Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom watched in utter awe at seeing their pegasus friend running back and forth across the CMC clubhouse. Scootaloo had been packing all morning, and somehow, when the sun was getting closer to setting, she didn't slow down in the slightest, and yet she told nopony about even the vaguest detail of her plan. Then again, by watching the packing event, you would be able to make a guess about what she was planning, yet each thing she packed seemed to be completely unrelated to the last. A bag of sage, incense, a few books, a little vial of salt, a necklace, a camera, and a plank of wood. The confusion was enough, and Apple Bloom decided to step over. "You ever gonna tell us what you're plannin' for?"
Scootaloo, seemingly snapped out of her trance, looked up at Apple Bloom with a smile the size of the moon. "We're gonna get our cutie marks in creature hunting!" While her face stayed in a huge grin, her friends just gave looks of confusion, and a harmonized "huh?"
"You mean we're gonna go out and wrangle some critters?" Apple Bloom's face twisted into an expression of nervousness for a moment, before she leaned in to whisper. "Like Timberwolves?"
"No, we can prove that those exist." She reached into one of the backpacks and pulled out a small piece of paper, unfolding it into a large map of the area around Ponyville. On it were various areas marked with red circles, notes appended with odd names for animals that they had heard during campfire stories and other tall tales. Names like "Bighoof", "Olden Pony", and "Even Bigger than Jumbo Shrimp". Apple Bloom, still a bit skeptical, looked at the map and then at her friend. "You mean these old foal tales?"
Scootaloo pulled a book labeled "Cryptozoology: Just stories?" and began to read from a few passages. "Cryptozoology is the study of creatures that nopony has proven to exist but many have said they have seen." She flipped over to another page with a diagram of a pale pony with no mouth, but large, sunken eyes. "Like look at this! A Fool's Foal. It can take form of anypony it has seen and heard, even mimicking their voice. We know things like this are possible, changelings are right there!"
Apple Bloom sat down and began to analyze the page. "Well, yeah, but we know changelins exist. They got an entire kingdom marked on every map of Equestria. If these things are real, then why hasn't anypony gotten proof of one?"
"I doubt if anypony found one without a disguise that it would just stand still for a photo." Scootaloo reasoned. Which, even though Apple Bloom wouldn't admit, was a pretty good point. "Anyway, most ponies report hearing the voices of loved ones from the Everfree forest, even claiming they see the white coat of one poking out from behind trees. Almost every time, the loved one being mimicked was walking with them, and the voice repeated sentences the pony had just said." as she read the chapter, her wings fluttered with excitement, though Sweetie Belle began to share Apple Bloom's skepticism.
"Weren't you just scared of the Olden Pony last week?" Sweetie Belle asked, a little confused in her friend's excitement. "Well, yeah, but all we have to do with this thing is get a picture of it. It won't try to hurt us, it just seems to mimic voices and looks." Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom exchanged a glance, almost having a silent conversation of facial expressions. Sweetie Belle raised her eyebrow and tilted her head towards Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom nodded in response, punctuating the exchange with a shared look at Scootaloo. "Why not, maybe having a cutie mark in monster hunting might make us braver." Sweetie Belle stated while moving to Scootaloo's side. Apple Bloom let out a quiet "mmhmm" as she went to the other side of her pegasus friend. "Even if the chances of us findin' it are slim to none, I know it'll be fun with my friends at my side."
"Real glad y'all decided to stay the night," the deep, southern voice of Applejack addressed the three fillies, "but I can't help but think there are, er, better accommodations for y'all." She was, of course, referring the the treehouse the 3 had decided to take residence in. It was the crusader clubhouse, so a crusader sleepover just had to take place there. Well, that's what they said to their sisters when asked. Apple Bloom shrugged off the suggestion from her sister and put on her best "I'm all grown up" face. "We'll be fine, sis. We're in walkin' distance from the house, so if somethin' comes after us we can get home right quick." This seemed to satisfy Applejack, who laughed and rustled her little sister's mane. "Alrighty then, but if you need anything, anythin' at all, I'll be up later tonight. Have fun y'all!" With that, she began the short journey to the house, while the crusaders began to wave and shout their goodbyes to their host.
As they got into the clubhouse, Sweetie Belle immediately sat down and looked down at her hooves. "I can't believe we're lying to our sisters. If Rarity finds out she'll flip!" Before she could go on with her worrying, Scootaloo patted Sweetie Belle on the back, a simple gesture which helped calm the unicorn foal. "We'll be fine, nopony'll even know we're gone. We'll just go out into the forest, find the critter, then head home." This helped assure the unicorn further, who trotted up to the three saddlebags set before the group, opened the one adorned with music notes, and carefully inspected the contents. Most of them made sense; incense and sage was always said to ward off evil spirits, and the books would help them identify what creature they found, but one thing caught her attention. Picking it up with her muzzle, she pulled a 2x4 wooden plank out and set it on the ground. "What is this for?" Scootaloo walked up to it and knocked her hoof on it a few times. "Knock on wood." was all she said. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle exchanged a look as they both accepted the answer with no more question.
