Chapters It was another beautiful day. The sun was shining over the clubhouse of the CMC's. Birds were chirping and bunnies nibbled happily on dandelions and other wildflowers that seemed to smile at the world around them. Yet, inside the tree house, three little fillies sat glumly.
“Rock climbing?” Apple Bloom suggested.
“Rraaahh, you said that one five minutes ago!” Scootaloo vented through clenched teeth, the pencil in her mouth still sharp and unused.
“And we tried that last week.” Sweetie Belle added. “Along with firefighting, hoof gliding and modern artistry.”
Scootaloo laid her face against the wooden floor boards of the tree house, sighing dejectedly. “We'll never get our cutie marks.”
“Oh cheer up.” Apple Bloom smiled. “Mah big sis keeps telling me it's he journey that makes the character. Naht the destination.”
“Rarity's says that too.” Sweetie Belle screwed up her face. “Haven't figured out what it means though.”
“Huh.” Scootaloo looked away, hiding the sudden tears that sprang to her eyes. “Must be a sister thing.” Adding softly, “I wish I had a big sis.”
The three sat in uncomfortable silence. Both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle knew that Scootaloo was an orphan, but they never found the courage to ask more. The little fillies felt sorry for their friend, but didn't really have a clue of what they could do to help make her feel better.
“Hey, A'h gaht an idea!” Apple Bloom shot to her hooves. “Let's go visit Princess Twilight!”
“And how does that exactly help?” Sweetie Belle asked, shifting eyes from Apple Bloom to the dejected orange pegesus
Apple Bloom smiled. “Well, first off, Twilight's a Princess.”
“No, really?” Scootaloo mumbled. “I would've never guessed from the title of Princess.”
“And she's gaht a library in that castle of hers.” Apple Bloom pressed on, ignoring her mopey friend.
Sweetie Belle cocked her head to the side. “And that helps, how?”
Apple Bloom smiled. “There's books in the library.”
Scootaloo sat up and dead panned. “You're two for two.”
The yellow filly stamped her hoof impatiently, annoyed that her friends just weren't getting what she'd figured out.
“Books, on different subjects!” She practically yelled. “More books than we can count! A'h bet there's loads of subjects we've never thought about before in there.”
Scootaloo seemed to moll that over. “And if we haven't thought of them before.”
“Then we haven't tried them yet!” Sweetie Belle finished excitedly. “Apple Bloom! You're a genius!”
Closing her eyes, Apple Bloom buffed a fore hoof on her chest. “A'h have mah moments.”
They all giggled, grabbed their Cutie Mark Crusader capes and took off towards Twilight Sparkles crystal castle.
The trip didn't take long, and they even had enough time to stop by Sugar Cube Corner and try one of Pinkie's latest cupcakes flavors, Plumb Strawberry. While the name sounded strange, the moist plumb cake hid a delicious strawberry cream filling that seemed to contrast in a way that they could taste the full flavors of each fruit without loosing any potency of the other. A few hooffulls of confetti it was declared a success, but alas, no cupcake taster cutie marks were to be had. Undeterred, the three crusaders made their way to the crystal castle of friendship.
“Why hello girls.” Twilight smiled, looking up from an old tomb she'd been studying for the last few days. “And what can I do for you, my little ponies?”
Apple Bloom gave her best, most innocent smile. “Well, Princess Twilight. We were hoping that we could nose around your library for a bit and find some books to help us get our cutie marks!”
The Princess of Friendship looked both pleased and a little doubtful. “Well, I'm glad that you would come to a place of learning to find wisdom, but I'm afraid that my books won't give you a cutie mark like that. Cutie marks are your special talent, and special talents are found by doing, not reading.”
“Says the pony who spends most of her free time reading and studying.” Spike jibed. He was laying near by on a comfy cushion, taking a light nap.
“Well, there is a lot to learn in the world, and reading it saves time on the more tedious studying and experimenting I'd have to do otherwise.” Twilight gave a few false laughs. “Not that I wouldn't want to be experiment, but I digress.”
“Most every day.” Spike opened an eye. “You promised that you'd cut back to a book a week. What is that one? You're third?”
Twilight gave a nervous grin. “Fourth, actually. So, what kind of subjects were you looking for?” She asked Apple Bloom.
Apple Bloom opened her mouth, then shut it, then opened it again, only to shut it and think. “A'h don't know, actually. Anythin' really, A'h guess.”
Twilight gave an understanding smile. “Just be sure to put the books back after you've read them.” And went back to reading the old tomb while Spike started snoring lightly, mumbling something about Rarity under his breath. The three crusaders made their way into the two teared library hall.
Scootaloo's eyes widened as she saw all the books in the hall, a broad grin spreading from ear to ear. “Apple Bloom, you're a genius!”
"A'h thought we established that already.” She replied mildly, again buffing a forehoof. “But A'h appreciate that you understand who the brains are here.”
“So, here's the plan girls,” Sweetie Belle said, pitting a hoof to her chin, thinking as she spoke. “We'll spit up. Apple Bloom, you take the left side, Scoots, the right and I'll go straight. Take a half hour to find anything that interests you. After the half hour's up, we'll show what we found, and write down all the new ideas and we'll start trying them!”
“Yay! Cutie Mark Crusaders Interest Finders Go!” They yelled and off they split.
A half hour came much too soon for the three fillies, and excitedly they presented the dozens of books they found on various topics ranging from Phoenix breeding to geology- which none of them knew what the word meant. And so Sweetie Belle started recording each subject, making their exhausted list look like posted note. It wasn't until two hours latter that they were done writing down all the subjects they'd took a liking too.
“With this list, we'll find out cutie marks in no time!” Apple Bloom beamed, looking at the long list of things to try.
“Uhh, guys?” Scootaloo looked at a book that they'd missed. She picked up the tomb with the tattered black cover. “Did this make it on the list?”
“I don't think so.” Sweetie Belle stared scanning the subject list. “What's it called?”
The orange pegasus opened it, the spin crackling, as if the book was very old. “Coven guide to forming your own Coven.” She looked up with a funny look. “What's a Coven?”
Sweetie Belle looked up from the list. “I can't find it on the list. Should we check it out?”
Apple Bloom looked nervous. “A'h don't know girls. Princess Twilight might get upset if we just up and take this book without askin', and the word coven doesn't sound very nice.”
Scootaloo looked at the book for another few moments before tucking it under her wing. “Oh, she won't know. After all, there's THOUSANDS of books here. I doubt she'd miss this tattered old thing. “
“Well,” Apple Bloom still looked unsure about the idea. “If you say so.”
An hour later Spike rose from his nap and headed into the library to check on the girls, only to stopped dead in his tracks. “Sweet Sapphire!” He gulped. “How could three little fillies make such a big mess?” He paused for a moment, remember just who the three little fillies were. “I take that back. I'm actually surprised that they didn't COMPLETELY take off every book from every shelf.”
With a shrug he made his way to the kitchen for a carton of ice cream before Twilight called him to clean up the gigantic mess. It was going to be a long afternoon.
At the club house, the three fillies poured over the tattered old book, eyes wide as they read of secrets and rituals that made no sense to them.
“Here!” Scootaloo pointed at a passage. “What's it say?”
Sweetie Belle scanned it. “It says that we can become blood sisters, which is a stronger bond than actual family. As blood sister's we'd be equal and can preform magic that not even Alicorns can preform.”
Apple Bloom thought about that. “Really? Huh.”
The orange pegasus, eyes wide, smiled at the her friends. “I say we do it!”
Apple Bloom looked uncomfortable. “A'h don't know. It sounds mighty strange.”
