My Little Pony--Ponyville Mysteries--Schoolhouse of Secrets Read online

  Copyright

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  HASBRO and its logo, MY LITTLE PONY and all related characters are trademarks of Hasbro and are used with permission. © 2017 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved.

  Cover design by Christina Quintero. Cover illustration by Franco Spagnolo.

  Hachette Book Group supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

  Little, Brown and Company

  Hachette Book Group

  1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104

  Visit us at lb-kids.com

  mylittlepony.com

  First Edition: July 2017

  Little, Brown and Company is a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc. The Little, Brown name and logo are trademarks of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

  The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.

  ISBNs: 978-0-316-43168-2 (pbk.), 978-0-316-43169-9 (ebook)

  E3-20170524-JV-PC

  Contents

  COVER

  TITLE PAGE

  COPYRIGHT

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  EPILOGUE

  PROLOGUE

  The Pony stared out the window at the quaint cottages spread out below. Ponyville was small. Much smaller than from where The Pony had traveled. The large and tacky castle nearby was clearly a later addition and, in The Pony’s opinion, stuck out like a sore hoof. But then, the princesses of Equestria were never known for being subtle.

  However, it was the endless forest beginning at the very edge of town that truly held The Pony’s attention. This was why The Pony had uprooted everything to move to this backcountry village. The Everfree Forest contained secrets yet to be discovered. Ancient secrets. Dangerous secrets. Secrets that would make the pony who uncovered them very powerful. And now, here The Pony was, living just a few short steps away.

  It was time to get started.

  CHAPTER ONE

  It was another typically perfect morning in Ponyville. The sun shone brightly as ponies, Unicorns, and Pegasi bustled about. They opened their shops, ran early-morning errands, and generally got their days started. Some of the younger members of Ponyville rushed through town toward the Schoolhouse. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo trotted alongside one another, just like they did every morning. Apple Bloom usually talked nonstop the entire way to school, but not today. Scootaloo smacked her with a wing.

  “Spill it!” she ordered.

  “What?” Apple Bloom asked.

  “You’re really quiet this morning,” Sweetie Belle explained. “You not talking? That’s weird.”

  “It’s nothin’!” Apple Bloom said casually. Snips and Snails rushed past them toward the Schoolhouse.

  “Mornin’, Crusaders!” Snips called. “Hey, Apple Bloom! Sweetie Belle! Tell your sisters they are awesome!”

  “We will!” Sweetie Belle called back. Apple Bloom sighed. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle glanced at each other.

  “Sister stuff,” Scootaloo said. Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement. Scootaloo turned to Apple Bloom. “Okay, what’s up?”

  Apple Bloom stopped walking and turned toward her best friends. “What are we doin’ with our lives?” she asked. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo stared at her.

  “Right now we’re going to school,” Sweetie Belle responded.

  “What do you think we should be doing?” Scootaloo asked.

  Pip hurried past them, awkwardly dragging a schoolbag that was much too big for him. “Cheerio, ponies! Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, tell your sisters top-notch job!”

  Apple Bloom gritted her teeth.

  “This is about Applejack, Rarity, and that Manticore, isn’t it?” Sweetie Belle asked. Apple Bloom nodded. A few days ago, Rarity and Applejack were returning from a friendship mission for Princess Twilight Sparkle when the Friendship Express was attacked by a crazed Manticore. Of course, the two of them rushed to the rescue, saved a bunch of ponies, figured out what the misunderstanding was, befriended the creature, and saved the day. It was all anypony in Ponyville could talk about.

  “What? You wish they didn’t defeat the Manticore?” Sweetie Belle asked.

  “Of course not,” Apple Bloom said defensively.

  “Are you afraid Applejack is gonna like the Manticore more than you? Invite him to live in your room?” Scootaloo asked, grinning.

  “No!” Apple Bloom said, laughing.

  “Oooh. I bet the Manticore can buck so many more apples than you!” Sweetie Belle giggled. “If I were you I’d be really worried!”

  “I’m not worried!” Apple Bloom exclaimed. “I’m just wonderin’ what’s next for the Cutie Mark Crusaders.”

  “What do you mean?” Scootaloo asked.

  “Well, it just seems like there’s gotta be something more out there for us to do.” It was the first time Apple Bloom had expressed her concern out loud.

  “We’ve been helping other ponies figure out their cutie marks,” Sweetie Belle answered. “After all, we’ve had plenty of experience with that!”

  “I know, and don’t get me wrong. I love that our cutie marks are all about helpin’ other ponies with their cutie marks.” The Crusaders examined their cutie marks. Each of them had a matching shield with a different symbol inside. Apple Bloom had a heart inside an apple, Sweetie Belle had a music note inside a star, and Scootaloo had a lightning bolt inside a wing. They were the only ponies they knew in Equestria to have cutie marks that matched this way. “But don’t y’all wish it was a bit more… exciting sometimes?”

  “Exciting sounds like another word for dangerous,” Sweetie Belle admitted.