Apple Bloom put on the saddlebag with an apple on it, and Scootaloo equipped the one with a lightning bolt on the side. Sweetie Belle put the plank of wood in her bag and looked at the map. The trail that was planned would have the group venturing deep into the forest, far beyond what anypony they knew had gone before, but clearly some brave explorers were able to chart a detailed map of the place. Each part of the woods had a different drawing of a different monster on it, until there was a black, tall pony silhouette with a red circle around it at the end of the trail they were supposed to be heading on. Though she felt uneasy, she knew that this could be her chance to get a cutie mark with her best friends, so she decided to pony up, put on her saddlebag, and look out the window towards the forest. It was dark and imposing, something she was anxious to approach, but with her friends by her side, she could do anything. She dropped down from the window and grouped with the others. Together, they set off on their trek into the woods, making extra sure to hide from any windows that Applejack could see them out of.
The subtle, warm light of the lamp on the end table helped illuminate the book Applejack was reading to kill time. Applejack knew that if her sister's first sleepover was anything like her own, that she would be up a bit later than usual. She wanted to be up in case her sister needed anything late at night. She only hoped that her sister and her friends would have fun the way she did when she was a filly, and that she was there no matter what. She glanced up from her book to see Big McIntosh heading up the stairs, who glanced back before heading up. "I'll be up a spell, Big Mac. Aren't'cha on delivery duty tomorrow?" Applejack quietly called to her brother, who responded with a quiet little "Eeyup." before heading upstairs to retire for the night.
Applejack settled back onto the couch and glanced out of the window towards the clubhouse, light gently shining out of the window, making it pretty much a beacon. The earth pony laughed to herself, wondering what games her sister was playing with her friends, or what new songs they were poorly singing together. Just as she was pushing those ideas out of her head to go back to reading, she noticed the light go out and the door of the clubhouse open. Her attention was fully on the three tiny silhouettes trotting out of the clubhouse and towards the Everfree forest, clearly trying to hide from her sight. Applejack watched intentively, confused as to whether the dark was making her see things, or if it really was the little group trying to trot off without being caught. She shut off the lamp and quietly left out the kitchen door to watch them more closely, and sure enough the silhouette of Apple Bloom's bow was visible as it disappeared into the foliage. Applejack was worried, confused, and a little bit upset at her sister, but she decided to just trot after them from a distance to see just what the hay they were up to.
The bright moonlight was diluted by the tall evergreen trees, so despite the moon being full, it was barely bright enough to see two meters in front of you. Scootaloo deeply regretted being confident in the moonlight illuminating everything for them, cuz now she couldn't tell what was skittering critters or the wind blowing leaves through the forest. She did her best to keep her attention in front of her, following the memorized route as best as she could. If she paid attention to the task at hoof, she could ignore how the tree branches around her looked like they were reaching out to her. Doubts began to cycle her mind, regret that she thought it would be a good idea to do this, regret feigning confidence and bravery that she didn't have. She thought that once she got to the forest with her friends that the fear would be replaced with confidence, but that simply wasn't the case. Maybe if she kept faking it, it would be real, then she would know for sure that she was hearing the wind and not somepony whispering her name.
Scootaloo jumped a bit when she heard Apple Bloom shout a few feet ahead of her, letting out an excited "Gals, look!" which brought the little train to a stop. The single file line slowly became a side-by-side wall as they stared at a much brighter patch, somewhere with no trees for at least a 20 meter radius. In the center of this little clearing was an old, run down, 2 story house, towering over the fillies. The wooden planks that built it up were rotting, the broken windows were boarded up and there were so many cobwebs on the porch that they could be seen from the edge of the clearing. The door was hanging slightly ajar, but somehow the inside was illuminated just as much as the clearing surrounding it, despite there being no concievable way for such a thing to happen.
Apple Bloom took the first steps ahead, walking up to the porch and pushing the door the rest of the way open, turning back and beckoning the others to join her. Scootaloo, excited to finally get inside somewhere, speedtrotted into the house, Sweetie Belle following with a casual gait, and Apple Bloom closing the door behind them. Well, she tried at the very least, but the handle snapped off in her muzzle, so she just set it down gently and joined the girls.
The inside of the mansion was spacious, a super open living room that was sparsely decorated save for a few rugs and wall decorations, but the patterns were covered in too much dust to make out even the slightest detail. Despite being away from the twisted grimaces of the trees outside and the laughter of the wind, the mysterious building made Scootaloo even more nervous, feeling her heart drop into her stomach. As the group spread out to investigate this new place, Scootaloo made sure to keep at least one of her friends in sight.
The investigation moved pretty quick, since there was so little to investigate in each room. Even the kitchen didn't have a fridge, and half of the cabinets had the doors falling off their hinges. But after Apple Bloom opened one cupboard and had a spider scurry out and away, she simply didn't want to know what was in the other few. Apple Bloom turned over to see her pegasus friend glancing around frantically, clearly offput. "Ya good?" she called to the pegasus, but she simply nodded and muttered something about just taking in the sights, something Apple Bloom didn't believe for a second. "You know, if yer scared, that's nothin' to be ashamed of. This is all a little freaky." Scootaloo turned to her friend and scoffed the idea away. "Scared? Why would a daredevil like me be scared of a creepy old house?" she ended that idea by wrapping a forehoof around Apple Bloom, "Besides, with my friends by my side, a hundred monsters could come running through that door and I know we'll make it out alright." Apple Bloom laughed and pushed the hoof off of her shoulder, amused by her friend's little show of bravery. "Alright, but if this gets too scary for ya, we can go home and try again later. Sound good?" The only response she got was a simple nod, then they both went to looking around.