“Well,” Sweetie Belle said slowly. “There isn't anything here that says it's dangerous. We just need a cup, a kni-”
“Why would we need a knife?!” Apple Bloom demanded shrilly. The two others just glared at her. “A'h-A'h mean, what's the knife for? Heh, heh.”
“We're suppose to make a little cut,” Sweetie Belle explained, glancing through the ceremony passage. “We each give a few drops and we all are suppose to take a sip from the cup and chant some mummbo jummbo. That's it.”
Scootalooo was the first on her hooves, fishing out a pair of scissors from behind the podium. “Will these work?”
“I suppose so.” Sweetie Belle shrugged. “But you sure you want to do it now?”
The pegasus pointed at her. “You have Rarity.” She pointed at Apple Bloom. “She has Apple Jack, Big Mac AND Granny Smith, not to mention more cousins than she know what to do with. I don't have any of that.” Scootaloo sat on the rough floor, sniffing. “I..I don't have any of that. So, yeah, I want to do it now. That means I get two sisters, blood sisters, and then I won't be alone any more. I'll finally have a family.”
It was hard hearing their friend say that, and after a glance at each other, both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle knew they couldn't say no. Apple Bloom went to fetch a cup and soon they drew the circle and triangle the ceremony called for. They each sat on a point, each chanting the opening line of the ritual.
“Three to one, and one to three, give thy blood and blood receive.”
They passed the cup, cutting a small incision on their foreleg, doping in a dozen blood drops each.
Drink of blood and boon to make, the blood of three, sister through fate.”
Passing they cup, each took a small swallow of the warm, salty, copper tasting liquid. As repulsive as they found it tasting, they held it down through will power, finishing the final line.
“Sisters through blood and blood we are founded, eternal through life, our souls are now bounded”
A strange blue light lit from the triangle and circle drawn on the floor, before dying, leaving no trace that the white chalk marks were ever there to begin with.
“Sisters!” Scootaloo flung her hooves around the neck of her now blood sisters and hugged them tightly. They all giggled and settled down to read what their new bond could do, through this magical book that somehow brought them closer together.
Several Weeks latter, Silver Spoon found herself on her way home from Sugar Cube Corner, alone, in the evening. It was a strange twist of fate that she was alone, but her dad was suddenly called away for business meeting and her nanny had the day off. But, Silver Spoon was old enough now to take care of herself. She had her cutie mark after all, it wasn't like she was a blank flank who couldn't be trust with anything.
And so after buying her favorite sweets, she made her way home, deciding to go the back way to her family's manor traveling through what little wooded area that wasn't considered the Everfree Forest.
The wind blew lightly, rustling the leaves in the trees, snapping a twig here or there, but she didn't mind. Truth was, her mind was pondering more about the strange conception of a cupcake called the Plumb Strawberry Delight, rather than thinking about the brisk breeze around her.
The wind kept blowing, creating a low moan that seemed to echo around the wooded area. Silver Spoon heard the moan of the wind many times in her short life, but this was different. It wasn't a hollow sound that sounded more like a whistle from lips much to wide, but rather a breath of an ancient creature that was beginning to stir, just on the edge of consciousness. She sped up her pace, just a little.
A dusty rattling sound floated down to her sensitive ears, that seemed to magnify everything. Looking up, gulping slightly, Silver Spoon found the rattle to be nothing more than leaves. Hundred of hundreds of bone dry leaves, all shaking in the chilly wind that swept them back and fourth, knocking them into each other. It almost seemed that the leafy canopy was a dull, brown husk of a monstrous snake on the verge of shedding it's dead skin.
“J-just the leaves.” Silver Spoon laughed to herself. “Nothing to worry about.”
The light was starting to fade quickly, and the gray filly felt the urge to speed up to a trot. Not because she was worried. She wasn't afraid of the low moaning wind or the dry, husky shaking of the dead leaves, or the steady hoof clops that seemed come from behind her. Silver Spoon stopped in her tracks, hearing the clops. Slowly, she turned to see no pony behind her, yet the steady hoof beats played on her eardrums. Each step matching her heart beat.
With a shaky laugh, the gray filly figured it was just her heart beat pounding in her ears, because she was tensing up over nothing. That was it. It was nothing. Just her imagination. Like that hot breath on the back of her neck. Nothing but her imagination.
Eye wide with shock, Silver Spoon spun around, not seeing a thing, but dying trees, their limbs stretched high over top, like skeleton fingers clawing at the sky, the loud moaning of the wind their dying breath. Yet still, the steady measured clop of a pony could be heard and a hot breath could be felt on the back of her neck.
With a scream, the once dignified bully burst into tears and dashed down the path towards her home, where she'd knew she's be safe, and could hide under her bed, dropping the bag of sweets as she sprinted.
The moaning of the wind grew, changing, morphing into a scream, the scream of pony. The rattling grated on her ears, now sounded more like bones knocking into each other, and the hoof falls sounded like they were closer than before, without speeding up their steady pace. Silver Spoon's heart raced, her eyes stung with tears and her throat burned from gasping the now icy air around her. As she galloped she saw something in the road before her. A bag of sweets. Laughter swirled around her. Laughter she knew, laughter she'd heard before.
Panicking, she threw her head up to see the leaves of the trees were replaced by the skulls of ponies, grinning down in an empty, mirthless smiles, as the hot breath bore down on her neck, as the hoof falls stopped, directly behind her. Silver Spoon turned and screamed at the abomination behind her, bearing down on her.
It was several hours before any of the search ponies found the shaking form of Silver Spoon the next morning. The gray filly was found huddling under a tree near the Ever Free Forest, eyes bloodshot from crying, voice lost, mouth working wordlessly. She didn't recognized the presence of any pony, not even her father. All she could do was shiver on her bed and stare out the window to Everyfree Forest, mumbling under hear breath, still hearing the last sound she'd remembered from the night before. The laughing of three little fillies.
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!”
“Why do we have to wear these table clothes over our flanks again?” Scootaloo asked, thoroughly annoyed.
Here they had worked so hard to find their special talent, and now they finally had a cutie mark. This was the single greatest day of her and her sister's lives thus far, and it was being marred by a lavender shaded table cloth.
“Because,” The orange earth pony said, tightening Apple Bloom's makeshift skirt. “There's been a mistake. These ain't your cutie marks.”
“They look like our cutie marks.” Applebloom muttered. “Ow! Watch it sis! That's too tight!”
Sweetie Belle stepped in. “Applejack, let me. I've picked up how to sew from Rarity.”
And with that, her little white horn lit up and Applebloom's table cloth skirt smoothed out, complementing her figure, while tightening in some places to stay on while not being suffocating the filly. She repeated the process to her other sister and herself before looking back to Applejack again, knowing it was her who had to get to the bottom of the unexpected twenty questions game. Ever since AJ had seen their flanks, she'd worn a carefully shielded look of fear and panic.
“Now.” Sweetie indicated for her sisters to sit with her, and they did, which only put the orange earth pony even more on edge. “Please, start from the beginning. Why can't these be our cutie marks?”
“Because it's wrong!” Applejack blurted before she could stop herself. Biting her lip she looked at the three fillies, who were confused before she started again. “That cutie mark hasn't been seen in a long while. It's not the cutie mark of a good pony. If others we to see it, they'd judge you before even asking questions and that would make life not only horrible, A'h reckon it might cut you're lives short quite a few years.”
The three chewed that over. Scootaloo looked like she was about complain, but Sweetie Belle gave her a side long look that kept her silent. This was not the time for hot heads.
Applebloom spoke up. “A'h don't get it.” She confessed. “Why are ma'h and ma'h sister's-”
“Sister's?” Applejack cut in. “What sister's. You got me. A'HM yer sister.”
