January

First Division. A face.

January.

‘Malus sieversii.’

Jasmine Leaf hacked a cough into her tissue. She wrinkled her brow and rubbed her nose, crumpling up the tarnished tissue and throwing it in the trash can beside her.

“Still not getting better?”

“No,” Jasmine grumbled. “It’s because I didn’t bring my good teas. It’ll clear up once I can brew some real chamomile… No offense to your local tea shop.”

Cheerilee just sighed quietly, watching her cousin fiddle with her bags and glance up and down the platform. “Okay,” she said in defeat. “I’ll bite. What’s wrong?”

Jasmine whipped her head around, a cross between worry and excitement gleaming in her eye. “Can’t you feel it? Something’s wrong here, Cheer. It’s in the air.”

Cheerilee fought the urge to shoot back that the only thing in the air were the germs from whatever sickness her eccentric and gossip-loving cousin had come down with. “What on earth are you talking about?”

Jasmine just rolled her eyes and gave an unimpressed stare.

“Fine, so things have been somewhat tense since…”

“Tense? You sure know how to undersell a point,” Jasmine cut in, ignoring her incomplete sentence. “Come on, Cheer. Every earth pony here’s felt it. I can tell! So don’t try and tell me that you have no idea what’s going on.”

Cheerilee just shrugged, letting her eyes wander to the railroad, and silently hoped her cousin would just drop the matter completely. But the barren platform offered her little solace or distraction. Ponyville Station had never been the most active compared to its Manehattan or Canterlot counterparts, but there were usually a few groups that populated its platform during the week.

But not recently. As much as Cheerilee wanted to deny it, things were different now. It was like the entire town had fallen quiet, locking itself up tight and bracing for some looming storm.

“I mean, look at you,” Jasmine continued. “Even you haven’t been the same since Applejack died.”

Cheerilee flinched, eyes flicking up and down the station as she sucked in a breath. It felt like the entire town tensed up at those words. But after a few of the longest seconds in her life, nothing happened. “Well, Applejack was a pillar of the community,” she said carefully. “So I suppose I am still shaken; everyone is.”

“And how suspicious is it that nobody even knows who killed her?” Jasmine said, leaning in. “An Element of Harmony being killed in the Everfree? And nobody has any answers?”

“Is this another one of your conspiracy theories?”

Jasmine grinned mischievously. “I’m just saying. I think someone has to know something that they’re not letting on to.”

Cheerilee just rolled her eyes and stood from the bench. “Sure, Jasmine. I have to get going, will you be fine here?”

“Oh, fine, be that way. I’ll manage,” Jasmine said as she rummaged in her bag for another tissue. “But I hope you don’t think you can run away from this! You’ve gotta ask yourself the hard questions, Cheer. That’s the only way we can survive.”

Cheerilee couldn’t have left the platform faster.

As she did, she tried not to let her cousin’s words weigh on her, but she knew that they had dislodged certain thoughts in her head. Thoughts that she had been hoping to keep anchored and locked away.

Ponyville was different now: that much was true. As she made her way down Hayseed Street, she couldn’t help but remember how things were last year.

It had taken the town practically the entire month to recover from the hangover of Pinkie Pie’s New Year’s Celebration, and the streets were still half-lined with holiday decor. Snow was still piled in the streets and the air was cool and frigid. Sugarcube Corner’s holiday cookie line was so successful that the Cakes had elected to continue selling them for at least another week.

Halfway through the month, Cranky Doodle Do put in a formal complaint with Mayor Mare, and by the next week all remnants of December were swept away.

It was night and day from the Ponyville of this year.

Cheerliee paused, taking in the stillness around her. She was alone on the street, with no other signs of life around her. Every house and store had their curtains drawn, and no lights trickled through their gaps. A heavy overcast layer of clouds painted the afternoon sky. Snow lined the sides of the road in neat piles.

Someone had taken a guillotine and cut away the festive cheer that was normal for this time of year. And that made everything feel wrong.

She closed her eyes and imagined Applejack. It wasn’t a difficult task: her features, frame, and cutiemark were easily procured. Her hat was trivial. For the face, Cheerilee had a portfolio of expressions to choose from. She settled on a peaceful one: eyes closed, chin up, a small smile on her face.

This was one of the last times Cheerilee could remember seeing her, standing on the porch of her home as snow fell around her. The cheery sound of laughter had flowed from the screen door behind her, along with the clinking of glasses and off-key singing of carols.

So how could this have happened?

She shook her head and forced that thought deeper into her brain. Even then, something warm and acidic began to percolate in the back of her throat. Rummaging in her bag, she pulled out a small brown paper bag. Closing her eyes, she grabbed a hoofful the berries inside and stuffed them in her mouth. Her throat felt warm as they slid down her throat.

As she began moving again, a door creaked open to her right. Slowly, a frizzy pink, half-curled half-straight mane leaned out of the door, a single eye peeking out from within.

Cheerilee froze for a second before finding the strength for a smile. “Oh, hello Pinkie.”

“Hiya, Cheerilee.” Pinkie returned the smile, but Cheerilee knew it was strained. The bags under her eyes were evidence enough. That poor soul had run herself into the ground trying to lift everyone’s spirits, bless her heart. As much as others would doubt it, Pinkie was wise enough to know that their circumstance was one that had to be navigated carefully: parties and celebrations simply were not an option.

But Cheerilee suspected that a part of her continued presence was her own way of grieving– or her own way of getting away from the pain. “Do ya wanna come in?” Pinkie asked in a soft voice. “I can bake some cookies, some tea if you’d like.”

“It’s quite alright,” Cheerilee said. “I’m on my way to visit them now, actually.”

Pinkie nodded, not needing the names to piece together her destination.

“Thank you, though,” Cheerilee said sincerely. “For everything you’ve been doing.”

Pinkie smiled a little wider. “Of course! It’s the least I can do. Bye!” Before the door shut completely, Cheerilee swore that Pinkie gave her a knowing, understanding look. One that made her shudder.

She carried on down the empty streets, unable to shake the feeling that someone was now watching her.

Cheerilee continued down the path towards the Apple family farmhouse, fighting the urge to look over her shoulder every now and then. She tried not to wonder if that action was fueled by paranoia or if she too was trying to repress the raw mix of memory and emotion bubbling with her.

Before she knew it, she came to a stop at the mailbox, resting just below the hoof-crafted ‘Sweet Apple Acres’ sign. Another gust of wind tickled her mane, sending a slight shudder down her spine. Beyond the sign a well-trodden path snaked up the hill towards the farmhouse. Smaller non-fruit bearing trees lined its sides, standing tall and silent like Royal Palace guards.

The mailbox was stuffed full of letters. It was at least some comfort that Ditzy was still doing her due diligence… to the best of her ability, at any rate. It would seem that the Apple family was not, judging by how many letters were shoved inside or littering the dirt below.

It felt wrong, almost heretical to see the farm in this state. Before, it was always well-kept if not a little cluttered. The farm was always well-stocked with a variety of supplies from gardening tools to stationary, and Applejack always knew exactly where everything was.

She sighed quietly and gathered as many letters as she could before starting up the path. Leaves rustled as she walked, dead ones crunching beneath her hooves. The stairs still creaked as she ascended. The doorbell still chimed merrily when she rang it.

It took five minutes before someone came to answer it.

Granny Smith peered through the door, softening quickly as she recognized Cheerilee. “Ah, Miss Cheerilee! Come in, come in.”

“Thank you, Granny,” Cheerilee replied, trying not to think about how Applejack would forbid her grandmother from getting up to answer the door.

Granny Smith hobbled towards the kitchen. The sharp whistle of a tea kettle filled the air, coupled with the clinks and rattling of tupperware. “Is this about Apple Bloom again?”

“No, Apple Bloom is doing quite fine. I just wanted to see how you were doing,” Cheerilee said automatically as she stacked the letters on the living room table.

“Mighty kind of ya.”

She didn’t reply to that, instead heading for the stairs leading to the bedrooms. The third stair still creaked when she stepped on it: at least some things didn’t change. When she reached the top, Cheerilee naturally began to drift for the first door on the right, before correcting herself and heading for the one at the end of the hall instead.

The heavy wood was indifferent to her presence. She knocked against it, listening for any sort of movement from inside. It didn’t take long for something to shuffle its way towards the door. With a deep and low creak, a hagrid green eye peered out from within.

“Hi, Mac.”

Big Macintosh didn’t reply, but pulled the door all the way open. Cheerilee stepped into the dark room and shut it behind her. Books were crammed onto the shelf and littering the writing desk resting beside the drawn curtains. Candle stubs resting in jars were scattered about as well, a faint scent of smoke hanging in the room. The bed was disheveled, not unlike its owner. “How are you holding up?” ventured Cheerilee, already knowing the answer.

Macintosh grunted, the chair creaking as he eased into it. He stared blankly at an open ledger in front of him. Cheerilee pulled the curtains open and let some light in, wincing slightly as her eyes adjusted.

The brightness let her get a better look at Big Macintosh… or, what was left of him. His signature large frame looked slightly dull, and deep bags hung beneath his eyes. His mouth was locked in a deep frown. It was a far cry from the typical thoughtful look that shimmered behind his eyes.

“I’m gettin’ by,” he said monotonously. For a moment, his eyes flicked up towards Cheerilee. “You?”

Cheerilee pursed her lips, turning to stare out the window. “Fine.” She pulled the window open to try and vent out the smell of smoke. “How’s the farm?”

“S’alright,” Macintosh said in the tone of voice that told her it really wasn’t.

“Mac, you know that I’m here to help you.”

“Mighty kind, but we’re gettin’ by.” He flipped a page in his ledger without looking up. “You’ve got your hooves full with the school. ‘Sides… You gotta take care of yourself too.”

Cheerilee stared down at the path sprawling towards the orchard.

“You know that, yeah?”

“I know,” she said quietly.

Macintosh looked up. “I worry about you,” he muttered.

“I worry about you too.” She stood slowly. “I got your mail, left it on your kitchen table.”

“Mighty kind,” Macintosh said again. “Stay for dinner? Sugar’s cookin’ tonight.”

Cheerilee tried to muster a convincing smile. “I shouldn’t.”

“S’alright.”

With that, Macintosh turned back towards his desk, leaving Cheerilee to hover in the doorway unsure of what to do. She hadn’t said as much as she wanted to, but with Mac, she never really needed to. He seemed to have an uncanny knack for reading her mind. She decided that she had nothing left to say and headed for the stairwell.

At the top, she fished out her small paper bag and risked a look inside. It sat about three-quarters full, berries of varying colors inside. She popped a few into her mouth and began to chew, trying to release the tension from her body before she continued to descend the stairs.

Hushed conversation trickled into the living room from the kitchen, as Granny Smith and Sugar Belle worked to prepare that evening’s supper. She paused by the coffee table where she had deposited the Apples’ mail.

A letter at the top caught her eye. It sat in an unassuming yellow envelope, a little worn around the edges. But it was the addressee that caught her eye. Applejack.

She bit her lip, staring at the letter. Unsure of exactly what she was doing, she picked up the letter and glanced towards the kitchen. With nobody watching, she tucked the envelope into her bag and headed for the door.

A gasp escaped her when it opened from the other side. “O-Oh! Fluttershy! I’m so sorry, you caught me by surprise.”

Fluttershy didn’t respond, instead standing absolutely stock still on the porch. Her face was hidden behind her mane, with only a hint of her eyes staring out listlessly at her.

“I was heading out, actually,” Cheerilee managed. “Nice to see you.” She pushed the door further open and passed her.

As she went by, Fluttershy slowly turned her head to follow her. For a scant second they made eye contact, and Cheerilee was able to read the emotion on her face.

Anger.

That stare discomforted her for the rest of her trip home.

Classic Pony Legends and Myths for Beginners, Buckworth and Lilly. ‘The Legend of the Secret Grove,’ page 26.
Once upon a time, there was a small village of earth ponies who live by a big, beautiful forest. This was a time long before the ponies met with the unicorn and the pegasi. So long ago, in fact, that these ponies didn’t know how to grow things yet! They hadn’t yet found their earth pony magic.
The village depended on a kind forest spirit to help them find food to eat and live. The chief of this village was an old stallion who had worked all his life with this spirit, and he wanted his daughter to learn as well. The villagers would enter the forest and find a bush of berries or other wild plants that they wanted to eat, and the spirit would then grow them so that they could be eaten.
However, the spirit of the forest was growing very old, and he wanted to make sure that the ponies were able to grow their own food when he could no longer grow it for them. So, he taught the village chief the secret of how to grow things!
The earth ponies of the village quickly found that they were able to grow all kinds of crops with their new magic, from berries to vegetables and even fruits. The spirit taught them that soil is full and rich with life, and that they could use magic to grow their food from it.
But one day, the chief’s daughter became very very sick. The chief did everything he could, but nothing seemed to make her better. Then, he got an idea: what if he used his magic to try and help her feel better?
This idea made the other villagers very worried. They did not know what would happen if they tried to grow things from something other than the dirt! But the chief decided to try anyway. The spirit became very angry at this, and decided to take away a part of their gift.
But the chief’s daughter did not want this to happen.
So, she decided to make a secret garden and tricked the spirit into staying there. Her garden was so secret that even today, nobody knows where it is! With the spirit gone, the villagers found that they could still use their magic, but it didn’t seem as strong as before. Still, they were thankful that now they were able to grow their own food.
And that is the story of how earth ponies got their magic!
Below are comprehension questions based on the story.

February

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February.

‘Malus asiatica.’

The schoolhouse emptied quickly once the bell rang. As much as the foals loved her, they loved their freedom even more. There was nothing quite like the feeling of an empty classroom in the afternoon, with the sunlight sprawling over empty wooden desks and flecks of dust drifting about the room.

Cheerilee sat next to her typical companion -a small stack of papers and books- and waited for something to happen.

It was difficult to explain, but her years in education had helped her hone an instinct that told her when something was brewing. She wished it would tell her what. Instead, she cautiously made her way through spelling quizzes and homework assignments with her favorite red pen in hoof, keeping a wary eye on the door.

Soon enough, she heard a clatter coming from the hallway.

Cheerilee swiftly made her way over, unsure of what to expect. Throwing open the door, she found herself face to face with… “Apple Bloom?”

“Howdy Miss Cheerilee!” Apple Bloom began to untangle herself from the floor, turning a mess of lanky limbs into the form of a pony. “Mighty sorry about this, didn’t know you were still here!”

Cheerilee arched an eyebrow. Her years in education had honed a few special senses, but years of dealing with the Cutie Mark Crusaders had elevated them to a class all of their own, even if the three had graduated out of her classroom years ago. “What in Equestria are you doing here?”

“Miss Trixie’s class needed a few supplies, so she asked me to come down here and grab some.” Apple Bloom hurriedly began to regather the things she had evidently been trying to carry. “She said you’d be fine with it and all.”

“Trixie said that?” Cheerilee frowned, staring down at Apple Bloom as if she were still a havoc-wreaking foal. Then, she looked around at what supplies in particular Apple Bloom was so intent on taking. “And what is Miss Trixie doing with books from the donation library?” She picked one up and glanced at it: Classic Pony Legends and Myths for Beginners.