Scootaloo felt silly for being scared before, and decided she would look around upstairs for anything that could either help the monster hunt or tell them more about the house they were in. As she made it to the upstairs area, she was shocked at how empty it was. It was just one big room, with the staircase to the attic on the other side of the room, the only thing decorating the room being a bed, some dressers, and a clock on the wall that didn't move or make even the slightest ticking noise. Scootaloo felt a bit uneasy, but pushed past it as she began to root around in the dresser for something, but all she could find was a torn up photo of a stallion standing next to a mare, but the photo was so torn up that the heads were completely gone, and the colors were so faded that the color of the coats was entirely undistinguishable.
While Scootaloo tried to decipher who these ponies were, she heard something hard hit the wooden floor behind her. Spinning around, she saw that a painting had fallen to the ground by the attic stairs, and she laughed at herself for being silly. As she approached, she got startled by Apple Bloom's voice echoing out, saying "Ya good?" Scootaloo froze in her place and her blood ran cold. She looked in the direction of the voice of her friend, and was met by the inky blackness of the attic above her. There was one stairway up here, how did Apple Bloom beat her to the attic?
Scootaloo started to step back from the staircase, when she heard the voice call out again. "If yer scared, that's nothin' to be ashamed of." it taunted her. Something was off about how she spoke, almost as if it was a recording that someone slowed down ever so slightly. It was the exact cadence, tone, and pronunciation of how she said it earlier, down to the way her voice raised pitch slightly as she ended the word "scared". Scootaloo just kept staring into the darkness, now feeling an intense urge to follow the voice into the attic. It wasn't a desire, it was almost like instinct, as if her fight or flight was being suppressed and she was being called to the attic by her very nature, but the abject terror of the situation had glued her hooves to the floor. Scootaloo stood there for what felt like hours, days even, in an unspoken staring contest with the void above her, the irrational fear that if she lost attention for the smallest fraction of time, whatever was up there would be able to lunge at her, and she didn't want to imagine what would unfold if that were to happen.
"Scootaloo, what are you doing?" Sweetie Belle's voice broke the silence, shaking Scootaloo out of her fear. She instinctively ran to the stairway as quick as possible, not even glancing back, nearly drifting when she rounded the corner into the kitchen, where she was met with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. When they asked what was wrong, her frantic mutterings were the only response they could get. Sweetie Belle started gently stroking Scootaloo's back, which helped calm her down. Scootaloo looked up at Sweetie Belle, who simply smiled and reiterated; "What's wrong?"
"Something just spoke to me with Apple Bloom's voice." she said between breaths, still winded from the adrenaline rush she was still going through. "It was in the attic and I just stared at it until Sweetie Belle shook me out of it." She let out a sigh and collapsed on the floor in front of the two. She slowly stood back up and looked at her unicorn friend with relief, who only returned a look of confusion. "Uhh, I've been down here the whole time, Scootaloo."
Just then, the sound of rapid, heavy hoofsteps echoed throughout the house, and that paralyzing fear came back, this time affecting the entire group. The six eyes were all glued to the staircase as they heard the footsteps slow down to a meticulous thump, thump, thump. The silence between each step was deafening, even though it lasted only a few seconds between each one. Whatever it was, it was approaching the staircase as slow as it could, making sure that each step had a decent gap between each. Until, eventually, the steps stopped, and the three stood there in silence, staring at the stairs, waiting for whatever horrible creature was up there to come scurrying down. The silence felt like it lasted for moons, the only sound being the deafening, pounding heartbeat in Scootaloo's ears, which was so close to driving her mad.
"Scootaloo? Where are you?" the silence was once again broken by Sweetie Belle's voice, this time coming from the stairwell. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom both looked at Sweetie Belle, who began shaking ever so slightly. The group remained fixed on the staircase as the fake voice kept echoing out calls for a response. This voice was much more imperfect than the Apple Bloom impression, sounding more like an animal trying to mimic the voice than a one for one recreation, but it sounded more and more like Sweetie Belle with each time it spoke.
Eventually, the thumping started again, causing the stairs to creak. Slower than before, an echoing and meticulous thump, thump, thump as it descended the stairs, as if it was trying to milk the reveal as much as possible. Eventually, a long, pale hoof stepped out into view, then another. Then the short muzzle of a tall mare, then the full, tall body of the creature. It was gaunt, and so pale that it practically glowed in the dark, and was taller than anypony the group had ever seen, maybe taller than Celestia herself. It had no tail, no mane, or mouth, the only part of the thing that looked normal were the ears that stuck out atop it's head. It stood, sniffing the air for a bit, before turning it's face to the group at a speed so fast it was almost impossible, it even let out an audible crack as it did so. The face of the creature was nothing more than two wide eyes with black pupils that took up 90% of the space of the eye, and seemed to absorb light altogether, being impossibly dark. It stared at the group, not blinking once, just keeping eye contact with the small group.
Scootaloo felt that inexplicable sensation from before, the desire to approach the creature. She didn't move, this time not just out of paralyzing fear, but out of determination to get out alive. She wouldn't let this thing hurt her or her friends, and she wished she could convey that to the others, as Sweetie Belle had begun quietly sobbing. Slowly, she began to move her head towards Apple Bloom's saddlebag, as she rooted around for something, anything that could help out. She glanced back over at the creature and noticed that it had changed it's position, with it's rear high up in the air in a pouncing position. Scootaloo jolted back to her original position, knowing full well that they couldn't outrun or outpower this thing. Then it echoed out in Scootaloo's voice. "We'll make it out alright" was the last thing it let out before lunging at the group at impossible speeds, clearing 3 meters in less than a second. The group all collectively winced and braced themselves for what was coming next.