Again it was the white unicorn filly who seemed to be in charge. “We are sisters in blood. We preformed the ritual of the Coven that gave use these powers, Applejack.”
The apple bucking pony's jaw somehow became disconnected with the rest of her head, hanging open in shock. It took her several minutes to gain control of her self enough to speak, and even then, it was a series of 'who, why, how, huh, nah, and buy some apples!'
Sweetie Belle raised a hoof, silencing the orange mare, who looked quite terrified. “Applejack, we will do things your way. We will go see Twilight with you and maybe we can sort this out.”
AJ wasn't sure if she felt relief or fear at that statement. On one hoof, she was glad that the girls saw the wisdom of her words, but on the other hoof, the way Sweetie Belle spoke for all three, and especially how she decided to go see Twilight, put Applejack's teeth on edge.
And so they started to make their way into town, greeting ponies as they went, not acting ashamed or out of place.
“I still don't see why we have to wear these table clothes.” Scootaloo muttered darkly.
“A'h think it's because Apple Jack thinks that our cutie marks are cursed or somethin' like that.” Apple Bloom replied. “But A'h still don't get it.”
Sweetie Belle just kept silent. Out of the three, she had been the more studious of them, and knew why the cutie mark was an ill omen. She even witnessed the power it meant, but that didn't concern her. She was proud of it. For all her life and her now sister's lives, she'd been searching for her spot in the world, what made her different from others and ultimately special, and now she had her answer. She didn't care if they were banished from Ponyville. She knew who she was now, and she'd embrace it, even the nasty parts.
As they made their way through town, they bumped into two ponies that none of them wanted to see.
“Ah, Applejack.” Filthy smiled pleasantly. “Just the pony I was looking for.”
“Howdy Mr. Rich.” Applejack tipped her hat, putting on a cheerful smile that didn't reach her eyes. “An' what can A'h do for you?”
“Well, Zapp Apple season is coming soon, and I'd like to start the usual negotiations about prices.”
As the two adults talked, Diamond Tiara, who's eyes looked red and puffy from the lost of her only real friend, walked out from behind her father to start the usual taunts to the CMCs.
“Why hello there, blank flanks.” She sneered with more malice than necessary. “And what are you three nobodies doing here?”
Applebloom spoke up before Scootaloo to open her mouth and get them in trouble. “Why howdy Diamond. We're just taken a stroll with ma'h sister.”
Diamond glared at the makeshift skirts that hid their flanks. “A stroll? In these dusty old things? Don't make me laugh. Any normal pony would die of embarrassment if anyone saw them in that ugly thing.”
Sweetie Belle glanced at her skirt. “Actually, I thought lavender was a nice color.”
“Oh it is.” D. T. agreed. “IF you're an old biddy, like Granny Smith.”
She laughed and turned for a friendship victory bump with Silver Spoon, before she remembered that she was in a room in Canterlot hospital babbling nonsense. Angry tears rose to her eyes as she lowered her head.
Applebloom, who was the most kindhearted of the three, put a hoof on Diamond Tiara's shoulder.
“A'h'm sorry to hear what happened to your friend.”
For a moment, Diamond Tiara looked like grateful that some pony noticed her pain and cared. But she blinked back more tears, pushing Applebloom back with a rough shoulder shove.
“I don't want your pity rutabaga! I don't need your pity you stupid, brainless farmer!”
Applegloom fell to the ground with a yelp, rolling backwards, but before any pony could notice, both Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were blocking Diamond Tiara's path, eyes angry, both chanting in a strange eerie language.
“Oh, and what are you going to do? Make my mane fall off with you're silly mumbo jumbo?”
“As you wish.” Scootaloo's voice grated like a steel door with rusty hinges as Sweetie Belle continued the chant, adding some hard consonants and hisses.
Diamond Tiara had enough. She started laughing, doubling over and rolling on the ground. “Ohh, you two morons are too much!” She rolled back up, eyes full of joyless mirth. “As if you-” A stray strand of mane fell into her eyes. Not even thinking twice, she brushed it back into her mane and around her ear. “As I was say-” She stomped her hoof.
Squelch.
Diamond Tiara started to shake, as her eyes looked down to the ground, seeing the soft thing she was standing on. Her breath caught as she tried to scream, staring at the clump of hair with bloody scalp under her hoof. Then she felt something that shocked her whole system into ridged stillness. Something warm, started trickling down her left ear, from her scalp, slowly rolling down, streaking the once white and pristine white coat with a single strand of dark red.
Shaky hoof raising, the bully put it to her face and then held it before her eyes, feeling the warmth pulsing more as her heart started to race faster and faster as she stared at her own blood from the rotted flesh from where her hair should have been.
“Diamond Tiara!” Filthy Rich caught his daughter before she hit the ground in a dead faint. He stared at the gore on the ground and his daughter, with her rotted scalp. “H-h-how?”
“Some fillies are just rotten.” Sweetie Belle replied, no sympathy in her voice.
“Rotten to that core.” Applebloom added, getting off the ground. She dusted herself off and stood in line with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, ignoring the horrified expression Apple Jack was giving them behind Filthy's shoulder.
Filthy Rich didn't even reply, he just scooped up his daughter to his back and galloped as fast as he could to the nearest, and only, health clinic in town.
“Girls!” All three fillies turned to Applejack, who flinched at their gaze. “Did you do that?!”
There was a moment of silence as all three blinked back at her, as if the question held the answer to itself.
Applejack didn't know what to do. She didn't know if she COULD do anything. She was just a simple farm pony, and dealing with magic and stuff like it was beyond her ability to control. Wordlessly, she continued to led the three to Twilight's castle, hoping that her friend would have the answers to this problem.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“What do you want?” Spike yawned, being awoken from his early afternoon nap. There was still a little drool on the corner of his mouth.
“Sorry to interrupt your dream session with Rarity.” Applejack jibed with a hidden smile. “But I need to speak with Twilight. There's...” She glanced at the girls. “An urgent problem that she needs to be tended to.”
Spike folded his stubby arms, putting a claw to his chin. “Well, I would say you could see her now, but she's speaking with Mare Mayor right now. They're discussing the logistics of Twilight holding court.”
For a moment, AJ seemed curious. “Court? Like all them big fancies do at Canterlot with Princess Celestia and Luna?”
“Yeah,” Spike nodded. “But the issue at hoof whether or not Twilight's judgments to what hearing she deals with over rule the lay ponies judicial system. You see, th-”
“That's fascinating.” The orange earth pony cut off with a smile. “But like A'h said. This is urgent.”
Spike pouted. “And I'd been doing studying on the local justice system for weeks now to know that.” He grumbled. “Head to the map room. She'll see you in there.”
“A'h'm mighty grateful to ya', Spike.” AJ sighed.
“Yeah, yeah.” Spike muttered as he made his way to the little thrown room. Truth is, it was actually just a fairly convenient room they'd found, but for their current purposes, they'd converted it to a little thrown room to hold 'official royal business'.
Spike knocked at the door.
“Spike? That you?” Twilight's muffled voice answered after a moment.
“Who else would know the exact room that you are in at the exact time?” Spike asked.
“I see your point.” The young alicorn replied, fighting back a face hoof. The discussion at hoof had been long, arduous and, Twilight concluded, more than pointless. She was either acting as Princess, thus disbanding the current courts, or she was just a Princess figure, and thus other than direct orders to royal guards, which she had none, her authority was pointless.
“Anyway, AJ's here with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. She wanted to see you.” Spike said through the door.
