Tides of Shade

Pitch rubbed his bleary eyes as he awoke. The misty dawn peeked over the treetops of the orchard as he stood, stretching out his stiff legs. Oh well, he thought, waking up damp is better than waking up screaming. Trotting over to the farmhouse, he noticed Applejack pulling a cart loaded with apples and apple products toward the road out of Sweet Apple Acres.

“Hey Applejack. What’s with the cart?”

“Oh, uh, just takin’ it into town to set it up in the market. Don’t worry, though! Apple Bloom will be more than happy to help ya with the farm work.” She gave him her best winning smile.

“Oh, okay. Don’t worry! I’ll try not to burn down the farm while you’re gone, heh.” He felt a small jolt of fear from her, but her expression never changed. Pitch was about to ask what was troubling her when she interrupted him.

“Heh heh, good one. Well, Ah need to get going if Ah’m gonna make it to market when it opens. Ah’ll see ya when Ah get home this evenin’.” With that, she trotted away.

Pitch watched her go. Maybe it was just him, but she was going slightly faster than seemed necessary. He let out a frustrated sigh. Shaking his head, he turned and trotted into the farmhouse.

“Good mornin’!”

“Hey Apple Bloom, good morning to you too! What has you so excited today?”

“Today Ah finally get the chance to teach ya what Ah know! You’ll be surprised how much Ah can teach! Ms. Cheerilee taught me a lot about teachin’ a while back, but Ah ain’t had anypony to teach yet. Ah can definitely see myself with a new cutie mark before the end of the day.”

“Sounds like a plan. I remember something being said about sorting today?”

“Mhm. We’ll get started right after breakfast!”

Twilight Sparkle woke up with a headache. She groaned and rolled over, turning her eyes away from the glaring sunlight. I reeeaally need to stop staying up so late. Late-night study sessions never felt good in the morning, but sometimes she just lost track of time. It was easy to get sucked into the explanations of Equestria’s inner workings. Although learning about the fractal interactions of living magical transformations was totally worth it. A smirk stole across her face as the images of nature’s mathematics flashed through her mind.

Forcing her body to move, she rolled languidly out of bed. Trotting down the stairs, she noticed the fragrant aroma coming from the kitchen. Tea first thing in the morning… the prospect sounded heavenly. The lavender unicorn walked into the kitchen, spying her faithful assistant. He was standing before a plain, off-yellow counter throwing ingredients into a mixing bowl. The white drawers and cabinets in the kitchen all had neatly inscribed labels on them denoting what was inside.

“Good morning Twilight!” Spike never liked to get up early, but he could always be depended upon to help his friend after a late night.

“G-Good Morning, Spike,” Twilight yawned as she sat down at the table, her tea already waiting for her. A soft glow enveloped the mug as she lifted it to her lips. She sipped gingerly on the steaming fluid. Sweet warmth flooded through her, spreading outward from her core. The headache receded as she woke up fully. Spike slid a salad of greens and daisies onto the table for the two of them to share.

“Can we fit in a trip to the market after our stop at Sugarcube Corner?” Twilight munched thoughtfully, mentally listing the groceries they would need for the week.

“Um, I think so. What’s at Sugarcube Corner?”

“Well, I can’t leave my number one assistant with no energy for the rest of the day! You got up really early to make me breakfast and I know how late you usually sleep,” she said matter-of-factly.

Spike got the message, “Ah, yes, of course. I wouldn’t want to waste away from tiredness.” Though he said it in an equally businesslike tone, a big grin was plastered across his face as he wrote something on a scroll.

“Excellent. Now I just need to make a checklist for the market.”

“Uh, Twilight?”

“Yes?”

“We already have one. You made it two days ago. You remember? You finished a book before you were scheduled to and started making more checklists?” Spike rummaged through a drawer marked ‘Miscellaneous’ and came up with a small scroll. Levitating it to herself, she looked it over.

“Right. This looks correct,” she announced, blushing a little but choosing not to acknowledge her oversight. She quickly re-rolled it and stuck it in a saddlebag near the door. Twilight donned her saddlebags as Spike rolled up the newly made checklist and followed her to the front door.

Stepping out onto Ponyville’s main road, Twilight and Spike made their way toward the center of town.

A pink whirlwind had taken over the interior of Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie Pie hurtled from shelf to shelf in a spirited attempt to take inventory. Mrs. Cake stood at the counter watching. She wore a weary expression as she waited for Pinkie to slow down. A clipboard and quill had been abandoned on the counter in front of her, completely blank.

“One, two, three, four raspberry cakes here…” zip “three over here to add to the four over there making six!” She quickly stuffed one of the small cakes into her mouth.

