//------------------------------// // November // Story: The Long Year // by The Red Parade //------------------------------// 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.