Princess Celestia informed me about, one that hasn’t occurred in Equestria in over 100 years! I simply don’t have the time to hang out with any of my friends today,” she explained as she continued writing, even as she spoke. She had a talent for doing that.
“Hmm, well, alright,” Spike replied, walking over to the door. Just before he could open it himself, some pony else did.
“Twilight, you won’t beli- woah!” Fluttershy yelped, tripping over the unprepared dragon and landing on her back, the books he was holding now scattered on the floor. Applejack followed in shortly after her.
“Oh, Spike, I’m so so sorry…” she apologized, flying to lift him up off of the ground. As she did so, Pinkie Pie flamboyantly entered the room, flailing her hooves about.
“Spike! Spike! I came over as soon as possibly possible because, well, first, my ears starting flopping, and then, my eyes fluttered and I wanted to warn you to look out for…” she described, pausing when she noticed the pegasus already helping to lift Spike up, a pile of books already decorating the floor. Pinkie chuckled nervously. “Oh, heheh…I guess I’m a teensy bit too late, huh?”
“It’s okay, Pinkie Pie. So what were you saying, Fluttershy? Something about us not believing something or whatnot?” Spike said as he got back on his feet, brushing the dirt off of his scales. Twilight dropped her quill and turned around; it was quite typical for her to randomly see all of her friends in the Library, and after having stayed in Ponyville for that long, she stopped questioning it and embraced it instead.
“Yes, Fluttershy, you were trying to tell me something?”
“Well, um…”
“I reckon it’s best if I tell ‘er, Shy,” Applejack cut in, walking further into the room. Fluttershy nodded, and Rainbow Dash and Rarity soon came through the door.
“Oh, what’s this? Was there something planned tonight? Twilight, you know how I like to stay in the loop of things,” Rarity indicated, noticing everyone gathered in the same room.
“’Fraid not, Rarity. Fluttershy and I came to tell Twilight about an accident. Come to think of it, why are you two here?” Applejack replied as Rainbow Dash stretched her wings and sat atop one of the bookshelves.
“We just came because of Pinkie Pie. She got all twitchy again and said something about warning you two about opening doors, so we just followed her” Dash clarified.
“Yupperoni! But, the twitching’s gone now,” Pinkie Pie said gleefully.
“So what’s wrong, Applejack? You look like a mess…all those cuts, burns, and bruises. What happened?” Twilight asked, getting back on subject. Applejack frowned a bit before speaking.
“Some pony’s been…murdered.”
The atmosphere in the room suddenly changed. Pinkie Pie’s normally upbeat mood and giddy motions suddenly went south. Rainbow silently floated down from the bookshelf and stood on her hooves; she felt it was more appropriate to do so. Rarity and Twilight both gasped from surprise, looking towards the orange pony, waiting for hear more. Spike looked confused and upset, as a young dragon would. Twilight’s head lowered from hearing the upsetting news and swiftly put away everything she was working on.
“Spike, go upstairs,” Twilight commanded firmly, fearing that he was too young to listen in about such topics.
“O-Okay…” Spike replied obediently, heading up swiftly to his room. She turned back towards Applejack. A series of urgent questions followed.
“Who was it?”
“Steele.”
“Where is his body?”
“In Sweet Apple Acres by the Fire Lily Trees.”
“Who murdered him?” Twilight asked. Applejack hesitated with her answer.
“Well…from what I can remember…” Applejack paused, not wanting to admit it, but she knew she had to tell them. “It was Aethyll.”
“That nice unicorn from across the street!?” Pinkie Pie replied, frowning and in shock.
“Well, yes. B-but she was just trying to help me! See, what had happ-“
“That’s enough, Applejack. He may have hurt you or her, but that does not mean he deserved to die… How did she do it?” Twilight interrupted, addressing the seriousness of the situation. Applejack pouted, but she knew deep down that Twilight was right.
“I’m not quite sure exactly, but from what Steele’s friends had said, I reckon she used her magic.”
Both Rarity and Twilight became wide-eyed, as if the room suddenly became cold and dark. The rest of the ponies looked confused by their expressions.
“Um, Twilight? Is something wrong?” Fluttershy asked quietly and politely. The gifted unicorn looked around the room once, acting quickly.
“Spike, come back down now!” Twilight said. He came down quickly.
“Yes, Twilight?” He asked, standing at attention.
“I need you to send a letter to Princess Celestia informing her that there has been a murder and that her presence is needed immediately.” she ordered. The dragon nodded and immediately began writing to the Princess. Twilight then turned back to her friends.
“Rainbow Dash, I need you to find Steele’s friends and ask them exactly what happened. Get every single detail about how he died, but be sensitive; they’re both probably extremely upset from this.”
“Got it!” she responded, dashing out the door.
“Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, I need you to inform the Mayor that there’s been a murder. Be sure to tell her where the body is.”
“You can count on us!” Pinkie said, wrapping her front leg around Fluttershy, pulling the fragile mare along with her out the door.
“Meep!” Fluttershy exclaimed as they left.
After every pony left to do what Twilight had asked of them, the only ponies to remain were Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, and Applejack. The two unicorns kept their worried expressions on their faces, leaving Applejack even more confused.
“Alright, what the hay is going on! There’s something you two aren’t sayin’,” Applejack stated. Twilight turned to her, a sullen expression on her face.
“Applejack…no unicorn has ever possessed the power to kill. At least not with their magic. Not even the most powerful alicorns like Princess Celestia or Princess Luna have that kind of ability. Whoever this pony is, we have to stop her,” Twilight emphasized while looking out the windows and into the dark abyss of the night. “I just hope it’s not too late.”
In an instant, a bright flash was emitted from just outside the Library. The three remaining ponies galloped through the door to see what it was. Princess Celestia, herself, walked slowly toward them, meeting them halfway, her hair glowing as it flowed gracefully in the wind.
“I came here as soon as I heard, my dear pupil. It is, indeed, a very tragic event.”
“It is…I already have a few of my friends gathering up information about Aethyll as we speak. I also have them informing the Mayor of what happened,” the alicorn nodded, showing her understanding of the situation. Twilight then moved closer to her and spoke in a more sincere tone. “Princess, my friends and I are all ready to go out and find-“
“No, Twilight,” the Princess asserted, leaving Twilight and the other two dumbfounded.
“But, Princess, with all due respect, doesn’t an incident of this magnitude call for our immediate assistance?” she replied.
“Yes, it does, but that does not mean that either you or your friends should risk your lives for the sake of finding her. Leave that to my guards. All of you are to report everything that you know about this ‘Aethyll’ to them by the end of tonight. They will handle the rest. You and your friends have done more than enough already, and I am infinitely grateful for that. You can all help after she is captured. For now, I must attend to the mayor and help her deal with this situation.”
After her statement, the alicorn flashed away, leaving all three of them disappointed with Twilight appearing the most displeased out of the group
“Twilight, whatever are we to do? Those guards will get themselves killed!” Rarity asked. Twilight stood erect, determination flooding her large eyes as she addressed them.
“There’s no use directly disobeying the Princess’ orders. We have to do what she’s asked us to.”
“But, Twilight…” Rarity responded.
“Don’t worry, Rarity. I said there was no use directly disobeying her; I didn’t say anything about indirectly doing so. I’m not going to let any pony else get hurt. Tell the rest of the group to meet me here in an hour.”
Rarity smiled as she nodded. Applejack stayed silent. The idea that one of her friends turned into an enemy of Ponyville over the course of a few hours continued to plague her thoughts. Though she agreed that what Aethyll did was wrong, she still could not think of her as evil. Her mood worsened when she realized that the only reason Aethyll was caught up in this mess was because she was trying to defend her. Putting her faith in Twilight, she went on to tell Princess Celestia’s guards everything she knew about the situation. She then quickly went home to clean up her scratches and bruises, prepared to meet with the rest of her friends within the next hour.
Deep in the Everfree Forest.
The forest grew darker with each passing minute. A white unicorn such as Aethyll stood out like a sore hoof, especially with her teal mane; the fog that engulfed her surroundings was unsettling and unpleasant. Her hooves became dirtier as she trotted along. She did not know where she wanted to go, but any place was better than Ponyville. Despite how ironic it sounded, the Everfree Forest was, to her, the safest place she could be. She knew that, by now, every pony would know about her filthy deed, from Ponyville to Fillydelphia. Then, the day after that, all of Equestria would know. Her best bet would be to leave the nation. She did not want to, but she had no other choice if she wanted to fulfill her hopes of living a normal life.
She continued to hear rustling from the bushes and trees all around her. Often times, she would scare herself by unexpectedly stepping on a thin twig. Keeping low and quiet, she trekked through the woods, her guard always up.
“What am I going to do?” she asked herself desperately, continuously questioning her own actions and motives.
There were moments when she curled up in one spot, closing her eyes tight, hoping that she was only dreaming. To her, it was a nightmare that she could not wake up from; she still could not fully believe that what happened actually happened. Before that night, she did not even think most of it was possible. She had always loved helping other ponies and had only used her magic for good reasons. Stressed and tired, thinking about the crime she committed started making her feel sick and get painful migraines. She knew that she was not this type of pony. Every part of her body agreed with her. Every part except her cutie mark.
The rustling from the bushes came to her ears once more. The faint sounds grew increasingly familiar to her, and she continued to hear them for the next hour or so. A dreadful thought came into her head. Was something…following her?