Apple Bloom smiled too widely. “I dunno! Somethin’ big, I reckon!” She reached for the book, but Cheerilee pulled it away.

“Apple Bloom, aren’t you a bit old for this kind of business?”

A dark look passed over her face, but it quickly faded away. “I dunno what you mean.”

“If you would like me to treat you as an adult, then I expect to be treated as one by you. And adults don’t lie and steal from each other,” Cheerilee patiently said.

That made her dip her head. “I ain’t lyin’! I just… I need ‘em for somethin’. It’s important. And ‘sides, you said if I ever needed anythin’...”

Cheerilee could feel a headache coming on. “I’m sorry, Apple Bloom, but I can’t let you take these. They’re for the school, and I need them in upcoming lessons. If you would just let me know ahead of time–”

“That’s alright,” Apple Bloom murmured. “Sorry. I’ll get goin’.”

Cheerilee watched her former student go. With a roll of her eyes she began to regather the strewn about materials: a few more books, some matches, various cleaning supplies… What could Apple Bloom possibly want with any of these?

She decided that it wasn’t worth the effort to try and figure it out and settled instead on dumping the supplies back into the janitorial closet while taking the book with her.

The classroom felt slightly cooler when she reentered it. Cheerilee sat back at her desk as the setting evening rays fell across it. The right side of her desk was cluttered with framed photographs. The empty spaces where pictures used to be stuck out badly, leaving her unsettled.

She sat down, staring at the face-down frame directly on her right, and began absently shuffling through papers. But she couldn’t get far in her work before her eyes fell upon that book again.

What could Apple Bloom want to know about old earth pony myths? She already came from a farming-rich heritage. Surely there was nothing left for her to learn there.

Her headache was making it hard to think. She rummaged into her bag and popped five small berries into her mouth. The juices inside surged down her throat, making her wince slightly before the pain in her head began to dissipate. With a scoff, Cheerilee opened the bottom shelf of her filing cabinet to dispose of the novel.

She hesitated when she saw the yellow envelope resting on top of a stack of papers. The letter she had stolen from the Apples last month.

A wave of guilt hit her then, before she reminded herself that Applejack wasn’t there to judge her now. She opened the envelope and unfolded the paper, reading it silently to herself.

Applejack:

I’ve done my best to find what you need. This isn’t exactly a well-documented subject, but it should be enough to get you started. I left them in a package at the post office under Braeburn’s name.

Consider us even now.

AK Yearling.

Cheerilee blinked, rereading that signature to herself. “...Yearling? The author? What…” She groaned, folding the paper and sliding it back into the envelope, upset and having more questions than answers.

Glancing out the window and towards the town, Cheerilee wondered when exactly that awful feeling she was having would go away.

“Sweetie Belle, could you put the kettle on, please?”

“Already done!” Sweetie shouted. “I already made your tea too because the water was getting cold.”

Rarity blinked. “Oh, thank you dear!” She cleared her throat, perching her reading glasses on top of her horn. “Oh dear… I’m terribly sorry, where was I?”

Cheerilee smiled with a practiced patience. “We were just discussing your preparations for the next Town Hall.”

“Of course!” Rarity whipped around, seizing a pad of paper in her magic. “Hm, hm, hm… I simply must meet with Mayor Mare before that, where’s my calendar?”

Cheerilee said nothing and sipped her tea as Rarity devolved into a white and purple whirlwind of chaos. She knew that some ponies turned to work in times of loss, and Rarity had taken that notion to the extreme. Ever since Applejack’s death she had become the epitome of work.

When Carousel Boutique got so far ahead of schedule there was nothing left to do, she turned herself to the town. Soon she was everywhere: running charity drives, advocating for public safety, leading town halls… everything short of becoming a Princess herself. And she seemed to be doing her best to drag Cheerilee along for the ride.

In her defense, the seamstress had been very convincing in her advocacy for better literacy programming. But Rarity seemed to feel that everyone else needed the same distraction she did. “If you’re too busy, we can meet again next week,” Cheerilee offered.

Rarity scoffed and shook her head. “I won’t hear of it! You must be twice as busy with the foals at your schoolhouse, it simply would not be proper to have you reschedule.”

Cheeirlee felt a dull pang in the center of her forehead. “It really isn’t an issue, the foals are behaving as well as they always are.”

Before Rarity could respond to that, Sweetie Belle barged into the room, levitating a small stack of cardboard boxes. “Rarity, the mail’s here.”

“Oh? Could you bring it in, please– Oh.”

Sweetie rolled her eyes as she dumped them onto the table. “You got it sis.” She gave a polite nod to Cheerilee. “Hi, Miss Cheerilee!”

“Good evening,” Cheerilee said warmly. Sweetie Belle was always a delight to see, even after she had graduated. “How have things been with the store?”

“Chaotic as always, Rarity’s no help on that front,” Sweetie said with a scoff.

Rarity was too busy looking at the packages to even register the insult.

“Oh… While you’re here, how has Apple Bloom been?” Cheerilee asked. “I ran into her at the schoolhouse today.”

Sweetie Belle wrinkled her nose. “She was at the schoolhouse? Huh. That’s weird. Honestly, I don’t really know. She’s kinda been… Keeping to herself lately. Scootaloo and I haven’t seen much of her, not since…” She gave a hapless shrug, knowing Cheerilee could fill in the blanks.

Cheerilee frowned at that. “Has she been acting odd at all?”

“That’s the thing. She’s… Been normal, for the most part.” Sweetie shot a glance at her sister. “Like… I dunno. I don’t want to be the pony that tells her what she should or shouldn’t do, but it’s weird. She just acts like everything is the same.”

Cheerilee’s headache began to grow worse at that statement. “Oh! The mail!” Rarity cried, racing to the kitchen. “Sweetie, we forgot to send out the details for next season’s line to Sassy!”

“You mean you forgot,” Sweetie sighed with a shake of her head. “Miss Cheerilee… I’m worried about her,” she said quietly. “I mean if something happened to Rarity… I don’t think I’d be acting like everything was fine.”

She winced, standing up from the table. “Why don’t I go and run Rarity’s letter to the post office?” she suggested. “I need a breath of fresh air anyways.”

“It really isn’t–”

“Maybe she’s right,” Sweetie gently urged as Rarity reentered the room, clearly having immediately forgotten why she had left it in the first place. “Rarity, you could use a nap.”

Rarity pouted. “I simply cannot–”

“You simply can! Come on, get some rest, I’ll take care of all this.” Sweetie plucked the envelope from Rarity’s hoof and passed it across the table to Cheerilee, scooping up a teacup and saucer on her way back. “I’ll fix you tea, you can put on a show… Relax!”

Rarity sighed as Sweetie practically shoved her out of the room, leaving Cheerilee in the dining room. As soon as they were out of sight, she exhaled slowly and automatically reached for her bag. “No,” she chided herself. “I can’t.” The words sent a pang through her heart.

With a frustrated growl, she snatched the letter and hastily left Carousel Boutique, unable to leave her discomfort inside.

Cheerilee could barely focus over the hum of the fluorescent lightbulb directly above her.

Ditzy didn’t seem to mind though. The mare hummed happily, dipping her head from side to side as she fiddled with the stationary on her side of the desk. It was making her sick. Her eyes anxiously flicked to the clock hanging above the exit, silently counting down the hours.

“One more stamp, annnnnd…” Ditzy fished around her stamp bowl before slapping one onto the lower corner of the envelope. She beamed brightly. “There! All set! I’ll make sure this gets to Manehattan lickety-split!”

Cheerilee managed a meager smile as Ditzy disappeared into the back of the office to file away the letter. When she disappeared, she staggered over to the bench next to the mailboxes and collapsed.

The ceiling spun above her, centering itself around that hazy loud light. She turned away from it with a groan. Temporary mail cubicles were stacked up all the way to the wall beside her: assigned to ponies who didn’t always reside in Ponyville but were frequent enough visitors that they had their own little spaces.

Something about making the town a more welcoming place, Applejack had said when she suggested the idea.

Cheerilee grimaced and tried not to vomit.

“I can’t,” she whispered, pawing at her bag with her free hoof. “I can’t…”

She scanned the nameplates above her listlessly when one made her freeze.

I left it under Braeburn’s name.

Cheerilee shuddered and slowly sat up. She reached for her bag and pulled out five berries: two orange, one purple, one yellow. She popped them into her mouth and swallowed. Then, she stood up, opened Braeburn’s mailbox, and emptied the contents into her bag.

She was gone by the time Ditzy returned to the counter.

The package weighed heavily on her as she rushed home, almost burning a hole through her saddlebags. She kept her head down and eyes on the ground, trying to avoid recognition. As soon as she was home she exhaled and dropped the weighty box on her kitchen counter.

She went to the sink and filled a glass of water. The liquid was cool and refreshing, but nothing compared to how those damned berries tasted. Cheerilee licked her lips and stared at the box. After a few moments of hesitation, she took her letter opener and cut open the clear packing tape to peer inside.

A series of books stared up at her.

Cheerilee didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at that. She picked up the first one, reading its title quietly: Applelachian Myths and Legends. Then the next: How Did We Get Here? A Collection of Creation Stories.

“Why would Applejack… Why would she want these?” Cheerilee removed the books and made a small stack of them on the counter, head spinning. Each and every one of them seemed related tangentially to ancient stories and tales that ruminated on the origins of pony magic.

A topic that usually wasn’t one that occupied the front of Applejack’s mind. “Don’t matter much how we got it,” she had once said. “Just that we still have it. Plain and simple.”

Plain and simple. That was the way Applejack always liked things.

Yet these books seemed anything but simple.

Cheerilee began to feel something twitch and writhe in her stomach. She picked up one of the books and sat on her couch, losing herself in its words to try and stem the pain. As she often did with a good book, Cheerilee entranced herself amongst the words and wasn’t interrupted until a sharp knocking came at her door.

“Who could that be at this hour?” she muttered, eyeing the clock suspiciously.

The door creaked open to reveal none other than… “Oh. Princess Twilight.”

Twilight Sparkle peered through the hole suspiciously. “Is everything alright?”

“Yes, why?”

“I noticed your light was still on,” Twilight replied. “You’re not usually up this late.”

Cheerilee’s eye twitched. “Everything is fine,” she insisted. “I was just doing some reading.”

Normally, that answer would have sufficed, but instead Twilight leaned further into the door, as if trying to look inside through the crack. “I saw you leaving the post office earlier, you seemed like you were in a rush.”

“I wanted to get home before dark,” Cheerilee answered, fighting the temptation to slam the door. (Twilight obviously could have teleported inside, but the satisfaction would surely make up for that.)

Twilight narrowed her eyes. “Are you sure?”

“Yes!” Cheerilee hissed.

“Then what are you hiding?!”

Cheerilee threw open the door, almost knocking Twilight over. “I’m not hiding anything!” she shouted. She took a moment to compose herself before leveling her best glare at Twilight. “You’re not some policemare, Twilight. What I do is frankly none of your business.”

Twilight leveled Cheerilee with a glare of her own and vanished in a puff of purple magic.

As soon as she was gone, a chorus of crickets began chirping to fill the silence. With a roll of her eyes, she shut the door and turned around. She walked past the couch and her book and through her back door, into the tiny fenced garden that rested behind her home.

Taking a watering can in her teeth, she strode over to the middle, where a small green sapling sat in the dirt.

Cheerilee poured the water over it before setting the can aside. Beneath the moonlight and in the company of nothing but crickets, she sat beside the sapling, waiting for the knot in her stomach to untangle.

Appaleachian Myths and Legends, Talon Tale, translations by Prophetic Glyphs. “Beginning,” Page 27.
It was a dark winter day when Sprouting Clover went to Hollowed Wood’s hut. “Esteemed Hollow,” he began, “the dreary gloom is due to set in. The bushes are losing their fruit like our sheeps lose their coats. We may not yet survive this blistering winter.”
“I know,” Hollowed Wood replied. “But I believe there is a way. We must ask again of the Face of the Forest to provide.”
“I do not trust the Face,” protested Sprouting Clover. “How can we know that they are pure?”
Hollowed Wood frowned. “We can not. But there is no other way.”
With that, Hollowed Wood trekked into the forest. He walked past the lake that showed his deepest secrets. He walked past the rocks that sang in circles which made his mind forget. He walked until he reached the silent river, the one which did not flow.
It was here that he found the Face of the Forest.
“What service do you require?” it asked with its never-same face.
“We require aid for the cold ahead,” replied Hollowed Wood.
The Face licked its lips. “Aid! I can always give, but in return the price is steep.”
Hollowed Wood steeled his gaze. “And what will the price be?”
“Your daughter,” cried the Face. “In return, I will teach you the secret of growing food forever.”
Hollowed Wood felt a chill run down his spine. “You won’t take her.”
“Then you and your tribe will not eat until Spring!”
“What will you do with her?” Hollowed Wood challenged. “A being of your power, stooping to the level of a common maiden? Or is this some test to show my devotion?”
The Face grinned with hunger. “And do you think you are bold enough to hide what I desire? Then so be it. Try to hide her, and if you can keep her from me for a mere week, then you may keep your child and your power. If not, then she is mine.”
Hollowed Wood frowned, but relented. The power that the Face promised was too much to pass on: with it, they would never need his aid again.
With the pact firmly sealed, the Face bestowed upon him a gift: one that let him make life from the veins of the earth. No matter the weather, anything that the village desired could be coaxed out of the ground. But while his tribe celebrated their feast, Hollowed taught his daughter how to roam the forests.
“Go to the lake,” he whispered. “It will shield you well, and if you feel that he is near, dive within his waters.” He watched her go with tired eyes and hoped that it would be enough.
When the winter passed Hollowed ventured into the forest. When he reached the lake he let loose an awful scream, for floating on the surface was his daughter, vines and branches growing from her mouth.
Hollowed took her home, feeling as if he had been split in two, and felt the awful things writhing within her. With his new magic, he pressed against her chest and began to grow.

March

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March.

‘Malus prunifolia.’

The start of March was marked by a rather unusual heatwave. While the ponies themselves were eager to file away the winter season as done, the weather office had other plans. The Farmer’s Market was a prime example of this: the streets felt empty and barren, with only vendors sweating behind their stalls.

“Gosh! I don’t understand why the pegasi felt the need to do this,” muttered Roseluck, fanning herself with a hoof.

“Something to do with that wet season we just had, I bet,” Daisy replied.

Cheerilee wiped her brow and tried not to drip sweat onto the trio’s selections.

“You know what I heard?” whispered Lily. “I heard that it’s from the Everfree, and that the forest is mad at us.”

Roseluck wrinkled her nose. “Why would the forest be mad?”

“I heard it’s because of something Fluttershy did!”

Daisy sighed and shook her head. “Something that no-good Discord put her up to, I bet.”

“I don’t know… She’s been strange ever since that horrible thing happened to Applejack,” Roseluck said as she fiddled with a bouquet of flowers.

“Wellllll, you know what I heard?”

The other two sisters leaned in as Lily began to whisper. “I heard that before she croaked, Applejack was getting lazy! Haven’t you noticed that she wasn’t at the market for weeks?”