“But, I'm busy.” Twilight told him halfheartedly, looking at the Mayor of Ponyville. True, she wanted to end the conversation as soon as possible, but she didn't want to appear rude, especially since this was an important discussion and AJ was a social call.
“I don't know. She said it's urgent.”
Twilight's ears perked. “Urgent?” She put a hoof to her chin in thought. “What could be so urgent that Apple Jack would come to me at a time like this?”
“You mean in the early afternoon when not much is going on except for the absolute best time to take a nice nap in the sun? I have no idea.”
The sarcastic tone of Spike's voice got him a dirty look, which he could not see because of a door which Twilight hadn't even opened through their dialog.
“This can wait.” Mare Mayor said before Twilight could reply to Spike. “And, if I might say, Princess, you've given me a lot to think about. Truth is, I wasn't all that prepared for today's discussion on the matter of Ponyville's justice system. I'd like to think about this for a few days before we make any finalized decisions.”
Twilight flashed the Mayor a grateful grin. “Very well. We'll talk another time. If you excuse me.”
“Of course.”
Twilight opened the door, revealing a very unhappy Spike looking at where he knew Twilight would be.
“And you couldn't have done that a few minutes sooner?”
“Sorry Spike.” Twilight apologized. “Let's go see what's got AJ so worked up.”
Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship, cantered to the map room where Apple Jack waited. The orange mare looked worried, standing and fiddling with her hat and busying herself with studding the map of Equestira, that was the magical table in the center of six emblem, crystal seats, as well as few unmarked ones.
“Apple Jack.” Twilight intoned brightly. “What can I do for you?”
AJ jumped, being too self absorbed to notice Twi walking in. “OH! H-hi Twi. A'h've got me a problem like a rattler in the drinkin' hole in a blisterin' August noon day sun.”
Spike put a claw to his chin. “That does sound bad.” He looked up at Twi. “She was forcing all of that, and if AJ is forcing a country saying, she's worried.”
Twilight ignored her number one assistant and nodded sympathetically to her friend. “What's the problem? I'm sure we can figure this out and come up with a-”
“Beg pardon, but it's technically not really her problem.” Apple Bloom interrupted. Apple Bloom might not have been the sharpest trimmers in the tool shed, but she was very far from blunt. After seeing AJ freak out by just looking at their cutie marks, and now, not even able to make eye contact with them from the altercation with Diamond Tiara, Apple Bloom figured out that something was very wrong, and that worried her.
Twilight blinked. “What do you mean?”
“Well, ya see,” Scootaloo gave a sheepish smile. “We may have done some bad things.”
“Bad?!” Apple Bloom demanded. “Na'h that A'h thinking about it, it's just down right plain horrible!”
“You're over reacting.” Scootaloo waved aside with a hoof.
“A'h'm not!”
“Am too.”
“A'H'M NOT!”
“AM TO-”
“ENOUGH!” The whole room went silent as Sweetie Belle stood tall, as tall as the little filly could. “Scootaloo, don't down play what we did. It was bad, and over the line. You need to accept that, and take responsibility with us.” She gave Apple Bloom a look of annoyance. “And Apple Bloom. You're just as much at fault as we are, so you can't play innocent.”
“Na'h Apple Bloom has nothin' to do with this!” Apple Jack said, stepping forward and placing a foreleg around Apple Bloom's shoulders. “She's Ma'h baby sister and ya ain't takin' that away from me!”
“Oh, we won't be doing the taking.” Sweetie Belle replied sadly. “That's the Princess's job.”
Twilight blinked in confusion. “Uhh, what's going on here?”
Spike tapped his claws together, as if trying to untangle the mystery by the short piece of dialog alone. He counted, pointed at all four ponies, scratched his head and finally shrugged.
“I got nothin'.”
“This is what's going on!” Apple Jack cried, grabbing her sister's skirt and ripping it off roughly. Twilight was about to object and scold her for doing such a deed when the torn cloth fell revealing the tell tell cutie mark that adorned Apple Bloom's flank.
For a long moment, everything was silent.
“This isn't a joke is it?” Twilight asked in a small voice, eyes not moving from the cutie mark.
“Does it look like A'h'm laughin'?” AJ demanded, her voice catching.
Scootaloo shook her little head, wings buzzing angrily. “Okay, what's so bad about our cutie marks? Really?! What's the big deal?”
Twilight slowly looked at her and Sweetie Belle. “Our? You're saying you two have them too?”
Wordlessly, Sweetie Belle levitated hers and Scootaloo's make shift skirts away to reveal green eyes staring from behind a black cauldron tipped with a pointed black hat on their flanks as well. Twilight sat down hard, a look of frightened disbelief on her face, as she felt dread started to boil up inside her.
“You might as well say it.” Sweetie Belle finally spoke, shattering the icy thick silence that froze the room. “Go oh. You might even feel better about it all.”
Twilight shook her head. “Sweetie Belle...” So many questions swirled in the princess's head, but the only one phrase came out. One dreaded phrase that stilled her beating hard and made the room temperature drop to near freezing. “You're a witch.”
Sweetie Belle smiled, a kind smile that had a hint of mischief. “Yes Princess. We are. We formed a Coven about a week ago.”
“Same day as your visit to the castle.” Spike mused. Twilight and Apple Jack looked at him. “What? YOU try cleaning a giant library for hours only to have three fillies unshelved almost every book. That sorta stays with you for a little bit.” The purple drake shivered. “Still gives me nightmares.”
Twilight put a hoof to her chin. “But wait, how did you go from the library to forming a coven?”
“We found an old tattered book that told us.” Scootaloo supplied, relieved that the adults weren't yelling at them.
“Old tattered book?” Twilight repeated blankly. She looked to Spike, who shrugged.
“Coven, how to form your own Coven.” Sweetie Belle answered. “And we found it in your library.”
Twilight face was blank. “I don't own any books on Covens, witches or anything otherwise.”
Silence.
“Well, that's weird.” Scootaloo gave a nervous giggle.
“But, That's besides the paint, Twi. Ma'h sister ain't no-”
“Our sister!” Scootaloo interrupted. “We made the blood oath. Now we're all sisters. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Bell and me.”
Twilight's face went from confusion to shock. “Oh. Oh my.” She looked to Spike. “Do you know what this means?!”
“Yeah.” Spike muttered. “I don't get to finish my nap.”
“That's right Spike!” Twilight Sparkle continued on, as if Spike had said what was on her mind. “This is a perfect opportunity to study a witch coven first hoof!” She clapped her for hooves with joy that could only be brought about by something new to learn.
“This Ain't!” AJ stomped a hoof, her eyes filling with tears. “Ma'h baby sister. MA'H SISTER,” She snapped at Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle before they could say different. “Is NOT a witch!” She sat down on her haunches, weeping openly now. “She just can't be. If'n she was, she'd be banished.”
Apple Bloom stiffened as the word 'banished' hung in the air. All looked to Twilight.
The cheery pony was now biting her lip. “Well...Celestia and Luna made the Fireclove proclamation several thousand years ago, banishing all witches from pony society....By law, in the default, I have to banish you.”
Apple Jack's sobs filled the air as the young fillies hung their heads dejectedly.
“However...” Twilight began slowly, thinking of a way that she could, legally of course, avoid banishing the younger siblings of her best friends. “....We could...uummm...”
“Oh come on!” Spike burst. “You want to study them and there was a clause in the Fireclove proclamation that stated that if any witch or coven wished to abide near pony society and participate, they must present themselves before the Two sisters, proclaim allegiance to them and add to society the same as an other pony would.”
Again, the entire room turned to the purple drake, but this time in stunned awe that he could remember such an obscure, unheard of thing.