Outside the Library.
Each of the six ponies started gathering one by one outside the library. Once every pony was there, Twilight invited them inside. They conversed for a short while about the details of the murder, trying to learn as much as they could about Aethyll. Steele’s friend had described that her horn was not the only thing glowing when she killed him but that her eyes were as well. They had also mapped out where Aethyll would most likely be in the forest.
Finally, it appeared that they all knew enough about the situation to begin carrying out Twilight’s plan. Rainbow Dash was the most determined looking one of the group, craving for justice to be made. Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie looked a bit fearful of what the plan was, specifically, but they were also, for the most part, ready to aid their friends. Applejack looked the same as she did hours ago: upset, confused, but willing to help. Twilight stood in front of all of them, speaking with sincerity and urgency.
“As you all know, the Princess ordered us to stay out of this because of the danger of the situation. However, the more we wait, the more we put other pony’s lives at stake. We have to get to her before she can get to any pony else. We have to bring harmony back to Ponyville and all of Equestria. Otherwise, they will continue to fear for their lives and their safety. So I am asking you to all help me, because, in all honesty, I cannot do this alone.”
Her small speech touched the hearts of all of them except Fluttershy and Applejack. They were the only ones that had talked to her after her crime, and they both were not convinced that she would kill again. But they both felt that they had no say in the situation. On paper, Aethyll was a murderer, and nothing that either of them could say would change that. Each of them stepped closer, signifying their willingness to help. Twilight smiled and Rainbow Dash was the first of them to speak.
“So what are we going to do?” she bluntly asked.
“We’re going to retrieve the Elements of Harmony and find Aethyll in the Everfree Forest.”
“How are we going to retrieve the elements?” Pinkie asked curiously.
“The Princess and her guards are all still busy here in Ponyville, which means that the Canterlot Tower won’t be as heavily protected,” she explained while taking out a small map of the castle. “They won’t suspect anything if we go from this entrance.”
She spent the next few minutes explaining what every pony was to do. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy would be the ones to sneak past the guards and retrieve the elements due to their mobility while Rarity and Pinkie Pie would be the ones to distract the guards with charm and whatever it is Pinkie Pie does.
“Alright, I’m ready!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, suddenly appearing in a black outfit.
“Where’d that suit come from?” Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I brought it,” she explained as everyone stared. “What! I thought I’d need it. Plus, I look pretty awesome in it.”
Rainbow beamed. Rarity walked over to her examining her up and down.
“I’ll say,” she said sarcastically.
Twilight walked towards them, her horn starting to glow. A sudden gust of wind began blowing through the room, making every pony’s manes fly up.
“Is every pony ready? I only have one shot at this,” she asked, the glow from her horn growing in intensity. Each of them nodded, moving closer to her. “Alright! Here we go!”
Light shined brightly through each of the windows in the library in a quick flash, and they were all teleported somewhere near Canterlot Tower. The setting was still dark and it appeared that no one noticed them. However, Twilight fell down on her side, her friends rushing immediately to her.
“Twilight! Are you okay?” one of them asked.
“Ugh…Yea, I’m fine. I just need to rest here for a bit.” She responded, putting one hoof on her forehead. “You guys all know what to do, right?”
They all nodded and set off to retrieve the well-renowned Elements of Harmony. Applejack stayed behind.
“You guys go on without me! I’m gonna stay here with Twilight, make sure she’s okay,” she said with a hushed but alerting voice.
Each of them agreed and continued moving towards the tower which was extraordinary in size and height. As the four other ponies neared it, its scale became more and more apparent to them. The orange earth pony helped the unicorn rest, making sure she laid comfortably on the grass nearby. As Twilight regained her strength, she began to realize more clearly the impact that the situation had on Applejack. Soon enough, she was able to stand on all four hooves again, with the help of her friend. Waiting in silence for the other four to return, Twilight then turned towards her.
“AJ, how are you feeling? This must be extremely challenging for you, I can imagine…”
“There ain’t no use fighting it anymore, I guess. We have to do this. Just promise me that she won’t get hurt.”
“I promise,” Twilight said, attempting to reassure her.
“Alright. I’m with you all the way then,” she said, smiling affectionately towards her. She returned the smile. In the background, they heard a loud cry.
“We got ‘em, we got ‘em!” was all the two ponies could clearly make out. Far off near the tower, they could see Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy carrying a box whilst flying in the air. Below them, Pinkie Pie and Rarity were running together.
“Quick! We have to leave before some pony sees us!” Rarity called out.
Twilight readied herself and made a strong stance, burying her hooves in the ground. Her horn surged with magical power once more, and by the time that the other four were close enough, it flashed the same as before, and they were all instantly inside the Library again. Some of them were ready to catch a surely exhausted Twilight Sparkle, but to their surprise, she seemed to be alright.