Whoosh “Now these walnut muffins… One, two, three, five, twelve. Twelve muffins! Oh, wait, they’re still in the pan! Silly me.” Mrs. Cake facehoofed. The muffins had just been baked and their muffin pans had a dozen slots.

ZOOM

“Nooooww the cupcakes! One, two, three, four, Spike, six- SPIKE!” Pinkie dashed over to Spike, who had just entered with Twilight. She bounced excitedly in front of them, “Guess what, you guys! Mrs. Cake finally said I could help take inventory! Isn’t that great!?”

“I meant take inventory of the stockroom, Pinkie! We baked everything out here this morning,” Mrs. Cake said with a long-suffering sigh. “Welcome, you two. What can I get for you today?”

“Go ahead, Spike. Pick out what you want.”

“Oooh. Spikey-Wikey is getting a treat, huh? Betcha had another all-nighter! What happened this time?” Pinkie continued to bounce, following them to the counter.

“I was studying why fractals appear in nature and how they affect transformation spells. What interested me the most was the proposed algorithm for efficiency in-”

“Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! You mean like how the veins in a leaf repeat the same pattern over and over?”

“Uh… yes, actually,” Twilight said, genuinely surprised, “How much do you know about them?”

“Nothing at all.”

“Ah.”

“I think I’d like a piece of ruby pound cake, please,” Spike said, ignoring the two mares as they continued to talk about sciency stuff. Twilight gave Mrs. Cake a few bits. Mrs. Cake brought out a piece of pound cake studded with glittering rubies. Twilight also ordered a milkshake to drink and the two of them decided to stay a little while and chat.

Just as they sat down, the door to Sugarcube Corner creaked open and Applejack entered. Quickly scanning the lobby, she saw her friends at a table.

“Hey, ya’ll.”

“Hey Applejack! You look like you could use a party. What’s the matter?”

“Ah have something important to talk about with everypony.”

Twilight spoke up curiously, “Oh? It sounds serious. Is it an emergency?”

“Not an immediate one, but this ain’t somethin’ Ah wanna put off. Could you girls gather everypony?”

“Sure,” Twilight said reassuringly, “We’ll gather all the girls and we can meet up for lunch someplace we can talk. Maybe a picnic?”

Pinkie gasped, “A picnic? I’ve been waiting for the perfect chance to try out my all-new, super-dooper, extra splendiferous picnic cannon! This is gonna be awesome!”

“Uh… yeah, Ah guess.” Applejack turned and strode out of the bakery. Her friends watched her go, wondering what could possibly make her so nervous.

Apple Bloom was sorely disappointed. Although Pitch caught on to the chore with relative ease, she still didn’t have her cutie mark. She had dragged him around to a couple of other tasks to continue teaching and perhaps finally get her cutie mark, but a quick glance at her flank told her she wasn’t any closer.

She gave a frustrated sigh. Pitch glanced up from the basket he had been sorting, “Apple Bloom? What’s the matter?”

“Oh, it’s nothin’ to worry about. Ah just thought Ah’d have mah cutie mark by now. Nothin’ I try seems to work though.” Her ears drooped a bit as she recalled all the different things she’d tried to obtain her elusive prize.

“Oh, it’s not so bad to be without a cutie mark. There are still plenty of things you can do without one.” He wanted to reassure her, but he couldn’t seem to make his voice sound sincere.

“Who needs one of those anyway,” he said, more to himself than to Apple Bloom.

Apple Bloom winced, remembering who she was talking to. “Ah’m sorry, Mr. Pitch. Ah didn’t mean to bring it up.”

Pitch stared morbidly into his basket. “I had one once, you know. A cutie mark, I mean.”

Apple Bloom didn’t look up, but she had frozen to listen. “What happened,” she asked apprehensively.

“It was… taken, I think. I’m not exactly sure how, but I know what took it.” He looked up at Apple Bloom, wondering if he should trust her. He’d only known her for day, but she didn’t seem like the type of pony to gossip. “The creature that did it seemed to like stealing things that you loved. It took things from a lot of ponies back where I’m from. It’s part of the reason I started wandering.”

Apple Bloom had been trying not to let her curiosity show, but now Pitch had her full attention. “Why would it take things ya loved? It didn’t want food or jewels or nothin’? Why steal a cutie mark?”

“Well, it did take food and jewels as well. It always took the things you seemed to want most. Those were the only things of value.”

At this, Apple Bloom just looked confused. Surely gems held more value than simple foodstuffs?