“Twilight spend a whole year when she was still studying under Princess Celestia, learning all she could about witch related things. I picked up on that.” He blushed. “Not that I was waiting for a moment to unleash a load of knowledge that she'd forgotten or anything to sound and look smart. I'd never do that.”
Twilight and Apple Jack gave him the a warm smile.
“Of course not, Spike.”
“A'h say you're the soul of ma'hdesty.”
The three fillies looked up, unsure what to make of all this.
“Sooo....?” Scootaloo started to ask.
“We're not banished?” Apple Bloom finished.
Princess Twilight Sparkle stood tall, smiling. “No, my little ponies. But first things first. You three need to present yourselves at Canterlot.”
They gave each other nervous excited smiles.
“When do we leave?” Sweetie Belle asked excitedly, for once sounding like the filly she was, rather than a self appointed leader.
“Tomorrow.” Twilight announced. “But for now, you'll stay with me.” She gave a girlish giggle. “Oh! My first guests at the Castle! Yay!”
If there was any excitement Applebloom, Sweetie Belle or Scootaloo had about staying the night at Princess Twilight Sparkle's, Princess of Friendship, wielder of the Element of Magic, it was soon gone. No sooner had they agreed to a couple experiments, thinking it'd be fun, before they found themselves strapped to odd devices that measured their blood pressure, subconscious magic output, or SMO, their breathing rate, heart rate, mental stimulation, and, oddly enough, how many times they blinked in a minute.
“This is so exciting!” Twilight clapped her hooves, trying to resist a little dance of joy. “Do you know what this could mean?”
“Yeah.” Spike muttered darkly, taking notes. “I'm totally going to miss this evening's hooveball game.”
AJ, who had gotten Rarity, explained everything, brought her to the castle, and now leaning against the wall with swollen eyes and a large tankard of hard cider, looked up with mild interest.
“Who's playin'?” She asked, her voice tired.
“Cloudsdale's Hurricanes against Canterlot's Knights.” Spike replied back, not looking away from his notes. “I put down twenty bits on the Hurricanes.”
“Ha,” Applejack smiled, for the first time that afternoon. “Sorry bucko. The Knights are alright, but the Hurricanes have Biccepts, Jackhammer, Ironstomp, Rushwing and Blazewing.”
Spike turned, with a smile of his own. “Sure, but you're forgetting one thing. Or rather five things. Bullneck, Diamondhoof, Speedtrain, Stoneface and Rusty “the wrecker” Shoe.”
“Rusty might be a decent player, but the rest are average. None could stop Rush if'n they wanted too.”
“Ppffff, don't make me laugh. Rushwing is so slow, he couldn't make it past Bullneck.”
“Care to up yer wager then?”
“You'd be throwing away your money but, say Rushwing can't make it past Bullneck.”
AJ spat in her hoof, holding it out. “Thirty bits on it.”
With a smile, Spike spat in his claw and shook her hoof. “Nice don't business with y-”
“Spiiiike? Are you getting these readings? Their SMO is phenomenal! Not even Alicorns output that much magic subconsciously!”
“Yeah, yeah.” Spike scribbled a few more notes. He checked the number in question. “Huh, fourteen. Isn't the usual number around nine?”
“Exactly!” Twilight giggled with delight. “This is-”
“Boooriiiing.” Scootaloo cut in. She gave a nervous smile when Twilight gave her a dirty look. “I mean, I'm sure that this is all important, but I though you were going to have us show you what we can do. You know, summon familiars, brew potions, control living and inanimate objects?”
Twilight's expression changed to curious. “Really? Can you summon familiars?”
“Scoot can.” Appleboom supplied. “Ya' see, we've all been trainin' at our own thing to start out with. Scootaloo is more of a summoner, A'h'm more of a potions brewer and Sweetie Belle is more of ah...ah...” Applebloom looked over at her white blood sister. “What are you more like?”
Sweetie Belle shrugged. “I sing.”
“Hold on dear.” Rarity took a step out of the shadows, puffy eyed. Like Applejack, she too had taken the news hard, and had spend most of the last few hours in the shadow of the doorway watching her baby sister, crying silently. “You sing? That's it?”
“It's sorta hard to describe.” Scootaloo screwed up her face trying to answer. “Why don't you just show them Sweetie Belle?”
With a nod, Sweetie Belle started singing, or was it chanting? The strange mixture of the two with words that seemed older than Equestria herself, seemed to echo around the room, bouncing off the crystal walls, ceiling and floor, as if searching for something. A wooden chair, not too far from Applejack, started scooting across the floor, until it had the attention of every pony in the room.
The chair's arms seemed to come unglued from the front two legs, letting it wave them as the back bent itself forward, as if bowing. The magical chair, now alive, started giving a show, tap dancing on all for legs, standing up on two while moving the others as if it's limbs were made of flesh, rather than wood. The chair, now alive and acting on the strange words and sounds that Sweetie Belle was making, went to the crystal table, picked up another chair, which suddenly became attached and both spun about on a romantic dance, ending with a wooden kiss on the arm of the other, before they became chairs again at the close of Sweetie Belle's song.
Silence filled the large room as Applebloom and Scootaloo beamed at their sister, while Applejack and Rarity stared in horror. The only pony who was not looking at the white filly who just brought the wooden chairs to life was Twilight, because she was staring at the numbers on her device.
“T-T-This should be impossible!!” She screamed, making every pony, save Spike, jump. “You girls were riding on a fourteen SMO units since I've hooked you up, but now Sweetie Belle jumped to a Twenty!?!”
Spike looked up from his notes. “You sure?” He asked Twilight. “Wouldn't be the first time this thing has glitched out. You really should get a new monitoring machine, maybe one that takes notes all by itself?” He offered helpfully.
“No, this is corrected.” Twilight breathed, looking frazzled as the readings destroyed on of the most important laws she understood of magic. “And what would I do with out my number one assistant?”
“I was afraid you'd say that.” Spike sighed.
“Pardon my ignorance,” Rarity had walked quietly next to Twilight, eyes still full of tears. “But I'm not understanding what all you're saying. Why is having a higher than usual SMO bad?”
“Ah'n what's an S'm'o?” Applejack added, following her friends course, standing on the other side of Twilight.
Twilight looked from AJ to Rarity, biting her lower lip. “SMO stands for subconscious Magical Output. Glitter Shine's theory of Magical Balance states that what ever level you're SMO begins at, state of magical reserves while not using magic, it will lower when you're using magic. She theorized that any magical creature has only a certain amount of magical unites and any magic taps into those reserves. It takes time to rebuild those reserves, but an average reserve count for Pegasi is seven, Earth pony at six and Unicorn at eight. Alicorns, because of their unique properties are at ten. Fourteen is much too high a number as is, but twenty?”
Both AJ and Rarity looked worried.
“Twi, we need you to be straight up with this. Is there anything we can do? And how much danger can they be?”
“Danger?” Rarity blinked. “My dear Applejack, I'm as worried as you are, but our sisters are just fillies. I dou-”
“You didn't see what I saw, Rar.” Applejack cut looking at the ground, her mouth dry, and the feeling like she was going to hurl in her stomach. “You didn't see what they did to poor Diamond Tiara.”
Rartiy's eyes flashed. “What about Diamond Tiara? That little tramp needs a lesson in manners if you ask me.”
“Oh she got one alright.” AJ's face paled as she looked to the angered Rarity and the curious Twilight. “I was talkin' to Filthy about this comin' season of Zapp Apples, when I saw Diamond Tiara reach up to brush her mane back. Her mane came off. They had rotted her scalp so even a touch would rip it off.”
