//------------------------------// // Chapter 14: The Stumbling Dead // Story: Undead Robot Bug Crusaders // by Banjo64 //------------------------------// He sighed as he contemplated his situation. This assignment had proven most unpleasant so far. Their journey had been long and slow. They were most unwelcome in these lands, so they could only travel by night, and had to avoid roads and towns. But far worse was the group he’d been assigned to “help” with the mission. “So… I think we’re supposed to make a right turn next…” said one of them as he looked at the map. “No, no no. Look, the arrow thingy is pointed that way, so we need to go left,” said another. “You’re both wrong. We don’t make our next turn until we reach the cursed grove,” said a third. “But we’re in the cursed grove right now, aren’t we?” asked the last one. He facehooved. He couldn’t wait for this job to be over and done with. He also silently swore to never ask for a promotion when his superior was in the middle of… certain activities. He never wanted to be given a disciplinary assignment again. ‘Twas the day before Nightmare Night. And all through the town, everypony was busy preparing the grounds. Bats, skulls, and pumpkins were hung here and there, in the hopes of giving the town’s children a scare. Well, almost everypony. “Mom, it’s Nightmare Night, not Hearth’s Warming. Can you please stop singing carols?” asked Dinky with a shake of her head. “Oh, I know what day it is. But if you change the lyrics a bit, the song becomes perfect for today,” said Derpy with a smile. “Yeah, but it still sounds a little too jolly for the holiday and… wait. Is this about that movie we saw the other day?” accused Dinky. Derpy gingerly tapped her hooves together and gave an awkward smile. Dinky sighed and put a hoof gently to her face. Apple Bloom and Babs Seed just chuckled as they continued on their way to the farm from the train station. “Wow. Ah barely get off the train and Ah’m hearin’ funny things. Ah’m definitely in Ponyville alright,” said Babs Seed with a chuckle. “Hey, that was a good movie. Still, Ah have to agree that hearin’ carols while we’re gettin’ candy would be kind of weird. We don’t normally have that around here,” said Apple Bloom. “Glad even you think so. But really, Ah’ll be surprised if somethin’ unusual don’t happen while Ah’m here,” said Babs. “Well, duh. This is your first Nightmare Night outside a big city. And Ah think you’ll find one of the most bizarre things out here is also one of the best,” said Apple Bloom. “And that is?” asked Babs Seed. “Ah heard a rumor that Ponyville fillies and colts get more candy on Nightmare Night than anywhere else in Equestria,” said Apple Bloom with a smirk. “Well now, Ah’m not sure if that’s true or not, but that’s certainly some weirdness Ah can get behind,” Babs Seed replied with a smirk of her own. They found the others waiting for them at the clubhouse. Sweetie Belle looked excited, but Thorax looked even more nervous than usual, and Scootaloo seemed to be brooding about something. “Crystal Hoof, this is mah cousin, Babs Seed. Babs, this is Crystal Hoof. He’s a new colt in town that’s been hanging out with us for awhile now. And Crystal, she already knows our secrets, so ya don’t have to worry about hidin’ them from her,” introduced Apple Bloom. “Oh. Uh, it’s nice to meet you,” said Thorax with a nervous smile as he offered a hoof. Babs Seed raised an eyebrow. “OK, so what’s his thing? He an alien or somethin’?” asked Babs. Thorax gave a panicked squeak. “You know, Babs, not everypony in town has some dark secret,” said Sweetie Belle with a roll of her eyes. “Yeah, but Ah can’t imagine why yah'd share yer secrets with him otherwise. Besides, Ah doubt a crystal pony would be in Ponyville unless he had somethin’ tah hide anyway. Ponyville ain’t exactly a popular tourist site, and Ah don’t think anyone sane would want tah move here wit’out  good reason,” countered Babs. Sweetie Belle blinked in surprise. “Huh. When you put it that way, you make it sound like ponies avoid Ponyville. I mean, yeah, we have a lot of disasters and monster attacks and… OK, you might have a point there,” admitted Sweetie Belle. “And if you must know, he’s the same as me,” added Scootaloo in a blunt tone. Everypony looked at Scootaloo in surprise. It wasn’t like her to blurt out an important secret like that. “Uh, Scoots? Is everythin’ alright?” asked Apple Bloom. Scootaloo let out a sigh. “Well, nothing we should have to worry about. It’s just… changeling business. The stuff I can’t help but pick up from the hivemind but can’t do anything about,” admitted Scootaloo. “She’s right. Her hive’s not the only one on edge right now,” added Thorax. That was concerning. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom shared a worried look. “Did something go wrong with the visitation?” asked Sweetie Belle. “No, it has nothing to do with that. It’s… well, not something kids like us can help with. Don’t worry about it. Just know that me and Thorax are going to be on edge for awhile,” said Scootaloo. Everypony shared an uncertain look, but ultimately didn’t push the matter any further. Before anyone knew it, the sun was down, and Nightmare Night was about to begin. The CMC plus Babs and Thorax got their costumes ready and suited up. The CMC’s choice of costumes were somewhat expected. The changeling, robot, and ghoul had decided to go out as a changeling, robot, and ghoul respectively. Scootaloo’s costume was a black suit with the back painted blue. She also had a fake twisted horn attached to her head, paper insect wings attached to her own, fake fangs, and a set of black socks that were full of patchwork holes. She’d dyed her mane black, and she even had a pair of contact lenses to make her eyes solid blue. Sweetie Belle’s costume was a fairly typical robot costume: A large cardboard box painted silver with plastic tubes covering her legs. At a glance, one might think she’d pulled it off a costume store rack, but the enchanted gems that blinked on and off like lights showed that Rarity had a hoof in making it. She’d also decided to mark her horn and face with a few lines of glowing green paint. And Apple Bloom’s costume was a potato bag, painted to make it look like rotten flesh with splotches of red and pink and with additional bags covering her legs and head. What made it a genuinely interesting costume, however, were the undead ‘bits’ she’d added. She had attached a bunch of pink string to her barrel, giving the impression she was dragging her intestines along the ground, and one of her bag’s eye sockets was painted black, with a golf ball dangling underneath it like an eye. All in all, it was a very impressive display, except for one small detail. “So… why aren’t yah three just goin’ as yerselves? Ah mean, why even bothah with costumes at all?” asked Babs. The CMC shared a look before shrugging. “Nopony knows what a changeling looks like when we aren’t starving. And if I have to explain what one looks like, I’ll have to tell how I know that. And at that point I might as well just admit I’ve always been one. I’m not revealing myself when changelings are going to become citizens any day now,” said Scootaloo. “I don’t know if my perception filter will still work if ponies think it’s just a costume for tonight. I don’t want to find out the hard way and have ponies asking me why I still have my ‘costume’ on tomorrow. And really, how would I get ponies to see past the filter in the first place? Go full robot all night with my chest open wide? No thanks,” said Sweetie Belle. “And while mah true form may be perfect for Nightmare Night, it’s a bit too perfect. Sure, everypony’ll think it’s really cool, until Ah bump into somethin’ and mah head falls off. Then there’ll be a bunch of awkward questions, and if Ah say it’s a spell or somethin’, everypony’ll want to know how to do it for next year. It’s too big a risk, so Ah’m still wearin’ mah bow under the bag,” finished Apple Bloom with a shake of her head. What Apple Bloom wasn’t saying was that she also really didn’t want to spend a whole evening in her true form. The last thing she wanted to do on a night like this was be reminded of her problems. “Yeah, that’s fair enough, Ah guess. By the way, why is he comin’ with us when he’s an adult? And what’s up with his costume?” asked Babs as she pointed towards Thorax. Thorax blushed and kicked the ground. His costume was possible one of the most creative and original costumes possible: a bed sheet ghost with cut out eyes. “I, uh, don’t have a lot of experience with costume making. It’s a completely different thing from making a disguise. The only thing I could come up with was disguising myself as a celebrity, but everyone told me that was a bad idea,” admitted Thorax. “Yeah. Because a flawless colt version of Sapphire Shores wouldn’t be suspicious at all. There’s a reason why changelings use actual costumes on Nightmare Night, Thorax,” said Scootaloo with a roll of her eyes. “As for why he’s coming with us, he’s never celebrated a Nightmare Night in his life. We figured he should at least get to experience one before he has to go back to being an adult,” added Sweetie Belle. “What about you, Babs? Any reason ya went with a dragon this year?” asked Apple Bloom. Babs Seed shrugged as best she could in her dragon suit. “Ah figured if Ah was gonna come here and tempt fate, Ah’d tempt it with somethin’ awesome. If Ah have tah turn inta somethin’ weird, might as well be a dragon pony, right?” said Babs. “You mean a Longma?” asked Sweetie Belle. Everypony else just stared at her. “That’s what they’re called. Dragon-pony hybrids, I mean. Come on, I can’t be the only one who reads fantasy books, right?” said Sweetie Belle as she nervously looked at her friends. Awkward coughs were her only answer. “Alright, Ah admit it. This is way more candy than Ah’ve ever gotten back home,” admitted Babs with smile. “Told ya,” said Apple Bloom with a smirk. And it was