Pitch smiled, chuckling knowingly at the look Apple Bloom was giving him. “Let me tell you a secret, Apple Bloom. This is from somepony who has lived outside society.” He walked over to her side, throwing a shifty glance around and beckoning her closer. Still confused, she cocked an ear in his direction and leaned a little closer. He whispered, “Nothing is valuable unless you think it is.”

She gave him a look that could sour milk. She had been expecting a big secret, not some philosophical nonsense.

“Oh, don’t give me that look, Apple Bloom. Did you know that Saddle Arabian ponies fight tooth and nail for plants that you ponies would just throw in the compost pile? Or that the same gems dragons hoard get kicked aside like gravel by the tribes living in the Sparkling Mountains? The only reason apples are valuable is because they’re a source of food. If you couldn’t eat them, you’d just throw them away!”

Apple Bloom thought about this. “So you’re sayin’ this thing stole stuff that ponies wanted just ‘cause they wanted ‘em? Why would it do that?”

Pitch shook his head. “I wish I had an answer for you, Apple Bloom. I still have no idea what it was.”

Apple Bloom stared at the ground, afraid to ask the question she desperately wanted answered. Pitch just sat and waited. He had already told her more than he usually told anyone, so he wasn’t going to volunteer anything else.

Eventually, Apple Bloom’s curiosity got the better of her. “What does it feel like to... to have your cutie mark just… Ah-Ah mean…” Apple Bloom’s question just trailed off into nothingness at Pitch’s silence. She stole a peek at his face. His expression was haunted as he recalled that night…

“It was… awful. I was asleep in the bedroom across the hall from my parents’ room. The smell woke me up. It was smoky… acrid. It smelled like burning tar, but more bitter. It was so thick around me, I couldn’t see anything. I’d been taught, just like all the foals, to hold my breath if it ever got that close because it was poison. I wanted to run, but I couldn’t seem to move. I kept hoping it would just go away.”

He paused, his face contorting with hate as the memories replayed in his head. The scene Apple Bloom brought to her mind was of a young pony, trapped and suffocating beneath a cloud of miasmic smoke. She shuddered, but hung on Pitch’s every word just the same.

“The next thing I felt was… wrong, more than anything. It felt like something reached through my chest and was clutching my heart. The grip tightened and tightened. I tried to scream, but just a wheeze came out. Suddenly, just when I thought I would die, I felt the clutch slip through my heart like it was water. Then it just vanished. I lay there holding my hooves up to my chest, feeling my heart still beating. I had no idea what chased it off, but I was relieved to be alive. I went to my parents’ room to tell them what had happened.”

He paused again. Apple Bloom looked up to see his stony expression. She wondered if maybe she had gone too far. Before she could decide whether or not to stop him, he continued.

“The actual taking of my mark wasn’t as bad as continuing to live without it. I felt my talent fade quickly after it happened. Everyone just pitied me, but I learned to do other things. It was one of the contributing factors when I decided to run away.”

He came out of his reverie and turned to Apple Bloom. “In a way, I’m glad I chose to run away. If my travels have taught me anything, it’s that you don’t need a special talent to leave your mark on the world.”

Apple Bloom nodded, giving him an understanding smile. They both stood there for a time, lost in thought. Apple Bloom stared at the ground, thinking about cutie marks and what she would do with her life if she lost or never got one. She shivered as she thought about the scenario. She imagined Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle growing up knowing their talents while she was gradually forgotten. The ponies in Ponyville were kind, so she didn’t think she’d be ridiculed, but she would probably be pitied exactly like Pitch said. She didn’t know which was worse.

Apple Bloom glanced at Pitch. He had a far-off look in his eyes, staring out over the Everfree Forest. Suddenly, his ears perked up. He looked down the path a little. Two smaller ponies were headed toward them. “It looks like we have visitors,” he said to nopony in particular.

Apple Bloom scanned the path. Spotting her friends, her face split into a wide grin. Running to meet them, she gave a shout, “Hey, guys! What’re ya’ll up to today?”

Scootaloo’s wings fluttered excitedly. “Apple Bloom, guess what? We finally have enough to rent those hang gliders! We can finally get our hang gliding cutie marks!”

Apple Bloom’s face split into a wide grin. “A hang gliding cutie mark? Ah can definitely get used to that!”

Sweetie Belle frowned. “Are you guys sure we don’t want to try something safer today? It’s kinda windy. I know Pinkie Pie offered to teach us to decorate cakes. We could try that.”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “No, Sweetie Belle, we’ve wanted to do hang gliding for ages! You can’t back out now.”

“She’s right, Sweetie Belle, Ah’ve really been looking forward to this one. Ah’d hate to come this far and not try. Ya’ll wait here, Ah’m gonna go make sure it’s okay.”

