In the middle of the night, a cloaked figure snuck into Sweet Apple Acres. Who or whatever it was, it had four legs, and was about the size of a full grown pony stallion. Its steps were silent, and it left no hoofprints as it glided across the muddy ground. Indeed, it moved with an almost supernatural grace and agility.
And then it tripped on flat ground.
Splat!
After pulling itself up and cursing under its breath, the figure shook the mud off its cloak as best it could before continuing on its way.
Finally, it arrived at the Apple Family’s house. It peaked into the windows of the building, searching, until it reached Apple Bloom’s room.
The filly’s sleeping undead form was plain to see. As was the fact that she was having an unpleasant dream. She was tossing and turning, and mumbling something under her breath.
The hooded figure nodded. This was the one it had sensed.
At the figure's command, a cloud of dark energy floated out of its cloak and entered the room. It quickly settled upon the moving filly. A moment later, Apple Bloom laid still. Satisfied, the cloaked figure turned to leave.
And then stepped on a rake.
Crunch!
Now holding its face and softly moaning in pain, the cloaked figured hobbled away the same way it had come.
Had anyone been around to witness all this, they would have noticed that the hood of the cloak was now somewhat lop-sided, as if whoever was wearing it was holding its head at an odd angle.
Apple Bloom cringed as she looked at all the faces around her.
“I’ll be your coltfriend, Apple Bloom!” said Rumble.
“I’ll be your coltfriend, Apple Bloom!” said Snips.
“I’ll be your coltfriend, Apple Bloom!” said Scooter.
“I’ll be your coltfriend, Apple Bloom!” said Diamond Crown.
Apple Bloom just awkward backed away as her class, which consisted entirely of colts aside from Apple Bloom, pushed their way towards her.
“That’s... Uh... nice and all, but Ah’m not lookin’ for a coltfriend right now,” she said.
The herd of potential coltfriends just pressed on harder.
“I’ll be your coltfriend, Apple Bloom!” said Button Mash.
“I’ll be your coltfriend, Apple Bloom!” said Dusk Shine.
“I’ll be your coltfriend, Apple Bloom!” said Pinkie Pie.
Wait.
“Huh? what the hay are ya doin’ here, Pinkie?!” exclaimed Apple Bloom.
Before Pinkie could reply, however, the walls and ponies around Apple Bloom faded in a haze.
Apple Bloom looked around in confusion before a dark miasma overtook her vision.
Suddenly, her mind was filled with images of a special place. A place free from all the hate and judgement that ponies showed her. Where she wouldn’t have to hide what she truly was, or pretend to be something she wasn’t. Where she would be among her peers, safe and sound.
It certainly sounded like a nice place. Apple Bloom really wanted to check it out. To be away from all the ponies who are mean to her, away from those who didn’t care about her. All she had to do was leave them behind and go to that special place…
“But what about mah family and friends? Ah don’t want to go away from them,” said Apple Bloom.
The darkness around her suddenly stopped, and the visions ended. It was almost like it didn’t know what to do next. Finally, it seemed to just give up and faded away to nothing.
Back in the waking world, the dark cloud also vanished. There was no trace that anything had happened to the sleeping undead filly. Apple Bloom was free to continue dreaming undisturbed.
Unfortunately, this meant sending her back into the crowd of would-be coltfriends.
“I’ll be your coltfriend, Apple Bloom!” said young Prince Solaris.
Come the next morning, Apple Bloom woke groaning and miserable. She could recall what she had been dreaming about with perfect clarity.
“Ugh… Ah reckon Ah don’t need Princess Luna to tell me what that was about. After Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo went on dates, Ah guess some part of me is worried Ah’ll have to do the same. Or worse, some part of me wants to go on one. And Ah can thank Scootaloo for turnin’ every filly and mare ah know into colts. Ah swear, this better not become a recurrin’ thing in mah dreams, or Ah’m gonna smack that changeling silly,” she grumbled.
“Well, whatever. Ah gotta get goin’. It’s almost Nightmare Night, and we got a ton to get ready,” said Apple Bloom as she got out of her bed.
Or at least, she thought she remembered everything. Whatever that dark cloud was trying to do before it faded, it seemed to have had no effect on Apple Bloom.
In fact, the only sign that anything unusual had happened at all that evening was an unremarkable small patch of disturbed mud in the field, and a rake in the backyard that had been moved slightly.
HAH!
Hm, that's a telltale sign of something being not quite right.
Didn't expect that, didja?
So I'm gonna take a shot in the dark and say the ones that turned Bloom into a ghoul want her back.