indeed a very successful Nightmare Night. Their candy bags were so overflowing they’d had to start snacking just to keep them from spilling all over the ground. Not that they were complaining. Well, mostly. “Mints again?! Ugh! I know she’s a dentist and all, but can we at least get sugar free lollipops or something? I swear, Colgate’s never going to hoof out good candy. Anypony wanna trade?” asked Scootaloo. “I though you like mint?” asked Sweetie Belle. “I like Peppermint. This stuff Colgate passes out is just… yuck. Seriously, I’ll take anything for  these,” begged Scootaloo. “Well, I’m really not a fan of these gummi hay burgers, so here you go,” said Sweetie Belle as she passed her candy. Thorax, meanwhile, was staring at his candy bag as if it were full of gold. It also held a lot less candy than the others’. It seemed the full grown changeling was developing a bit of a sweet tooth. “So, what’s after we get our candy? Do we go int’a haunted house tah make our offerin’ to Nightmare Moon?” asked Babs. “Nah. Applejack told me Ponyville tried that one year, but it was a disaster. Somethin’ about dirty socks and toilet paper. These days, when we make our tribute to Nightmare Moon, we go to the one place she’s always lurkin’: The Everfree Forest,” said Apple Bloom with a dramatic wave of her hoof. Babs Seed did not take this news well. “The Everfree?! In the middle of the night?! Are you crazy?! There are monsters in there! What, does somepony end up missin’ every year or somethin’?!” demanded Babs as she jumped up in agitation. Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. “Yeah, and Princess Luna really eats ponies if we don’t give up some of our candy. Of course we don’t actually go into the Everfree. We go into the Whitetail Woods. We just say it’s the Everfree to make it scarier. We even have a Nightmare Moon statue in there and everthin’. And no, we don’t let ponies enter the Everfree by mistake. We always have ponies patrolin’ the forest entrance to make sure,” explained Apple Bloom. “Oh,” was all Babs could say as she sat back down with blush. “Seriously, Babs. Ah know it’s Ponyville and all, but if ya keep expectin’ somethin’ to go wrong, you’re not goin’ to have that great a time,” said Apple Bloom. Babs Seed let out a sigh. “Ah would agree, but Ah know that the moment Ah do stop worryin’, somethin’ is goin’ tah go wrong,” said Babs. Apple Bloom let out a sigh. “It’ll be fine, Babs. Nothin’ is goin’ to happen,” she reassured. It was nearly time. He turned towards his companions. “She is almost here,” he said. “Yep. Though it seems she’s not coming alone,” noted one of his followers. “It would appear so. How odd. Hm… Are you certain she knows we’re coming? Did you plant the information properly?” he asked. “Of course I did! I know I’m not the best watcher, but I know how to do my job. She probably just isn’t expecting us to come looking for her tonight,” the follower replied. “What other night would we dare venture this close to civilization?” he challenged. The one speaker cringed. “No matter. This will be an easy fix. Be ready to herd the others away. We don’t want any… disturbances,” he ordered. “Does this mean we can eat their brains?” asked another follower. “No. We’re supposed to avoid drawing attention to ourselves, and eating their brains would leave clear evidence that we were here. Do you class B’s ever think about anything other than brains?” he asked. “Not really. It’s what makes us class B’s.” came the reply. He sighed, and prayed the target would be much more cooperative than these fools were. “Just get ready to add sound to my illusion spell…” he ordered. “Babs, are you OK?” asked Sweetie Belle. Babs Seed shook a little harder. She wasn’t taking the journey through the woods very well. “Y...yeah. Ah’m… Ah’m fine. It’s just so… quiet. Ah don’t think Ah’ve ever heard so little before,” admitted Babs. “Yeah, Ah guess that bein’ in the middle of the woods at night could be extra creepy for a city pony. Ah dunno though. Ah’d have never taken ya for a scaredy cat, Babs,” said Apple Bloom. Babs Seed gave her cousin an angry glare, but then right back to shivering. “Right, sorry. That was mean of me,” apologized Apple Bloom. As they continued on their way down the forest trail, however, Apple Bloom noticed that it did seem unnaturally quiet for an evening in the Whitetail Woods. The crickets were silent, and she had yet to hear a single owl. And come to think of it, what was that funny smell? “Does anypony else smell that?” asked Apple Bloom. “Smell what?” asked Sweetie Belle. “Like somethin’ burnt, or rotten,” answered Apple Bloom. “Well, I don’t smell any…” said Scootaloo before she froze. Thorax froze as well. Everypony else looked at the two changelings in confusion. “Uh, is something wrong?” asked Apple Bloom. Suddenly, there was a loud noise in a nearby bush. “What was that?” asked an increasingly nervous Babs Seed. Everypony turned towards the noise. The bush rustled again. “Hello? Is