Chapter 1
The Ruined Canvas
By C. G. Raines
"In the center of the Everfree Forest, even in the dead of winter, there is a place where warm winds can be felt, and the cicadas will sing their eternal song of midsummer once more."
Chapter One
“Hey, Applebloom! Wait up!”
Ignoring her friends, Applebloom pressed through the forest with grim determination. Her eyes tore through the dense thicket, unwavering in their glare. She hopped over a log, slick with moss. Behind her, Applebloom could hear Sweetie Belle’s approaching hooves in the dirt. Scootaloo pursued on her trademark scooter. As they approached, their strained breath grew louder in her ears.
“There you are Applebloom!” Sweetie Belle panted. “Why didn’t you wait for us?”
“Yeah, didn’t you hear us? We told you to slow down!” Scootaloo said, her helmet askew.
“I told you both to stay put. I can do this on my own.” Applebloom sidestepped a puddle, and continued on. A frog, large and green, shot them a look of contempt, and jumped out of Applebloom’s path, and into the undergrowth. Above them, birdcalls echoed throughout the forest. Sweetie Belle cringed, glanced up, and quickened her pace to match Applebloom’s.
“Do you really think that we’re going to let you go into the Everfree Chateau all by yourself?” Sweetie asked.
“Yeah, you’d get eaten!” Scootaloo added.
“There’s no such things as ghosts, and I’m going to prove that to everypony! Especially that dumb ol Diamond Tiara.”
Scootaloo sped up, riding alongside Applebloom. “That’s not the problem, Applebloom.”
“Oh yeah. Big scary painting. I’m shaking in my horseshoes.”
“That painting’s evil!” Sweetie Belle waved her legs in the air to emphasize just how evil the painting was. Applebloom didn’t turn around, instead quickening her pace to speed ahead of Scootaloo. Behind them, a deer crashed through the undergrowth, snapping twigs as it bounced through the forest, and out of sight.
“Yeah, didn’t you hear about the curse? About all the ponies that have disappeared? What about Green Leaf?” Scootaloo asked.
“Oh yeah, I remember him. Wasn’t he in our school play last year? Or maybe it was the bake sale? Apple squeeze?” Sweetie Belle looked up in thought.
“Yeah, Applebloom.” Scootaloo sped up ahead of Applebloom, causing her to stop. Her voice lowered. “He went into the house on a dare, to go look at the paintng. Some say that he was eaten by ghosts. Others say that he looked at that painting, and vanished.”
Applebloom looked at Scootaloo. After a few seconds, she lowered her head and walked around them.
“It’s a true story Applebloom! Rainbow Dash told me!”
“Whatever you say, Scootaloo.”
“We’re not going to let you get eaten, Applebloom!”
“I’m not going to get eaten, Sweetie Belle.” Applebloom sprinted forward into the gloom of the Everfree Forest. As she disappeared, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle looked at each other.
“This is serious. She’s really going to get gobbled up!” Sweetie Belle’s eyes grew large with worry.
“Yeah, we need to do something. But what?” Scootaloo tapped her hoof to her forehead.
“You know what I’m thinking?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Of course…not. I don’t have a Cutie Mark in mind reading, you know.”
“That’s just it! Cutie Marks! Let’s get our Cutie Marks in talking Applebloom out of going into the Everfree Chateau!” Sweetie Belle’s eyes sparkled in excitement.
“That’s a great idea, Sweetie Belle! Let’s do it!” They both inhaled deeply.
“CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS NEGOTIATORS!” Their shout carried far into the forest. Birds flew from their perch, their wings beating the air as they ascended. The echoes dissipated, leaving the disturbed silence to settle across the forest.
***
Applebloom’s ears pricked at the faint echoes that crept through the dredges of the Everfree Forest. She resumed a walking pace now that Sweetie and Scootaloo were far behind her. She inhaled deeply, letting the smell of damp and slow rot fill her nostrils. The ground underneath her hooves sank down, and then sprung up as she walked across it. The forest was quiet, save for the occasional bird call, and the faint aria of crickets underhoof. No, that wasn’t right. Applebloom’s ears pricked again, as a faint sound reached them. Applebloom stopped and looked back. Something was wrong. The silence was too absolute. The crickets ceased their concert. Applebloom strained her ears to pick up any more sounds.
Nothing. Not even the wind.
Applebloom turned and continued walking. However, the feeling of…wrongness persisted. Like a thunderhead refusing to drop its load, preferring to hover, and menace.