But they never took the hit, instead, they heard what sounded like a tree getting bucked and then something crashing into the wood. Scootaloo opened her eyes and saw a familiar orange earth pony standing in front of them, who quickly returned the glance. "Everypony out the door! Now!" she shouted, which was more than enough to get the girls to sprint out the door, Applejack close behind. As they were running away, Scootaloo looked behind them and saw the lanky white pony staring at them from the doorway, and watched in horror as it slowly began to contort, slowly getting smaller, gaining a brighter orange tint, and a blonde mane. Yet, while it stole Applejack's form, it still had those impossibly dark eyes and a lack of a mouth. At least, until the flesh split into a gooey mess, revealing a mouth that then proceeded to bite away the residue of the previous flesh still left around the mouth. It blinked a few times, each time, the irises shrinking and getting a slight green tinge each time. It stared, still showing a distinct lack of emotion, all the way until the group ran past the treeline and out of view.
The four sat in the living room, still shaken up but alot more comfortable now that they were home. Applejack hadn't said a word since they returned, but she was still figuring out how to properly chew them out after they were done settling down. After all, they were almost killed by a fool's foal, as angry as Applejack was that they had lied and ran off without telling anypony where they were going, she was glad that she could get there and bring them all home in one piece. Eventually she sighed and stood up, which grabbed the attention of the CMCs. "Is everyone alright?" the group responded to the older sister with their own affirmations, to which Applejack sighed a breath of relief. "Thank Celestia. Now what the hay were y'all doin out in the Everfree forest so late at night? Yer lucky it ain't timberwolf season."
The three remained silent, until Scootaloo stepped forward, her legs still a bit shaky from what she saw. "Applejack, it's my fault." she began, guilt welling up in her eyes. "I read about some monster that nopony could prove existed and I wanted to be the first. It was irresponsible of me to put everypony in danger, and we shouldn't have lied to do it."
Applejack wanted to keep being angry, but at the end of the night she was glad everypony got out without a scratch. She sat down, let out an exasperated sigh and took a swig of her cider. "Look, I don't mind y'all wantin' to go out and do some ghost huntin', me and my friends loved messin' around with stuff like that. But if I didn't see y'all leavin' the clubhouse, you wouldn't be sittin' here discussin' it with me, now would ya?" Scootaloo's face flushed red as she muttered "I didn't think you'd see us."
"Well I did, and I'm glad I did. I don't know what I would do if y'all had gotten hurt under my watch." Applejack took another greedy gulp of her cider before setting down the mug it was in. "Now, I'm not gonna lie to you and say I ain't mad, in fact, I'm fumin', but more than anything I'm just thankful that you're alright. That bein' said, y'all're sleeping in the livin' room tonight. I'll watch y'all to make sure nopony tries sneakin' out again. Got that?" Applejack's tone got the message across, and the three fillies nodded in agreement, already curled up in positions to be able to sleep. Applejack knew the threat would work, even if nopony in their right mind would try to do such a thing after the encounter they just had. She went into the closet and grabbed blankets, sleeping bags, and pillows for everypony to rest on, which they all set up as a nice fort where they were all close together. Applejack got up, shut off all the lights, and turned on the gentle warm light of the end table lamp, going back to her reading. The three ponies wished Applejack goodnight, who returned the sentiment, and they all drifted to sleep. After about 20 minutes when Applejack was sure everypony was asleep, she turned off the lamp and began to drift off into her own slumber.
Scootaloo shot awake in a cold sweat, quietly hyperventilating from the horrible nightmare she just had. She had just relived the events of that night, but this time when Applejack shut the door behind them, her face had horribly contorted into the creature. Scootaloo looked around, noticing the sleeping crusaders next to her, and sighed in relief. She got up from the little pillow fort, deciding to get a glass of water before heading back to bed.
When she had the glass up to her muzzle and she started to sip, she heard a quiet "Pssssst" coming from just outside. At first she thought it was just some cicada, until it got louder, and she looked out the window to see Applejack peaking through. "Hey, c'mere. I wanna talk to you." Applejack half whispered "Come outside so we don't wake anypony else." Scootaloo was confused, as Applejack would probably have waited until morning to say something. That is, unless it was super important or secret and nopony else could hear it. Scootaloo got a bit worried about what was gonna be told to her as she trotted to the door.
When she got closer, she glanced back into the kitchen and felt her heart drop. Applejack was still asleep on the couch and hadn't moved a muscle. Scoot looked back at the window and saw Applejack looking through, and that's when everything began to fall apart. Her eyes were a little too wide, her smile was a little too wide, and she seemed a little taller than usual. Then it called out again. "What are ya waitin' for? Come out, wouldn't wanna wake anypony up, would ya?" It sounded the way Sweetie Belle's voice did earlier, like something trying to mimic Applejack's voice, except rather than sounding like an animal, it just sounded slightly off. The range was just too small, and the deeper parts of her voice were just a bit too deep, but most damning of all was the fact that while Applejack spoke, she could hear a raspy whisper saying everything she said at the same time.
Scootaloo backed away from the figure in the window, which then had it's face contort into a hateful grimace, and it then began whispering louder, making the facade of the voice falter more and more, getting raspier and more like a growling animal than a voice. It kept repeating the same things over and over; "Come out" "C'mere" "Come outside". Scootaloo looked at the face in the window and noticed it slowly shifting, the green of her eyes becoming more and more of that abyssal black from before. Scootaloo ran to the little fort and hid under the blanket, doing her best not to wake anypony up. She sat there, shaking with her hooves over her head, doing her best to ignore the voice whisper-shouting outside the door.