somepony there?” asked Sweetie Belle. “BLARG!!!!!” A huge, hideous snake monster appeared out of the bush! “AHHHH!!!!” Everypony screamed as they turned and ran. Unfortunately, they all ran in different directions. By the time she stopped panicking, Apple Bloom had traveled a surprisingly far distance. She stopped and took several deep breaths as she tried to reclaim her bearings. “By Celestia, *huff,* Ah don’t think, *huff,* Ah’ve ever seen, *huff,* a Nightmare Night scare, “huff* that terrifyin’,” she managed to wheeze out. Finally, she calmed down enough to look around. She quickly realized that she was alone, and she couldn't see the trail. “Scootaloo? Sweetie Belle? Can ya hear me? Crystal Hoof? Babs?” called Apple Bloom. She got no response. “Great. I’m lost and all alone in the woods at night. And Ah lost all mah candy. When Ah find out who set up that monster scare, Ah’m goin’ to give ‘em a piece of mah mind. Nopony’s supposed to set anythin’ up in the woods so this very thing doesn’t happen,” Apple Bloom grumbled. Still, she wasn’t in trouble. The Whitetail Woods weren’t very dangerous, and she knew a few tricks to navigating a forest at night. Especially the forests near Ponyville. “OK, Ah know that if Ah want to get back to Ponyville, Ah have to go east. And if Ah find a gap in trees like so… Ah can see the North Star. So Ah’ll want to go that way,” she deducted as she pointed in what she believed was the right direction. “Or you could stop and chat for awhile,” said a male voice. Apple Bloom jumped in surprise, turned towards the voice, and saw a cloaked stallion standing nearby. “Uh, pardon?” asked Apple Bloom. Who the hay was this? And what was he doing in the middle of the woods at night? “Or better yet, why go back at all? After all, we’re here for you now,” the stranger continued. Now feeling a little scared, Apple Bloom nervously began stepping away. In response, the stallion began following her. He was soon joined by another cloaked figure, and then another. Soon, there were five cloaked ponies, all making their way towards her. This was starting to seem just a little too familiar to Apple Bloom. These cloaked beings didn't seem very friendly, and they brought back memories of a certain cursed town in the middle of the Everfree. And with that thought, Apple Bloom noticed something wrong about these cloaked strangers: they all emitted a dark aura. It was similar to the dark aura that Bear Bone and Kamikazi had. They were all undead. Panicked thought after panicked thought flew through Apple Bloom’s mind. Were these the ghouls from the Everfree, coming to reclaim her? Were these the bad ghouls the Changelings were fighting against? Were they something else entirely? And what did they want with her? “S...stay back!” she cried. Surprisingly, they all stopped. “Don’t worry. We’re not here to hurt you. We’re just here to take you to a safe place,” said one of them. Apple Bloom only got more scared. “No! Ah don’t want to go back to that stupid town! Ah don’t want to stay with you creeps!” shrieked Apple Bloom. The cloaked ponies looked at each other in confusion. “Go back? You’ve never been there. Where do you think we’re taking you?” one of them asked. Now it was Apple Bloom’s turn to look confused as her panic started to wane. “Uh… the town where Ah was cursed?” she said. The cloaked ponies looked at each other again, before pulling down their hoods. Other than a few missing patches of skin on some of their faces, they looked like completely normal ponies. They had a distinct lack of burnt skin and red eyes. A unicorn stallion, presumably the leader, stepped forward. “It would appears that there’s been some confusion. We’re not the ones who cursed you. We’re the ones who have come to rescue you,” he said. Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow. “Rescue me? From what? Who are you ponies?” she asked. The leader raised an eyebrow of his own before he turned towards one of the followers with an angry glare. “You told me you gave her the message,” he stated in a calm yet threatening tone. “I did! I swear I did!” cried the follower as he wilted under the leader’s gaze. “And yet she doesn’t remember receiving it. There are two ways that could happen, and one of them would have ended with her locked up in a dungeon somewhere. So that means that she had enough hope and love in her to break the dark magic-fueled vision. How could you fail to notice she wasn’t in trouble?” the leader demanded. “She was tossing and turning on her bed! How is that not a clear sign she was in trouble?” countered the follower. The leader’s glare only grew harder. “On her bed?! You mean to tell me that we’ve journeyed all the way to the center of Equestria for nothing? Just because you couldn’t tell somepony was asleep and having a nightmare?!” demanded the leader ghoul as he pressed his face into the other pony’s. The follower gulped, glanced around for a moment, then turned toward Apple Bloom. “Well, Uh… were you