Cheerilee flinched, staring down at the dirt.

“And I thought the Apples were meant to be hard working! Slacking off, I bet.”

Something wrapped itself around Cheerilee’s stomach and began to squeeze. She gasped, stumbling away from the flower stall as her eyes began to blur. She forced a few deep breaths to steady herself, and slowly the noise of the market began to return to her.

She staggered down the street, swallowing hard and trying to re-salivate her throat, when she nearly crashed into a stall. “Sorry, sorry,” she muttered as she popped four berries into her mouth.

“Now… Where did you get those?”

As her head began to clear, Cheerilee looked up to see a pair of green eyes piercing through her soul. “I’m… Sorry?”

The eyes sparkled mischievously and Cheerilee was able to make out more of a face. “I don’t think a single stall in Ponyville sells those. If I could get some seeds, then I could corner the market!” The mare laughed and popped a plump red strawberry into her mouth.

“Um… I’m sorry but these aren’t for sale,” Cheerilee said as her heart began to settle.

The mare giggled. “Oh, don’t be silly! Everyone has a price.” She batted her eyelashes at her. “What if I say pretty pretty please? Isn’t that the magic word?”

Cheerilee shifted on her hooves uncomfortably. “They’re a special gift from a friend, I’m sorry.”

“Shame,” said the grinning mare as she clicked her tongue. “Your friend must have gone somewhere very far away to get those!”

“What are you saying?”

The mare just giggled again. “Some mares just stick their noses where they don’t belong. Every now and then they stray too far from the Apple orchard!”

Cheerilee was suddenly overwhelmed by a desire to run, but she found herself rooted to the ground in terror. The mare continued to grin, leaning back in satisfaction.

Discomforted, Cheerliee made to escape but ended up crashing into… “Oh! I’m so sorry, Sugar.”

Sugar Belle laughed, brushing it off gracefully. “It’s no problem, Cheerilee! Are you alright? I know I’m not exactly the softest pony to be crashing into.”

“Yes, yes, I should really watch where I’m going,” Cheerilee replied as she brushed herself off. Her gut started to even out, enabling her to say, “I feel like it’s been ages since I saw you!”

Sugar nodded. “It has, it has. How are your students? Everything going alright down there?”

“As well as they usually are. I’m terribly sorry, I’ve been meaning to stop by the farmhouse but work’s kept me busy.” She cleared her throat awkwardly. “How’s Mac? Hopefully he’s coming out of his room by now?”

Sugar faltered for a second. “I’m not sure,” she admitted. “He’s… trying. But I can tell this is still hard for him. Every now and then I’ll catch him staring off into the forest with that look in his eyes.” She kicked at the dirt. “I still can’t believe we’ve heard nothing at all about what happened. How can nobody know what… What did this?”

“I don’t know,” Cheerilee admitted.

“Honestly… I’m a bit more worried about Fluttershy,” Sugar said, glancing around nervously. “She’s just been getting worse and worse.”

Cheerilee raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“I catch her lurking around the farm, speaking with Mac quietly. He won’t tell me what they talk about! And he usually tells me everything. One night in January I think, I was up a bit later to finish preparing food for tomorrow, and I looked out the kitchen window…” She shuddered. “And I swear that she was standing outside by the trees. Just… staring.” Sugar put a hoof on Cheerilee’s shoulder. “I’m worried about her. Cheerilee, I hate to ask this of you, but… Could you check on her?”

Cheerilee tried to fight off the nervous flutter in her heart. “Yes, of course. I can stop by later tonight.”

“Oh, thank you so much. I’ll make some of those fritters that you love and drop them off when I can.”

“That really isn’t–”

“Nonsense! You truly deserve more than that,” Sugar said, giving her a quick hug.

Cheerilee tried not to think about why the embrace made her feel cold.

The path down to Fluttershy’s cottage was normally tidy and well-kept. Zecora did her best to maintain the more-traveled sections of the forest in a bid to bolster its reputation and make it generally more pleasant.

But now, it seemed that the forest was moving to reclaim its lost territories. Branches and leaves scattered the path, mixed with rocks and pebbles and puddles. The brush overhead fought hard to block out the sunlight. Leaves rustled and wood creaked, as if the entire forest was gawking at Cheerilee’s presence.

Every other step made Cheerilee look over her shoulder in worry, as if something was lurking two steps behind her. The dead leaves beneath her hooves sounded like firecrackers as they snapped, and the sharp nip of the unusually warm spring wind felt like a Timberwolf’s breath against her spine.

It wasn’t long before she saw Fluttershy’s tiny cottage breaking through the treeline. The yellow thatch hut was nestled amongst a wild brush of leaves and branches, nearly hiding it completely from prying eyes.

Usually, one could hear the chirping and chattering of various creatures emanating from nearby, but on Cheerilee’s approach the forest was completely still and silent. She paused, shuddering.

Was this what had greeted Applejack when she came here? Nothing but silence and stillness, with no signs of life for miles around? Was this how she had died? Alone and silent?

She blinked several times, biting her lip. What an awful, wretched place. The atmosphere did nothing to settle her nerves, or slow her rapid heartbeat. She closed her eyes but couldn’t dispel the visions dancing on the back of her eyelids: Applejack lying in a pool of blood, staining the leaves and soil. Her hat resting still on the ground like a wilted flower. Her lips still carrying the ghost of a scream.

Cheerilee gasped and reached for her bag, only to remember that it wasn’t there: she had left it at home.

She pushed forwards, determined to finish her task and get out of this damned forest as soon as she could. Cheerilee raised a hoof and began banging on the shut door. “Fluttershy? Fluttershy, it’s Cheerilee. Are you here?”

“Come… in,” crooned a voice from inside.

She hesitated, heart in her throat.

“Come… in.”

With a creak, Cheerilee pushed the door open and stepped inside.

“Fluttershy?” The foyer was barren, dark, and empty. Cheerilee proceeded into the living room, where sunlight streaked in through the curtains flapping in the wind. “Fluttershy?”

“Come in!” There was a squawk and fluttering of feathers. Cheerilee watched as a green and red parrot rested on the edge of Fluttershy’s couch. “Come in! Come in!” it said in her voice.

Squinting against the darkness, Cheerilee realized that a strange plant-like matter had grown its way through her window and was snaking its way around the room. There was a stench in the room like that of dead leaves, and Cheerilee suddenly realized how quiet it was. There were no other animals. No signs of life.

The parrot squawked, ruffling its leaves. “You don’t belong here!” it squawked. “You don’t belong. Don’t belong.”

Cheerilee turned tail and sprinted out of the house. She made it halfway back to Ponyville before she threw up.

Sweet Apple Acres was still and quiet.

Cheerilee stood on the hill just overlooking the farmhouse. The smell of fresh apples lingered in the air, and the trees rustled and bent in the wind behind her. It was comforting: more than the Everfree was, at least.

Still, the hoofful of berries that she had downed earlier probably helped. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The uneasiness and discomfort from earlier was gone now, giving her ample time to think.

She hadn’t been able to locate Fluttershy, but she figured that if anyone knew where she was, it’d be Big Macintosh. The two had found solace in each other a long time ago as the quiet, soft-spoken ones who always preferred to linger in the background, whether that be at Pinkie’s parties or at Ponytones Concerts.

Cheerilee set off for the barn. The lanterns outside were lit, meaning that someone was either inside or nearby. She still remembered the fuss when it had been erected: the entire Apple Family had come together and invited all of Ponyville to help, observe, and/or celebrate the affair.

It was one of the first nights she–

Cheerilee flinched as a sudden, sharp pain stabbed at her. She shook her head and took another breath before putting a hoof on the red-painted door to steady herself. Whatever half-thought she was forming was gone, and the pain was beginning to fade along with it.

Carefully, she slid open the door and stared inside. “Mac?” she called. The barn didn’t reply.

Cheerilee ventured further inside, loose straws of hay kicking around beneath her. Crates and barrels were stacked around the walls, shrouded in shadow. The moonlight served as her only companion as she headed for the middle of the room, where a few candles were flickering on the floor. “...Mac?”

Something thick and red stained the floor. Cheerilee followed it with her eyes and found that it formed a wide circle. In the middle, a series of curves and lines splintered into various directions. Interspaced between them were smaller red circles, where candles flickered in the darkness.

“Mac? Are you in here?”

She began to feel uneasy again, as she walked across the room. Something sank in her stomach as her breathing quickened. With a trembling hoof she reached for her bag, but as she removed it from her saddlebag, a single yellow berry fell out.

It rolled across the barn floor until it came to a stop next to a candle.

That was when Cheerilee realized that the symbol spanning the entire floor was now beginning to glow.

“Mālum. Mălum. Malum.” A low voice began to mutter from somewhere nearby.

“W-Who’s there?!” Cheerilee tried to run, but found herself rooted to the ground. The candles around her began to flicker.

“Mālum. Mălum. Malum.”

A sharp pain stabbed its way through her forehead. She cried out and fell to her knees as memories suddenly overtook her, playing like a movie through her mind.

“Mighty sorry about all that trouble,” she said.

“No, no, no trouble at all,” Cheerilee replied. “These things happen, after all.”

She chuckled. “That they do.”

“You know, you don’t have to do this. I can always call for a carpenter.”

“Nonsense!” she scoffed. “It’s just what good neighbors do, and I’ll be darned if I’m anythin’ but.” She tugged on the brim of her hat. “Just the way it is.”

“Well, in that case, thank you.”

“Ain’t nothin’ to it.” Applejack smiled at her. “Schoolhouse is just as important as a farm is.”

Cheerilee giggled. “So you’re saying I’m more important than you?”

“Shucks, sugarcube.” Applejack began to ascend the ladder once more, eyes focused on the roof. “Now. Where’s this darned leak…”

Cheerilee watched her work.

“Say, uh… You doin’ anythin’ this weekend?” Applejack asked without looking down. “Appleloosa’s puttin’ on their County Fair again.”

Cheerilee BLINKED. “OH? THAT SOUNDS FUN. I DIDN’T HAVE MUCH IN MIND.”

“WELL, YA DO NOW!” APPLEJACK SAID WITH A WINK. “I CAN SCOOP US UP SOME TICKETS.” SHE BEGAN TO DESCEND THE LADDER AGAIN, CATCHING CHEERILEE’S EYE. SHE REACHED OUT TO TOUCH HER CHEEK–

Cheerilee screamed and fell to the ground, a roaring in her ears and a pounding in her throat. Her body pulsed in pain, like each one of her limbs and veins were pulling in a different direction. The chanting voice grew louder and louder with each passing second, words whipping themselves against her skull like waves against the shore.

But after a moment, the words began to fade, leaving behind a face. Her face.

Applejack.

Cheerilee couldn’t place the expression. Fear? Anger? Surprise? Was it even right? Why did her eyes look strange, why was her mane so disheveled?

It flashed away, and Cheerilee found herself on the ground, the candles around her extinguished. Lifting her head, Cheerilee made out a figure lurking in the corner, mumbling quietly to themselves.

She went over to them and put a trembling hoof on their shoulder. They snapped out of their stupor and whirled about to face her. “Apple Bloom?”

Apple Bloom blinked several times. “Wuh… Miss Cheerilee?” She turned to the circle, eyes widening. “Well, whaddya know! It worked!”

Cheerilee followed her gaze and felt her blood run cold. In the center of the sigil, where she had fallen to the ground, was an arrow: golden, glowing, and pointing towards the orchard. No, past the orchard.

Towards the Everfree.

“I’ll be honest with you. I never really liked this town much.” The deep blue pegasus squinted up at the moon above them. “Bad vibes all around.”

Her companion didn’t answer.

“I’ve done the math, and it doesn’t check it out. I know that everypony’s got something to hide, but here? It’s like the town itself is lying about something. Not the ponies. The town. You ever get that feeling? You’ve lived here most your life.”

“It’s a weird place,” the yellow pegasus finally replied. “But so’s Canterlot.”

The blue pegasus chuckled. “You’re funny.”

“Glad I could amuse you,” muttered the yellow one. “Why are you here?”

“You know why. A pony of her caliber dying under mysterious circumstances? Let me tell you, every agency in Equestria is looking to get their hooves and claws all over this case.”

The yellow pegasus wrinkled their nose. “You’re a cop?”

“That’s such a loaded word, don’t you think? I like to think I’m just a mare that asks a lot of questions. And boy oh boy do I have questions for you, Miss Sunrise.” The blue pegasus leveled her companion with a sudden glare. “I’ve worked with a lot of ponies over the years. Unicorns, pegasi, earth ponies. And I’ve found that each one has a sort of tell, one that shows who they really are. And you? You’ve got one that just doesn’t add up.”

The yellow pegasus stood stock still. “What do you want?” she whispered.

“It’s simple. I want answers.”

“Who are you?”

The pegasus flashed a badge in her direction. “Special Investigator Night Glider. And you, Strawberry Sunrise, are one fascinating suspect.”

Traditional Earth Pony Ballad, date unknown. Excerpt. Author unknown. Translated by A.K. Yearling.
There is a field in the forest
Where the wild brush grows.
Where the plants grow wild
And where the winter crow goes.
When the sun is gone and the cold sets in
There is a line so small and thin.
And when you stand upon the line,
A face above, you will find.
Who tells the tale of a love once lost
Down where the path begins to wind.
He tells you of a promise made
And of a magic that runs through the veins.
But as they grew, the young mare writhed
And as they ate she cried in pain.
And when she passed, the face laments
He tried to grow from her corpse a life.
But such magic was not ever meant to be
And left his world in violent strife.
The magic then would twist and burn
Until only a fraction sat in its place.
Such is the tale of the gift of life,
And such is the word of his solemn face.

End First Division.

April

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Second division. A place.

April.

‘Iðunn.’

Cheerilee hadn’t slept since that night. Visions of the glowing sigil would haunt her whenever she closed her eyes, the echoing chants lingering in the silence between spaces. She had yelled at Apple Bloom until her face turned red, but even then her former student was unable to offer much.

“I dunno!” she insisted, even when pressured by Macintosh. “I was just goin’ off of AJ’s notes!”

AJ’s notes. She stared down at the thickly bound notebook that Apple Bloom had surrendered. It felt wrong, clashing with the laughing foals at recess just outside her window.

None of it made sense.

There were half-finished thoughts, crossed out lines, and sketches of unfamiliar things dotting the pages. Nothing about it made sense. So why did it make her feel that way every time she stared at these symbols?

It was hard to describe but it felt like… warmth. Like a puzzle piece that completed her. The same way those berries would make her feel every time she ate them. That was why every day she stared at it, flipping through the pages, feeling something tingle at the tips of her ears.

She had been avoiding the barn with the sigil ever since that night. But she couldn’t deny that something was drawing her closer to it. Calling out to her. Promising to make her whole again.

What was Applejack doing with this stuff? And why did some of this feel so… familiar?

She stared at the bag of berries resting next to the book: roughly a quarter of them were gone now.

“These are delicious!”

“Don’t go takin’ too much of ‘em now, y’hear?” Applejack laughed.