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo continued to bicker as Apple Bloom made her way back to Pitch. He had covered his eye again and had been listening to the debate with faint amusement. As Apple Bloom approached, he held up a hoof. “I heard, Apple Bloom. I can handle the sorting if you want to hang out with your friends, but you should ask Granny Smith about this hang-gliding thing.”

Apple Bloom bounced with excitement. “Thanks, Mr. Pitch, Ah can’t wait to try this. Ah’ll go ask Granny right away!”

She dashed off in the direction of the farmhouse, calling for her two friends to follow her. He watched them go, still pondering the worth of a cutie mark. To a young pony, it represented security and a steady path to follow in life. He wore a hardened expression as he turned and walked into the barn.

Cutie marks are a crutch.

“When Ah checked the apples he bucked, every one of ‘em had a cut stem! What else could he be hidin’? Am Ah right?” It was clear from her expression that she was looking for guidance, not indulgence. She stared pleadingly around at her friends.

Rainbow Dash lifted her sunglasses to respond, “So what I’m hearing is this weirdo pony-“

“Who looks absolutely dreadful,” Rarity interjected.

“And has been super nice and helpful,” Pinkie spoke up.

“Can cast strange and worrying magic,” Twilight said with a thoughtful look.

“A-and just showed up from nowhere in the m-middle of the n-night?” Fluttershy quaked as she imagined such a pony showing up unannounced in the dark of the night.

“Well, not night exactly. More just early evenin’. That’s the situation, though. What do ya’ll think?”

The ponies exchanged significant looks.

Rarity spoke up first. “Darling, I realize the magic thing is a bit odd, but this sounds an awful lot like what happened with Zecora. Perhaps you’re overreacting?”

“Yeah, I mean this guy hasn’t done anything but be helpful. What gives?” Rainbow Dash continued to lounge against a tree, her thoughts already starting to drift to her afternoon practice session.

“Um… well… I mean he still sounds scary with the magic and the not knowing where he’s from. I know I’d be scared to have him around my little critters.”

“Oh come now, Fluttershy dear, surely we can’t judge a pony who wanders around alone for having a way to defend himself. Surely such a spell would be pretty common for such a nomadic pony, right Twilight?”

Twilight snapped out of her reverie. “Actually I can’t think of a spell or permutation that fits Applejack’s description. Unicorn magic can form blades with enough concentration, but to cut every apple in a tree at the stem is impossible. Applejack, are you sure they weren’t bucked off the tree?”

Applejack folded her forelegs. “Ah’m sure. Big Mac was with him the whole time, and it looked like he bucked those trees clean. It’s only when Ah checked ‘em over at night that Ah found out the stems were cut.”

“Hmm…” Twilight couldn’t think of what kind of magic he could be using. New magic hadn’t been created in centuries. At least, it hadn’t been discovered in centuries before her own little invention. Her wings fluttered as a new idea came to her, “Applejack, did he say anything about where he was from? Anything at all?”

“Uh… nothin’ particular, but he did mention comin’ from the southern tip of Saddle Arabia.”

Twilight mouthed the words ‘Saddle Arabia’ silently. Realization hit her like a thunderbolt. Eyes wide, she stood up and exclaimed, “I have to check something.” With a flash of light, she was gone.

Rainbow Dash sighed. “Well, looks like we’re down an alicorn. This discussion really needs to start going someplace. I’m not made to sit around.”

“Well, duh,” Pinkie said with a roll of her eyes, “Obviously, we need to have a welcome-to-Ponyville-please-don’t-turn-out-to-be-a-meanie party! We’ll have cake and punch and party hats and everypony will be invited and I’ll even bring Gummy. He’ll have no choice but to be nice after that!” Pinkie began bouncing as she spoke, warming up to the idea as she described it.

“Pinkie, as much as Ah enjoy parties, we spent three days repairing the barn the last time you held one at Sweet Apple Acres. Granny made me promise not ta have any more big parties there.”

“Aw shucks, Applejack, what if Ah throw just a teeny-tiny little itty-bitty party there?” Pinkie imitated her friend’s accent surprisingly well. “We can have one just for us and him! It’ll be loads of fun!”

“Just a moment, darling, are we sure that a party is the right thing to do in this situation,” Rarity asked, hoping to stop Pinkie’s train of thought before it took over the whole discussion. “I know breaking the ice is important, but this colt sounds like a real loner. Maybe six random strangers – well, five random strangers and Applejack – throwing him a party out of the blue would be too uncomfortable for him. I really think a nice talk will be just the ticket here.”