having a nightmare, kid?” asked the ghoul. “Um… Ah think so? Ah do have ‘em from time to time, and Ah don’t remember no message about ghouls,” answered Apple Bloom uncertainty. “Then yeah, we came all this way for nothing, boss,” said the ghoul with an awkward smile. Crunch! “Sorryyyyyyy…” cried the ghoul as his head flew off into the distance. “Nice buck, sir,” commented a different ghoul. The leader just sighed and dragged a hoof down his face. “Somepony remember to pick his head up when we leave. A buck to the face is hardly an adequate punishment, but I’ll leave it to the council to decide what he deserves for this blunder,” he ordered. “Got it, sir,” replied another ghoul as he tossed the now headless ghoul’s body onto his back. Taking a deep breath, the leader turned to Apple Bloom. “I apologize for this. We were under the impression that you were in great distress. Watchers, such as that fool, have the ability to detect cursed beings from great distances. When he sensed you, he came here to investigate and thought you were in trouble, and so we came to assist you,” he explained. That sounded odd to Apple Bloom. She had been cursed for months now, but they only just detected her? Still, she didn’t trust these ponies enough to share details like that. “Assist with what?” asked Apple Bloom. “With your curse, of course. Not everypony is willing to overlook such things, I’m afraid. Many an undead pony is scourged and hated for what they have become. We keep our eyes and ears open to such tragedies, and offer such poor souls a place to escape to. A place to be safe with others who know their suffering all too well,” said the leader with a shake of his head. Apple Bloom found this somewhat disheartening to hear. Especially since it brought back memories of when she was afraid that very thing would happen to her. “However, we are not a bunch of kidnappers. If you are safe, and your family and friends still care for you, we won’t force you to come with us. In fact, the knowledge that you are happy here gives the rest of us hope that we might be able to live among our fellow ponies again some day. So tell me honestly, do you want to stay here?” asked the leader. Apple Bloom nodded. It wasn’t a very hard decision, really. “Yeah, Ah do. Thanks for the offer to take me somewhere safe, but Ah’m perfectly happy where Ah am,” she answered. The leader nodded in return. “Alright everypony, you heard her. We’re not needed here. Let’s head back before we’re spotted. Again, sorry for troubling you, kid. But remember, if you ever find yourself with no one to turn to, look to the shadows at the edges of Equestria. We’ll be more than happy to give you somewhere to go,” said the leader with a soft smile. Apple Bloom let out a sigh of relief as the ghouls all turned to leave. Whoever these ghouls were, at least they didn’t seem to be bad guys. She wondered if Bear Bone and Kamikazi knew about this group of hidden helper ghouls. They had to know about other groups of not-evil undead, right? Suddenly, the leader stopped and walked back towards Apple Bloom. “Almost forgot. If you’re going to stay here, then I need to give you a warning,” he said. Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow. “You see, while your friends and family have accepted you, ghouls aren’t the only cursed people living in the shadows. One of them, however, is especially dangerous. They’re monsters that suck out the souls of normal ponies and wear their skin as their own. They also have a deep hunger for dark magic, especially our kind,” he explained. Apple Bloom got nervous again. Was he talking about a group of evil liches? “So please, try to keep your curse a secret. Those filthy Parasites will not hesitate to destroy you if they find you,” said the leader ghoul. Apple Bloom nodded. She was already keeping her curse a secret, so it wasn’t that big a deal. But she would probably inform the Princesses about these Parasite things so they would… “... If you want to insult us, call us parasites,” said Scootaloo. Apple Bloom froze as the memory from months ago resurfaced. Could it be? Were these ghouls… The leader’s expression suddenly hardened. “I see,” he said. Then, without warning, he tackled Apple Bloom, pinned her to the ground, grabbed one of her legs in a tight grip, and covered her mouth. Apple Bloom blinked in shock, but then immediately started to struggle. “Get the bag,” he ordered his followers. The other ghouls looked at him in confusion. “Uh, boss? Didn’t you just say…” one of them started. “She’s already spoken with the parasites. I saw recognition on her face when I called them by their appropriate name. If we let her go, she’ll tell them we were here. If we take her with us, we might buy ourselves enough time to get across the border and out of their territory. We’ll be caught either way, so we might as well reduce the risk,” he replied. Apple Bloom’s eyes went wide as she realized what was happening. She struggled even harder, but the fully