“Its almost as if the farther I walk, the less the forest seems to talk....” spoke a figure, slowly treading along a path. “For a wood that is Everfree, I feel ever so lonely....” The figure increased its pace along the path, almost coming to a full gallop. The sound of the hoof-falls were the only sound in the inky darkness.
“Thank Celestia I am almost home, for this eerie wood chills me to the bone.” The forest was completely shrouded in pitch save for one particular clearing. An oak tree was filled with the warm, inviting glow of candles. The glow reflected off of the light grey and black stripes of the zebra mare as she slowed to a walk. A shadow fleeted around the corner of her eye.
“Who is that over there! You have given me quite a scare!” The dark gave no reply. “It must have been a trick of my mind, my head is not being very kind.”
She slowly moved toward the door. She would, however, never reach the entrance. The wind began to gust wildly, snuffing out the candles, and the shadows consumed all.
Two Days Later
Celestia brought forth the morning sun, its rays slowly bathing Equestria in light. The darkness flees from even the most hidden corners of a happy village. These rays magnify through the high window of a large tree on the edge of Ponyville; they fall upon the closed eyes of a lavender mare, still asleep in her bed. Violet eyes opened slowly to bring their owner to another day. She yawned quietly and smiled as she rolled from her sheets and stretched out her joints. A pony with an extremely askew dark Indigo mane appeared in the mirror. As the pony began to brush her mane, a loud crash resounded from the kitchen downstairs. With a sigh, the pony set down the brush and walked away to investigate.
“Oh, crap.... How did I not see that coming?” said an exasperated dragonling.
“Spike? What did you do!”
“Twilight!?! Did I wake you up? I'm sorry....”
“No, Spike, I was already awake but what is this disaster?” Twilight Sparkle sighed.
The kitchen was in chaos. The table was on its side with its contents spilled over the floor, a chair lay next to the shelves destroyed, and several jars that once rested on the top shelf now found their way to the ground; the contents of the former jars were spread over half of the floor, mixing with each other and the small shards of glass.
“Well, I wanted to make us breakfast as usual, but the spices were up there and I... well... tried to stand on a chair... Twi, I really wanted those spices.” Spike said ruefully.
“Are you ok?” Twilight asked, concerned yet glad that Spike had felt enough remorse to shrink back to normal size.
“Yeah, I'm fine, the chair didn't make it though.... The worst part is that I think that those were the last jars and spices.”
“Don't worry Spike, I'll make a trip to Zecora later today to see if she would mind making me more.” said Twilight. Her horn suddenly flowed with purple energy and her pen and paper floated in front of her. “Trip... to... Zecora.... Ok, it's on the list, now, let's get this cleaned up and go get something to eat.”
After a few minutes, the kitchen was back to its former glory, minus a chair. The duo walked out of the Library and made their way to Sugarcube Corner. As they approached the confectionary, a pink blur burst through the door with an explosion of confetti. Twilight and Spike recoiled in shock.
“Ohmygosh! I-was-toooootally-going-to-come-find-you-because-I-made-a-new-recipe-for-pancakes-that-you-can-try-now-because-you're-here-so-now-I-don't-have-to-come-find-you. YAY!!” burst the party-pony.
“Wow.... um...Pinkie...we would love to try them!” Twilight said half-heartedly; she leaned over close to Spike and whispered, “See? Everything worked out.”
Spike looked up at her and let himself smile for the first time today, “Yeah, lets eat!”
Noon, The Library
After eating several towers of pancakes, Twilight and Spike returned to the library to resume the mare's studies. The clock struck noon and a realization hit Twilight.
“Oh! Number-One-Assistant, will you put up these books? I need to run a few errands and be back before nightfall.” Twilight pasted a cheesy grin on her face, accompanied with a few flutterings of her eyelashes at her helper.
“Yeah, no problem, Twi. Just hurry back, ok?” The dragon replied, looking up to find only a tall stack of books that lacked their owner. He sighed and began the task of reorganizing the material on the shelves.
Twilight worked her way past Sugarcube Corner and pressed onward to Sweet Apple Acres. As she approached, she saw a Stetson wearing, orange mare pulling a cart full of apples towards the barn. Twilight galloped to catch up to her.
“Hiya AJ!”
“Oh! Hay there sugarcube, how can ah help ya'll?” spoke the orange farm-pony.
“I just wanted to see if I could borrow a couple of your glass jars, Spike broke mine.” she asked.
“Tats no problem, ah think we have a few extra in tha apple cellar. Follow me!” The friends walked over to said cellar. “Now, ah know ya'll have met before but I'll show you where the jars are.”
Twilight blushed, remembering the last time she had rolled down the cellar steps. “When are you going to let that go, Applejack?”
The farmer simply laughed and pulled her wagon into the cellar, “Not for as long as ah can get that reaction outta ya'll.