“Are you okay, Twi?”
“Yes. It’s a lot easier to use magic to get out of Canterlot than it is to get in. Even though my brother isn’t shielding the entire city anymore, it’s still fairly protected by magic,” she explained as she moved closer to one of her bookshelves, taking out a small map of the Everfree Forest. “Now, if my assumptions are correct, she should be in this part of the Everfree Forest. If we move now, we should be able to catch her before she can make it to Whitetail Wood.”
Rainbow flew out the door, signaling her friends to follow her.
“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”
An hour later in the Everfree Forest.
It was unnerving hearing the same sounds in the dark, damp forest stalking her every move. She grew more and more anxious and paranoid as time went on. What was more nerve-wracking was the fact that the noises grew louder, as if there were more of them. She looked back once more, trying to find out what was following her. Proving unsuccessful, Aethyll trotted along through the woods. Soon, she found herself nearing the edge of the forest, the boundary between the Everfree and Whitetail. Her eyes glimmered with hope, having made it across relatively safely, but that glimmer faded as soon as she heard her name.
“Aethyll…” a softly spoken voice said, addressing her.
The white unicorn turned to see Applejack behind her, wearing a golden necklace around her. And behind Applejack were her five friends, all adorned with equally beautiful necklaces except Twilight who fashioned a tiara instead. They must have been the one’s following her, she thought. As soon as she caught a glimpse of Fluttershy, the frightened pegasus hid behind Rarity. She was a monster to them, and the fear in their eyes only clarified that. Her frown worsened and she looked into Applejack’s eyes.
“I’m…I’m so sorry.”
Tears reemerged from her eyes, and she fell to the ground, letting the weight of her guilt drag her down. Ready to be scowled at and treated like an abomination, she shut her eyes tightly and prepared her ears. Instead, she felt an unsuspecting chill on her shoulder comforting her. It was Applejack’s hoof. She looked up at her only good friend.
“I know you are. That’s why we’re here. You've been a mighty good friend to me, and that's why you need ta let me and my friends help you.”
She helped her up to Aethyll’s surprise, and then, the Earth pony backed up to join the rest of the group. Each of them showed a hint of empathy for the unicorn, but they all kept their formations. The jewelry that they wore slowly started to shine as Applejack reassured her.
“This is gonna make everything better, I promise.”
The glowing continued to intensify.
"Are you sure?"
"I wouldn't lie to you."
A small smile escaped from Aethyll's lips.
There was hope.
“Okay. I trust you. Please, just do it. I don't want to be like this anymore,” Aethyll responded, bowing her head and embracing her fate.
A bright rainbow was soon emitted from the group, beaming straight towards Aethyll. The unicorn opened her eyes, watching it as it sped towards her. She secured her hooves on the soft ground, shivering as it neared her. Finally, it hit. The rainbow surrounded her completely, but something felt wrong. The area around them started becoming unstable. The six ponies felt a surge of energy returning to them as if something was resisting the Elements. Aethyll’s head raised and her horn and eyes started to glow as immensely as the rainbow did and she levitated in the air. Twilight reacted immediately.
“Brace yourself, girls!” she exclaimed as her friends tried to fight back against her, straining. The rainbow started to wobble and contort.
“What in the world is happening!?” Applejack exclaimed as the energy they released continued to disrupt their surroundings.
“I-I don’t know!”
Suddenly, Aethyll’s horn flashed once as she closed her eyes and the rainbow, which was full of color not a moment earlier, slowly began turning to stone along with the Elements of Harmony themselves.
“Um, T-Twilight?!” Fluttershy asked frantically after looking down to see her petrified element.
"My element!" Pinkie shouted.
“Just hang on!” Rainbow Dash replied in her stead.
They all looked towards Aethyll as they were unable to do anything else. Her body seemed to be taken over by her own magic. Then, the unicorn opened her eyes once more and her horn flashed again, this time sending out a shockwave that shattered the rainbow and the Elements. It also thrust all of them back, leaving each of them bruised and incapacitated. As soon as Aethyll’s eyes stopped glowing, she fell to the ground, unconscious.
Twilight opened her eyes slightly, looking towards the Everfree Forest. Amidst the darkness, she saw a gray unicorn with a long black mane smiling.
“Who...are…” Twilight began to ask weakly, but before she could finish her question, the mare vanished, leaving a dark, shadowy cloud behind.
Twilight turned her head slowly, observing the scarred land around her. Her friends were all injured and rendered unconscious. The legendary Elements of Harmony were gone, reduced to dust. And Aethyll’s cutie mark remained.
“But…how?” she asked herself, her vision blurring with each passing second. “How is her magic…stronger than…our…friendsh-” her eyes closed, and she drifted off to sleep, her body too weak to stay awake.