grown ghoul had her pinned down too strongly. All she managed to do was tear a few holes into her costume. She tried to scream, but all she could get through the ghoul’s hoof was a mumble. What do Ah do?! What do Ah do?! she thought in a panic. The ghoul leader looked back down at her with a neutral expression. “Don’t take it personally, kid. I don’t like this either, but I’m not about to give the parasites a leg up on us. If they’ve found you and let you go free, it’s because they’re using you for something or other. I don’t know what, but I’m not about to let them do it. And don’t worry, you’ll be free again soon enough, once those stupid bugs have been properly swatted,” he said with cold conviction. Apple Bloom shivered. This was bad. Very bad. She was about to be kidnapped! “I got the bag, boss,” said one of the followers. The ghoul leader turned, and then stared at the sight of what the follower was holding. Apple Bloom followed his gaze, and couldn’t help but pause her struggling to stare as well. “Is that her candy bag?” he demanded. “Yep. Picked it up from where she dropped it. You want a chocolate pumpkin, or a…” the follower trailed off as the leader glared at him. “When I said ‘the bag’ I meant the bag we use to carry injured ghouls! Why the buck would I ask for candy?!” asked the leader. “Why wouldn’t you want candy?” asked the follower. The leader looked like he very much wanted to buck another head off, and probably would have if he wasn’t busy holding Apple Bloom down. “Just get the right bag before I lose my bucking mind,” growled the leader. Apple Bloom, meanwhile, resumed her thrashing, but to no avail. Suddenly, she felt her magic shift. Looking down in confusion, she noticed through a tear in her costume that her skin had turned black. She realized that in her struggling, she had worked her bow out of her mane. “I got the right one, boss,” said another one of the followers as he came forward with a sack big enough to carry Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom desperately needed a plan, and fast. And then, inspiration struck. With her bow removed, she had an opportunity. She couldn’t get out from under the ghoul, but maybe she didn’t have to. There was another direction she could move. But the ghoul had one of her forelegs in a tight grip… Well, Kamikazi said it’ll grow back, she thought. Her mind made up, Apple Bloom focused her magic, and twisted her body in a way it was never meant to be twisted. With a loud crunch, she snapped her leg off, and dove beneath the soil. “What the?” cried the follower with the bag as Apple Bloom vanished from view. “Son of a… she’s a class G! What do we do?!” cried another follower. “Calm down,” said the leader in steady tone. Apple Bloom could feel her detached leg as the stallion tossed it into what must have been the bag. “She’s only a child, and missing a leg. She won’t be able to get far. Spread out, and keep your senses keen,” he ordered. “Yes, sir!” said the followers as they split up. Apple Bloom felt them trot away through the earth, but the leader remained. Horse Apples. Ah was hopin’ that they’d all wander off. Now what do Ah do? He’s right, Ah can’t go far like this, and Ah can’t stay down here for long. Come on, Apple Bloom, think of somethin’, thought Apple Bloom.  The ghoul leader cleared his throat. “Look kid, I know how this must seem to you. But I was telling the truth when I said we’re not kidnappers. Not really. We’re just a bunch of ghouls trying to stick together in a world that doesn’t care for us. I’m sorry that we have to take you away from your family, but you just don’t understand how dangerous the parasites are,” he said. He must be tryin’ to draw me out, thought Apple Bloom, but she found it rather difficult to ignore him when her senses were so strong underground. “Sure, they act all friendly, and I’m not ignorant enough to believe that they’re all bad eggs, but all it takes is one of them to cause trouble. You heard about the wedding invasion, right? Before you say it, I understand it was caused by an outcast. Trust me, we know all about that so called queen. Even so, you have to understand how powerful they are,” he continued. Just ignore him. Don’t say anythin’, though Apple Bloom. “They can create wax strong enough to imprison an alicorn. They can impersonate anypony, fooling even royalty. And worst of all, they have their venom. Oh sure, they claim they never use it. That it’s illegal and can be easily prevented. But that doesn’t mean they can’t. They're an unnatural, twisted race. They were never meant to exist,” he explained. Apple Bloom couldn’t hold back at that. She poked her muzzle out of the ground. “And we are?!” she exclaimed before quickly diving back down. The ghoul leader turned towards where she had spoken, but didn’t move. Cursing herself, Apple Bloom quickly moved to another position. “Yes, they are even more wretched than us. Dark magic has existed since the dawn of time. Ghouls and other vile