“Oh, yes, a calm sit-down and a talk would probably be best,” Fluttershy squeaked, barely audible. “I mean, he might get too excited during a party or-or he might even get mad. That wouldn’t be good.”

Just then, a bright flash lit up the picnic cloth. Twilight appeared, her nose still stuck in the book she had been reading. Setting the book down after a moment, she gave her friends a grave look. “How plausible is it that a colt as strange as this one walks through the center of town and nopony notices him? Not plausible at all!” Twilight flipped the book around with a dramatic flourish to show everypony. The book was open to a map of the world. It wasn’t terribly detailed, but it was geographically accurate. Twilight stared expectantly around at everypony, still wearing a dire expression.

Rainbow Dash stared incredulously over her sunglasses at Twilight. “Look, Twi, I know you think this means something to us, but it doesn’t.”

“Yes, darling, I’m sure this map means a great deal, but we need some context.”

Blowing a frustrated sigh, a crestfallen Twilight slowly set the book down and began explaining, “Pitch said he started out near the southern tip of Saddle Arabia.” Twilight pointed to the map with her hoof, tracing it along Pitch’s projected path based on what Applejack told her. “If he starts here and moves from village to village along the border like he said, he probably went this way.” Fluttershy squeaked as she began to see what Twilight was leading up to. “He’s in Ponyville now, so if he followed this path and arrived here, he must have cut through the Everfree Forest.”

This declaration had the desired effect. Everypony’s eyes grew wide as they realized what this meant.

“S-so c-c-can we be s-scared now?” Fluttershy cowered behind Applejack, who wore an expression of grim determination.

“Woah. What do ya think he did to get through there,” asked Rainbow. She imagined it had to be some sort of Daring Do-esque feat of skill to get through the Forest unscathed.

“Ooo I wonder if he’s secretly a wild jungle pony raised by monkeys…” Pinkie said, imagining a black stallion hanging from the trees by a hoof, scratching himself and screeching. Her eyes followed the imaginary pony as he swung away through the park.

“Now, let’s not jump to any conclusions,” Rarity said, “Everypony deserves a chance to explain themselves, and I think his conduct should merit at least that.”

“Geez, Rarity,” Rainbow scoffed, “You got a crush on him or something?”

Rarity flicked her mane with the air of one brushing aside a bothersome fly. “I have nothing of the sort. Honestly, I think he should be commended for being such an upstanding pony considering. It sounds like he had every opportunity to take advantage of Applejack and instead chose to honor his arrangements.”

“Girls,” Twilight shouted, trying to restore order, “We need to focus! We don’t have enough information to draw any firm conclusions at all. We won’t get any questions answered by sitting here arguing. There’s only one pony who can tell us anything and that’s Pitch himself.”

Silence reigned over the picnic for a moment.

“Sooooo… Party?”

“NO! No party, Pinkie,” Twilight said firmly, “We are going down to Applejack’s farm to talk with this pony and hear his side of the story.”

The uproar was instantaneous.

“What do you mean ‘no party’? The best way to get somepony on your side is-”

“-mah little sis sortin’ apples with him all day and we’re just gonna-“

“-make it rain tonight! I can’t go flying after some-“

“-uncouth ruffians. You ponies really need to-“

“-feed the bunnies! I mean, my schedule for the day is completely-“

Phweeer BOOM

Twilight glared madly around as the last sparks from her conjured firework fell to earth. Her eyes twitched as she rattled her rant off at lightning speed. “There is a pony in Ponyville we know little about with hitherto unknown magic and the ability to travel alone through the Everfree Forest! As the Elements of Harmony, it is our duty to make sure this pony poses no threat and THAT’S WHAT WE’RE GOING TO DO!”

Twilight panted for a minute or two, then took a deep breath and seemed to calm down. “Now, if anypony has questions or concerns, we can talk them over one at a time.”

Though Twilight waited for a response, there didn’t seem to be one forthcoming. They all seemed to be realizing that this was a serious matter. Shaking, Fluttershy raised a hoof from behind Applejack. “Yes, Fluttershy, what is your question?”

The yellow pegasus slowly stood up and rejoined her circle of friends. Gathering her courage, she asked, “What do we do in the worst case scenario? What if he is mean and powerful, even evil, and we suddenly start asking him a ton of questions? What if he attacks us wi-with slicing blades or something?”

An uncomfortable rustle made its way around the circle. Twilight took another deep breath. “We will take our Elements with us, just in case he is… uncooperative. We’ll keep our wits about us. Don’t forget we’ve faced down tough opponents before. As long as we are together, he won’t be a problem.”

Though not altogether reassured, Fluttershy nodded.