  “You know I’m always up for an adventure,” Scootaloo said. “But think about it. We didn’t get our cutie marks until after we stopped looking for them, right? Maybe some big adventure will pop up when we least expect it to!” Apple Bloom considered that as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon came trotting up behind them.

  “Morning, Crusaders!” Diamond Tiara called in her singsongy voice. “Did you hear—”

  “Yes!” Apple Bloom yelled. “We know all about my sister and Rarity and the Manticore!” Everypony stared at Apple Bloom, who blushed brightly.

  “Sorry ’bout that,” she muttered.

  “What I was about to say before I was interrupted,” continued Diamond Tiara, “was, ‘Did you hear about the family that moved into that old house up on Horseshoe Hill?’ There’s a new filly starting school today and nopony knows anything about her except me!”

  CHAPTER TW
O

  “My mother heard that her whole family moved here from Trotsylvania,” Diamond Tiara explained as they approached the Schoolhouse. She hadn’t stopped talking about this new family since she had joined the Crusaders on their walk. “My father says they must be pretty well-off to have bought that house. It’s huge!”

  “I wonder why they moved here,” Apple Bloom said. It had been a while since anypony new had come to Ponyville.

  “Hey! Maybe we should give the new student a nice, warm welcome!” Sweetie Belle suggested. “Show her how nice it is here in Ponyville?”

  “That’s a great idea!” Scootaloo chimed in. “And who better to welcome her than the Cutie Mark Crusaders! Right, Apple Bloom?”

  Apple Bloom grinned. A Cutie Mark Crusaders welcoming committee might not be the same as saving a train full of ponies from a Manticore, but it would certainly make this new student’s day better!

  “Sure,” she agreed. “Let’s go meet this new pony and show her what Ponyville has to offer!” The school bell rang and the ponies hurried toward the Schoolhouse.

  “Okay, students! Hurry up!” Miss Cheerilee called from the doorway. “We’ve got a big day planned!”

  Apple Bloom rushed up the stairs behind Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. There was a buzz of activity as everypony bustled around the room, chatting and joking. Apple Bloom scanned the room but didn’t see anypony aside from the ones she already knew. The hustle and bustle of the room suddenly came to a complete stop. Apple Bloom looked around to see why the students were suddenly so quiet. They were all staring in the direction of the door to the Schoolhouse. Apple Bloom followed their gazes and saw the new student, standing quietly and observing them.

  She was a lavender-coated Unicorn. Her bright-blue mane had white streaks in it, as did her tail. Her piercing violet eyes glared out at everypony staring back at her. On her flank was her cutie mark, a spell book under a bright moon with lightning and smoke surrounding it. Diamond Tiara leaned over to Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo.

  “I know you all are the experts, but that cutie mark looks pretty ominous to me,” she whispered. Apple Bloom didn’t disagree, but she knew from experience that not every cutie mark meant what it seemed at first glance. You should never judge a book by its cover. Even if it has a creepy-looking cover.

  Apple Bloom glanced at Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, who seemed a little less excited about being the Ponyville Schoolhouse welcoming committee now that they had gotten a look at the new student. Apple Bloom cleared her throat to get their attention.

  “Okay, y’all. Let’s say hey!” Apple Bloom trotted over to the new student, trusting her friends to follow. The new student gazed at Apple Bloom, who smiled back and held out her hoof.

  “Hey there! Welcome to Ponyville. I’m Apple Bloom. These are my friends, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.”

  “Hi,” the new pony said without smiling as she studied the Crusaders. Apple Bloom thought she saw the pony’s piercing eyes linger on their matching cutie marks.

  “We call ourselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders,” Apple Bloom continued, “because… well, that’s a long story. But we wanted to welcome you to Ponyville!” Apple Bloom glanced at Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, nodding at them to introduce themselves.

  “Nice to meet you…” Scootaloo paused, waiting for the pony to introduce herself. “Um, do you have a name?”

  “Lilymoon,” the Unicorn said coolly. She brushed past the Crusaders and took a seat at a desk, completely ignoring everypony in the room.

  “Well,” Sweetie Belle said, letting out a big breath. “She’s sure friendly.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  The school day passed quickly and uneventfully. Miss Cheerilee had just as little success engaging Lilymoon as the Crusaders did. Aside from repeating her name and stating that her family was from Trotsylvania, she remained silent the whole time.

  Pip, Diamond Tiara, and a few others tried as well, but she would just stare at them with her piercing eyes and walk away. Determined to be friendly, Apple Bloom tried one more time at the end of the day. She headed over, planning to ask how Lilymoon’s first day went, but the moment class was dismissed, Lilymoon jumped up and left quickly. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon joined Apple Bloom on the steps of the Schoolhouse and watched Lilymoon hurry away.

  “We’re all trying our best to be welcoming,” Diamond Tiara huffed, “but if a pony doesn’t want to be friends with anypony else, far be it from me to force her!” Silver Spoon nodded in agreement and they both trotted off.