dark creatures have existed almost as long. But the parasites? They are not part of an inevitable development from the world’s dark side. They were corrupted by a vile substance known as the smooze,” Again, Apple Bloom couldn't contain herself. “Oh, ya mean the stuff y’all are tryin’ to unleash?” countered Apple Bloom before submerging again. “Ah. So they did tell you about that. But did they tell you why we are trying to unleash it in the first place?” asked the ghoul. Apple Bloom didn’t have a response to that. “Didn’t think so. Then again, I suppose as a class G you wouldn’t understand. You see, not all undead curses are created equal. Some grant the bearer great power in return for their corruption. Others strip ponies of crucial parts of themselves. But being such as I and most of my colleagues are especially cursed, as it is impossible for us to die,” said the leader. We’re undead. Of course we can’t die, thought Apple Bloom with a mental roll of her eyes. “I know what you're thinking: ‘but we’re undead. Of course we can’t die.’ You are mistaken. Yes, our bodies shall not perish from old age and we can survive many things that would kill a normal pony, but some can still perish. I, a class C, have no such luxury. And as one who has lived for centuries, I can assure you that there is no worse fate to befall a mortal soul,” explained the ghoul. Yeah, bein’ undead sucks. Ah don’t need ya to tell me that. What does any of this have to do with the smooze? thought Apple Bloom. “But we believe there is one way we could find our eternal rest. A substance so terrible that it nearly ended the world. It created the parasites, and destroyed countless civilizations. How could our own pitiful dark magic hope to compare? Yes, in unleashing it, we will bring a great deal of suffering to the world, but what of it? You have your champions. You have your alicorn rulers. You’ll be able to contain it again easily enough,” he continued. Once more, Apple Bloom was driven to respond. This time, however, she rose high enough to look the ghoul leader in the eye. “That’s your reasonin’? ‘Other ponies will be able to deal with it so who cares what we do?’ Even if the smooze is the only way ya can die, that doesn’t mean it’s OK to hurt other ponies to get what you want!” she cried. The ghoul leader looked at her and gave a sad shake of his head. “Funny. That's the exact same thing I told my mother when I was your age. Class C ghouls are one of the few that can still bear children, you see. Do I wish I could end my curse without hurting others? Very much so, but I have no choice. And I will not live as I am for eternity just because it means a few other ponies have to put up with some difficulty in their lives,” countered the ghoul. He got up and slowly made his way towards Apple Bloom. “And what about you? Yes, your friend and family have accepted you, but they won’t be around forever. And it might be possible to break a class G curse, but it is not as simple as burning a cursed town, and we both know that you can not possibly do it alone. You will only get one chance every hundred years at best, and no one will be there to help you when it does. Face it kid, you’re just as doomed as I am,” said the ghoul. Apple Bloom opened her mouth to object, to say that the Princesses themselves had agreed to help her, but she paused. Doubts began to enter her mind. What if he was right? What if her curse was never broken, and she had to live on forever? “What will you do then? Live in isolation until the end of the world? Surrender yourself to the Princesses so they can lock you up? You are too young to comprehend eternity. You may see our goal as immoral, but in due time you will be willing to commit any crime to find your rest, just as we are. Even if you don’t come with us tonight, you will inevitably step in line with the rest of us,” he accused. Dark thoughts that Apple Bloom long been trying to bury bubbled back into her mind. Thoughts about just horrible her current situation was. Thoughts about how miserable she was doomed to be. Thoughts of watching everyone she cared about grow old and die while she sat at their tombstones, unable to follow them. Thoughts about how much she hated being a ghoul. “I… I…” she mumbled. The ghoul stopped a short distance away from Apple Bloom, looking down on her exposed face with a cold glare. “And even if you never join us, it won’t make a difference. We cannot die. With each passing generation our numbers continue to grow, and the parasites aren’t so lucky. It’s only a matter of time before we overwhelm them and complete our objective. We will succeed, with or without you. Why not do the smart thing and join the side that is going to win?” he suggested. Apple Bloom tried to match the ghoul’s glare, but inside she felt conflicted. Was he right? Was it inevitable? If nothing else he had a point about them not dying and growing in numbers. And how could she just continue to live among normal ponies and pretend