Silence. Rarity didn't even try to run for the bathroom. She just ran a few steps away from the others and threw up everything in her stomach. Twilight's face blanched and she sat down hard, eyes wide as dinner plates. Applejack nodded, pure will power keeping down her lunch and afternoon drinking.
“Spike,” Twilight whispered. Spike, glanced over, too far away to hear the conversation at hoof. Twilight beckon him over. “Take a letter, and make it fast.” Spike raised an eyebrow, but pulled out a new sheet of parchment. “Dear Princess Celestia and Luna. I have reason to believe Ponyville is in danger. I am in Danger. Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo have formed a witch's coven and have already attacked at least on pony. Help! We're at my castle, and they don't know we know. Twilight Sparkle.”
Spike, eyes widening as he took down the letter, rolled it up and sent it off without delay.
“Was that to the Princess?” Scootaloo asked from right behind Spike.
AJ, Twilight, and Rarity's ears shot straight up as Spike jumped.
“Y-yes!” He answered. “T-to let her know to expect you all tomorrow. We are going to go see them, and we thought that they would want to know. Heh heh heh.”
“But wait.” Applebloom cocked her head, also out of her testing station, next to her blood sister. “Didn't ya' already send a letter?”
Spike gulped. “Well, you see, I was originally thinking that you'd all would be taking the eleven thrity train, so the first letter was based on that. After talking, we thought maybe the eight thirty train would be better, plus they serve breakfast, so I sent another letter with the correct time.”
Sweetie Belle walked up to him, a stern look on her face. “You're not lying to us, are you?” Twilight, Applejack and Rarity held their breath as Spike shook his head. Sweetie Belle's face brightened. “I hope she'll have a parade for us! That would be soooooooo cool!”
“Aweseome! I want a parade for us now!” Scootaloo grinned.
Applebloom smiled too. “A'h say, a parade would be mighty fine.”
“I wonder when she'll reply?” Scootaloo asked, now hopeful of a parade in their honor.
Not a moment went by when Spike burped out a letter in a spray of green fire. Before he could catch it, Sweetie Belle levitated it to herself as her two sisters crowed in to read it with her as she read it aloud.
“Dear Twilight,
We're on our way! Run! Keep them in the Castle if you can, but keep yourself safe! Witch Covens are very unstable, and even young Witches can preform magic that Alicorns can't, so stay hidden the best you can! Beware angering them as their unusually high magic level very much effects their judgment! We'll be there in thirty minutes! Good luck!
The Royal sisters, Celestia and Luna.”
Scootaloo blinked. “It says nothin' about a parade in here.”
Applebloom glared at Spike. “Or a change in time of train rides.”
Sweetie Belle looked up, eyes glowing and a very, very unhappy look on her face. “We will give you all thirty seconds to get out of our sight before we start hunting you down for this treachery!” No pony moved. “One.”
Twilight, Applejack, Rarity and Spike ran out of the room, as a booming voice echoed behind them.
“They Royal Sister's asked for you to stay in the castle, so in you'll stay.” A loud booming could be heard all throughout the castle as the front door and every window or terrace entrance and window shutter slammed shut, locking with magic that only the three little fillies could unlock.
In a sing song way, the three giggled as thirty seconds ticked to a close. “Ready or not, here we come~”
Applejack huddled, shaking under the bed of one of the many guest bedrooms the crystalline castle had to offer. She worked hard not hyperventilating as she played through what she had witnessed over and over in her mind.
There they were, galloping for dear life when they turned into a dead end hallway, forcing them to back track. As they did, Rarity, the elegant Element of Generosity, exploded in a spray of blood, flesh and organs, leaving behind little, save her disembodied head.
Twilight screamed as the gore covered head, as if on invisible shoulders, turned to her, blood dripping from her eyes like tears, started asking why she was screaming.
Applejack tore off, as it was clearly every pony for herself now, and so she slammed into the closest open door and crawled under the bed, breathing hard, with only a thread holding her sanity together. Her ear flicked nervously, brushing something warm and furry in her mane.
It was all she could do to keep from screaming as the furry piece of warmth slide down her mane, down her neck to slap wetly on the floor.
“Don't look da'wn.” The orange earth pony whispered to herself. “Don't look da'wn.”
She repeated the words, forming it into a mantra. She knew she was on the verge of losing it.
“Don't look da'wn. Don't look da'wn.”
She knew this was a fate worse than death, and if she did the simple action of slowly bending her neck to look down-
“Don't lo—”
There, on the floor, was a piece of fur, pure white in the small puddling red, almost black, blood that seemed to leak out the more she stared at it. Applejack felt something come loose in her mind. It was a painful, almost audible snap as her sanity broke.
Through out the castle, her screams could be heard, going completely unnoticed by any passerby outside the castle.
Twilight was trapped. All three of the Cutie Mark Crusaders had found her, and now she was strapped into one of the very same machines the fillies were in earlier that afternoon, spread out like she was on a dark age torture rack.
“L-look girls. This, is just a-”
“If you say a misunderstanding, I will personally summon Slice as let him gnaw on your leg for a bit, before I rip it off!” Scootaloo growled.
Applebloom put a hoof on her sister's shoulder. “Na'w Na'w. Don't be so h'asty.” She pulled out a flask of green liquid with flecks of red. “We can make her drink this, an' that lying tongue of hers will dissolve an' trickle da'wn her throat~”
Twilight squeaked in panic.
“Sisters, stop playing with the Princess.” Sweetie Belle chided. “She's my play toy first.”
Scootaloo gave the white unicorn a heavy lidded look. “You had your fun with Rarity. Not our fault you're not satisfied because you were too hasty.”
Sweetie Belle smiled. “Oh, that? That was just an illusion.” The door behind them opened up. “No, I'm afraid my biological sister will be around for a lot longer than she wishes to be.”
Rarity, wearing the element of Generosity, now tainted with black and green, marched in.
“This ends now!” She shouted, straining to use her magic, however, nothing happened.
“There you are.” Sweetie Bell cooed. “Now, I have a task for you~”
Rarity's knees buckled into a bow. “Why?! Why is my body not obeying me?!”
“Because,” Sweetie Belle smiled evilly. “You are now a thrall of mine.”
“Thrall?” Applebloom asked curiously, cocking her head to one side, as if considering the strange sounding word. “Isn't that a vampony servant?”
“What you're a vampony?!” Scootaloo demanded. “No fair! I wanna be a vampony.” She added sulkily.
“A Thrall is a servant, willing or otherwise, controlled because of, or through black magic.” Sweetie Belle explained. “Usually their minds are effected, so they are more loyal, but considering how I wanted my dear, sweet sister to suffer for all the times she put her fashion and career and her 'friends' before me, treating me like a cast off, like mold on bread, I wanted her to be aware how helpless she is and regret everything about her miserable existence before I take her mind as well.”
Both Scootaloo and Applebloom gasped from how dark their sister's plan was, and how hard her steely tone was.
“As you wish, sister.” Scootaloo bowed her head.
Applebloom did the same, but kept silent. The simple acts of homage made Sweetie Belle smile, nuzzling both her blood sisters affectionately.
“Oh, my sisters. I do love you both. Do not think that I am above feeling and am pure evil. Allow me this one vengeful act, and then we'll go away from this place and create a life for us in a place where no pony will judge us for who we are and we can be free.”
They all beamed, almost forgetting about the captured princess behind them and enslaved unicorn, who were staring pleadingly at each other.
“By the way,” Applebloom asked, changing the subject. “What's happen'd to m'ah sister?”
Scootaloo shrugged. “Hung herself. The exploding Rarity illusion broke her mind.”
