Everfree was terrifying, even in broad daylight. The thick overhang of the trees cast shadows across the forest, sometimes so thick that you may as well be stumbling around at night. Applebloom held a flashlight, Scootaloo had a flare ready, and Sweetie Belle nervously held a pair of scissors she'd taken from her sister's boutique. Every little noise made them jump as they wandered down the path, beginning to realize what a terrible idea this was.

-.-.-

"Applebloom, it's time to wake up, sleepyhead!"

Applejack trotted down the hall, a small smile on her face as she entered her little sister's room, expecting to see the small filly fast asleep in her bed. What she saw instead was an empty bed and her heart began to pound.

"Applebloom?!" Applejack began to run around the house and the fields, shouting her sister's name. "APPLEBLOOM!"

As Applejack shot back into the house, panic written all over her face, the phone rang (one of those wall landlines from the 90's, probably the most technology the ponies need). Gasping in a breath, Applejack bucked the phone off the cradle, holding it to her ear. Before she could say anything, Rarity's hysterical voice began sobbing through the speaker.

"Applejack, do you know where Sweetie Belle is? I can't find her anywhere! Is she at your house? Please tell me she's at your house!"

"She's not here, neither is Applebloom," Applejack replied, beginning to feel truly terrified, fighting back tears. It wouldn't do any good if they were both hysterical. "Rarity, calm down. Think. Where would the girls go?"

Rarity sniffled. "D-Did you check their treehouse?"

Applejack almost smacked herself. Why hadn't she thought of that? "You know what sugarcube, ah didn't. You sit tight, ah'll go check, then call ya back."

Before Rarity could reply, Applejack hung up, then bolted out the door, running to the small treehouse in a cloud of dust. Please be there. Please be there. Applejack thought frantically, hoping that this was all just a big mistake, that the girls had ended up falling asleep and they'd all be able to laugh about it. Sucking in a breath, Applejack peeked into the clubhouse, resisting the urge to burst into tears when she saw nopony inside. She saw a sheet of paper on the floor and trotted over to it, gazing down at it in horror.

Operation Everfree!

Look for Tirek in Everfree! Supplies needed:

Flare gun

Flares

Flashlights

Extra batteries

A weapon (Sweetie Belle got scissors)

On the verge of hysteria, Applejack ran back into the house, hitting the redial button on the phone (which had been hanging from the cord), Rarity picking up before the first ring was even done.

"Were they there?" she asked, sounding desperately hopeful.

Applejack's silence was more than enough of an answer for the fashionista, and the unicorn burst into wailing sobs once again.

"S-Sugarsube…" Applejack choked out. "I… I know where they are—"

"Thank Celestia—!"

"Rarity… they're in Everfree, looking for Tirek…"

A long pause, then Rarity let out a sudden shrill scream of horror right into the phone that made Applejack's poor ear feel like it was bleeding, then there was a dull thump, and Applejack knew that she'd fainted. And for once, she couldn't blame her.

-.-.-

"Guys…" Sweetie Belle whined timidly. "It's getting scary. Can we please go home?"

"Just a little longer," Scootaloo replied. "You can go back and wait in the treehouse if you're scared, Sweetie Belle. We won't blame you."

"I'm not walking back alone!" Sweetie Belle squeaked.

"It's okay Sugarcube. Just stick close to me." Applebloom said around the flashlight she held in her mouth, and Sweetie Belle took up the offer immediately.

There was a quiet shuffling of leaves to their right and Applebloom turned the flashlight beam in the direction of the noise, illuminating a huge red figure. Scootaloo yelped, accidentally pulling the trigger of the flare gun.

-.-.-

Out of all the things Tirek had expected to run into in Everfree, fillies was not one of them. He'd seen the nervous trio and was just waiting for the morons to get mauled by a bear when he ended up knocking over a small pile of leaves accumulated from the tree they'd been shed from. The girls turned toward him with fear in their eyes, then the Pegasus in the group pulled the trigger of a strange red gun. Tirek hadn't been sure what to expect of the device (he hadn't seen a gun in centuries, and never one that looked like this), which meant he was even more surprised to hear a loud pop! and see a bright red light flying towards him.

Before he could react, the flare hit Tirek in the face, just above his left eyebrow, shooting up his face, grinding a gouge in his skull and cutting a deep gash along his forehead that oozed blood and burned both the wound and the skin around it. Blinded and in horrible pain, Tirek howled and clutched his head as blood gushed into his eye, tinting his blurry vision red. The wound and the the charred flesh was completely numb and the flesh that hadn't been burned away had the texture of a mushy and flakey banana, feeling like the exposed nerve ends were being doused in acid when touched. Forcing his eyes open, he heard another pop, then an explosion above his head.

"RUN!"

-.-.-

Applejack had just assembled a search party to find the missing fillies when the flare exploded in the air, lighting up the sky. Not thinking twice, Applejack burst into a run, Rarity right behind her, both ponies shrieking their sisters' names.

-.-.-

A fireball whizzed over the girls' heads causing a small explosion in front of them. The fillies veered left, only to collide with the furious centaur's legs. Those demonic glowing yellow eyes glared down at them and Tirek raised a hand, preparing another fireball. Scootaloo suddenly felt angry, knowing his intentions. If she was gonna go down this way, she was going down with a fight to protect her friends. Her tiny wings stretched out and gave a mighty flap, propelling her into the air.

"For Discord!" she yelled, swinging her hips forward the buck Tirek in the mouth, sharp teeth cutting her small hooves.

Scootaloo would like me to tell you that she landed gracefully like the cyan Pegasus she idolized would, but this was her first time flying, so she didn't know how exactly to execute a proper landing, and so landed flat on her face, but she still got up, snorting as she readied herself to fight, standing protectively in front of her friends. Tirek spat out a broken tooth, ready to incinerate these pests once and for all. Sweetie Belle's horn glowed a bright blue, sparks flying. Small rocks were encased in the same aura, flying in Tirek's general direction.

"Applebloom!"

"Sweetie Belle!"

The girl's gasped upon hearing their sister's calls and Tirek took the opportunity to hurl another fireball. Screaming, the girls scattered, the fireball exploding and catching the forest on fire. Coughing, the girls ran for it, bolting in the general direction of their sister's voices as more of the foliage went up in flames. Applebloom suddenly felt teeth clamp onto the nape of her neck, lifting her. She screamed and struggled, only to realize that it was Applejack, immediately relaxing. Sweetie Belle was picked up in the same manner by Rarity, who also lifted Scootaloo with her magic, and the mares bolted, making it out of the forest.

As the girls were dropped, they were immediately coddled by their sisters.

"Oh ma Celestia Applebloom! Are ya hurt?! Are ya okay?!" Applejack asked breathlessly, checking her sister for any wounds.

"Ah'm fine." Applebloom replied, just as breathless and shaken.

Applejack sighed. "Good. Now…" she suddenly took Applebloom by the ear, beginning to drag her back to the farm. "What were you thinking?!"

As Sweetie Belle was also dragged away by her hysterical sister, Scootaloo sighed, glancing back into the flaming woods that several ponies were now trying to keep under control. Gulping, she galloped back into town, toward home.