“Where’d you even get these from?”

“...Don’t you worry ‘bout that. Just know there’s a lot more where those came from.”

Cheerilee shoved the bag away in disgust even as she felt her mouth water. Her class filed into the room, chattering happily amongst themselves with talk of the imminent spring break. Cheerilee sighed and tried to recompose herself, shutting the notebook.

Still, one image lingered in her mind: that of the arrow pointing into the forest. She hadn’t yet ventured back into the Everfree to find where it was pointing, her fear still overruling her curiosity.

“Okay! What do we do after lunch?” she asked.

“Math!” her class replied, some with more enthusiasm than others. The students began to rummage in their bags for their books, finishing up their conversations as Cheerilee turned to the board.

“Who remembers what we were talking about yesterday?” she asked as she grabbed a piece of chalk.

“Shapes!” said half her class (with the other half saying “the alphabet”).

Cheerilee nodded and began to draw on the board. “So! Can anyone tell me what shape this is?”

“Circle!”

“Great!” The chalk swung up and down the board. “And this one?”

“Triangle!”

“How many sides?”

“Three!”

Cheerilee nodded again, her hoof moving of its own accord. “And this one?”

Her class was completely silent.

She blinked and realized that she had drawn the sigil on the board. “Well… That’s because that isn’t a shape,” she said with a laugh. “I was… Just seeing if you all were paying attention!”

She hastily cleared the board and tried to get her mind to move on. But try as she might, it still seemed to linger on that damned shape.

Big Mac stared absently at the barn floor. He had spoken of getting rid of the markings, but clearly he hadn’t found the energy or motivation to do so. Candle stubs still littered the floor, mixed with the stray bits of grass and hay.

Cheerilee stood next to him, equally awestruck. It was like watching a beautiful sunrise: enchanting and captivating.

The arrow still glowed with a faint gold pulse, pointing into the forest.

“Twilight came by. She doesn’t know anythin’,” Mac muttered.

Cheerilee wrinkled her brow. “That can’t be good.”

Mac nodded. “Maybe I oughta raze this barn. Nothin’ good is gonna come from that here.” He winced as if remembering his sister’s death all over again. “Look at what it’s already done.”

With a disgusted sigh he kicked at the dirt and stalked out of the barn.

Cheerilee looked down at the mark he left, thinking.

“You.”

She flinched, turning to the door to spot the new voice.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

A hunched yellow figure stood in the doorway. Glaring.

Cheerilee blinked. “Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy growled. “You think you can come back here?” Her voice was low and jagged. “After everything? You come back to do this?”

“I–” Cheerilee’s eyes flicked to the sigil. “This wasn’t me!”

“This was ALL YOU!” Fluttershy surged forwards, anger in her eyes. “Don’t lie to me!”

Cheerilee recoiled with every word. “Fluttershy, what are you saying?”

“This was all your fault. Applejack died because of you.” Fluttershy spat at the ground. “She only ever did this for you.”

A silence fell upon the barn. “I had no idea she was doing this.”

“She loved you.” Fluttershy sniffed and scowled. “Everything she did was for you. She died because of you.”

Cheerilee moved her lips to speak, but no words came out. A breath came out in a trembling gasp, and instead she shoved three berries into her mouth. The memories faded as quickly as they began, but a light, lingering weight still rested in her stomach.

Neither one moved as the sun set outside. When Cheerilee finally found the strength to move her head, she saw the arrow pointing deeper into the woods. Under the scrutiny of Fluttershy’s glare, she moved her hooves and began to follow it into the Everfree.

Nothing in the barn moved for several hours after. Some time after midnight, the back door creeped open. “Woof! Dusty in here. Does a number on my allergies,” Night Glider sniffed.

“You should see Appleloosa,” muttered Strawberry. “Why are we here?”

Night Glider stopped suddenly in the middle of the room, leaving Strawberry to crash into her. “Recognize that?”

Strawberry tilted her head and stared at the floor. “Holy mother of Ingenue. She actually did it.”

“Candle wax here… Weird.” Night Glider knelt at the edge of the sigil. “This was laid out a while ago but only recently reactivated. Somebody came back and traced over the lines, relit the candles… Why?”

“You tell me, rent-a-cop.”

Night Glider’s ear flicked in irritation, but her face betrayed nothing. “What are we looking at?”

“Don’t you know already?”

“I like hearing things straight from the horse’s mouth.”

Strawberry rolled her eyes. “Ugh. Fine. It’s a locating sigil, specifically a compass beacon. Used to indicate cardinal directions, utilized first by ancient earth pony shamans. Fell out of favor after the reunification, as they were difficult to set up and unreliable.”

“Good, you did your homework.”

“...Right. Homework.” Strawberry glanced at the arrow. “Where does it lead?”

Night Glider stood up, brushing herself off. “Let’s find out.”

Ignis III, The Book of Cataclysm, Princess Luna version. Author and Date unknown.
When Ignis returned to the village, winter had begun to fall around them. As the stocks of food ran low, the elders gathered on the edge of the forest. “Where are you going?” asked Ignis.
“We must ask Hortus for a boon to survive,” said an elder. “He demands a tribute in return, and is a hefty price to pay. But we must, else our children starve.”
Ignis was surprised by this. “Surely there must be another way.”
“There is not,” the elder insisted. “We have searched the forest, and nothing grows when the snow falls.”
Sure-headed as always, Ignis refused to believe him. Instead he ventured deep into the woods, searching for something to satiate the village for the winter ahead. For two days and two nights he searched, using a lantern and his senses to guide him.
He found nothing but empty trees and bushes that had shed their autumn skin. Ignis returned to the village and asked the elders if they had searched the surrounding woods. The wisest one said, “We have searched in all the places we can find. But there may be one place still that we have yet to reach. At the heart of the forest, there is a lake which reflects our very thoughts. We have not dared to stray too far into it. But there may be something on the other side.”
Ignis took this into thought. “Then if Hortus is hiding a secret, he must be hiding there.” With his mind decided, Ignis set off for the lake. At its edge he stared into its waters and watched as his own reflection shimmered.
“What is it that you seek?” his reflection asked.
Ignis considered this question carefully. “I seek to grow in a time of need. I seek to coax from earth life.”
His reflection nodded. “Draw closer then, and swear not to be scared. Few have lived the trip, though many have dared.”
Ignis waded into the waters and found himself immersed by a powerful, shimmering feeling. Sensation rose from the earth and through his hooves. He began to feel things ebb below the earth. Perfectly in tune, he found himself able to pull on their roots. From the ground sprouted roots, then plants.
When he emerged he found himself in a clearing with bright and vibrant life springing up around him. At its center was a beautiful mare with a long, flowing mane. “Welcome,” said the Gardener.
“What is this place?” asked Ignis.
“This is the garden from which all life grows.” The Gardener raised a hoof and a patch of flowers sprung from the earth below.
Ignis was stunned at the sheer scale of the life around him. “How can one learn this power?” he asked.
The Gardener considered him carefully. “Slay Hortus,” she declared. “And I will bestow this gift upon you.” Her gaze hardened. “Hortus seeks to bastardize this gift by growing from death. Stop his heresy, and I will teach you.”
Ignis nodded, seizing his sword. “Very well. It shall be done.”

May

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May.

‘Gerðr, eleven, from Skírnir.’

“You… You did what?”

Cheerilee hardened her gaze, matching the violet eyes glaring at her from behind a pair of red glasses. “You know what that is, Yearly.”

Daring Do sighed, taking off her reading glasses and throwing them onto the table. “I do, but that doesn’t mean I believe any of this.” She tapped the paper with a hoof. “This sigil? I haven’t seen anything like this ever, and I’ve been in structures that were around since before Celestia was a princess. We’re talking theoretical history here, Cheer. And you want me to believe some twenty-something mare just drew this in her backyard barn?”

“Apple Bloom didn’t figure this out on her own,” Cheerilee countered, pointing at Applejack’s notebook. “Applejack did.”

Daring muttered to herself. “Okay, fine. Let’s start at the beginning then, since I know history was your weakness back in University.” She stood, going over to her bookshelf. “The three tribes each have their own unique gift. The gift of earth ponies has been one of the most difficult to quantify and explain. They grow things, we know that much. But why? How? Are they in tune with the natural movements of the earth? Just a gut feeling? Something akin to unicorn magic, but without a vehicle like a horn to procure it?”

Cheerilee watched her old friend pace back and force.

“There’s no solid, unified answer like there is for unicorn and pegasi. What we have instead are folklore tales and legends. Myths from all across Equestria, tales from native tribes that existed on their own for centuries before unification.”

“I’m familiar with a few of these stories. I found your package.”

Daring glared at her. “Applejack called in a favor. She wanted to know about these exact same stories, and wouldn't tell me why. I didn’t get back to her because of… work. That and the post office losing my mail again.”

Cheerilee shrugged. “Go on.”

“It’s not unique for tribes to have myths and lore, but what has been unusual is that there are similarities across a majority of these stories.” She withdrew a book from her shelf and placed it on the table. “The Book of Cataclysm. You’re familiar?”

“Vaguely,” Cheerilee said as she reached for it before Daring pulled it away.

“First edition, no touching. The Book of Cataclysm is one of the oldest surviving texts from before the recorded existence of the Windigos. As far as we know, this is one of the earliest stories about earth ponies receiving a gift of magic. The story arc of Ignis, an earth pony warrior, leads him to a small remote village that has to pay tribute to a local forest god to survive the winter. Instead, he finds a secret garden and makes a pact with someone named the Gardener to kill said forest god and receive the gift of life itself. Notably, the Gardener accuses the god of heresy and using magic to grow from death.”

Cheerilee blinked. “Like… necromancy?”

“We’re uncertain. What we do know is that a majority of texts across Equestria share some degree of similarity with Cataclysm. Applelachian lore has a story about a village chief who makes a gamble with a god to receive magic in return for his daughter. He tries to hide her but the god finds and kills her, he then tries to use magic to bring her back resulting in a–” Daring sighed, shaking her head. “You get the idea. The common themes are some sort of god, an agent pony who seeks to learn how to grow, and the idea of growth from death.” She tapped a hoof on Applejack’s notebook. “I don’t know what on earth she was trying to do with all of these stories.”

“You don’t think they’re real?”

Daring scoffed. “I make deductions based on facts.”

Cheerilee didn’t say anything, instead reaching into her bag and removing her berry bag. The bag was about half empty, but she removed one and placed it on the table.

“What are those?”

“Applejack gave them to me.”

Daring took the berry and examined it. “This…”

“Isn’t native to Equestria?” Cheerilee sighed. “I know. I’ve been looking around myself.”

“Where did Applejack get it?”

“She wouldn’t tell me. Just that there was more where they came from.”

“What else did she give you?”

Cheerilee exhaled quickly. “That’s not the point. The sigil in the barn, it leads somewhere into the Everfree, but I can’t figure out where.”

“I’m not helping you.”

“What?!” Cheerilee shot up.

“This is all just insane,” Daring hissed. “You are playing with things that you don’t understand. History can be dangerous, and this is territory that nobody has ever covered before. Applejack got killed digging into this, you understand that?”

Cheerilee felt another headache coming on. “I thought you were braver than this,” she spat.

Daring’s gaze hardened. “I’m not stupid. If you want to be stupid, be my guest. But I’m not going to kill myself trying to save you, even if that’s what you’re intent on doing.”

Without another word, Cheerilee stood up and left.

A schoolhouse was a fantastic engine to generate rumors. Cheerilee knew this quite well: foals seemed to be engineered to spread rumors at times. “My mom thinks she was a witch!”

Every whisper felt like she was being stabbed. The dark classroom made it impossible to make out any faces. On the blackboard, the projected film continued in its lecture about the water cycle.

Cheerilee scanned the room, a silent sentinel.

“Yesterday my dad told us to throw out all our apples. He was saying maybe she had poisoned them or something!”

Someone coughed, and a chair scraped across the floor.

“You know, I heard that Applejack was secretly in loooooove with–”

Cheerilee slammed a hoof on her desk and the whole classroom flinched. “Why do I hear talking?” she asked.

Nobody answered.

“What did we say about spreading rumors,” she said through gritted teeth. A guilty silence washed over the room then. With her class reprimanded, she went back to the papers below her. Her red pan danced across the paper as her eyes scanned the responses.

She flicked an ear as someone sneezed. She twirled her pen and flipped a page. The narrated voice carried on and on as round, bright visuals flashed across the screen. Cheerilee grunted quietly, glancing out the window.

She didn’t usually feel like this during school days. But something had been nipping at her lately. On a cool night in April, she had spent nearly the entire night wandering through the Everfree, trying to figure out what Applejack’s arrow could possibly have been pointing to.

As soon as she left the forest, something had felt off inside her: a slight discomfort that lurked in the depths of her body. It tugged on her heart strings, nibbled on the backs of her eyes. Made her stomach churn and groan violently, putting pressure on her chest and pushing downwards like someone was lying on her.

In that cool dark classroom, she was beginning to feel it again.

Cheerilee set her pen down and tried to take a deep breath. Instead, she felt her lungs constrict and her heart began to race. Her vision went blurry and she gasped for air. Clamping down on her lip, she slipped out of the classroom and into the hall.

She gasped for air, leaning against the wall for support. The floor tiles were blurry beneath her vision, and her chest heaved with every passing seconds. She tried to take a step but fell all the way to the floor again. Cheerilee resorted to pressing her forehead into the wall and squeezing her eyes shut.

Breathe. Breathe.

She trembled, tears rushing down her cheeks as she shuddered.

Breathe… Breathe… “Just breathe, sugar cube. You’re gonna be okay.”

She whipped around, half expecting to see Applejack standing behind her.

But there was nobody there. Nothing to fill the hole rapidly engulfing her heart.

Applejack was gone now. All that was left were the memories: ghosts of fleeting feelings that passed before she could catch them. She could almost remember the feeling of Applejack wrapping her hooves around her stomach, pulling her close to nuzzle.

Cheerilee felt quiet, lacking the strength to move. Upbeat music pumped out from the ajar classroom door behind her as the video marched on. Slowly she climbed to her hooves and wiped her eyes with the back of her foreleg.

The anxiety still lingered, but the video was ending soon and she needed to get back to her students.

Cheerilee took a deep breath and tried to put on a brave face. She slipped back behind her desk and ate eight berries before the video ended.

Applejack’s face remained in her mind for the rest of the day.

The night was cool when Cheerilee returned home. Her backyard was still, save for the chirping of crickets hiding in the bushes around her. She eased herself down onto the grass, feeling it brush against her skin.

The tiny sapling in front of her swayed in the breeze. Its leaves rustled gently, as if the plant was trying to comfort her.

“Ya ever plant a tree before?”

“Once, back when I was still in university,” Cheerilee said. “I took an environmental studies course. They had us help plant some in the Royal Gardens.”

“Great! So you already know what to do! If ya don’t mind gettin’ down and dirty with it, that is.” Applejack winked, taking a shovel and trotting into the backyard.

Cheerilee rolled her eyes, blushing slightly. “So what’s so special about this tree anyways?”