“Oh. Huh. Didn't see that one commin'.” Applebloom replied.
“How do you know that, Scoot?” Sweetie Belle asked curiously.
A little Willow'o'whisp floated into the room. “Meet Misty, my newest summon.” Scootaloo announced proudly.
Both Applebloom and Sweetie Belle Oohh'ed and Aaawwe'd as the little blue flame flared up happily for the praise.
“Oh, and Spike is going to come in to save the day.” Scootaloo added.
“Should we Thrall him too?” Applebloom asked.
Scootaloo grinned wickedly. “No.” She giggled to herself. “No, no, no. I've got a better idea for little Spikey Wikey.”
“No!” The three turned to the exasperated Princess, struggling against the restraints of the machine. “No! Leave Spike along! If you touch one scale I'll—”
“You'll what?” Scootaloo asked, a smile playing across her lips, as he wings buzzed merrily. “Stand there and cry? Yeah, I'm really scared.”
Applebloom laughed. “Y'ah. Y'ah do that.”
“Twilight?” Spikes voice called from down the hall. “Where are you? Applejack has....Oh Celestia, Twilight, where are you?!”
Sweetie Belle nodded to Scootaloo. “Very well. Have you're fun. It will only make what comes sweeter. One restriction though.”
Scootaloo paused from drawing her summoning symbol.
“Don't kill him. It's better that the Princess see how helpless she really is.”
All three shared wicked grins as the all nodded.
The first thing Spike saw was Twilight strapped to the machine, splayed out with her fore hooves over her head and wings outstretched. If he tilted his head a little to the right, he could envision her in mid flight.
The second thing the purple drake saw was the love of his life, waiting for him. He didn't think twice, he ran to Rarity, ignoring her shouts and pleas to turn tail and run. He didn't see the monster lurking behind her, until he felt the long blade tail impale him, at the shoulder, run through his small body, barely missing vital organs, and splitting his tail in halve, as the blade took it's place in a massive geyser of blood.
It all happened so fast, that the shock of it all snuffed out all consciousness before he had a chance to scream.
“Celestia, Scootaloo! I told you NOT to kill him!”
“Sorry, okay?!” The orange pegasus sulked. “I thought he could take it.”
“Really? What about 'don't kill him' do you not understand?!”
“Buck, I said sorry!”
Applebloom was watching Slice shake his tail, making the dead purple dragon's limbs flail around, giggling. “Hehehe, he looks like he's dancing.”
Slice made a happy growling sound, as he curled his tail and started munching at one of the his limbs.
“DOWN!” Sweetie Belle demanded. “NOW!”
Slice whimpered, and let go of Spike's dead corpse and lowering his head in shame.
“What's you're problem?!.” Scootaloo snapped. “He didn't do anything wrong!”
If looks could kill, Scootaloo would be nothing more than a pile of bloody chunks and a puddle of blood.
“Just—you know what? Forget it!”
“Fine.”
“Fine.” She turned to the Princess of Friendship, who was crying, voice too strangled with tears to talk. “ Sorry you had to see that.” Sweetie Belle took a deep breath to calm herself “Now, Rarity, I need you're services.”
Rarity, tears streaming, dutifully marched to Sweetie Belle's side. Her knees buckled, but she stood standing as she struggled for a few moments, before opening her mouth.
“Sweetie Belle, I will strike a bargain with you.”
Sweetie Belle looked a little startled. “I thought I'd cut the control of you're body.”
“Listen. I will fight you every step of the way. I will beat what every spell you put over me. I will even try and kill you until you kill me. I will not go quietly or willingly, except—”
“Except?” There was a tone of curiosity in the white filly's voice as she looked at her sister, struggling to talk.
“If you give life back to Spike, restore him, I will comply, without magic or manipulation. Just bring him back, to me.”
All ponies looked back at the white unicorn. Sweetie Belle looked a little worried. Truth was, as powerful as she was, she could feel Rarity's will fighting her own. At first, it was such a little amount that she didn't even notice it. Now that she had been controlling her for a bit longer, Sweetie Belle was starting to strain.
Sweetie Belle wasn't sure she COULD raise anything from the dead, but if Rarity was going to swear loyalty if she could, it would be much better for her, as it looked like the only way to make sure she didn't break free eventually, was to kill her, and Rarity deserved so much more than a death. Torture itself was too good for her, that's why she had something special planned out.
“If I raise Spike, and modify his memories to make him a little more...loyal, you'll of you're free will swear you're life to the Coven and serve us for as long as the Coven exists?”
Applebloom and Scootaloo waited on baited breathe. They didn't know what all this meant, but it seemed that it was a good thing for them.
“I will.” Rarity agreed.
“Very well.” Sweetie Belle smiled. “Just one moment.”
Sweetie Belle, Applebloom and Scootaloo sat on their haunches around the large diagram they had painted on the floor, using the deceased drake's blood, laying the cold corps in the center.
“Now, before we begin,” Sweetie Belle started to say. “Girls, cut you're right foreleg. Not deep, but we need to settle something first.”
Applebloom looked confused, but Scootaloo understand perfectly.
“Delayed servant-ship?” She asked, producing a small knife she had swiped from the Castle's kitchen. Though her summons might not demand a blood sacrifice, she wasn't ready for those ones yet, she still found enjoyment in the act of cutting and seeing blood.
Sweetie Belle beamed. “You know?” She asked happily, stomping her front hooves.
“Yes, I've actually been studding the book, just liked you asked us to do.”
Applebloom's ears folded back. “I forgot.”
“No biggie.” Scootaloo smiled. “Here how it works. We all cut our right foreleg, and spear a little blood on the servant's forehead. While chanting. When the terms of the agreement are met, they become a thrall.”
“But wait,” Applebloom's ears perked up curiously. “Rarity's gonna be a willing servant. A thrall isn't really willing, aren't they?”
Sweetie Belle gave her big sister an evil side glance. “Let's just say, this is for insurance. She has broken her promises to me before too much for me to trust her.”
Rarity just stood quiet, waiting.
“Al'right.” Applebloom nodded, the pieces fitting together. “Let's do this!”
They began chanting, passing the small blade around, cutting their leg, barely feeling the sharp metal as it opened their forelocks to bleed black blood. One by one, they approached Rarity, smearing her once white forehead with their dark, sticky blood. Without a pause, they all took their place around the diagram in the floor and continued chanting, drawing in all their magical energy to pool inside the blood lines to the limp body in the center.
Rarity felt all the magical barriers that were up before, drop. The witches were in a trance that she doubted even death could stop, and so knew she only had a few minutes at best.
She galloped to the crying Princess, ripping off all restraints that held her in place.
“Come! Fast! We don't have much time!”
Twilight fell limply. “N-no. S-spike!”
Rarity didn't have time for this, not if she was going to save the last of her friends. Ducking her head, she thrust her horn under Twilight's purple body and lunged forward while standing, lifting Twilight Sparkle onto her back. Turning tail, she turned tail and galloped for the door.
The strange chanting reverberated through the castle, rising and falling in cadence, pulsing with ancient, primal power that vibrated the structure with a dull rumble that rattled the spirit of the two mares that were racing for their life.
All at once, all noise stopped. The world was silent. Even the slamming open of the front door was as quiet as death. Mutely, both Rarity and the still crying Twilight witnessed Princess Celestia and Luna, flanked by a squad of armed gaurds, in all their glory, stream in.
Celestia didn't say a word. Rarity doubted if she did, that she would be able to hear it, but the Princess of the Sun seemed to know what was going on at first step. Slowly, wings folding, Celestia led the way to the dining hall, where three fillies, sat, bathed in black and green flames, around a dark void, not even giving any other pony a glance.