Twilight continued, “Now, there’s no sense wasting time. I’ll go grab the Elements. You girls finish any business you absolutely have to and meet in the town square in thirty minutes. We’ll all head down to Sweet Apple Acres together. Keep in mind that we want him to like us, so don’t start accusing him or anything right away. Okay?”

There was a chorus of ‘okay’ along with one ‘okey-dokey-mopey’ and they parted ways.

Pitch sighed with boredom. Sorting apples wasn’t exactly arduous work, but it was time consuming and tedious. Tossing the multicolored fruits into their designated baskets, he heard the clopping sound of tiny hooves. Eager for some distraction from his task, he got up and stretched. Walking to the barn door, he peered down toward the path.

Sweetie Belle was galloping toward him as fast as her hooves could carry her. The panic shone from her eyes as she caught sight of him in the doorway. His stomach turned over as he ran to meet her.

“Sweetie Belle, what’s wrong? Where are Scootaloo and Apple Bloom?

Gasping for air, Sweetie Belle tried to recount what had happened, “S-Scootaloo went to tell Granny. A-Apple Bloom is… she’s in the Forest!”

Pitch’s face hardened. “How far in? Why would she go into the Everfree Forest?”

Sweetie Belle had begun to cry, preventing her from forming complete words. Pitch felt his anger flare. “Sweetie Belle, stop crying and speak clearly!” She stopped, though it was more out of shock than anything else. Nopony had ever shouted at her for crying before. “I realize you’re scared, but Apple Bloom could be in danger. She needs you to be strong. Now try to calm down and tell me what is going on.”

Sweetie Belle took a few big gulps of air as she tried to fight back the tears. Finally, she calmed down enough to speak, “We were hang gliding using an old watchtower near the Forest. Apple Bloom’s glider got caught by the wind and blew into the Everfree Forest. I don’t know how far in she is now, but she didn’t come back out.”

Pitch nodded curtly, “Point me to where you think she went down.”

“The watchtower isn’t too far that way.” She pointed out toward where the Everfree Forest bordered the fields. “So she drifted to around there.” She pointed her hoof vaguely over the Forest.

Pitch nodded again. “Big Mac is on the other side of the field kicking over a few dead trees. Tell him what you told me. I’m going after Apple Bloom.”

Pitch sped off toward the Everfree Forest. The air around him shimmered and he began to perceive his surroundings without eyes. Galloping ever faster, his aura began to pierce the gloom of the Forest. Stomach churning, he cast his mind around the area covered by his spell, trying to find Apple Bloom. Worry weighed him down as he scoured more and more woodland only to find trees. Suddenly, he happened upon the hang glider with his spell. It had gotten caught in the branches of a gnarled oak some distance above the ground. Apple Bloom was still nowhere in sight. He quickened his pace, realizing with a fright that she must have fallen from the tree and headed deeper into the Forest.

He ran into the thick of the Forest, cursing the woodlands he now had to weave through. On the edge of his spell, he began to sense movement. The spell was too weak at that range to tell exactly what was happening, but there were about a dozen creatures moving about a short distance from Apple Bloom’s crash site. Zigzagging through the trees, he gradually began to make out the details of the creatures. A short but lithe silhouette formed first in his mind, then the haphazard array of branches and leaves jutting from its body. Finally, the jagged wooden teeth of the timberwolf completed the picture. Apple Bloom was surrounded by a pack of Timberwolves. She was doing her best to buck rocks at them, but she couldn’t seem to put any weight on her right foreleg. They circled her slowly, ensuring no escape routes were left open.

One timberwolf, larger than the rest, broke the circle formation. He slowly approached the filly as his pack closed the gap in their ranks. Apple Bloom pressed herself against the earth, closing her eyes as hot tears rolled unchecked down her face. The alpha’s mouth gaped open as he approached the quaking filly’s neck.

No.

The wooden fangs descended closer to Apple Bloom as sickly green vapor curled out of the timberwolf’s mouth.

DON’T YOU DARE!

The razor-sharp teeth glinted in the moonlight as the black smoke curled around them.

NOT HER! ANYPONY BUT HER!

It didn’t matter what Pitch did. He could do nothing but stand helplessly as the jet-black teeth settled over the neck of his mother…

He snapped.

“NOOOOOO!” A feral scream tore through the wilderness. Deafening cracks and booms echoed through the Forest as Pitch tore through everything in his way. A phantom force blazed the trail for him, splintering trees and pounding stones to dust as he charged straight toward the clearing. The alpha looked up from his prize, startled by the sudden cacophony. It was his final mistake.