Eventually, it came to a stop, and she heard rapid footsteps as it ran away. After what felt like forever, Scootaloo summoned all the courage needed to look out the window. It was sunrise. She walked back over to the window from before and looked at the ground in front of it. Just as she feared, there was a set of four hoofprints standing right where the fake Applejack stood, and as she followed the trail that ran into the woods, she noticed the spacing between them get larger and larger. Once she was looking at the treeline they led to, she could've sworn she saw a white figure duck just out of sight. She got away from the window and decided to just sit at the dining room table until the others woke up.
In the morning, Rarity came by to pick up Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo went on her own way home. Though, Apple Bloom couldn't help but notice how shaken up the pegasus friend looked, but figured she would worry about it during school the next day. Once everypony went home, she trotted on over to the crusader clubhouse, and took a look around at the map from last night's journey next to the wooden planks the group accidentally left behind. The trip didn't go exactly as planned and nearly cost them their lives, but Apple Bloom's curiosity was too strong to quench, so she just had to try and find answers. What was up with that house in the woods? Why was the fool's foal attracted to it? what other things were hiding out in the forest? She picked up one of the books that Scootaloo had brought and began to flip through it. Reading up on this thing wouldn't hurt, right?
Author's Note
Hi! This is my first attempt at a sort of horror scenario involving MLP characters. I've had this idea in my head for a while and really, REALLY wanted to get it out there. I'm probably gonna upload at least one more chapter of this later, but who knows. Anyways thanks for reading!
A week had passed since the crusaders had their encounter in the woods, and so far, everything had seemed to return to a state of normality. Sure, the group had been having trouble sleeping ever since, and they did have their fair share of nightmares, but at the end of the day they all seemed to have moved past the events. The only thing is that Apple Bloom had been indulging more and more into the macabre, something that the other crusaders tried their best to avoid. By all means, the event should have scarred the little filly, and to an extent it did, but it also seemed to spark a mysterious fascination in her. Something about that mysterious house, the photo Scootaloo described when she was recounting what she saw, and the fool's foal just couldn't get out of her head, and she just had to pursue the answers. This usually resulted in her borrowing every cryptozoology book she could get her hooves on, as well as asking around about anypony who lived in the Everfree forest in a mansion, but most would turn their heads and quicken their trot to get away from the inquisitive foal. They knew something, and she was too darn curious to let it go.
Apple Bloom decided that if anypony would have answers about the unknown and unnatural, it would be Zecora. After all, they were already pretty close friends, and she had more than a few books about remedies and treatments that weren't exactly standard, so why wouldn't she know about some of the mysteries surrounding her new home? So that evening, when she got done with her brewing work and Zecora was about to bid her farewell, she asked a quick question. "Zecora, have you ever seen somethin' you can't really explain? Somehthin' that shouldn't be real, even though you saw it with your own eyes?"
Zecora took a second to think, before heading to her bookshelf and giving her response. "To see is to believe, that much is true. So what have you seen that is troubling you?" The zebra seemed to stop in her tracks and wait for Apple Bloom to say something, almost as if she had a book that could help if she had a bit more context. "Well," Apple Bloom began, "me and the girls went out into the Everfree forest recently, and we ran into somethin' we can't explain. I was wonderin' if you could find anythin' on the history of ponyville." She fiddled one forehoof with the other before she spoke again. "Or somethin' about fool's foals?"
"While in my home, do not speak their name. Should someone get hurt, you'd be to blame." Zecora's swift response caught the little filly offguard, but she quickly stood up straight and nodded. Zecora turned and grabbed a blue book with gold on its binding, setting it down to reveal it was titleless entirely. "If the truth of the house is what you seek, it might be in the book, just take a peak. Though while you're reading about your home, don't forget that some things are best left unknown."
That last sentence hung in the air as Apple Bloom stared down at the book, figuring that something with an answer about the thing haunting her head for the past week would have something more identifiable about it other than "it's a book". Regardless, she picked it up with her mouth and set it in her little saddlebag, deciding this would be enough for her. At least, if it wasn't for one other question on her mind. She turned back to Zecora and sat down, ready to face the brunt of a lecture. "Zecora? Why exactly can't I say the critters name?"
Zecora first looked offended that she would ask a thing, then she let out a sigh when she realized that the filly likely didn't know much about the culture behind the being, and likely wouldn't unless somepony explained it. "Our world is full of magical things, but it's not only held by horned beings. Changelings change and pegasi fly, or there's alchemy done by you and I. Some beings find magic in words, they listen out for their name to be heard. Once they hear it they know where to go, even if you never know." That made the pony feel conflicted. Comforted in the fact that she got an answer, but now the fact that she had said the name so frequently around her home, she was worried about the idea of it finding her. Apple Bloom felt the color drain from her coat as she stared at her forehooves, not sure how to ask this next question. "Well... What can I do to make sure it don't hurt anypony... assuming we already spoke it's name a bunch."
