It took two hours for Coltstein to finally reach his destination in a very secluded area. The area was miles from civilization, in a closed off forest area, that was impossible to find, unless you had the directions provided by the actual pony. Coltstein was surprised, even though he had expected the home to be in a hidden area, but nothing like this. It was clear that this pony did not want to be disturbed by anypony, unless you were given permission.
Coltstein payed the the cab pony an extra two-hundred bits to remain in place, while he took care of his business. He had plenty of money to spare, so paying extra to find out information on the creature attempting to kill his patient was only a fair price. Coltstein walked up to the house, and knocked on a door with some sort of scripture forged into the wooden door. He stood back, not knowing how this pony would react to him, so to be safe, he placed his hoof near his handgun, just in case.
He listened, as he heard a series of locks being unlocked on the other side of the door, until it finally opened, revealing a pony dressed in religious clothing, holding out a cross.
"Who are you, and what do you want?" asked the pony.
"I'm Detective Coltstein," replied the doctor. "We spoke on the phone about a demon named "Annie."
The pony lowered the cross, and signalled for Coltstein to enter quickly. Coltstein followed the pony's direction, and walked to the doorway, only to be stopped by the pony.
"Hold on, I sense Annie with you," said the pony, grabbing a bottle of some sort, and spraying Coltstein from head to hoof.
The smell of the liquid was horrid, causing the doctor to cough.
"What in Equestria is that?!" he asked through his coughing.
"Natural herbs that will keep you safe from Annie, until you leave," replied the pony, pulling Coltstein inside, and shutting the door quickly.
Inside, the walls were covered with crosses, pictures of religious items, and some religious items that Coltstein had never seen before. There were also candles lit with a circle of salt around the bases of them, a radio playing quotes from the Equestrian Bible, and Equestrian Bibles stacked from the floor to the ceiling. It was clear that Coltstein had come to the right pony.
Once all the locks on the door were locked, the pony turned to Coltstein, standing within the narrow hall.
"So, you want answers to the demon that possesses both you and your filly patient?" asked the pony in a raspy voice.
"Yes. She's in danger of losing her life," replied Coltstein.
"I see. Well then, follow me, detective. We have much to discuss," said the pony.
Coltstein followed the pony into a room where tons of books were stacked on the shelves, and a table with two seats sat in the middle of the room.
"Please, have a seat, detective," said the pony, pointing to one of the open chairs.
Coltstein didn't argue, and took a seat in the chair while the pony grabbed a large amount of books and folders from the shelves. Once the pony had all the information required, they took a seat in the other open chair, setting out every document and book in an orderly pattern.
"The origins of Annie go back to the days before Celestia and Luna," stated the pony, opening a book to an ancient illustration. "It started in a small village within one of the first colonies of Equestria, and was settled next to a forest that the inhabitants said was supposedly haunted by a witch."
"Was this witch by any chance, Annie?" he asked.
The pony shook their head.
"Annie is the demon born from the witch's mind when she finally died," assured the pony. "However, some ponies, mainly fillies were naive and didn't listen," assured the pony. "They'd go into the forest, and never come back. However, sometimes ponies would return, but not as themselves, only as possessed little nuisances. As a result, the ponies that did return from the forest would be burned at the stake. A foolish thing to do, considering that killing Annie's children only made her stronger."
"Made her stronger?" asked Coltstein.
"Aye, she gains strength off of death. Why do you think she keeps trying to kill your patient? To gain more strength."
The explanation given by the pony made more sense, and now, Coltstein knew just how dangerous this demon was, but he still needed to know how Apple Bloom ever came across Annie.
"How does one come across this demon?" asked Coltstein.
"There are two ways to come across Annie," said the pony. "One. Speak a phrase within the witch's house. Two. Associating with an ancient book that if translated to our language would be "Little Souls."
Coltstein's heart dropped, as he remembered coming across the same book in the Canterlot library, so now he knew how he became possessed by Annie, but Apple Bloom's case was different. Did she come across the book? That had to be the way she came across Annie, but she didn't recognize the book during their last session, so how in the world was the other option even possible? That's when he remembered what Diamond Tiara had said to him.
"All I remember is both her and her friends started acting a bit differently after they came back from some trip. It was some camping trip or something."
A camping trip. A forest. Had Apple Bloom and her friends heard of the legend and decided to test it? Also, could Apple Bloom have caught a cold from being out in a forest for so long, leading to her getting the medicine from Zecora, and the starting of the unmarkings? Had it affected all three of them? Had they all taken the medicine?!
"Detective, are you alright?" asked the pony.
"I'm fine. I'm just piecing things together, and I believe I know how my patient came across Annie, and possibly her friends as well," replied Coltstein. "Now, the bigger question, how do I destroy this demon?"
The pony gave Coltstein an unsure look.
"There is only one way to destroy Annie, but it's a battle that nopony has ever won," stated the pony. "Most demons can be destroyed by an exorcism, but Annie is a whole different case, detective. Everypony that has ever tried, have died during the process."
"You think I'm scared? I've seen enough death in my life to call it second nature. I've even seen a filly commit suicide right before my eyes! It traumatized me for over a year, and still haunts me to this day! I refuse to let another filly die!"
The pony gave Coltstein a strange look.
"Describe the case to me. The one that traumatized you," said the pony.
"Horrible case. A young filly only six or seven years old killed her mother, father, and brother, smothering the walls with the blood of her victims, then took her own life," explained Coltstein.
"Without a doubt, that was Annie," stated the pony. "She made that filly kill herself."
Coltstein slammed his hoof on the table.
"Now you understand my position," stated Coltstein. "I'm willing to do whatever I have to to destroy this demon for good. Just tell me what I need to do, and I promise to end Annie's murderous ways forever."
The pony could hear the severity within Coltstein's voice, so he accepted Coltstein's request.
"First, you must get your patient into a room with no possible escape route, and place an Equestrian cross on all the walls within the room. Once that is done, say the prayer written on this paper, until the demon finally shows its face to you."
The pony held out a sheet of paper, which Coltstein took without hesitation.
"Once the demon shows its face, have another pony cast the spell at the bottom of the page, and you will enter the demon's mind. Within the demon, you will have to fight off every soul she has gained power from, because they work as a shield. If you can beat all of them, you will have a shot at the demon's heart. If you get to the heart, stab it with a silver blade until it bleeds to nothing. If you manage to kill the heart, you must make it back to the gateway provided by the spell-casting unicorn. Get out, and the demon will be gone forever. If you don't, you will become her latest victim."
Coltstein nodded his head, sticking the paper in his pocket.
"Thank you for all your help, I promise to do all I can," he said, turning to head out the house.
"May Celestia and Luna's guidance be with you in this battle, detective," replied the pony, as Coltstein exited the house, back into his battle to prove Apple Bloom innocent, and to save her life from a relentless evil.