“That is enough.” Celestia spoke, her voice shattering the silence that over took the world around them.
The three fillies didn't look up, but started singing.
One, two cut off their hooves~
“There is dark power in witchcraft.” Luna said. “Not the power little ponies should be playing with.”
Three, four, bathe in the gore~
Celestia gave a resigned sigh. “Guards, seize them.”
A detail of six guards started walking forward, to apprehend the young witches.
Five, six, impale them with sticks~
The guards continued making their way across the vast dining hall, that seemed to stretch with each step.
Seven, eight, their heads are on stakes~
The void dissipated, leaving behind a familiar drake, standing, eyes closed and untouched.
Nine, ten, do it again~
Spikes eyes opened, and Rarity dropped to the ground. A searing sensation burrowed into her brain, leaving behind a willingness to do anything, just to make it stop.
The guards put a hoof on the fillies.
A moment passed, before one of the guards realized something was wrong. For some reason, the shoulders of the little ponies were wet and very slick. Looking down they saw shiny redness and—one by one the guards all screamed as their hooves had been severed off by a blue aura. Sweetie Belle, Applebloom and Scootaloo all looked up, opening their eyes, smiling at each other, as Rarity stood up, the glowing around her horn dying. She made her way, unopposed by the shocked Princesses and guards, who could do nothing, but stand helpless as the white unicorn broke several chairs, taking long splinters and jagged piece, ramming them into the bodies of the six unlucky guards.
Rarity, once she had threaded each guard with splintering wood, buried her horn into a guard' s neck, working her horn back and forth, thrusting in deeper. Blood spurted out in frothy spurts, drenching the her white coat in crimson, dripping down her chest, and forelegs as as she worked her horn through the guard's neck. She worked her horn like a toothless saw, ripping flesh and tendons rather than cutting, causing the near dead guard to scream louder, pleading for it to stop, crying tears of torturous pain and want for death.
Raritiy's horn finally ripped through out side of his neck, severing the main artery and bringing his slow death to an end. Without a pause, she bit the exposed neck bone and, with a few tugs and a loud crack, ripped his head completely off, taking one of the broken chair legs and slamming his head onto it, taking a moment to watch gore drip down, brain matter leaking down the blood stained pole of polished wood.
Every guard by the Princesses started heaving, throwing up for from the sight that they never forget as long as they lived. The Princesses themselves paled, unable to move as the bloody unicorn started to do it again, and again, until the head of every guard who touched the witches was mounted on a stake.
Silence.
“Isn't she amazing?” The voice of Spike was loving and tender, sounding alien with the scene that he was standing in the midst of.
“This has gone too far.” Luna breathed. She stepped forward bravely. “Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo. We cannot allow this defiling black magic to persist.
Scootaloo raised an eyebrow. “Yeah? And who's going to stop us? You and Celestia?”
“We know that witches are more powerful than Alicorns.” Applebloom added cockily.
“Sisters, please.” Sweetie Belle chided. “They are Princesses. They deserve, some, respect.”
Luna looked a little relieved, but still stood unsure. “I assume that you're the Coven leader?”
“Yes.” Sweetie Belle nodded. “Now, what can we do for you, Princess. Oh,” She added on, like the thought just occurred to her. “We're not very happy with the letter you sent back. Truth is, we're not happy that Princess Twilight sent such a, aaahhh, distressing letter in the first place.” The little white filly locked eyes with the Princess of Friendship. “Remember, Princess, this all could have been avoided, if you hadn't of freaked out. The blood of Applejack and these guards are on you're hooves.”
Celestia stepped forward, blocking the sobbing, emotionally broken Twilight from view.
“Now, that we got the unpleasantries out of the way.” Sweetie Belle smiled, dipping a hoof in the mixed blood of the decapitated guards, bringing it to her her lips for a lick. “Let's discuss business.”
“We have no business with witches!” A guard barked. Scootaloo gave him a glare, which silenced anything else he might have said.
“And what business do we have?” Celestia asked patiently.
“Our safe travel.” Sweetie Belle replied.
“And where do you wish to travel?” Luna asked, not sure what to expect.
Sweetie Belle looked at her sisters, Spike and Rarity. “Shall I speak bluntly?”
“Please do.” Celestia answered.
“You don't want us here. We are witches. Even more, we don't want to be here. Not anymore.”
Luna took a hesitant step forward. “I don't understand.”
Sweetie Belle walked until she was standing almost in hoof's reach of the Moon Princess.
“We've been judged our whole lives. Now that we have discovered who we really are, we'll be cast out too. Sure we could enact our revenge, but that will only cause more judgment. We are tired of bullies and others who look down on us. Why do you think we attacked the ponies we did?”
Neither Luna nor Celestia had an answer.
“Because we were picked on or being mistreated.” Sweetie Belle explained. “Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara have been bullies our whole lives. Even more, they were bullies to others. Equestia is better off without them.”
The temperature of the room dropped with the icy statement.
“Applejack was against us having our cutie marks. We finally found something we were good at, and now she only had bad things to say. Rarity was worse, thinking that our friendship with Scootaloo ruined us. Princess Twilight let her fear over take her and rather than talking to us about all this, she sent for you all.”
“And Spike?” Twilight asked, her voice a shaky squeak.
“He was an accident.” Sweetie Belle said, glaring over her shoulder at Scootaloo, who was now very interested in the ceiling. “We had no intention of killing him.”
“So, where do you want to go?” Celestia asked calmly.
“The human world.” Sweetie Belle replied. “No one knows who we are there, and we can be in peace. That and ponies won't try and kill us for being witches.”
Silence.
“I can't allow you to ruin another world.” Celestia finally spoke.
“Look, Princess,” Scootaloo began. “What would you rather have? Equestria in ruins or us off this planet with a fresh start?”
“We're not lookin' for a place to destroy.” Applebloom explained. “We just want a place to be what we are in peace, without all the high'n'mighty tellin' us that we're bad.”
“How can we doom another place when they do not deserve it?” Luna asked.
Sweetie Belle sighed. “Very well. Rarity, fetch Princess Twilight Sparkle.”
Guards immediately jump forward to defend the Princess, who was hiding behind Celestia, but fell to the ground, their throats slit by the bloody unicorns magic. Celestia herself stood forth, while Luna turned to confront the threat to her royal sister, but both were knocked aside by the combined magic of the three young witches. Twilight huddled under her forelegs, pleading no.
Rarity, bit her mane, half dragging, half carrying the poor Princess to the feet of her masters.
Sweetie Belle smiled sweetly, stroking Twilight's horn. “There, there. It's okay. We're not going to hurt you. We just need,” She stepped on Twilight's head, forcing her to stay still. “You're horn.”
Before Twilight could understand what was happening, Sweetie Belle's hoof hit the base of her horn as hard as she could. The purple pony wailed, screeched and screamed in pain as the white filly hit the horn again and again, until the horn became loose. Clamping down on the tip with her teeth, the little filly ripped the horn out by the roots, leaving a gaping hole in the Princess's head.
“Now,” Sweetie Belle held up the horn. “The splitting chant.”
Three from one,
One undone,
Share this prize,
With sisters of mine,
One for you and me and you,
Three from one and one in three.
The horn cracked, and three split into three long pieces. Each witch took a section of horn.
“Now with me sisters~” Sweetie Belle sang. In bright green flames, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Applebloom, Spike and Rarity all disappeared vanishing into the human world, leaving behind the two unconscious Princesses, a forever magically inept Twilight, a dozen slaughtered guard and the giggles of three fillies,
“Oh what fun will have in in the human world~”