First, the zebra alchemist just stood there, blinking a bit in contemplation. "If what you've said is the case, you'll need to fortify your base." She planned, "Circle of salt and burning incense, that'll make sure it doesn't get your scents. I could come by and help prepare if you suspect it'll soon be there." That reassurance was enough for Apple Bloom to regain the excitement she had before, before it left her again. "But, what if we set up and it doesn't come 'til way later?" Her inquiry was met with the gentle ruffling of her mane. "Young filly, rest assured, with this your home shall be secured. Be it tonight or in many moons, nothing will harm you, Apple Bloom." Zecora put her hoof down and started to pack a bag, putting in various different powders, plants, and other objects into it, and it reminded her of the way Scootaloo packed in the crusader clubhouse before the whole event. She found herself missing when this was all just some foal's tale, some scary story to tell young fillies not to travel too far on their own or for colts to tell around the campfire to spook eachother. That time was long passed, and now she had to make sure the consequences of her actions didn't harm her or her family. She decided to help Zecora pack, who was very appreciative of the help.
By the time the two had made their way to sweet apple acres, it was high noon, meaning there was only a few hours before the sun set and Luna's moon gave way to all manner of nightly critters to roam about, fool's foal included. Apple Bloom knew this, and Zecora knew that Apple Bloom knew this, and they both knew that they had to get to work right away, lest the house be unprotected by the time any unsavory creatures were ready to prowl. Zecora trotted up to the house and began lining every entry with salt, even windows. Before Apple Bloom could help, Zecora moved on to pulling out several long candles, setting them up in seemingly random spots, but almost always in the direct center of certain rooms. She grabbed a pack of matches in her muzzle and set it down on the dining room table, turning to Apple Bloom. "Should I decide that we will meet, 'Flying pigs' is how I'll greet."
The two worked to set up the defenses, which usually involved planting objects for any scenario; bags of ash in case she needs to harm the creature, sage to help keep it away, and a 2x4 plank of wood, for obvious reasons. By the time the two sat down to rest, they were startled by the door opening to the rest of the apple family stepping in, Applejack stepping in first with a smile. "Zecora! Pleasure seein' you, what brings ya here?" her southern accent only sweetened the greeting, a kindness and warmth that Zecora returned. "I'm glad I stayed until you were home, I didn't want to leave this filly alone." she did her usual rhythmic speaking while rubbing Apple Bloom's head. "Though I'd love to stay the night, I should get home while there's still sunlight."
With that, she trotted out the door, leaving a confused group of ponies staring at Apple Bloom, who had been practically rehearsing this speech in her mind since the door had opened. "A bit ago, me 'n' the crusaders decided to go to the forest, which I know was dangerous, but I've been havin' nightmares ever since, so Zecora offered to come by and help me feel a bit more safe." She looked at the group for approval, hoping beyond hope that they bought it. To her shock, the group began laughing, although she could tell that Applejack's was a bit forced. Granny Smith, however, was letting out a laugh so hearty that she should've thrown out her back by now.
The older mare let out a bit of a laugh as she went up to ruffle the little filly's mane. "So ya snuck out?" her tone was jovial, but it still shook Apple Bloom a bit. "Oh, don't look so shaken up. Why, when I was a youngin I used to sneak out to look at the stars just 'bout every night. Why, one of these night's ah could show you my fav'rite." She gave the filly a gentle little nudge before heading towards the stairwell towards her room to rest up, as they did just finish a long day of chores (mostly shopping and a few deliveries to buildings on the outskirts of ponyville) and everypony couldn't wait until bed time, which considering the sun had gone from setting to set during the course of the conversation, wouldn't be far off.
Apple Bloom, had different plans, she had to make sure the defenses worked no matter what, she wouldn't let any of her family get hurt because of her actions. While everypony else was still awake, she made sure to help out as best as she could, something not too out of character for her, except for the fact that she was so determined to help everypony. Eventually, the apple family was resting while the youngest filly worked on the remainder of the chores for the day, praying that nopony found it that bizarre. Which, luckily, they didn't.
As the moon rose higher in the sky, the older ponies began to head to their rooms. On the way up to her own room, Applejack stopped Apple Bloom, and beckoned her to the kitchen table, which she did with a nervous gulp. "Apple Bloom, are you alright? Ya seem mighty enthusiastic to help us, which is always appreciated, but after that visit from Zecora, somethin' tells me yer either freaked out er plottin' somethin'." Apple Bloom sighed in defeat and pulled the book from under the table, setting it atop it's former hiding place. "Well," Apple Bloom forced herself to speak, "I asked about what we saw the other night, and when I told Zecora the name and about the buildin', she freaked out and gave me this book. She said I shouldn't say it's name, and so I won't, but she helped me protect the house in case it ever came back. I thought I'd stay up a bit tonight and read the book to try and find answers."
Applejack let out a sigh she didn't know she was holding. "Well, that's a relief, I swear I keep hearin' my own voice callin' to me at night." She said this with such an air of nonchalance that it got Apple Bloom entirely offguard. Applejack noticed the startled expression and realized her folly. "I mean, I could just be hearin' things, but I'd be lyin' if I said it didn't spook me in the dead of night. You know how at night yer mind plays tricks on ya." The answer didn't calm Apple Bloom at all, but she did her best to put on a 'I'm satisfied with your clarification and am put at ease' face. It did not work.
"Look, that night in the woods went pretty well all things considered." Applejack comforted, "You got home safe, yer friends got home safe, and nopony got so much as a scratch on 'em. I know these kinda things help ya feel safer, and I'm glad, but nopony is gettin' into this place without us knowin' and comin' to yer aid. We're family, and if one of us is in danger, we buck first and ask questions later." The older earth pony yawned before getting up. "Now I'm gonna go catch some shut-eye. You have fun readin' yer book, and if you need anythin', anythin' at all, ya know where to find me." She left a gentle peck on the top of her sister's head before retiring up the stairs, leaving Apple Bloom in the kitchen with the book under her forehooves.