It’s probably just my imagination running wild. Applebloom thought. Stupid Scootaloo. Her story’s got me all jittery. It’s such a lame story too. Paintings that make ponies disappear. That’s has to be the dumb-
The sound came again.
Applebloom stopped dead, and whipped her head around, hoping to catch a glimpse of the perpetrator. The dark forest yielded no results. Applebloom’s eyes started scanning through the shrubbery and the trees.
“H-hello?” Applebloom called. Her voice was absorbed by the dense dark trees. The leaves rustled, laughing at the scared filly in the woods. Gossiping at her fear.
“I-if you’re trying to scare me, it isn’t funny.” Applebloom straightened herself and brought her up to her full height. “I’m not afraid of you! Show yourself, you yellow-bellied coward!”
Her voice, bravado and all, faded into the forest, lost in the leaves, moss and rot.
Applebloom’s eyes strained to pick out any movement in the dense growth. She scanned over trees, bushes, mud…
A dark figure darted behind a tree.
“I SEE YOU!” Applebloom shouted into the forest, hoof pointing in accusation.
The forest answered back, “Yes Applebloom. And we see you.” Applebloom felt her muscles tighten as the figure walked, no, glided towards her. She broke the glass of fear encasing her legs, and found herself running as fast as she could.
The forest became a portrait of fear. Greens and browns melded together, forming a blur of vegetation. Shadows elongated to form figures that leapt and played at the forests edge. Behind her, the sound of the shadow figure grew louder as it pursued her. Tears began to run down Applebloom’s face as her breath grew heavy.
I can’t keep this up. I’m too tired. It’s going to GET me!
In fear and desperation, Applebloom gave herself one final boost of speed. Her legs screamed in agony as she pushed herself beyond her limit. The (familiar?) sound of the specter giving chase faded behind her. She smiled as she grew further away. She knew that the figure couldn’t keep up with her n-
Applebloom tripped over a root in front of her.
“NO!” Applebloom sprawled on the ground, hitting her head. The sound of the specter grew louder. And louder. Applebloom curled into a ball and braced herself for the end.
“We found you, Applebloom!” The voices exclaimed, sing-songish, and...very familiar.
Applebloom’s eyes shot up. “Wait just a darn minute!” The two figures leapt from the forest, and onto Applebloom, their giggles muffled as they crawled on her.
“UGH! Scootaloo! Sweetie Belle! Get off me!” Applebloom said, as she pushed her giggling friends off of her.
“We got you good Applebloom!” Scootaloo rolled in the damp grass, laughter rocking her frame.
“I-I can’t breathe!” Sweetie Belle said through her laughter.
“Did you see her face? Priceless! If only I brought the c-ca-amera!” Scootaloo managed to make out. Applebloom’s face turned red and hot. She gritted her teeth, and her body shook with rage.
“THAT WASN’T FUNNY!” Applebloom’s voice cut off Sweetie Belle’s and Scootaloo’s giggles. They both looked at her, the laughter dissipated.
After a moment of looking at Applebloom, Scootaloo broke the silence, “…Yeah it was.”
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo looked at each other, and broke out laughing again. Applebloom turned and stomped off.
“W-wait Applebloom!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed.
“Y-yeah. W-wait up. We have stuff to b-bribe you with.” Scootaloo got to her feet and staggered to her scooter. A large package was strapped to the back.
“I don’t care! That wasn’t funny and I don’t want what you got. I’m going to the chateau, and you can’t stop me!” Applebloom wiped the tears from her eyes until they were raw. She flicked her leg and the tears flew off.
“Wait Applebloom, don’t you want to see what we got?” Scootaloo revved her engine and sped off after her.
“No, I don’t! Go away!”
“Come on, Applebloom,” Sweetie called out, package on her back, “it’s incredible!”
“I don’t care!”
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo jumped in front of Applebloom, blocking her path. Sweetie Belle held up a white box with the Sugarcube Corner logo on it. Scootaloo tore off the ribbon.
“Alright Applebloom, we’ll give you this awesome carrot cake, courtesy of Pinkie Pie, if you don’t go into that house!” The box contained a double layer cake, coated in frosting with the words ‘DON’T GET EATEN APPLEBLOOM’ written in icing, on the front. A slice was missing from the bottom. Looking up, Applebloom could make out the crumbs on their faces.