The two proceeded into the dark cellar. It had changed since Twi last saw the gloomy room. The underground area was lit by a lantern near the bottom of the stairwell that could be easily carried or affixed to a working saddle. The far wall was covered with seemingly empty barrels; the left of the room was filled with the tools of cider production; the right half of the room was almost covered with some of the ripest, brightest apples in Equestria.
“Alrighty, the jars should over here to tha left....”
A few hours from sundown
Twilight and Applejack waved goodbye to each other as Twilight left the orchard close to Fluttershy's cottage. The unicorn looked up to see the sun working its way down, much faster than she had expected. Applejack had offered her some of the Apple Family's personal cider while they were underground, an offer she could not refuse, but how long had she been down there? I just need to pick up the pace, she thought.
“Oh, Twilight, umm...what are you doing out here so late... if you don't mind me asking....” said a small voice to her right. A yellow pony with thick pink bangs watched her from the cottage porch.
“Hey, Fluttershy. I'm trying to get to Zecora's before nightfall to see if she has any of her spices left.” replied Twilight.
“Oh, well, I hope she does.” Suddenly the shy pegasus perked up. “Do be careful, Twilight. The forest has been awfully quiet lately and the animals seem spooked. Would you mind asking Zecora if she knows anything about it? I would... but... umm....”
“Don't worry about it!” Twilight interjected. “I'll find out.”
With that, Twilight crossed into the trees and out of Fluttershy's sight. “Oh, I do hope she'll be okay....”
**********
Fluttershy had been spot-on accurate. As Twilight Sparkle walked, only the repeated sounds of her hoof-falls reached her ears. The normal chatter of birds nor the sounds of the many small creatures pierced the evening. The wilderness of Everfree never experienced such a void; however, Twilight was not scared. She was a strong pony, a pupil of the Princess no less. A little quiet-time would never faze her. Unfortunately, her knees belied her true emotions and all but made walking impossible. In truth, it was not even the noiselessness of the forest that unnerved her; that felt somewhat tranquil, but the stillness. Breezes blew by her, chilling her to the core, yet not a branch swayed with her. It was not as if the forest's occupants were hiding; it was as if they never were.
“Oh... where's Pinkie Pie when you need her?” Groaned a solitary voice, “I could really use a few ghosties giggled away....”
Twilight had walked the forest several times before. She was one of the few ponies of Ponyville to know the layout of the forest by heart. Weekly trips to Zecora's she made, never once being late, never once under cover of darkness. Twilight hoped that this moment would not be the first.
Her hopes fell on deaf ears.
Within thirty minutes of entering the forest Twilight should have been close to the clearing of the zebra's home. Everfree had other plans.
“That tree.... I could have sworn.... Did I...,” Twilight thought over her last few steps. “I can't have missed the turn.... Could I have? ….” As if in reply, a cannon fired and shattered the silence as well as the unicorn's trance. Pure terror filled her body like a fluid. Her limbs seized and she dropped to a crouch, trying with all her might to shut out the inevitable follow up sound of....
Nothing moved. Nothing made a sound. Nothing changed.
Except for a small pain in the center of a purple six point star. Something barely noticeable, akin to a mosquito bite or an insignificant pinch. Yet, to Twilight, it was the hand of Death that pinched her. Time continued to move oblivious to the terror of the lonesome mare. But for her, and her alone, time slowed.
Eventually the ice in her veins ebbed and she regained control of her hooves, then her legs, then her flank, her barrel, her neck, her head. And after an eternity had passed, she recovered her senses. Silence replaced the bells, the taste of iron filled her mouth, ozone attacked her nose, and the pain in her side became unbearable. Twilight found that the pain too ebbed as she took to her hooves. Her eyelids lost their weight as she filled her lungs repeatedly. As they lifted, her eyes met with the object of her horror.
Complete Darkness.
“Wha...! How!? Celestia had only begun her descent when I entered.... How long have I been in here....” Seemingly on their own, Twilight's hooves began to tread backward. Something hard and sharp brushed against her left front leg, bringing about a loud gasp from the mare. She chanced a glance down to discover only a disentombed root, recently snapped in half. Twilight slowly brought her still agape mouth to a close and hung her head, her eyes slowly glazing over. Her hooves drug behind her and she trudged away.
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Black. Still. Unchanging. No candle was lit. The greenish liquid in the cauldron rest languid. A figure lay stoic on the bed. Luna's own did not penetrate the canopy. What few shadows found life focused their attention on the door. The door that lets in all the secrets of the night.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Several hours had passed and Luna's moon glared at the top of Everfree forest, unable to reach that which needed it. Twilight had become mindless. No thoughts passed through her mind; she simply walked. And walked. And walked... until the path under her glassy eyes widened slowly. The trees to her left and right gave way to a clearing; the center of which contained an oddly-shaped tree. The soft glow of candle light was absent from the openings in the trunk. The door, of darker wood than the tree, was slightly ajar yet not in any sort of inviting manner.