She never got to read the title until just now; A comprehensive history of Ponyville. The author's name was a bit worn away, so much so that it was practically illegible, but Apple Bloom could just barely make out that the last name started with an "A". Apple Bloom entertained the idea that an apple may have written this as she lit the candle and began to read the table of contents, skimming for anything about the Everfree forest. Unfortunately the Everfree forest surrounds the entirety of Ponyville, so just about every chapter had something to do with the forest. She ultimately decided to just give up and read through the entire book, a feat she would not be able to complete in one night, but she was hoping to take a decent chunk out before sunrise.
Apple Bloom shot awake as she heard something coming from the living room. A gentle rapping upon glass, as if something was trying to get her attention. Groggy, she looked down at the book she had made into her pillow, then up at the candle to see it had only burned a quarter of the way down, so it still had a few hours before it burnt out. She glanced back down at the book to try and remember what she read last, which was apparently something about timberwolf migrations. No wonder I fell asleep she joked to herself before continuing on the page, only stopping when the rapping came from the living room again, this time a bit louder.
The filly got up to investigate what was making that noise, still a bit out of it, but awake enough to make up some rational explanation in her head, like a bat or bug trying to get in through the window without knowing it was there. Just as she got to the doorway, she heard a woosh and was met by an oppressive darkness; the candle behind her had gone out. Any ounce of rationality or drowsiness had shot out of her body, and she now stood frozen and wide eyed, suddenly feeling as if at any moment the inky blackness itself would produce an arm and drag her into the void. She felt naked, and as if hundreds of malevolent eyes were staring down at her, like a wolf would look at it's prey before it decided if the pack would move in or not. She was in her own home, but she was at the dark's mercy.
She was shaken out of her trance by the aggressive tap, tap, tap at the window, which drew her into the room. When she finally made her way to the center, she was pleasantly surprised that it was illuminated ever so slightly by the moonlight, and it gave her a momentary glee. She felt like if she could see, somehow that would protect her, the same way a young filly's blanket will become an impenetrable defense against whatever monsters hid in the dark corners of her room. Maybe it reminded her of Luna, maybe it just made it easier to see around her and make sure the fool's foal couldn't get her, but either way it helped her calm down.
Fool's foal. That named echoed in Apple Bloom's head as she remembered how often she had been talking about it with Applejack, thought out loud to herself about it, or read aloud whenever she found new information about one. She remembered Zecora's warning of how they're attracted to anypony who says their name, and that's when she finally looked over at the window where the rapping was coming from. She stared in terror as what looked like the silhouette of a mare stood, one hoof gently tapping at the window in a slow, irregular rhythm. Apple Bloom froze, staring at the backlit figure, hoping that it would move more than just the tapping, but it never did. Eventually, her eyes adjusted to the dark, and she could make out even more of the messy mane, twisted muzzle, and lack of features on it's face, other than it's rough skin, almost as if it was made entirely of wood.
That's because it was made of wood, it was a tree that looked vaguely like a mare. Apple Bloom sighed as the wind blew, which caused the branch to tap on the window. Apple Bloom laughed to herself at her silliness, prompting to go back to the dining room and continue her research. She picked up a match in her muzzle, struck it against the box, and lit the candle, discarding the match in the little metal tray on which it resided. She opened the book and picked up from where she left off; the first attempt to clear the Everfree forest.
During the second year after the first Hearth's Warming, the settlers of Ponyville were slowly expanding their small collection of shacks into a full, bustling town. The residents were still starting to understand the area around them, and had only just begun their process of controlling the weather of the land they now resided in. Their plan was to move further into the Everfree forest, using the resources they got from it to build more homes and farmland. Unfortunately, that proved to be a bit less than easy for them, as they barely understood the land or what lived in it.
There were many things that troubled the settlers; vampire fruit bats, timberwolves, and all sorts of manner of critter that they didn't understand. Some even report seeing dead loved ones speaking to them from the treeline, but most historians attribute this to one case of pegasus flu followed by mass hysteria. This hasn't stopped many occult groups from believing that a house built in the era is home to the creatures from the sightings, as it has been a where the most sightings have occurred, many of which were reported by the owners of the Pear estate.(page 76)
The Pear estate was built by Baked and Candied Pear, and it was built as a vacation home for the farmers who belonged to the family. They would stay there frequently during the winter months, and occasionally during the summers. As years went on, however, it would seem that old age had gotten to the couple, as reports state they would frequently run into town shouting about how there were entities in the snow mimicking the voices of family that had long passed. They disappeared under mysterious circumstances around a moon after their last appearance, around the sixth winter since Ponyville's founding. It's highly speculated that they had fled from their home into the forest after having another episode, likely getting caught by timberwolves or falling into a situation they never escaped from.
Every page that Apple Bloom read both furthered her curiosity and grew her sense of unease. She kept thinking back to that night, how the fool's foal seemed to actually live in the house rather than have been scavenging in it, and the description the book gave her made her wonder if the run down old building was the Pear estate. If that were the case, and the fool's foal had attacked her and the crusaders, then maybe those things got to the old Pears. She felt a bit of a shudder slide up her spine as she thought about how lucky she was her older sister came in when she did.