Applejack shrugged. “I dunno, frankly! It’s a new one I recently found. One of them fruit trees, I think. Grows more of them berries you like so much.”

“Wait… You mean you don’t even know where it’s from?”

Applejack gave her a strange smirk. “Long story. But don’t you worry none. If we take care of it, it’ll grow right as rain.”

“Oh AJ,” Cheerilee whispered, drawing a circle in the dirt with her hoof. “What did you do?” she sniffed, looking up at the stars.

The very thought of those berries made her sick now. The way they rolled down her throat and filled her stomach with a strange warmth… The way they managed to block out the pain… It was too much for her to bear anymore. They weren’t just berries: they were drugs.

“Where did you get them? Where did you get this?” she muttered.

The plant said nothing in response.

“What did you do?” Cheerilee asked again, not knowing if she wanted to hear an answer.

Description of Ancient Mosaics, Canterlot Museum’s Special Archive. Early Solar Era. Description by Archivist Hidden Find.
The mosaic is divided into several sections, each section depicting a scene. The first scene (upper left) shows a small village preparing for the winter. A chief is easily identified by his regalia, and a pony presumed to be a family member is beside them. The villagers gather around for some announcement: of note is that the trees in this image are empty and barren.
The next scene shows the chief in a wooded area, apparently conversing with some type of forest spirit. The chief kneels in front of the spirit in apparent shock. Their eyes are on the ground, and the spirit appears to be bestowing some type of gift upon them.
The next scene shows a plant sprouting from the ground.
The next scene shows a grand feast with varying foods piling on plates. Notably, some of these foods are not known to be native to the region this artifact was retrieved from. The chief sits in the middle with what can be assumed to be their daughter besides him.
The next scene shows the daughter on the bed, apparently ill. The chief appears distressed.
The next scene shows the chief alone, standing in front of what appears to be a coffin.
The next scene is missing.
The next scene shows the forest spirit, wrathful. Several villagers appear to be running in fear.
The next scene is missing.
The next scene shows the chief in front of several other villagers, apparently on trial. Plant life in this panel is noticeably different and more closely resembles that of the native land.
The final scene shows a figure that resembles the chief’s daughter wandering an unknown area, with strange plant-like appendages sprouting from their body.

June

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June.

‘From its core, Völsung.’

“You going to say what’s on your mind, or just stand there and gawk?”

Strawberry frowned, leveling a look at Night Glider. “I don’t gawk, I glare.”

“Same difference.” Night Glider shuffled through some papers, glancing down at the barn floor before going back to her notes. “Spill it.”

“How much do you know?”

Night Glider smiled. “We keep tabs on lots of stuff. So when a pegasus like you magically shows up and we can’t find any records, it raises some alarms.”

“Why wait until now to visit?”

“Never had a reason to.” Night glanced at her. “Besides we figured you wouldn’t exactly be… receptive to meeting us.”

Strawberry laughed. “You got one thing right. Let’s hope you’re right on this, too.”

Night Glider glanced at her watch. “She’ll be here soon.”

“How are you so sure?”

“And I thought I was the one who’d be asking questions.”

The two paused as a door creaked open behind them.

Night Glider winked at Strawberry, who scoffed at her, and the two turned to face a very surprised Cheerilee. “Hi! Miss Cheerilee, right?”

Cheerilee took a half-step backwards.

“Hey, it’s alright,” Night said as she flashed her badge. “We just wanted to ask some questions. This is Strawberry Sunrise.”

“I… Remember you,” Cheerilee said. “From the market.”

“I’m still buying if you’re selling!”

Cheerilee blinked.

“Don’t mind her.” Night flashed a comforting smile. “Miss Cheerilee, we’re here as friends. You and I actually have a mutual friend. Sugar Belle. I was in the village with her.”

Something about that rang a bell. Cheerilee remembered that Sugar would talk about her old “village idiot” friends, and a something-Glider being one of them. She relaxed a little bit, but tried to steel her gaze. “Why are you here?”

“We’re just trying to figure out what happened,” Night Glider said, holding up her hooves. “I know a lot of ponies have said that, but nobody’s any closer to answer. And I think Applejack deserves better than that. Can you tell me more about these berries you mentioned?”

“I…” Cheerilee frowned, looking cornered. “I don’t know where they’re from. Applejack gave them to me.” She took out her brown paper bag and stared at it.

“May I?”

She shrugged and let Night Glider take them to examine. “Huh. Interesting. And she never told you where she got them from?”

Cheerilee shook her head.

“Figures, if I had my hooves on something like that I wouldn’t say either,” Strawberry remarked.

“And do they have any magical effects?” Night Glider asked.

“They… They feel warm when I eat them.” There was a strange quiet that filled the air when she spoke. “It’s like… They numb the pain. So I don’t feel anything anymore. They help me get by… Well, they used to.”

Night Glider raised an eyebrow. “Not anymore?”

“The more I eat the less effective it feels they are,” whispered Cheerilee.

Night Glider took all this in and scribbled a note in her notebook. “Hm… I see.”

“You’re a schoolteacher, aren’t you?” Strawberry leaned in. “What do you know about the Myth of the Hidden Garden?”

Cheerilee stared at her. “Uh. It’s the myth that covers how earth ponies got their magic?”

“Hah! A myth.”

Night Glider cleared her throat. “We… Have reason to believe that the myth may be real. The forest mentioned in these stories may actually be Everfree, which means the Garden in question may be somewhere within. Those berries are good evidence of that theory.”

Cheerilee took this in with a stoic expression.

“Did Applejack give you anything else that may have been from there?”

“No,” Cheerilee said quickly, an image of the sapling in her backyard flashing through her mind.

Night Glider nodded.

“I say we try and find where this arrow leads,” Strawberry said. “Instead of just standing around and passing notes.”

“I tried,” Cheerilee insisted. “But I couldn’t find anywhere that it might have been pointing to.”

Strawberry rolled her eyes. “That’s because you don’t know what you’re looking for.”

“And you do?” snapped Cheerilee.

Strawberry just grinned. “Watch me.” With that, she turned and headed out of the barn, leaving Cheerilee and Night Glider to follow.

Night Glider was quiet for most of the walk, though she would often cast glances in Cheerilee’s direction. Strawberry led the way, picking her way expertly through the brush without missing a beat in her sarcastic commentary.

The path they walked was one that Cheerilee had traveled several times in her wanderings. The brush was thick and rich with life, with a few animals lurking just out of sight and watching as they passed through.

“You didn’t seem too surprised by any of this,” Strawberry said without looking back.

“I guess I just suspected that some of it had to be real,” Cheerilee muttered.

Night Glider nodded. “Did she leave behind any notes? Documents?”

“Um, yes. A journal. It’s how Apple Bloom made that… thing.” Cheerilee wasn’t sure how much exactly she should be sharing, but she got the feeling that Night Glider would find out what she wanted to know one way or another. “There’s a lot in there, and I can barely understand most of it myself.”

“Still, I figured she’d know better than to bring anything out of the garden. You’re lucky those berries haven’t killed you yet,” Strawberry piped.

That thought made her stomach churn.

“The stories all differ, but some of them have some weird stuff. I wouldn’t touch anything in there with a ten foot pole!”

“How do you know so much about this?” Cheerilee asked.

Strawberry came to a halt. “Here.”

Night Glider and Cheerilee looked around. They had paused by a particularly thick section of brush near a hill. “Are you sure?”

Strawberry said nothing and began pushing her way through the brush. Cheerilee sighed and followed, wincing as she was pricked by thorny twigs and branches. As she came closer the hidden cave gradually began to reveal itself. To its right was a large boulder, recently dislodged judging by the tracks left in the dirt.

“Whatever that sigil points at, it’s down there. I’d bet my left wing on that,” Strawberry said.

Night Glider squinted into the darkness. “I’d say that’s a safe bet.” She flicked her tail and began proceeding down the path.

“After you,” Strawberry insisted, giving Cheerilee a light tap on the back with their wing.

Cheerilee sighed, feeling her heart beat a little bit faster as she began following Night Glider into the cave. The group was soon swallowed by darkness as the cave went deeper and deeper. Water dripped from some unseen pocket, the sound of it falling onto the rock below echoing around them. Their hoofsteps were quiet and muffled, and the tunnels grew narrower and narrower as they descended.

But before long, the hallway exploded into a massive open room: one with a strange shimmering lake in the middle. Stalactites hung from the ceiling and rocks of various sizes were scattered around the sides. The water shook gently, as if rocked by some unseen force, and Cheerilee couldn’t help but wonder if the water seemed a bit too reflective.

“Now this is a lead,” Night Glider mused. “Applejack must have found this before us.”

“Maybe her reflection killed her,” Strawberry laughed.

Cheerilee stared at Strawberry blankly as Night Glider knelt by the lake’s surface. The mare winked in her direction before leaning on a medium-sized boulder. The weight in her stomach worsened as a stray thought crossed her mind.

“Why don’t you hop in? Maybe you can find some berries in there,” Strawberry called to Night Glider.

“Wouldn’t they just be wet?”

“Can’t taste much worse than an apple does.”

Cheerilee felt her gut twist, but she bit her tongue and remained quiet, even if her haunches tensed and her jaw began to clench.

She must have killed Applejack, Cheerilee thought. And what if I’m next?

Mighty Helm Mythology, Prose Edda. The Story of Sigurth, page 174.
When Crescere visited the tribe again, he was troubled to find that the land was barren and empty. The foals of the village gathered around him, tugging at his cape and begging for food. Worried, he summoned Gokstad to a counsel to ask what was wrong.
“Our warriors struggle to hunt during the cold,” Gokstad said grimly. “When the animals hide there is little we can do to survive.”
“I shan't hear of it,” Crescere declared. “Gather your clerics and your shamans. I will bestow upon your tribe an arcane gift, so you need not depend on the creatures around you to survive.”
Though wary, Gokstad obeyed, and soon all of the village had gathered by his side.
“Behold,” Crescere declared as he channeled his power, coaxing a root from the earth. The root twisted and grew rapidly, until it first became a sapling, then a tree bearing fruits in a matter of seconds. The village recoiled in surprise and horror before immediately bowing down in respect. “With this gift, you may use what the earth provides. Take it, and use it well.”
Gokstad nodded, and a warm glow began to fill the village. Crescere left satisfied, as the ponies of the village quickly began to learn and grow.
It was three winters later when he returned. Gokstad greeted him at the gates, a young foal by his side. “Greetings, Crescere.”
“You’ve taken a son, I see! With whom have you married?”
“None,” Gokstad replied. “I coaxed this child from the core of an apple. A miraculous task, from the gift you have given us. His name is Sigurth.”
Crescere was overcome by a fury. “You are casting with things you do not understand! I did not grant you this gift to make such monstrosities!”
“I apologize deeply,” Gokstad cried.
“Your apology means nothing. Your tribe must now suffer the consequences of your ignorance. You may no longer grow what you please, but rather you will be trapped by the land in which you live.”
Gokstad drew his sword in a fury. “You cannot take back what you have already given us!” he swore, as young Sigurth looked on.
“Then so be it,” replied Crescere as he drew his own.
Crescere left the village later that night, leaving a broken tribe behind and Sigurth without a father.

End Second Division.

July

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Third Division. A chase.

July.

‘Nehalennia. Where are you?’

The Summer Sun Festival marked a breath of fresh air for Ponyville.

That wasn’t to say the town had forgotten Applejack: a portrait of the steadfast mare sat by the central table, and a seat on the stage was left empty in her honor. The motion did little to quench the feelings threatening to devour Cheerilee alive, however, as they served as hollow reminders that the mare she loved was gone.

“Hiya, Cheerilee.” Cheerilee looked up to see Pinkie Pie beside her table. “Are you and your cousin having fun?”

Cheerilee glanced at the far table, where Jasmine was striking up pleasant conversation with the Cakes. “I think Jasmine’s enjoying herself.”

“Awesome possum! But… What about you?”

“I’m fine, Pinkie. This is a great party.” Cheerilee gave her her best smile.

Pinkie deflated slightly. “Hey, uh… Can I ask you how you’re doing? Like, for real for real?”

Cheerilee was quiet.

“I… know it isn’t easy, and that I’m not really the best pony for the job, but… I’m worried.” Pinkie seated herself in the empty chair beside her. “And I know I don’t have the skills to really help like any of the other girls, but… Well, nobody’s really been acting themselves lately.”

Cheerilee glanced at the stage, where Twilight and her friends were sitting. It almost looked normal, save for the distinct lack of Applejack, but she could feel an unusual tension amongst them. Rarity looked exhausted, Twilight barely moved or spoke, Fluttershy was hunched over and tense, and Rainbow…

Rainbow Dash looked like a blank slate. She didn’t speak, didn’t eat… She barely moved. It was like she was a ghost. Ponyville didn’t see much of her nowadays: she seemed to lurk on the outskirts, though some thought she hung around Sweet Apple Acres.

Pinkie was still: something unnerving for a mare like her. Her mane was still wild and her posture relaxed, but she seemed thoughtful. Relaxed, even.

“I’m getting by,” she said. “I think we all are.”

“Maybe. I just wish things would go back to the way they were,” Pinkie said sadly. “No party I throw can get us back to that.”

Cheerilee shifted in her seat, very unused to this version of Pinkie: a version that still knew her friends incredibly well, but also knew that she herself wasn’t equipped to handle these sorts of situations. “I’m sure they appreciate your support,” Cheerilee said. “It’s a hard time for all of us and we have to find solace in each other.”

“Mm-hm.” Pinkie smiled slightly. “That goes for you too, you know? Jackie never said it but we all know she’s a bad liar. She cared about you lots.”

Cheerilee laughed quietly. “I care about her too.”

Pinkie leaned over to give her a quick hug. “Hey, uh… I also heard that you guys found the Mirror Pool.”

“The… Mirror Pool?”

“Yeah. You remember that one day when there were hundreds of extra Pinkie’s all over the place?”

Cheerilee’s eyes widened. “That was from the lake?”

“Mm-hm! Twilight sealed it off, but…” she shrugged sheepishly.

“It was open when we found it, I guess Applejack must have…” Cheerilee shook her head, trying to gather her thoughts. “But that’s impossible, I didn’t notice any copies of her around Ponyville.”

Pinkie shrugged. “Twilight said there’s a lot of ways you could have used it. The way I did was just one. But it’s still really really dangerous.” She paused to lock eyes with Cheerilee. “And if something Applejack was doing with it got her hurt… It might be best to just leave it alone.”

Cheerilee considered this. “I know it is,” she whispered. “But I can’t. I’m sorry, but… I need to do this. For her.”

Pinkie dipped her head in understanding. “Okay,” she said quietly. “Just… Be careful. I don’t want to lose you too.”

“I can’t believe this.”

Cheerilee turned around to find her old friend leaning against a tree. “I thought you weren’t interested in this, Yearly.”

Daring Do rolled her eyes. “You didn’t leave me a choice. You’ve set off every single magic watchdog on this side of Equestria and my sources won’t stop telling me about this stupidity!”

“Stupidity?” Cheerilee huffed. “I would’ve thought that you of all ponies would understand.” She flicked her tail and descended deeper into the cave, Daring following close behind.