  “Oh well.” Scootaloo shrugged as she hopped down the Schoolhouse stairs. “Guess you can’t make friends with everypony. What are we gonna do this afternoon?”

  Apple Bloom had an idea. They could go the clubhouse and hang out just like they did yesterday and the day before and the day before. Back when they didn’t have their cutie marks, they would spend hours making lists and coming up with schemes. But lately, they just hung out, discussed what had happened at school that day, and then headed home. At least Lilymoon was something new and different. Apple Bloom wondered why a pony would act so standoffish when they were all so obviously trying to make her feel welcome.

  “You think maybe she just misses her friends back home?” Apple Bloom asked the others.

  “Lilymoon?” Scootaloo laughed. “With an attitude like that, what makes you think she has any friends back home?”

  “She gave me the creeps,” Sweetie Belle added. “The way she stared at us? Spooky.”

  “Maybe things are different in Trotsylvania,” Apple Bloom countered. “Maybe starin’ at ponies is the way they say hello?”

  “Why are you trying so hard to defend her?” Scootaloo asked.

  Apple Bloom thought for a moment. “I dunno,” she answered honestly. “I guess I’m just trying to figure her out.”

  “Well, just ask her,” Sweetie Belle suggested.

  “I don’t think she’s gonna be any more talkative tomorrow,” Scootaloo said.

  “No,” Sweetie Belle said, “I meant ask her right now.” She pointed. “Look!”

  Apple Bloom and Scootaloo both looked and saw Lilymoon sneaking down a path leading out of Ponyville directly toward the Everfree Forest! The Crusaders hid behind a bush and quietly watched her. Lilymoon peered around to make sure nopony was watching and then carefully stepped over the roots of a large tree into the dark woods.

  “Why is she going into the Everfree Forest?” Sweetie Belle whispered.

  “Well, there’s one way to find out!” Apple Bloom whispered back. “Come on!”

  “Why do we even care what the new pony is doing?” Scootaloo groaned.

  Apple Bloom didn’t answer. She leaped over the roots of the large tree and followed Lilymoon into the Forest. She caught a glimpse of a blue tail with a white streak disappearing behind some trees.

  “This way, y’all!” she whispered. The others rushed after Apple Bloom, deeper into the Forest.

  They tried their best to follow Lilymoon. But she was quick for a pony who had never explored the Everfree Forest before. After a few minutes, they accepted the fact that she was long gone.

  “Why would a new pony go rushing off by herself into the Everfree Forest?” Apple Bloom wondered aloud. “What is she doing out here?”

  “What are we doing out here?” Sweetie Belle asked, looking around the Forest. “It’s gonna be dark soon.”

  “Yeah, are we done now?” Scootaloo asked.

  “Crusaders,” Apple Bloom said, turning to the others with a huge grin on her face, “somethin’ mysterious is goin’ on, and we’re gonna find out what!”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  The next morning, Apple Bloom was determined to get some answers out of Lilymoon.

  “We were being ‘polite friendly’ yesterday,” Apple Bloom explained as they headed toward the Schoolhouse, “but today we’re gonna get serious about being nice.” Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo exchanged looks.

  “You sure seem awful concerned abo
ut Lilymoon,” Scootaloo observed.

  “Well, it’s like you said,” Apple Bloom replied after considering for a second. “Maybe Lilymoon is the thing that came along when we least expected it. Maybe figurin’ this out is something only we can do!”

  “Do you maybe think you might be overreacting?” Sweetie Belle asked. “All we really know is she’s kinda mean and wandered into the Everfree Forest. That’s not that strange.”

  “I’m not overreactin’! I just think we should get to know more about her before something strange does happen.” Apple Bloom walked up the steps of the Schoolhouse and stopped in her tracks.

  “Uh. We might be a little late,” Scootaloo said.

  The inside of the Schoolhouse was an absolute disaster. Somepony had smeared paint all over the walls; stacks of books towered over the ponies, waving precariously back and forth but never quite tipping over; and all the desks and chairs were stuck to the ceiling! It looked like the Crusaders were the last ones to arrive. All the other students were pointing and talking over one another about the state of the classroom. Apple Bloom glanced around quickly, looking for Lilymoon. She saw her over in the corner by herself, observing the mess. Apple Bloom couldn’t quite read her expression.

  “Okay, let’s all calm down,” Miss Cheerilee announced, looking anything but calm. “Everypony take your seats, and we’ll get to the bottom of this.”

  “Uh, Miss Cheerilee?” Snails motioned to the ceiling where all the seats in the classroom were currently stuck. Miss Cheerilee let out an exasperated sigh.

  “Oh. Right. Okay, everypony just sit in the middle of the classroom and don’t touch anything. I’m going to run and find Starlight Glimmer or Zecora or… somepony who can deal with… all this.” As soon as Miss Cheerilee was gone, the ponies gathered in the center of the room and tried guessing what could have possibly happened.

  “You think this is some kinda prank?” asked Silver Spoon.

  “Well, if it ith, who did it?” demanded Twist.

  “Forget who,” said Scootaloo. “How did they do it?”