A Coven of Sisters

The clubhouse which was once empty of most everything, save posters on the wall and a speaking podium, now held a small collection of books on plants and animals, a small cage of small little birds, and a wide assortment of bottles and containers, curtsy of most of the residence of Ponyville, who lived on their peaceful lives without the knowledge of a few missing bottles.

All three fillies were laying about, reading either from one of the books or practicing drawing diagrams they'd seen in the tattered black book. It seemed all was well, but Sweetie Belle kept shooting annoyed looks at Scootaloo, who seemed happy in her corner, practicing painstakingly to match the image in the book of an elaborate design.

“Okay!” Sweetie Belle stomped a hoof on the wood floor, causing both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo jumped, turning around in confusion and surprised. “We need to talk!”

“Oh kay?” Apple Bloom sat up and walked over, while Scootaloo just turned around, so she could participate with her 'sisters'.

“We shouldn't have done that to Silver Spoon.” Sweetie Belle stated. “I think we went too far.”

Scootaloo let out a false laugh. “After all the things shes put us through?”

“A'h don't know Scoots.” Apple Bloom fidgeted. “Maybe Sweetie Belle is right. Maybe we did push it ah little.”

The orange pegasus just gave her a board look. “Really?”

“She's in the mental ward of the Canterlot Hospital!” Sweetie Belle yelled. “She's tormented us, but never did anything hospital serious!”

Scootaloo hung her head. “I guess you're right.” She looked up at her sister. “But, sister, what do we use our magic for, if not to help out others?”

Apple Bloom cocked her head. “Wha'd'ya mean?”

“Well,” Scootaloo stood up and trotted over, a worried look on her face. “I didn't pick Silver Spoon at random. Sure she's done a lot of horrible mean things to us, but you know Dinky? Derpy's daughter? I caught Silver Spoon stealing her muffins at lunch time.”

It was Sweetie Belle's turn to give a look of 'yeah, so?'. “So, that was over muffins?”

“Not entirly.” Scootaloo hesitated, not sure if she should say what had been the real reason for they're little fright fest on the helpless gray snob. Seeing that Sweetie was both impatient for it, and still rather irritated for doing such a terrible thing, Scootaloo confessed it all.

“Alright, here's the truth. I've been ease dropping on Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara for a little while now.”

Apple Bloom was shocked. “Ya have?” Her voice going up a few octaves.

“Well, in the evenings, afetr you two go home, I get bored, and so find ways to entertain myself. It was then that I discovered a back way into DT's and SP's homes, and you won't BELIEVE the conversations I over hear.”

“Scoots, that's wrong and you know it!” Sweetie Belle snapped. “How could you? Conversations behind closed doors are private, or do you not know what that means?”

Scootaloo traced a circle in the wood with a hoof, not looking up. “Even if those conversations are about hurting other ponies? Even it it's about how their parents are going to hurt small businesses?”

Silence fell on the little clubhouse as the orange fillie's words sank in. Scootaloo looked up at her blood sisters to see that both were in a mixed state of stunned shock and righteous anger.

“Silver Spoon,” She continued, looking back at the floor. “Was bragging to Diamond Tiara how she was going to push Dinky down a rocky hill and laugh as she'd tumble down. Her father is also going to buy up Derpy's muffin stand. She was proud that they were going to run them out of town because of it.”

“A'h'll be!” Apple Bloom stomped. “If that's the case, we need to do something about it!”

“Hold up.” Sweetie Belle looked at her two sisters. “I agree, that's horrible, and there's no doubt they need to be stopped, but we need to clear up a matter first.”

Scootaloo blinked and looked at Apple Bloom, who shrugged. “Uhh, what?”

“Who's in charge.”

They both stared at her, as if the idea that one sister was calling the shots was unheard of and insane.

“You two can close your mouths now.” Sweetie Belle sighed. “You're attracting flies.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Scootaloo dashed back to the book and started flipping through the pages. “It says nothing in here about having somepony in charge.”

“And how would we decide?” Apple Bloom added. “A'h mean, who would be better at it?”

“And why?” Scootaloo added, a bit frustrated. “We're sisters! Not each other boss!”

Sweetie Belle sat on her haunches and held up a hoof. “Please, let me explain, sister of mine. What we did last week to Silver Spoon was too much, we all agree, right?” Guilty nods. “And I think that ponies would get suspicious if every pony we have a problem with ends up in the hospital.”

“Didn't think about that.” Scootaloo admitted.

“So we need somepony to say that enough is enough and the other two from going over board.”

Apple Bloom caught the way she said, 'the other two' and not us. “Wait a minute.” She glared at  the white unicorn filly. “You're sayin' YOU should be the one to do it, ar'n't you?”