“Understand what? That this is suicidal? These things take preparation and precision. You can’t just charge headfirst into something like this, arcane arts tend to throw a hissy fit when something tries to intervene.” Daring’s voice bounced off the walls, amplifying her aggression. “You’re better than this.”

Cheerilee hesitated, but only for a second.

“Please don’t tell me you’ve actually done anything with this yet.”

“Not yet,” Cheerilee muttered. “We’re still trying to figure out what exactly Applejack did with this lake.”

“Good. Who knows what sort of monstrosities are waiting for us,” Daring grunted as they entered the wide cavern.

“Hello!”

“Speaking of monstrosities. Great. It’s you.”

Night Glider laughed good-naturedly. “The mythical Daring Do. It’s nice to see you again!”

Daring just sighed dejectedly.

“I take it you two know each other?” Cheerilee asked.

“Don’t,” snapped Daring.

“You could say that,” said Night Glider. “Glad to have you on board, Miss Do!”

“Don’t mention it.” Daring stalked over to the water’s edge and looked inside. “Really? The Mirror Pool?”

Night Glider shrugged.

“I suppose it makes sense. Legends of the Western variety often mention a lake as a central theme…” Daring trailed off, quickly losing herself in thought.

…A face.

“Hm?”

Night Glider glanced at her. “What?”

“I… thought you said something,” Cheerilee said.

“No?”

A place.

Cheerilee looked around the cave. There was no noise save for the dripping of water echoing around the cavern. Nothing moved: even Daring herself stood stock still. “Then what was…”

A chase.

“There! You didn’t hear that?”

Daring blinked, snapping out of her calculations. “Huh?”

A waste.

Cheerilee took a half step backwards, eyes flicking from wall to wall. “Something’s… I hear a voice.”

A face. A place. A chase. A waste.

Night Glider stood, immediately alert. “What’s it saying?”

A face. A place. A chase. A waste.

“I… It’s not making sense.” Cheerilee spun around again. “Where is it coming from?”

“I knew this was a bad idea,” Daring said. “It could be anything, a curse, some fumes or gasses maybe… We need to get out of here.”

A face. A place. A chase. A waste.

Cheerilee backed up again as the voices swirled around her, growing louder and louder with each passing second.

Daring shouted something, but Cheerilee couldn’t hear it amidst the noise.

A FACE. A PLACE. A CHASE. A WASTE. A FACE. A PLACE. A CHASE. A WASTE. A FACE. A PLACE. A CHASE. A WASTE.

Staggering back, Cheerilee made out a hoof reaching towards her. Suddenly it lunged forwards and seized her, and Cheerilee found herself dragged below the depths .

Cheerilee broke through the water’s surface, gasping for air. She quickly paddled to the shore and hauled herself onto the grass, coughing and gasping for air. As she rubbed the water from her eyes, she quickly realized that something was wrong: the warmth of the sun was dancing across her back.

As her vision began to return, she found herself in a massive, sprawling forest, with the lake lapping at her hooves behind her. Trembling, she stood and looked around her. “Where… What is this place?”

It looked nothing like the Everfree. Plants and flowers covered nearly every surface of the ground, and strange looming trees thrust upward into the air. “The berries!” Cheerilee trotted over to a nearby bush, finding it rich with the very same berries Applejack had given her.

She was half-tempted to pop a few into her mouth but decided against it. “So she really did find it,” she whispered. “The Hidden Garden. Then… That means the legends are true?”

“A face.” A soft whisper came from nearby. Cherilee froze as a tall, earthy brown pony emerged from the brush, staring listlessly in her direction. “A place. A chase, a waste.”

Cheerilee’s heart began to pound as fear rooted her to the spot.

The pony turned away, but their voice still echoed as if she was right next to her.

Captivated, Cheerilee abandoned her precaution and began to follow them. A dirt path meandered through the brush, which seemed to bend and bow as she passed. A light breeze dipped in between the bushes, running through her mane.

All along, the figure never turned around to acknowledge her, repeating her mantra at an unusual cadence. “A face, a place, a chase, a waste. A face, a place, a chase, a waste.”

“Who are you?” Cheerilee whispered.

They didn’t reply.

As she continued to wander along the forest, Cheerilee began to feel a strange sense of warmth overtake her. It was a strange, twisted sense that she belonged here: that somehow, this was the place that she was meant to be. It made her heart flutter, but out of excitement rather than fear.

But that all decayed within a second.

“Where are you?” Cheerilee shuddered when a new voice echoed through the forest. “Where are you? Where are you?!”

The beautiful mare did not reply. If anything, she started trotting faster.

Cheerilee did the same.

The two tore through the forest, jumping over logs and dodging low-hanging branches. “Where are you? Where are you?” the question echoed constantly through the trees, drawing closer and closer.

She glanced behind her, but saw nothing. When she turned around to face the front she found that the mare she was following had vanished. Cheerilee came crashing to a halt as panic began to fill her.

“WHERE ARE YOU?!”

Cheerilee raced away in a full-blown sprint. The trees and flowers all looked the same, blurring past as she galloped through the woodland. Twice she nearly tripped, and each time the voice boomed a little closer to her.

With nowhere else to go but forwards, she crashed through the brush like an out of control locomotive. “Cheerilee!” Something slammed into her side, and she went tumbling to the ground, landing on her back in a field of grass.

She blinked a few times, dazed, as another pony on her right groaned. “What. Is. WRONG with you?!” Daring Do demanded through pants. “Didn’t you hear me telling you to stop?”

Cheerilee sat up as a laughing Night Glider sauntered over. “Didn’t think we’d have to tackle you! You were flying like a bugbear out of Tartarus.”

Cheerilee sat up, taking in the field of grass and flowers around them.

“This is the most brazen thing I’ve ever seen,” Daring complained. “We have no idea where we are or what the rules are.”

“It’s beautiful though,” Night Glider said in awe as she stared up at the wispy clouds above them.

“Deadly things often are.” Daring dusted herself off and glared at Cheerilee. “On your hooves, Cheer. We are leaving.”

Cheerilee didn’t respond, staring at the flower field despondently.

“Cheerilee?”

“Look.” She raised a hoof and pointed.

Every flower in the field had the shape of a stetson hat.

Traditional Mexicolt Folk Tales, collected and translated by Arcane Venture. Page 211, La Mareona.
Once upon a time there was a beautiful gardener who grew the best flowers in the world. But she often was upset that when the weather grew cold she was unable to grow her beautiful flowers.
“It is such a shame!” she lamented. “How can I support my daughter if I cannot grow in the winter?”
One night, she devised a plan: making a sacrifice of meat and incense, she made a prayer to El Bosque. “What is it that you so desire?” asked El Bosque.
“Honorable El Bosque, I seek a way to plant and grow in the cold,” said the gardener. “I want to grow my beautiful flowers whenever, and not be a victim to the sun and its whims.”
“You seek the gift of making life,” mused El Bosque. “That is a gift which commands a great sacrifice. Are you prepared to offer?”
“I am.”
“Very well. A life, for life. Grant me the body of your daughter, and I will give you the gift of life.”
The gardener was taken aback by this. She had been prepared to offer anything, save the beautiful face of her daughter, her one bright joy in the world. But as she considered El Bosque’s proposal, she began to realize that there was perhaps a way to outsmart him. “Very well,” she said. “I accept.”
El Bosque laughed and consumed the gardener in a plume of thick black smoke. When she emerged, she felt an unfamiliar sensation running through her hooves: like she could feel every little piece of the earth beneath her.
The gardener rushed to her daughter’s bed and found her lying still. She sobbed for only a second, but ran to her garden to test her idea. She raised a hoof and immediately, a bush full of roses sprouted from the ground.
With a cry of joy, she returned to her daughter and began to grow. When she put a hoof to her chest, she found that the tangles of life within were different. She began to pull and tug nonetheless, and was soon able to coax life from the shell beneath her.
But her joy faded to terror when her daughter sat up and began to scream. Her eyes were blank and listless, and their body writhed violently. They stood and left the hut, screaming and clawing at their own eyes.
The gardener attempted to give chase but quickly lost her daughter in the arriving fog. She wailed in pain as she realized what El Bosque had done and how he had tricked her. With tears trailing down her cheeks she stood and began to wander the land, searching for her daughter.
Some say that if you hear a wail in the rain tonight it is merely the gardener, hoping to reunite with her long lost love.

August

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August.

‘ Καλλίστη.’

The August heat put a damper on things as it often did. Cheerilee found herself swamped by lesson preparations and endless research, sifting through countless texts from both Daring’s personal library and Applejack’s notes.

The work was good though, in the sense it kept her busy. Daring had expressly forbid anyone from passing through the lake until she researched the potential risks involved, and Night Glider had been poking around various “sources” to try and learn whatever she could.

As for Strawberry…

Cheerilee hadn’t seen too much of that mare, which was likely a good thing. She wasn’t certain what role the mare had in Applejack’s death, but she remained convinced that it was non-zero.

Regardless, Cheerilee couldn't get her mind off of that strange mare she had seen in the garden. Who was she? What was she saying? Had Applejack seen her too? And… Why had the flowers been growing in the shape of her hat?

All questions with no answers. But the more Cheerilee read, the clearer the picture began to feel.

She was pulled from her musings by a knock on her door. “Coming!”

“I’m not getting any younger out here!”

Cheerilee froze as she recognized Strawberry’s voice from outside. Her fight or flight instincts kicked in, and she was half-tempted to race out the back door before taking control of them. Instead, she pulled the door open and put on her best smile. “Good morning Strawberry!”

“So it would seem,” Strawberry replied. “Can I come in? Or do you want to keep me out in the sun and watch me turn into a puddle?”

Cheerilee stepped aside and let Strawberry into her house.

“Phew. Scorcher out there. I never understand pegasi sometimes,” Strawberry said as she wiped her brow.

“What brings you by?” asked Cheerilee, eager to wash her hooves of her.

“Just wanted to do some fact checking, as our friend Miss Glider would say,” Strawberry said as she helped herself to Cheerilee’s couch. “I heard you ran into someone when you took a swim in the Mirror Pool?”

Cheerliee sat across from her uneasily. “Yes. I… Don’t know how to describe her.”

“Tall? Beautiful? Whispering to herself? Killer looks?” Strawberry guessed as she kicked her rear legs onto Cheerilee’s coffee table.

“You know who I’m talking about?”

“I don’t know anything about anything, honey,” Strawberry replied. “But I can take my best stab at it.”

Cheerilee looked down at the novels scattered around her table. “Was that… Was that the gardener?”

“Mm! Close but not quite.” Strawberry picked up a novel and thumbed through it. “I think that was our good friend Ingenue.”

“Ingenue?” echoed Cheerilee.

“You probably know her better as a daughter.”

Cheerilee scrunched her face in thought. “As in the chief’s daughter from the Applelachian story?”

“Bingo!” said Strawberry, using both her wings to point at Cheerilee. “You did your research, you’re definitely a teacher!”

Cheerilee just huffed. “How can you be sure?”

“Please, have you met me? I’ve never been wrong in my life!” Strawberry tossed her mane for dramatic effect. “But seriously. Ingenue in legends has always been described like that. Mysterious, beautiful, quiet. Always avoiding you. You’re more likely to run into her dad than her.”

Cheerilee sat up, remembering that booming voice which chased her. “The chief?”

“Yup! You’re two for two now, gold star. You’ll remember that most stories agree that the chief sold her out for magic. Word on the street now is that he regrets it and wants to find her, to get her back. Guessing Ingenue’s not too psyched about that.”

Where are you?

“I suppose that makes sense,” Cheerilee conceded. “I just… How do you know so much about these things?”

Strawberry shrugged, leaning back on the couch. “I just hear a few things here and there.”

“But… You’re a pegasus.”

Strawberry sighed. “Observant, aren’t you.” She was quiet for a second. “I’d say you wouldn’t believe this, but… We’re knee-deep in this already, so what the hay.” She took a deep breath and locked eyes with Cheerilee. “I wasn’t always a pegasus.”

An eerie silence filled the room. “Huh?”

“I wasn’t always a pegasus.” Strawberry flared her wings and glared at them in disgust. “I used to be an earth pony.”

Cheerilee stared, trying to get the gears in her mind to turn. “You… What?”

“I know. It’s why I don’t often tell ponies.” Strawberry snorted, folding her wings into her chest. “Look, a long time ago, I… I was in your horseshoes. Applejack’s too. I wanted to learn about these myths, wanted to make my magic better.” She paused, staring absently out the window. “And I guess someone didn’t take too kindly to that.”

“Who?”

“I dunno, but they told me to stop. Surprise surprise, I didn’t listen.” She shook her head sadly. “Slapped a pair of wings on me, and I was never the same. I’m jealous of you, y’know, same way I’m jealous of every other earth pony around here. You don’t know how natural your magic feels until you lose it.”

Cheerilee sat still, processing what she had just heard, until Strawberry stood up and sighed. “I’ll leave you be now.”

“Oh! Uh, yes. See you soon.”

Strawberry headed for the door but paused. “Because I know it’s on your mind… She didn’t know about me,” Strawberry said. “Nobody did, except for Night Glider I guess. I had nothing to do with her death.”

With that, Strawberry left and shut the door behind her.

When Daring answered the door, Cheerilee recognized that signature look of fanaticism in her eyes. “I finally got the archive to send over the first edition copies!” She disappeared without any further explanation.

Cheerilee sighed and stepped into her house. Daring was dressed half in her adventure attire and half in her A.K. Yearling outfit, looking very odd with her reading glasses perched on top of her pith helmet.

It was like watching a starved honey bee flit about an orchard. “I’m guessing you’ve decided it’s safe,” Cheerilee said dryly.

“Huh? Oh, no. There’s mountains of danger, hundreds of thousands of unknowns.” Daring stuck a pencil behind her ear and squinted at a piece of paper in her hoof. “But they’re dangers I can handle. You on the other hoof…”

“I can handle myself just fine!” Cheerilee huffed.

Daring looked up and laughed. “Nah. You’re, uh, too…” She tapped her chin. “Let’s go with pudgy.”

“Pudgy? Pudgy?!” Cheerilee marched over and stuck a hoof in Daring’s face. “Are you seriously calling me fat?!”

“I’m not!” Daring protested. “I’m just saying you’re… soft! Round edges. You’re not used to my line of work.”

Cheerilee gaped at her. “You… Just because I sit behind a desk all day? I’d like to see you try and handle a crying foal who’s just thrown up their lunch in the middle of August.”

Daring just rolled her eyes. “Lot different from dodging poison-tipped arrows. You need to have skills like I’ve got.” She looked around her table. “Where did I put my pencil?”

Cheerilee reached over and plucked the pencil from behind Daring’s ear and tapped it on her nose. “Skills, huh?”

Daring snatched it with an embarrassed scoff. “Shut up.”

“Sure, sure.” Cheerilee couldn’t help but laugh. “Gosh… It’s really been too long.”

“It has,” Daring admitted. “We really should go grab a coffee when this is all over.”

Cheerilee perked up at that. “Is that spot by campus still open?”

“Sure is. Some things never change at least.”