“Well... At least I made it here.... I wonder if Zecora would mind terribly if I stayed here until the morning... … ...I'm so tired...” The corner of Twilight's eye caught a shudder in the shadows inside the opening. Her attention snapped toward that direction. “Zecora? Zecora, is that you? I apologize for showing up so late but, I got really lost and....” The purple mare found herself filled with a small amount of hope. She began to pick up the pace as she approached the door, still talking. “...the forest has been so quiet and Fluttershy is getting worried.” She reached the door and nudged it the rest of the way open. She was greeted by a wall of black. “...um...Zecora?” she mumbled, her earlier vigor and cheer completely lost by the room in front of her.
The inside of the tree lay in total disarray. Masks were broken, pots were shattered (some lay in pieces on the floor, others' necks still hung from the ceiling by thin ropes, much like nooses). By some miracle, the cauldron sat unfazed in the chaos, an odd liquid lay within, still. The room's only source of illumination was a sliver of dark grey from the room directly adjacent. Twilight found herself drawn to that light, her horror filling as her shadow grew. She took a single step into the bedroom and collapsed, her brain unable to comprehend the sight before her.
It should have been Zecora, but it wasn't. It should have been a zebra, and yet the twisted mass could not even be called a pony. In the darkness, there should have been two shades of grey; there were too many. The figure before her did not stir from Twilight's entrance, simply lay there in a way so unnatural to the unicorn. So unnerved was the mare that she could not bring herself from the floor and instead began to drag her limp body to the door of the tree.
As soon as she reached fresh air, she muddled it with her vomit in an attempt to erase the smell of the room and the taste of the air. Time and time again, Twilight cleansed her body until her aching stomach could produce no more... yet she could not cease. Tears found their way to her eyes and fell freely. Her eyes closed and the tears fell harder.
Night penetrated every inch of Ponyville. Darkness covered every street and filled every home. All except for one. The library remained lit as Spike finished with the massive chore that was re-organizing Twilight's books.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Oh thank Celestia, I'm finally done... This is the LAST time I put off re-shelving even just a day...” Spike groaned as he snuck a peek outside. “Wow... time really does fly when you're cleaning up after... wait a minute, where is Twilight!?” Spike ran out the door into the cool evening air. The dragon, of course, saw nothing and his panic grew. His eyes darted around quickly and he ran off to the first place he could think of.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Why, yes Rarity, you are a genius!” Squealed a marble-white unicorn, flicking her deep purple mane out of her face. She stepped away from her newest creation, worn by the blank pony form of the dummy. “Such flair, such elegance, such...”
“RARITY!!!!!!!!”
“...great timing!” Rarity trotted over to the door of carousel boutique and opened it for the screaming dragon. “Spike, do be a dear and take a gander at my newest creation!” She lowered her head and began using her nose to push Spike past the entry way to the gallery. Spike was more than willing to proceed. On the main pedestal was the pale dummy sporting a shining dress. The bulk of the dress was a light purple, covered with glittering amethyst jewels in ornate patterns. From the flank back rested dark violet fabric split down the center by a heavy pink line that branched out like a firework down the sides. The apparel was flourished with two identical earrings in the shape of a six pointed starburst.
The dress filled the eyes of the young dragon but he saw not the dress itself, but the artist behind it. “It's so beautiful...” Spike sighed.
“Well, yes, I should hope it is!” remarked Rarity, not yet noticing Spike's true entendre. “I made it for Twilight as a Thank-You for allowing you to help out so often, I'm sure it must take away from her studies for you are such a “hand”y help around the place, darling” she giggled at her own joke.
Spike perked up at the compliment and puffed out his chest a little. “Well, I try to help as best I ca... wait.” Spike let out his breath, “who did you say this was for?”
“Well, Twilight, dear. Why?”
Spike jumped in remembrance. “Oh my gosh! That's why I came here! Twilight's missing!” he screamed, hopping up and down.
“MISSING!?” Rarity gasped. “Of all the terrible things that could have happened, this is The. Worst. Possible. Thing!” She cried, swooning onto a couch that was conveniently nearby. “We must find her then!” she tossed the dragon-ling onto her back and rushed out the door. Spike lost control of reality.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Too...many...apples....” Rang out as a Stetson hit the hat rack on the second floor of the Apple Family farmhouse. Applejack hit her bed from four feet in the air, causing the sheets to fold her into a warm apple burrito. Sleep began to cover her and her eyelids fell slowly until...
“OH, AAAAPPLEJAAAACK!!!” shouted a shrill little voice from downstairs.
Applejack groaned but still rolled her way to the floor and, leaving her hat, she trudged down the steps towards the voice. She was greeted by a little red covered, yellow filly smiling at her. She simply stared her sister down until she spoke.
“Uh, well ya see, sis, we got visitors in the kitchen... um... I'ma go to bed now.... Good night Spikey!” The filly shuffled away after waving towards the lit room. Applejack thawed out at the mention of visitors and Spike. She walked in.
She was greeted by Spike pacing the circumference of the table while Rarity looked at Applejack with hints of anguish on her face.
“Well, this is a surprise.... What brings ya'll all the way out here?”