Sweetie Belle gave a nervous giggle as Scootaloo glared at her. “Right. So how do we decide?”

“Sisters, A'h have it.” Apple Bloom stated, looking rather pleased with herself. We all know enough now to do some mighty powerful stuff. Why don't we have a show down?”

“But won't that be dangerous?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Not if we make it like a little talent show for us.” Apple Bloom smiled. “We'll each have a few days to figure out what we'll do, then we show each other, and decide then. Fair?”

The logic of the apple pony was sound, so all bumped hooves. “Fair” They agreed in unison.

Three days they met in a place they decided in the Everfree Forest, where prying eyes couldn't see, or wonder in. They had decided before hoof that the order of performers would be decided by the drawing of straws, and that the two who were watching would be the judges. Apple Bloom won the straw draw.

“Now, A'h've been working all three days to make this.” She pulled out a few bottles from the saddle bags she had been wearing, and set them on the ground.

First, Apple Bloom took out a corn kernel and planted it. Then she took the first bottle, a wide flat bottom beaker with a long neck, full of pink liquid, and poured it on the planted kernel. A few seconds ticked by in silence before Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo gasped in delight as a corn stalk grew before their eyes, budding and giving off ripe ears of corn.

“Here,” Apple Bloom pulled off two of the ears of corn. “They're good eat'n.”

And they were. Sweet, plump and fresh. As they ate Apple Bloom took a small vial of ice blue liquid and poured it on the cornstalk, instantly turning it to ice. Bottle after bottle had different effects on the cornstalk, until she took out one of ashy gray and turned the cornstalk to dust, to the hoof stomps of her sisters cheering.

“That was cool!” Scootaloo hoof bumped her.

“Impressive.” Sweetie Belle agreed. “Okay, Scoots, you're up.”

Scootaloo walked up and started scratching something into the ground. A few moments later, she started chanting in a strange language, the words echoing and reverberating around the little hidden clearing in which they stood. Apple Bloom's ears folded back as she took a step back, but Sweetie Belle looked on with interest.

Out of the diagram on the ground a strange creature started clawing to get out, it's paws long and scaly, long smooth arms with spikes erupting from different, off centered places, eyes blood red and tail lined with a long smooth blade.

“This, is Slice.” Scootaloo introduced. “And he does tricks!”

It's not everyday that one sees a little filly raise a demon from the very darkest depths of Tarterus only to make him fetch, roll over, play dead, stand on two legs and hop and beg, but that's exactly what Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle witnessed, stomping with delight as the happy demon played to the whims of it's summoner.

“Okay, Slice, time to go.” And Slice melted back into the earth.

“A'h never! That was awesome!”

Scootaloo blushed, but looked pleased. “I know right? I'm still working on others. Slice makes my second familiar, though he was kinda scary to train.”

“He does strike an image.” Sweetie Belle agreed. “Well, I guess it's my turn.”

And with that she started chanting, or what is singing? It was a strange mix, melodic, yet eerily powerful, almost like a full chord, with a few extra notes that add something you just can't quite describe. The trees, hearing the magic melody, all swayed, though there was no breeze, and a few even bent their creaking limps across their large trunks and bowed.

A loose rock heard the call and started crumbling, only slowly reform into a glass ball, before shattering into little flames that evaporated. Timberwolves emerged out of the woods, to the shock and horror of Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, but the wolves paid them no mind. They had eyes only for the singing enchantress who's eyes were glowing as she sang, her voice rising and falling, forcing the wolves to bow their heads and keen lowly. With a few extra notes, the wolves were dismissed, thoroughly shaken that any being had that much power in the form of song.

At last, when Sweetie Belle finished her song, she looked at her sisters, who were bowed before her. There was not discussion, for none was needed. Sweetie Belle blushed, as she looked over her shoulder, to make sure no pony was seeing this, when she noticed something that wasn't there before.

“Cutie mark!” She crowed, spinning around in a circle. “I got my cutie mark!”

Apple Bloom was the first to think to check her own flank, and started singing herself. As Scootaloo looked at her own, they all started prancing about. As they danced and pranced, they made their way to the clubhouse where Apple Jack was looking for them.

“A'h there ya are. Na'h what's ga'ht yer tails tickled fancy?”

“We got our cutie marks!” They all screamed, showing off their now, not blank flanks. All three had a black pointed hat sitting on the corner of a black cauldron with a pair of green eyes looking over it.

Apple Jack's eyes went wide as she stared at the three, all color draining out of her face. This couldn't be. Not her sister.

“Whoa nelly!” Her back legs started to tremble. “We gatta see Twi right nahw!”