Okay... So something (presumably another ghoul) Tried to convince Apple Bloom to go somewhere, and failed. Hardly seems worth mentioning, oh well.
8346687
I disagree. Since whoever that was already disappeared along with the Sunny Town. Plus, I don't think those ancient Ghouls need to wear cloak to disguise themselves.
So far, we only seen other few sapient undead fellows ... and whoever that was knew AB (and where she lives) is a ghoul.
8346718
5 bits says it's some hokey undead cult that seem sinister but are mostly idiots.
"I always said you'd lose your head if it wasn't attached!"
"Just shut up and get me the superglue."
Nice bit with the failing sneaky pony!
And those Cross and Arrow refs!
Interesting how Rumble is first, and that Button Mash is even an option... And then we have Dusk Shine, etc. ,,, Dreams are weird.
Is AB gonna get a full chapter like the others? ... Presumably so, but I wonder what it'll be about...
Typo and formatting and stuff:
The "and" seems to break flow? Maybe replace with "leaving no hoofprints as it glided"... etc? Or swap the clauses, so you have gliding that you say is silent, instead of the other way around...
After this, I think it needs some transition bit to indicate Apple Bloom speaking again, 'cause when a speaker's paragraph ends, people usually assume that if there's more speech immediately after, the speaker's gonna be different?
crown of > crowd of
I bet it is Starlight
Thank goodness they didn't cast Turn Undead.
Well, that was anticlimactic.
I have no doubt about that one.
Good work!
Yay, more updates!
Correction offered without malice.
its
Oh. Is Sunny Town coming back early? This sure gonna bring some interesting chapters.
Also this is one clumsy ghoul.
i wish i knew who the cloaked figure was
Sweetie Belle EXTERMINATE
Hmmm....well that is rather curious. We have some sort of Sapient Undead trying to influence Apple Bloom in her sleep, who can somehow cast some sort of magic that interacts with dreams.
I mean it may have been Starlight, but...I'm not so sure. I'm very curious to see where this Undead Village pony storyline goes!!
8347622 Story of the Blanks is what is Applebloom's secret is based off on. It's what my stories are based off one minus one. It's a Creepypasta 8 bit game off on deviant art. In discovering the town and the zombie inhabitants, Applebloom can turn into one of them if they capture her and she looks exactly like it.
Clearly the forces at work didn't contend with the fact that AB actually is loved and wanted by the ponies around her, expecting that her differences meant she was hated, reviled, and generally an outcast, so they tried to recruit her.
the fuck???😓😂😂😂
8346859 just be glad they didn't use Turn Greater Undead😰
*vision turns a shade of red, text reading "WASTED", appears*
Wait... is that.. (one fact check later) dang it... not him
Sounds too good to be true. Resist, Apple Bloom!
Tsk. What a shoddy recruitment spell. Looks about as well put together as its caster is coordinated. Hopefully there isn't anyone more competent behind this undead bumbler.
There probably is, but I can hope.
8346859
I don't know. Given her uneasy sleep, I'd say she was doing plenty of turning as it was.
8351157 Most recruitment spells would normally fail unless the target's mind is already half-evil to begin with or the Evil Mc Badguy just plain takes over target's mind.
It's usually a combination of Idiot Balling and Villain With Whom We All Must Agree that leads the sucker into falling.
With Apple Bloom, we see how easily such simple-minded tactics are thwarted: by a single thread of doubt.
Another good example is Wirt near the end of "Over the Garden Wall". The Beast tempts him by saying he can save Gregory from his fate as an Edelwood Tree by putting his soul into the lantern. Wirt stops and says, "No. That's dumb." And that's that! He figures out the Beast's ulterior motive from the circumstances, like a proper thinking human being, and wins the day!
Ponies and gentleapes, somepony has a proclamation to make. I give her the floor:
This story... shall last... FOREVERRR!!!!!
8368712
I have a feeling we really dont want to find out
. . . . trollololol . . . .
Can't wait for this to continue It's so amazing
This chapter made me smile and chuckle so much! Well done as usual and I'm excited to see how "interesting" it gets!
Listen, Apple Bloom. There is such a thing as being too picky.
At this point you might as well go along with it.
LOL! reminds me of Plants vs. Zombies, particularly considering that that guy is a zombie
8347978
im glad someone sees it more as a "were here for you", because alot of other people seem to asume its an evildoer whos like "get revenge" when they actualy seem to just think she needs people like her to care for her and is actualy suprised shes loved there.
Looks like mr. cloak met murphy
PinkieBloom confirmed
9513670
Lol at this chapter.
9513670
If it was really Pinkie she probably would have said, "I am Spartacus!".
thats funny (no sarcasm its actually funny)