Apple Bloom had gotten so caught up in her train of thought, she nearly jumped out of her chair when the candle in the living room went out. She calmed herself, grabbed the matchbox, and started to trot over to it. She stopped dead in her tracks when the candle behind her went out to. Somehow, despite having just been in that room, she didn't feel safe having her hind to it, almost as if by looking away she was giving whatever thing that hid in the darkness free reign to grab her and drag her to Celestia knows where. She felt almost as if a pair of eyes was staring right into her soul, waiting for her to make the wrong move so it could strike, so Apple Bloom stood still as an oak, hoping that somehow she would trick the creature into not seeing her.
She got snapped out of her trance when she heart a gentle tap, tap, tap at the front door. She shot over to the living room, lit the candle, and looked back to the door she heard the noise from and just kept eye contact. What felt like a thousand year staring contest only lasted for a few seconds before the silence was broken by a familiar voice. "Are you okay, little Apple Bloom? I don't see you in the dining room."
Apple Bloom let out a sigh of relief and trotted up to the door, feeling glad that she wasn't alone for now. "Hey Zecora, what're you doin' here so late?" the filly inquired. "I figured right now you'd feel alone," Zecora half-sang, "so I thought I'd pay a visit to your home."
The rhyme was more comforting than Apple Bloom had realized, but she felt comfort that she had a friend to talk to for now. But she still felt a bit confused, why was Zecora here so early? Better yet, why was Zecora just talking through the door to her? She pushed that doubt down for a second, letting herself feel relief after jumping at shadows for the past few hours and just enjoying the company of an old friend. That was until an unease rose up her back, and found it's way into her throat, making her feel nauseous. She needed to ask a question.
"Zecora, what's our password?"
Apple Bloom stood there for a few seconds, awaiting a response, but one never came. So she tried again, this time more stern. "Zecora, I need that password if you wanna keep talkin'." To this she was met with just more silence. At first she was angry at being ignored, until that was shut down by a sense of determination, the pure urge to keep this thing out of her house. She felt the fear in her body get pushed down by the need to protect her home and her family, she wasn't scared. She decided to put her hoof down and raise her voice a bit more. "I know what you are!" she whisper shouted, "You ain't gettin' in, so leave."
Instead of a response, Apple Bloom was met with silence, nocreature nearby was so much as making a peep; crickets weren't chirping, owls weren't hooting, the mice in the house weren't even scurrying. The only sound entering Apple Bloom's ears was her own heartbeat, and with each passing second that echoing ba-bump, ba-bump started to slow down, Apple Bloom felt safe, she had scared the critter off, she convinced it to leave her and her family be. She let out a breath of relief and started to head back to the table to read more about the Pear Estate.
BAM! Apple Bloom was shaken out of her sense of confidence, and spun around to the source of the sound; the door she was just standing at. She thought maybe she was hearing things, until another bang, then another. It had a constant rhythm, as if it was trying to bash down the door. Bam, bam, bam, bam. It didn't stop, it wouldn't stop, and Apple Bloom stood there, her hooves held down by the cold hands of fear, icy sweat dripping down her forehooves like fingers gently tracing them. The force of the pounding could easily knock the door off it's hinges, then barely anything would stop the thing from coming in. If Apple Bloom wanted to survive, she had to think, and think fast.
She sat there, racking her brain over what Zecora had said about the creature, key details about each defense; the salt surrounding the house would act as a barrier, but that would only work if the barrier was unbroken, which a falling door would definitely render it useless. The candle would scare the creature off, but considering how one had gone out to a breeze, it wouldn't do much for long. Maybe knocking on wood could work, but maybe wasn't safe enough. Apple Bloom felt slow relief creeping across her body as she remembered that the creature couldn't come in without an explicit invite. She had to stand firm and deny the creature.
"You can't come in here, now leave you varmint!" her voice came out a bit louder than she had expected, but she was firm and explicit. she had stood her ground and the pounding had stopped, and in it's stead was the slow sound of grass crunching beneath hooves growing further and further away, and finally Apple Bloom could return to the book, looking for anything new about the Pear Estate. Even though she hadn't found anything worthwhile, she ended up going uninterrupted until the sun rose in the sky. She conquered the fool's foal, and for that she felt proud of herself. Once she met up with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, she would tell them how to keep themselves safe, then nopony would have to be afraid of one again.
Apple Bloom had gotten a head start on her chores that day, as a bit of a way to atone for her staying up all night, even going as far as to do some of Applejack's chores, something that her sister didn't mind, as it did help out with the stress of having to withhold information from the family, which was as close to lying as Applejack wanted to ever get. Apple Bloom knew this and felt really bad for making her sister go through all that, so in any way she could help, she would.
While she was feeding the pigs, she heard Applejack's voice echo out from the barn, "Hey, Apple Bloom, could you c'mere fer a minute? Need help carryin' some tools!" Apple Bloom was ecstatic to help, so she shouted out "Comin'!" as she galloped into the large, cluttered barn. Applejack wasn't visible at first, but she poked her head out from behind some hay bales with a warm smile, nodding her head towards the back of the barn where the tilling supplies were kept. Apple Bloom rushed to her sister, giving her a quick smile that reflected in Applejack's blue eyes as she ran over to help. As she began looking for what her sister might've needed help with, she froze in place, feeling all color leave her face. Her sister had green eyes, and just as that revelation fully sank into her mind, she felt icy cold breath on the back of her neck.