A tree at the edge of the clearing burst and suddenly Pitch was among them. Trampling a timberwolf in his path, he ran straight at the alpha. Not giving it a chance to even bare its fangs, Pitch chomped deep into its neck. Howling and whining, the wooden predator was wrenched bodily away from Apple Bloom by the maddened pony. The timberwolf writhed madly, scratching and tearing at his captor with sharp claws. Pitch couldn’t even feel the deep scratches through a haze of rage. Wrapping the timberwolf in a swift embrace, he reared up and crushed it between his forelegs. The alpha fell to the ground in pieces. Pitch turned immediately on the nearest timberwolf, his horn glowing like fire. It was blasted to shards by an unseen force. With their leader in pieces and no sign of the attacker’s fury abating, the remaining timberwolves turned and ran. As they ran, blasts of Pitch’s magic whooshed by their heads. Chucks of trees exploded around them as if struck by a monstrous bludgeon.

Just as Pitch was about to give chase, he felt something grab onto his leg. Horn flaring, he turned on his new attacker ready to crush them immediately. Apple Bloom’s terrified expression shocked his system. His anger quickly faded as he remembered why he was angry in first place. He began to shake. Exhaustion and blood loss was catching up with him quickly. Concentrating, he magically sealed his wounds enough to stem the bleeding. Having taken care of his own wounds for now, he turned to look over Apple Bloom.

Despite the harrowing situation she had been through, she hadn’t sustained many injuries. She still couldn’t really put weight on her right foreleg, but that seemed to be caused by the fall. The silence between them stretched on. Pitch was still trying to get his second wind after the reckless attack. Apple Bloom seemed afraid to speak. It broke his heart to admit it, but she seemed almost as scared of him as she was the timberwolves moments ago. He tried to put a hoof around her to reassure her she wasn’t in danger, but she shrank away from his touch. Just then, a rustling crash sounded in the distance.

Big Mac had been following the trail of destruction left by Pitch’s rampage for the last few minutes. Finally coming upon the clearing, he was just in time to hear a deep roar sound from somewhere not too far off in the Forest. He took in the scene with a glance. Mac ran quickly to Apple Bloom’s side, lowering himself to allow her easy reach. She pulled herself onto his back and hung on. Big Mac and Pitch exchanged a wordless look. Whatever there was to be said about the shattered timberwolves or Apple Bloom’s injuries, it could be said after they made it out of the Forest. The trees on the other side of the clearing began to shudder as something massive forced its way between the trunks.

Not stopping to see what was after them, Big Mac took off following Pitch’s trail back toward Sweet Apple Acres. Pitch paused just long enough to see a very angry Ursa Minor tear a tree up by the roots and toss it aside. He dashed away, quickly catching up to Big Mac. Pitch knew the humongous hunter could easily sniff out their trail. Something extra was needed if everypony was going to make it out in one piece. As the end of the path Pitch blazed came into sight, he shouted to Big Mac, “I’m going to try to lead it away! Get clear of the Forest as fast as you can!”

Without waiting for a response, Pitch veered to the right. As he headed deeper into the Forest, he shot off random bursts of magic to produce concussive booms along the path he was following. The Ursa stood at the point where the ponies parted company, sniffing about and looking this way and that indecisively. After a moment, though, the Ursa decided to follow the two scents heading toward the edge of the trees.

Pitch bit his lip as the crashing footfalls of the Ursa resumed. It was still following the other ponies! They would lead it straight to Sweet Apple Acres. Turning around, Pitch knew that there was only one way to keep the Ursa from deciding its territory included Ponyville. He raced toward the edge of the trees, praying he reached the Forest’s boundary before the great bear.

Twilight galloped toward the Forest, her friends hard on her heels. Scootaloo’s tiny wingbeats filled the air with a buzzing sound as she kept up with them on her scooter. Rounding a bend in the road, they could see the old watchtower looming over the path. Stopping just after the bend, Twilight turned to Scootaloo. “Okay, Scoot, where did Apple Bloom go down?”

“About… there!” Scootaloo pointed to an area of the Forest.

“Alright girls,” Twilight said, “We need to stick together in there, but we also need to cover as much ground as possible.”

“Uh… Twilight?”

“Scootaloo, we don’t have tim-“ Rainbow swooped down on Twilight, turning her head back toward the Forest. Distant treetops swayed violently as something large made a beeline for the edge of the trees. The crackling of underbrush being trampled caused everypony to tense up (and caused Fluttershy to shrink back behind the group).

Big Mac emerged from the wilderness, dashing toward them with Apple Bloom clinging to his back. He came to a halt as he reached everypony else. Fluttershy immediately flew over to Apple Bloom, cradling her carefully and setting her down next to Scootaloo.