“Yeah…” Cheerilee sighed. “I still can’t believe she’s gone…”

Daring but a hoof on her shoulder. “Yeah. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.” A sadness fell upon her eyes. “It’s a lot to try and get through. Trust me, I know.”

“Daring, do you think we’ll ever find out who killed her?”

“I don’t know, Cheer. I don’t know.” The two sat down on the couch, and Cheerilee found herself fighting the urge to rest her head on Daring’s shoulder.

Daring looked at her sadly. “Hey, Cheer… I need you to answer me honestly. Me being here, right now… Is this helping? Or is it… Is it making things worse?”

She considered the question carefully. “I… I need you here, Yearly,” she eventually said, hoping that this was the truth. “I know what we had before makes this hard but… I need someone right now,” Cheerilee whispered.

Daring leaned in and wrapped her oldest friend in a hug.

Cheerilee hugged back and closed her eyes, trying to let the warmth consume her. A small twinge of guilt twisted in her gut as she thought of Applejack. She wasn’t sure if she should let it out or push it deeper.

Solstice/Eclipse: A Collection of Notes From a Former Royal Scribe, Ballad Blues. Page 552.
When Discord found out about Celestia’s deception, he tore into the surrounding lands with a fury. From his mind he forged a sinister device, taking the form of a beautiful golden apple, with a coat that shone as bright as her sun.
With a blast of magic he appeared in the throne room, just as Lord Bladesmith was about to finish his vows. Immediately the Princesses took defensive positions, and Celestia demanded that Discord leave.
“What, so soon?” replied the Lord of Chaos. “I merely wish to pay my respects to the bride and the groom!”
“Your presence is one that sullies these halls,” Luna declared. “Leave at once, else I shall separate your head from your body.”
Discord bowed to her command. “Very well, but before I leave: a gift.” He tossed the apple into the center of the room and smiled. “For the better sister.” With that, he vanished.
The crowd was immediately drawn to the strange fruit, and quickly Celestia realized that they awaited a verdict: to whom would the gift be bestowed upon?
She lit her horn and fired a blast of magic, and the apple quickly vanished. “We shall not entertain any object born from the Lord of Chaos,” she declared.
The crowd withdrew, disappointed, and Celestia returned to her throne and motioned for the proceedings to continue. She never knew that Luna watched and wondered: why had she not given her a fair chance? Why had she dismissed the question completely?
Those questions lingered in her mind for years to come, no doubt playing a part in that one fateful night many summers later.

September

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September.

‘A gift of Aphrodite.’

“Surely there has to be a better way,” Cheerilee muttered as she was pulled from the lake.

“Someone’s scared of getting a little wet,” Strawberry laughed as she tossed Cheerilee a towel.

Up ahead, Daring stood at the start of the path, staring intently into the forest. “I told her to wait,” she muttered. “Who knows where she’s gone off to now?”

Cheerilee looked around at the bustling Garden around them. “Any sign of them?”

“Nope,” Strawberry said, putting an extra pop on the ‘p.’ “We haven’t seen hide nor tail of Ingenue or that other guy.”

“She’s avoiding us,” Daring mused. “Beings like her don’t typically like being found.”

“Let’s get a move on, before Night decides to claim all the fame to herself,” Strawberry said, pushing past Daring to lead the way.

Daring just grumbled but motioned for Cheerilee to follow. Together, the three descended once more into the forest. Cheerilee had been into the Garden a few times in the past few months, but each time she still found that it took her breath away.

Fruits and berries of every shape, size, and color littered the branches around them. Plump red apples, bright purple grapes, pears, peaches, nectarines, plums, and hundreds of other things that she had never seen before sprawled as far as she could see.

The air was rich and sweet, and the leaves were crisp beneath their hooves. It was the perfect place for a pony like Applejack, she quietly thought.

“Over here!”

The three picked up the pace as they heard Night Glider’s voice from nearby.

“Strawberry… Any thoughts?”

“Holy…”

Cheerilee swore under her breath as she stared at the saplings in front of them. The bark was too smooth and the shape was too curvy. Their very positioning was unnatural, looking nothing like any kind of tree she had ever seen before.

“They look like ponies.”

That statement didn’t sit well with any of them.

“What is this?” asked Cheerilee.

“Four Divisions,” Strawberry muttered.

Daring raised an eyebrow. “The Coven Tale?”

“Has to be.”

“What’s that?” asked Night Glider.

Strawberry cleared her throat. “With places like these… Old earth pony covens used to say that they obey a rule of Four Divisions. Each Division is about three months, and by the end of the Fourth Division something expelled from this world will attempt to return.”

“So you’re saying something in here is trying to get out.” Night Glider sighed quietly. “That’s not good news.”

“We need to destroy them,” Daring said, stepping forwards.

“You can’t!” Strawberry said. “Unless you want to get annihilated by whatever considers themselves the god of this place.”

“If it’s trying to escape then we have to contain it to some degree,” Night Glider said. “We can’t destroy them. But we need to make sure nothing crosses over.”

“How do you recommend we do that?” Strawberry groaned.

“Wait!” Daring looked around, frowning. “Where did Cheerilee go?”

As the pegasi debated, Cheerilee turned around and stumbled towards the path they had come from. She felt sick: her vision was tilting and her balance was off. She collapsed to the ground and took several deep breaths, trying to quell her nausea.

That was when she heard it again.

“A face.” The voice was from nearby: not echoey and distant, but clear and quiet.

Cheerilee quickly climbed to her hooves. “Ingenue?”

“A place.”

She strode forwards, captivated, picking her way through the bushes.

“A chase.”

Then, reaching a clearing, she saw her.

“A waste.”

The mare was sitting on a rock, facing towards her. Slowly, she looked up, and Cheerilee was blinded by a pair of bright, golden eyes. “Hello,” she said.

Cheerilee stammered, unsure of how to really address such a goddess. “Are… Are you Ingenue?”

She nodded. “I have been called many things by our kind.” She gestured to the grass beside her. “Come. Sit.”

Cheerilee obeyed.

“You are like the other who passed through here,” Ingenue said. “Curious. Hopeful. Eager.”

“Applejack?”

Ingenue was quiet.

Cheerilee looked around them, seeing more stetson-flowers. “What happened to her?” she asked, not knowing if she dreaded hearing the answer.

“A face, a place, a chase, a waste,” Ingenue hummed. “Four divisions. That’s what they say, yes? Four chapters of a single story. The same through time, though the names and faces always change.” She paused to brush wisps of their mane from their face.

They stood, slowly, and Cheerilee realized that their back was made of a leaf covering, like a bush. Twigs and sticks stuck out of her body, and vines were intermixed with her mane. She was like a statue carved from nature.

“My lungs are made of stone. My heart is like a berry. My eyes, my eyes, my eyes… They can see what they have done to me.” Ingenue slowly turned to stare into the distance.

“Where are you?”

“You can see what they have done to me.” Slowly, Ingenue raised a hoof. Dirt and pebbles fell from the open crevices. “Do not let her do the same.”

Cheerilee’s heart began to beat a little faster. “Who?”

“The Gardener.”

“Where are you?”

Ingenue smiled sadly. “Leave.”

Cheerilee scrambled to her hooves as a twig crunched behind her.

“Cheerilee where are– Oh. There you are.”

She glanced behind her to see Daring emerging from the bush. “Can you stop running off like that?”

Cheerilee turned back to face Ingenue, but by the time she did, the rock was empty. In her place was a stetson-shaped flower, sprouting from the rocks.

[REDACTED] Incident, September [REDACTED]. Special Agent Night Glider. Transcription of Interview.
“Tell me what you saw.”
“I told those cops already, and I–”
“Hey, just breathe. It’s okay. I’m here to help, alright? I want to know what you saw.”
“I… I saw this pony. They were walking through the street with this cloak. I… I thought maybe they had some kind of helmet with horns on it, or maybe they were real horns. I don’t know.”
“Okay. What were they doing?”
“Just… Walking, I guess. I thought they were some drunkard so I went to get them off the street.”
“I see. Then what happened?”
“I came up to them and I just… I couldn’t see their face. There was a streetlight right above them but I just. I couldn’t see it.”
“It’s okay, here. Drink some water. So no face, you don’t know what he looked like?”
“That’s the thing! He didn’t look like anything! There was… There was nothing. I swear to you, there was nothing.”
“And you said he spoke with you?”
“Yes, it was… muffled. Like he was mumbling, but it was also echoing. Like we were in some really big hall or something.”
“What did he say?”
“I couldn’t make it out. Something about a place? Or a waste. I don’t know. And he kept asking ‘Where are you?’ Over and over again. ‘Where are you? Where are you?’ He said he was looking for something. And I just… I got scared. So I ran.”
“I see. Thank you, Mr. [REDACTED]. Was there anything else?”
“He… He left a trail of dirt behind him. Like it was falling off his body. And that smell…”
“What smell?”
“[REDACTED].”
Note: Information appears to align with data collected by previous agents. Recommend escalating to Threat Level Present until intentions can be determined. Recommend authorizing Special Response Force and exploring containment options for [REDACTED]. Will continue to investigate and update as more information is retrieved. Signed: SA Night Glider.

End Third Division.

October

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Fourth Division. A waste.

October.

‘Mālum. Mălum. Malum.’

“I swear, those Nightmare Night costumes get better year after year,” Daring mused, fiddling with her dress.

Cheerilee shook her head and laughed. “I told you. You could come out in your full safari gear and nobody would be any the wiser.”

“I dunno. That pith helmet is pretty hard to get right,” Daring said as she reached for the breadbasket.

The two were seated on the patio of Cheerilee’s favorite diner, enjoying the cool autumn night. It was a cozy place, with the waitstaff participating in the festivities with fun and simple Nightmare Night costumes.

It made for a nice reprieve from the recent events. Cheerilee crunched down on her salad and watched as three small ghosts charged past their table, towards Sugarcube Corner.

“I always forget how festive Ponyville gets,” Daring noted.

“It’s been less so lately, but yeah. Things have started to feel normal again. Almost, anyways.”

Daring was quiet for a second. “You still miss her?”

“I always am going to,” Cheerilee said. “But… I don’t know. It’s like I’ve finally started to heal.”

Daring beamed at that. “That’s great news. I’m glad to hear it. Here.” She raised her glass, and Cheerilee raised her own. “To the future.”

“To the future.” They clinked their glasses together and sipped.

The apple cider was rich and bubbly as it trickled down her throat. It wasn’t warm and thick like a berry, and it wasn’t as potent as Applejack’s secret stash, but for the first time in a long time, Cheerilee felt okay with that.

She nearly spilled her drink when someone bumped into their table.

“I’m sorry.”

“Ugh… It’s… quite alright,” Cheerilee said as she caught her breath, setting her glass back down on the table. Daring leveled the offender a solid glare.

“I’m sorry.”

Cheerilee blinked, trying to make out the figure’s face. They wore a hooded cloak that obscured their features, and their face seemed to be wrapped in some strange fabric. “Can we help you?” Daring asked.

The figure said nothing.

Cheerilee began to look around for their waiter.

“Malum.”

The word sent a chill down her spine. “W-What?”

“Malum,” they repeated. “Malum.”

Daring raised an eyebrow. “Who are you?” she growled.

The figure reached up and took tree apple slices from Cheerilee’s salad as Daring protested. They placed them in an unmistakable pyramid on the table. “You understand, yes? You want to know what happened to her?”

Cheerilee was still. Her mind told her to get up and run. To let Daring take care of whatever monstrosity this was beside her. To leave every memory of Applejack and the Garden behind, buried in a cave that nobody would ever go to. “Yes,” she said firmly.

“She found the Garden.” The figure spoke with the tone of claws on a chalkboard. “She seeked to know. To understand. But Malum, Malum, Malum. It spares no one.” The figure began to tremble, and Cheerilee noticed dirt slipping from their cloak’s sleeves. “She came to the Garden. She wanted to learn. To grow. But Malum. Malum, it would not let her leave with its fruits.”

Cheerilee felt a lump in her throat. “Someone in there killed her?”

The figure trembled with more intensity. “Malum, Malum, Malum.” They turned and began to trudge back towards the brush.

“Wait!” Cheerilee reached out and grabbed at their cloak. To her surprise, when she pulled it slid right off, and whatever was left beneath disintegrated into a pile of dirt. She blinked in surprise as a rich, earthy smell filled the air.

Daring and Cheerilee stared at each other, quiet and unmoving. A few minutes later, a waiter dressed as Princess Luna left a check on the edge of their table.

“Are you going to tell me this is a bad idea?”

Daring sighed quietly. “No, because I know you aren’t going to listen to me.”

“Then are you going to come along?”

“Again, no, because so far, you’re the only one of us who can see them. Must be your natural earth pony instincts.”

Cheerilee looked around the clearing, listening for any voices or signs of movement.

“Cheer, just… Please be careful,” Daring said, sighing and dipping her head.

“I promise, Yearly.” Cheerilee tried to muster a smile. “I promise.”

With that, the two exchanged a quick hug, and Cheerilee found herself alone in the forest. This time, there was no whisper or voice to lead her. No signs to follow. Just miles and miles of natural colors and plants to surround her.

She fished into her bag and took out a single plump berry. With a roll of her eyes she popped it into her mouth and chewed, letting the juices slide down her throat. It was a nearly sickening sensation, but the movement was automatic by that point. With that, she set off.

After nearly half an hour, she almost collapsed onto a set of rocks in exhaustion. With her stomach grumbling, she reached over to a low-hanging branch and plucked a few ripe berries. “I wonder if these ones are safe to eat…”

“Everything here is, my dear.”

She dropped the berries with a yelp as someone chuckled behind her.

“I didn’t mean to startle you. Please, help yourself. What grows in our Garden is yours.”

Cheerilee turned around to see a small green mare with closed eyes, a placid smile on her face. A bag was draped across her side, filled with flowers and fruits.

“Who are you?” she asked for what felt like the hundredth time.

“I am the keeper of this Garden,” said the mare.

The Gardener. The mare who seemed to be both a hero and a villain. A figure whose goals were unknown. Cheerliee suddenly wished that she had asked Daring to come with her.

“Do not be afraid,” the Gardener said, removing a large apple from her bag. “Please.”

Cheerilee’s eyes widened at the fruit. “Did you… Did you see her?”

“Ah.” A smile fell upon the Gardener's lips. “Your friend. She was such a kind soul, so excited to learn about what I had to offer. She was in tune with the earth, in a way that few are. I could feel her magic pulsing through her. It gave this place a life it has not had for a long time.”

Cheerilee swallowed hard as they spoke. “What happened to her?”

“There is evil hidden here, amongst the good.” The Gardener sighed. “Things that do not believe that our gift should be shared.”

Immediately she thought of the Forest God. Was he another character at play? Did he kill Applejack? Or did the Gardener?

“Have you met dear Ingenue?”

“Y-Yes,” Cheerilee whispered.

“Such a poor thing. But it is like your friend told me. One bad apple can not spoil the bunch.” She giggled quietly. “Your friend was very wise. She spoke of you.”

Cheerilee sat up straighter.