Applebloom sighed. “Look, I know you’re just worried, and quite frankly, I don’t want to be here either. But that Diamond Tiara just…ticked me off! Alright? She just gets under my skin. Now I can’t go back. I have to do this. I don’t want you coming along, cause…I don’t want something bad to happen to you.”
Sweetie Belle’s eyes grew damp. She threw the cake into the air and tackled Applebloom in a bear hug. Applebloom felt the wind escape her body.
“I thought you hated us! We’re so sorry, Applebloom!” Sweetie tightened her grip.
“I…can’t…” Applebloom managed to squeak out.
After a moment of reluctance, Scootaloo jumped in and hugged her as well. Boa constrictors don’t squeeze as hard.
“Can’t…breathe…help” Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle released their grip on Applebloom. She gasped, intaking fish breaths. After a moment, she got to her feet.
“Sorry for yelling at you guys. I was scared. I…I wasn’t thinking.” Applebloom looked down at the moss and grass. An earthworm burrowed itself into the dirt.
“It’s ok Applebloom. We did kind of stalk you.” Scootaloo lightly pawed the ground. She looked up and smiled at Applebloom.
“Will you ever forgive us?” Sweetie Belle asked, her eyes still sparkling with tears.
Applebloom rose on her hind legs, and gestured to them. Sweetie and Scootaloo jumped onto her, hugging her back.
In between the hug, Scootaloo asked, “Yes, now we can go back home and enjoy some cake!”
Applebloom’s eyes shot up. “What? No, I’m still going into that house.”
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo backed off from the hug.
“What?” Sweetie Belle’s face couldn’t hide the surprise breaking out.
“But, that whole apology…” Scootaloo said. Her face contorted as she tried to make out the next words, but could only mouth them.
“I never said I wasn’t.” Applebloom turned and began walking down the road. “I just wanted to let you know why I was doing this.”
“Come on, Applebloom. We have better things to do than poke around a dusty old house in the middle of the Everfree Forest. Maybe we can get our Cutie Marks in knitting?” She flashed a sheepish smile.
“Yeah! Or…or…basket weaving!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed.
Applebloom stopped and turned around, giving her two friends a look of mild disgust and disbelief. They both returned her look with hopeful smiles. Applebloom turned and kept walking down the path.
“Do you even know where you’re going?” Scootaloo called after her.
Applebloom stopped. She looked back at Scootaloo, and then began to look around.
“I mean, you’ve just been walking down this same road for hours now. Where are we going?” Scootaloo took a few tentative steps forward. Her face was a mass of concern.
“I…um,” Applebloom managed, “I don’t know.”
“We’re lost?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“No…no. I know the way. It’s…” Applebloom whipped her head around. Her eyes darted from tree to tree, desperate for some kind of familiarity.
“Face it, Applebloom, we’re lost.” Scootaloo said. “We might as well go back now, while we have the chance.”
“No! I have to find it.” Her voice cracking, Applebloom ran a short burst, darting from tree to tree. “I have to.”
“Come on Sweetie, let’s get out of here.” Scootaloo turned to head back. “Sweetie?”
Sweetie teetered on her back legs in a swooning pose. “Oh the horror! Lost forever in an endless forest! What do we do?” She hobbled across the forest floor in her giggling dramatics.
Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “Oh come on Sweetie, you’re acting like Rarity. We’re not going to be trapped here. We just need to go back the way we came.”
“No we don’t!” Applebloom’s voice rang from the thicket.
Sweetie ceased the dramatics. “What? What do you mean?” she asked.
“Come here and look at this!”
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo looked at each other, and ran after the sound of Applebloom’s voice. She stood a small clearing, the sun breaking through the tree line in shafts of light. She looked back at her friends as they approached.
“Look over there!” She said, pointing to a cobblestone path. It was overrun with weeds and roots began to grow into the stonework, but it was recognizable. Next to the path was a wooden sign, much faded with time and wormholes. However, the words were still legible.
“Is that…?” Scootaloo started.
“It is!” Sweetie Belle finished.
The sign next to the path said Everfree Chat--u.
“We found it!” Applebloom began leaping up and down. “We found it, we found it! Alright, you guys, let’s go!”
“Coming!” Sweetie bounced behind her, giggling.
Scootaloo stood, watching the two of them hop away, laughing. She looked back at the ruined cake, the ants already claiming their territory, and pawed at the ground.
“Aw, man...”
TO BE CONTINUED