“Mac, what the hay happened,” asked Applejack.

“No time,” Big Mac said, gasping for air, “Somethin’ comin’. Pitch tried to lead it away. Didn’t work.”

As if on cue, Pitch ran out of the woodlands slightly left of where Mac had. He saw the small crowd of ponies gathered at the edge of the path, but he didn’t have time to wonder who they were. He had to devote all of his concentration to his next spell or it could turn out very wrong.

Rainbow Dash was already flying toward the black unicorn as he turned back toward the Forest. Suddenly, she felt a tingling along the outside of her wings. The sharp smell of ozone invaded her nose as she braked hard. The unicorn’s horn was glowing, but not like Twilight’s might. A buzz began to fill the air as the pegasus shouted, “Everypony duck!” Taking her own advice, she quickly dropped to the ground and flattened out as much as possible.

The trees parted, torn aside by massive paws as the Ursa roared at the ponies who had dared invade its territory. As it stepped outside of the treeline, Pitch focused his magic. A strong positive charge accumulated on the bear’s leg. Suddenly, a blinding arc of electricity singed the creature’s massive paw. It roared in pain and rage. Pitch started charging another shock. As the Ursa took an angry step toward him, he allowed small patches of positive charge to accumulate all over its starry coat. The air filled with deep buzzes and loud cracks as the electricity leaped all over the bear. Roaring in agony, the Ursa reached out a huge clawed paw and swiped at Pitch. Concentrating on the magic, Pitch didn’t even see the blow coming. It knocked him completely off his hooves, throwing him twenty feet away. Pitch groaned, slowly getting to his feet. The Ursa shook itself like a dog, trying to rid itself of the aches caused by the bolts.

Both combatants recovered enough to face each other again, the Ursa roaring in rage and puffing itself up. Pitch glanced behind him. The ponies who weren’t sitting still with shock were cowering behind others. Pitch turned back to the Ursa. He had to end this now, or these foals might get themselves hurt. He began focusing his magic again.

The glow of Pitch’s horn traveled down his spine to his ribs. Soon, his entire skeletal structure glowed like a beacon as a loud buzzing filled the air. The hair on everypony’s back stood straight out and they all felt the tingle in their skin.

KRA-KOOOOOM!

The scene before the Forest lit up like the surface of the sun. Blinding light threw everything around it into sharp relief for a brief flash. The ground quaked as deafening thunder rolled over them and echoed back. Panicked roaring and crashing could be heard mingling with the thunder.

Her vision gradually recovering from the flash of light, Twilight saw that the Ursa had turned and run back into the Forest. One of the trees was split in half and smoking, small tongues of fire licking a couple of branches. Pitch himself stood where he had before, his horn smoking slightly. He shook with the effort of standing up, gasping for breath. Sitting down, he turned to look at the small congregation of ponies. Their expressions were a mix of anger, shock and in one yellow pegasus’ case, abject terror.

Just like that, here I am again, he thought.

Staring at them with disgust for a few minutes, the black unicorn eventually came to a decision. Turning slowly but resolutely, he began walking back into the Forest. He knew what to expect by now. It had always turned out this way when he eventually revealed his magic. If he stuck around, the mob wasn’t far behind. Memories of the past few days came to the forefront of his mind. Forcing them away, he thought instead about what had happened in the clearing. His eyes began to moisten as he remembered the look Apple Bloom gave him…

This is the right thing to do.

“WAIT!”

Pitch turned at the shout. Apple Bloom was hobbling toward him as fast as she could, falling every now and then as her injured leg collapsed under her. Despite this, she picked herself up and continued each time. He stood frozen in shock for a moment, and then trotted forward to meet her halfway.

“Why’re you leavin’,” she asked piteously, keeping her leg raised off the ground. “Ah thought you liked it here.”

“I do, Apple Bloom, but now that everypony knows I’m… well… different they won’t want me around anymore! Just look at them!” He pointed an accusing hoof at the small crowd of ponies. They still stood in a shocked silence, not knowing what to make of the situation. All of their manes were now stood out from their heads like afros, except for Pinkie whose mane was now twice the size of her head.

“Aw, that’s just stinkin’ thinkin’. You ain’t even met ‘em yet!”

Pitch still thought the Forest was a more appealing proposition. It must have shown on his face, because Apple Bloom brought out her ace in the hole.

Looking up at him with wide, tear-filled eyes, she pleaded, “A-Are ya really gonna make me walk all the way back there alone with a hurt leg?”

This was too much for Pitch. He relented with a frustrated sigh. Lowering himself so she could climb onto is back, he started walking slowly toward the other ponies. “Alright, let’s meet these friends of yours.”