“She was so excited to show you.” The Gardener held up the apple, and Cheerilee saw that instead of a red or green, it was a deep shade of magenta… One that perfectly matched her own coat. The Gardener placed it in Cheerilee’s hooves with a sigh. “So wise, so powerful… It is a shame. I am truly sorry that she is gone.”

“...Thank you,” Cheerilee said. “I want to know what happened to her.”

“I wish I knew. But though I am the keeper of these grounds, I am not privy to everything that happens.”

Cheerilee considered this carefully. “How do I know that you aren’t lying to me?”

“Doubt is a weapon that one can learn to wield well.” Grass began to dance around the Gardener’s hooves. “But it is one that asks for caution. Many have doubted the Garden away, to the point where there was almost nothing left. They think our gift is a curse, for they do not understand it.” They looked up to stare into Cheerilee’s eyes. “Do you seek to understand?”

“I… What is the cost?”

The Gardener was quiet. “Knowledge requires sacrifice,” she said. “But not all are prepared to give it. Your friend was more than ready to, in the name of knowing. Others here are not as eager.”

Cheerilee weighed the apple in her hoof.

“What is your decision?”

“I’m sorry.”

Canterlot Police Archives, Evidence #99182, Archived by Detective Hardcase
The following is a note recovered from an unidentified pony suspect as being a part of the crew which raided a local archeology dig:
Caballeron,
I’ve stuck with you for this long, but I can’t do this anymore. You have to feel it too: we all have. There is something wrong with this artifact. I’ve watched you take dozens and I’ve kept my mouth shut because the money’s been good, but this?
Something is wrong with this one.
I talked about it with the boys and we all feel it. We all hear the whispers when we go to sleep at night, that endless, ceaseless chanting. It’s like something is living inside of this stupid pot, like that dirt is actually the ash of some demon wanting to kill us all.
I can feel it calling me, drawing me to somewhere! When I sleep, I dream of a forest hidden below a lake.
I can’t do this anymore. Straight Shot, Shallow Sea and I are leaving tonight. We’ll be gone by the team you read this.
Good luck.

November

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November.

‘Malus domestica.’

“Wake up.”

“Gah!” Cheerilee shot up in her bed to see Strawberry standing over her. “How did you get in?!”

“Stop screaming! We need–” Strawberry paused to deflect a thrown pillow with her wing. “We need to get to the cave. Now.”

“HOW DID YOU GET IN MY HOUSE?!”

“I came through your window. You should lock it next–” She ducked another pillow. “--Time. Now get up! We’re all waiting for you.”

Strawberry hopped off the bed and left the room without waiting for a response, leaving Cheerilee scrambling after her. The former earth pony briskly led the way down the path towards the lake, never once looking back to see if Cheerilee was keeping up.

“Would you just tell me what’s going on?” Cheerilee panted as Strawberry finally stopped next to the lake.

“See for yourself,” Strawberry said, unceremoniously throwing her into the lake.

Cheerilee barely got out a scream before she was yanked from the waters and dropped on the shore. “Finally!”

“You jerk!” Cheerilee gave Daring a shove, knocking her back into the lake.

“Terribly sorry about this,” Night Glider explained, “but you need to see this.”

Cheerilee looked around and quickly realized that something was wrong. The trees and bushes that had once grown several feet away from the lakeside were now right beside it: branches dipped into the water, and leaves and berries floated and bobbed about its surface. The garden was moving, and it was getting closer to the lake.

“It’s trying to escape,” Strawberry said. “Something is.”

Cheerilee just stared at the pony-like trees dotting the hill. Each one had their wooden appendages stretched out, towards the lake. The sight sent a chill down her spine.

Where are you? Called a voice from the forest.

Cheerilee began walking towards the forest, ears pinned down.

“Where are you going?” called Daring.

“To get some answers,” Cheerilee said.

Cheerilee was beginning to wish she brought her berries with her. The very thought of them made her mouth water, even though her stomach seemed to churn at the mention. She gritted on her teeth, wishing that she had something to chew on, but forced herself to press forward.

She didn’t have to wander long before she found someone.

The cloaked figure who had ambushed her at dinner was waiting beneath a large tree. “Malum, malum, malum,” they croaked as she approached.

“Who are you?” Cheerilee demanded to know. “What do you want? What’s happening to the Garden?”

The figure wheezed. “It wishes to spread. To grow.” They began to move their foreleg erratically, drawing sigils in the dirt. “Malum. It comes. It lied to us.”

“What is it?”

“Malum,” they said again, drawing three circles in a pyramid. “She tried to stop it.”

Cheerilee stared at them, aghast. “Applejack?”

“She couldn’t. Too strong. Malum, Malum.” The figure trembled, shaking dust and dirt from their cloak. “Where are you?” they whispered.

“You. You’re… You’re the Elder. The Village Chief.” Cheerilee stared as the figure slowly raised their head. Their eyes were black like coal chunks.

“Malum,” said the Elder. “Evil.”

“What?” Cheerilee asked, heart beginning to race. “What is evil?”

“Her.” A high-pitched humming began to echo from somewhere behind them. “She lied to us. Lied to me. A god with a false face. Malum, malum, malum.”

Leaves crunched and twigs snapped.

“The Gardener is the Forest God,” Cheerilee whispered.

“She wants to be free. She wants to escape.”

“I go by many names. My desires remain the same.” Cheerilee froze as the Gardener emerged from the brush, head swaying with the breeze.

The Elder continued to tremble, whispering quietly to themself.

“You did it,” Cheerilee said. “You killed Applejack.”

“You misunderstand. She was my prodigy. As important to me as she was to you.” The Gardener smiled sadly and lashed out with a foreleg, striking the Elder and knocking them to the ground. “But others here disagree.”

“Ingenue,” whispered the Elder. “Where are you? What have you done?”

The Gardener’s face flashed with anger as they struck him again. “Your daughter is weak. Pathetic. Afraid of my gift.” She looked up to glare at Cheerilee. “Are you, too?”

Cheerilee didn’t respond, too stricken by fear.

“Then you will die here like her.”

Before she could move, something slammed into the Gardener’s side, knocking them backwards. “Cheerilee!” shouted Daring as she dropped into a defensive stance. “Run!”

“But–” Before she could finish her thought, a set of hooves grabbed her from behind and began dragging her down the dirt path. The last thing she saw was Daring flying into a tree, landing on the ground and going limp as the Gardener screamed.

“Come on,” hissed Strawberry. “We need to get out of here.”

Their hooves thundered along the dirt as they scrambled back towards the lake. “Wait, what about Daring?”

“She’s buying us time,” Strawberry replied. “Now come on, before all of us die!” But as they rounded the next corner, Cheerilee found herself face to face with…

“Ingenue.” She paused, staring at the mare. “You killed her.”

Ingenue frowned. “A face. A place. A chase. A waste.”

Strawberry shoved her forwards. “Go, get out of here!”

Cheerilee obeyed, turning tail and running for the lake. Her heart roared in her ears as her hooves thundered against the soil, everything rushing past her in a massive blur. As she neared the lake she glanced behind her. Nothing was following.

But something was, however, rising from beneath the lake. Something blue and angry.

“YOU!”

Cheerilee skidded to a halt as a burst of rainbow began flying towards her. She came crashing to the ground, her breath sucked from her chest. “Rainbow… Wait–”

“You killed her!” Rainbow Dash snarled. “I’ve been trying to figure out what you’ve been up to. You took her here? Killed her here?” She slammed a hoof towards Cheerilee’s face, and she was only just able to block it with a foreleg.

“Rainbow, please!”

“YOU KILLED HER!” roared Rainbow, letting loose a flurry of punches. “You were supposed to protect her! I trusted you, she trusted you!”

Cheerilee did her best to block her blows, but Rainbow’s positioning made it difficult to do so. Luckily, Rainbow seemed so blinded by her rage that most of her attacks simply missed. Still, if she wanted to do serious damage, there wasn’t a doubt in Cheerilee’s mind that she could. “Please, Rainbow, let me go!”

Rainbow didn’t respond but continued her attack.

“I didn’t want this!” Cheerilee shouted. “I never did! I know I should have done something more, but I swear to you, I miss her just as much as you do!”

She squeezed her eyes shut as the pain continued to build.

“You have to believe me!”

The punches began to slow.

Cheerilee cracked open an eye and saw Rainbow standing over her, looking into the forest. Her eyes were wide and her jaw stuck open. She whispered something and began to back up. Then, with one last terrified glance at Cheerilee, Rainbow turned and dived back into the lake.

Coughing, she slowly staggered to her hooves and looked around, trying to see what had scared Rainbow off. But save for the distant rustle of leaves, there was nothing.

Unidentified Series of Documents, SMILE Archives. Nothing about this document is known.
Exhibit One:
She was getting too close. I had to stop her.
Her magic, her sense, it is stronger than any who have come before. We underestimated her. I underestimated her. We watched as she spent days in the forest. She almost found the cave and the lake. I couldn’t let that happen. She knows too much. I had to sever her connection.
I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry
I gave her wings.
Exhibit Two:
Sister Pink Lotus has been expelled for her heretical actions. We have gone too far. The coven must remain dormant for the foreseeable future. Do not return to the cave, do not return to the forest. Ingenue save us.

December

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December.

‘Applejack.’

Cheerilee stood at the lakeside, alone. A paper bag full of berries sat in her hooves. All around her, the Garden was completely still. There were no signs of life from anywhere other than her.

Slowly, she turned the bag upside down. The berries tumbled down and splashed into the water, bobbing up and down. With a deep breath, she looked up at the sky, where plumes of smoke were spiraling up into the air.

Someone gasped as they rose from the water beside her. “Didn’t think you’d come back,” Strawberry said, shaking herself like a dog to air out her mane.

“I didn’t want to.”

“What, scared Rainbow’s going to attack you again?” Strawberry snorted. “I don’t think you have to worry about her. Twilight gave her an earful.”

Cheerilee began walking towards the forest. “It’s not her I’m worried about.”

“Mm. Those two have been at war ever since we left,” Strawberry said.

A vision of Daring lying in a hospital bed flashed through her mind. “Then we have to stop them.”

“How?”

“You tell me. You’re the ‘expert’ here,” Cheerilee replied.

Strawberry shook her head. “I don’t know what we can do about any of this. Ingenue isn’t going to let the Gardener get what she wants.”

Cheerilee didn’t answer, and slowly began to walk.

“What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “But we’ve got to try something.”

“Where are you? Where are you? Malum, Malum, Malum.”

Cheerilee paused, watching as the Elder trembled against a tree.

“Malum, Malum, Malum,” they muttered, hacking and coughing.

“Your daughter.”

The Elder looked up.

“Ingenue. You sacrifice her for magic,” Cheerilee whispered. “Why?”

The Elder shook their head. “A mistake. A lie… My fault. We needed to live, to survive. I never thought… I never thought that life from death is no better than death itself.” They trembled again.

“This magic… It is beautiful,” Cheerilee said. “But what the Gardener did… What she’s trying to do…” She shuddered and shook her head. “I can see why your daughter wants to stop her.”

“Malum,” whispered the Elder. “Too late. Nothing can.”

“It isn’t,” Cheerilee insisted. “It hasn’t crossed through the lake yet.”

The Elder considered her carefully. “The things that grow here… They encompass all. This is the magic, raw and untapped. Do you understand?”

Cheerilee raised an eyebrow. “Huh?”

The Elder pointed towards the bush. “It consumes. It replaces. It grows. Do you understand?”

Cheerilee followed their hoof and realized he was pointing at one of the stetson-shaped flowers, resting on top of a pony-like tree trunk. “...Growing a pony?”

“Ingenue,” pressed the Elder. “Malum.” They drew three circles in the sand. “Malum.” They said again.

Cheerilee sighed, looking up at the sky. She heard the Gardener scream in the distance. “It isn’t too late to make it up to her,” she said.

The Elder was still for a few seconds more, but eventually they began to move. Swiftly, they picked their way through the forest, with Cheerilee following close behind.

Soon they reached a clearing, charred and burned. The Elder drew to a halt. “Ingenue!” they cried.

“Leave,” came a bellowed reply, as Ingenue came crashing through the forest.

“It’s too late for you,” said another voice, as the Gardener emerged from across them. “They will know. They will all know.”

Cheerilee watched as the Elder slowly removed their hood, staring at the Gardener. “Malum, Malum, Malum,” they whispered, as their body began to glow.

Shielding her eyes with the back of her foreleg, Cheerilee slowly began to back away. There was a massive burst of light, throwing her to the ground. Scrambling to her hooves she darted away, a pained scream echoing from behind her.

When she reached the lake, Night Glider was waiting for her. “We need to seal this off, now,” she instructed. “Nothing from here can cross over to Equestria.”

“Yes, I know…” she trailed off, thinking on what the Elder had said. “Oh… Oh no.”

“What?”

Cheerilee shoved past her and charged into the water, quickly submerging herself.

She tore through the cave and out of the Everfree, charging through the streets and past the schoolhouse. She began to hear it as she drew closer to her house: a dull, echoing scream that was drawing a crowd.

Cheerilee ran through her house and into the backyard, feeling her heart drop.

The sapling she was growing was gone now: in its place was a shivering, pony-like mass made of wood and flower. Something that looked almost like Applejack.

It looked up with hollow yellow eyes and locked its gaze onto her.

Slowly, it opened its mouth. And once more, it screamed.

January

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January.

‘I’m sorry.’

“A lot of ponies have questions for you.”

Cheerilee didn’t answer, staring out the screen door towards her backyard.

Night Glider rubbed her chin. “I get you need space, but you can’t keep hiding this forever. Cat’s already well out of the bag.”

“So what are you suggesting we do?” Daring muttered. “We can’t exactly just pretend that nothing is wrong here.”

“I don’t know. But we need to start having this conversation. The longer it sits…” Night Glider shook her head. “I don’t even want to start thinking of the consequences.”

“Can’t you stop acting so bureaucratic for one second?”

“I’m being realistic. We need to start talking about solutions. This is more than a breach, this is a loose end.”

“Well it’s not like we can just give it back, so do you have any other ideas?”

The garden was gone now, try as they might none of them were able to return to it, as submerging in the lake failed to bring them to the other side.

Cheerilee ignored them both and opened the door, stepping out onto her porch. Strawberry was there, staring at the porch swing that rested behind the wooden railing. “Hasn’t moved once,” she noted. “Just sits there. Stares.”

“I know,” Cheerilee whispered.

Strawberry sighed quietly. “What are you going to do?”

Cheerilee didn’t reply. Slowly, she began to approach the swing.

A mess of wood, leaves, and plantlife sat on it. Empty eyes stared out at the backyard, nothing shining behind them.

It was unnatural. Like a facade of something long gone.

Cheerilee looked to her left. A woodcutting ax was leaning against the wall. She picked it up, weighing it in her hooves, before approaching the swing. Carefully, she lowered herself onto the seat next to the creature.

The creature didn’t acknowledge her presence at all.

Cheerilee lay the ax across her lap and stared at the thing that was almost Applejack.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Malum, malum, malum,” she whispered quietly.

Hours later, it began to snow.

The Long Year

by The Red Parade

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

January