everything was alright for centuries? Because nothing was right. Time and time again, her thoughts had drifted to this one terrible detail. Every time she would cast it aside. She had friends to play with, chores to do, and family to be with. She didn’t have time to worry about it. But with this grown ghoul pressing her like this, there was no avoiding it: She was a monster. “I see I have made a valid point. Well then, child? What will it be?” asked the ghoul. ... “Ah’ll sooner turn into a ghoul mahself before Ah turn mah back on ya.” Apple Bloom’s sister loved her, but she wouldn’t be around forever. Nor would her brother or grandmother. Nopony would. And the loneliness would hurt so much... “You’re still my friend, Apple Bloom, undead or not.” Her friends, they had problems of their own, but they weren’t like hers. They didn’t know the fears in her heart. They didn’t understand how horrible her future would be... “Both, Ah reckon. Parents want nothing more than to see their children do well.” And her parents… her parents… ... ... What about those ponies she never knew? What would they want her to do? What should she do? ... What would anypony do? “...We’re just two awesome adventurers who happened to obtain almighty dark powers.” Bear Bone and Kamikazi... They were even worse off than she was, yet they kept on going as if nothing was wrong. Could she be like them? Could she be that strong? … “This dream is not a nightmare, but a spark of hope that the world may be less terrifying than it appears to be.” … ... “No,” said Apple Bloom. The ghoul looked down at her with a raised eyebrow. “No, what?” he asked. “No, ah won’t join ya. Ever. Ah may be a ghoul, but Ah ain’t one of you. Ah’ll never be OK with hurtin’ others to get what Ah want. And if you’re right and Ah never break mah curse, Ah’ll just keep movin’ forward and find somethin’ Ah can still do. Maybe help stop bad ponies like you from doin’ awful things,” said Apple Bloom with a determined glare. “So you’ll willing spend eternity alone once all your friends are gone?” demanded the ghoul. “Oh, me? I’m… uh... Crystal Hoof!” “Then Ah’ll just make new ones. Ones that don’t want to unleash a mountain full of evil sludge!” declared Apple Bloom. The ghoul glared down at her again, but Apple Bloom didn’t even flinch. Everypony she cared about, everything she knew, every experience she’d had over the last few months, it all finally came together to show her one ultimate truth: she would only be a monster if she chose to be one. Buck her curse, buck being miserable, and buck this creep who wanted her to forget how much she mattered to her friends and family. “I see,” said the ghoul with a sigh. But then he smirked. “A noble gesture, but the fact remains that you’re still coming with us. We still have you surrounded, and you have nowhere to go. Now why don’t you just come out of the ground so we don’t have to waste time digging you up?” he asked. “You will do no such thing,” said a familiar voice. Apple Bloom and the ghoul leader turned to look, only to see a spear pointed right at the ghoul’s face. Standing there was none other than Blue Monarch, her horn lit with magic. She was joined by a small army of changelings, all carrying spears and glaring at the ghoul leader with utter disgust. “Well, well, well, look who decided to creep into Equestria again. Still not able to get that promotion? And it looks like you still have that bad habit of yours of lying through your teeth to get your way. I reckon you left a few crucial details out of your little story, as well. Such the part about how easy it is to teleport into the smooze seal, perhaps? Or maybe the fact that class C ghouls are immune to the smooze’s corruption in the first place,” said Blue Monarch. The ghoul leader loudly cursed. Apple Bloom quickly realized what Blue Monarch was saying: the ghoul was lying about needing the smooze to die. Whatever they wanted it for, it was probably something far more sinister than their own demise. She also promptly memorized the word he said. For personal use only, of course. “Get lost, parasite! This brat is one of us, and she’s…” he started to speak. “This child is under our protection. And seeing as we’ve already dealt with your companions, she will remain under it. In fact, considering how long she’s been cursed and how pathetic your comrades were, I suspect this little recruitment effort was a suicide mission from your higher ups to dispose of sub-performing agents. So why don’t you just surrender?” asked Blue Monarch. The ghoul looked around, giving angry glares to everypony, before lighting his horn. He turned to look at Apple Bloom one more time before spitting at the ground near her head. “To Tartarus I will!” he yelled as with a flash, he vanished. Blue Monarch cursed. “I see he’s been learning some new tricks. Spread out and sweep the forest, but do not engage. He may be a brown noser, but he’s still a class C ghoul,” commanded Blue Monarch. The changelings all nodded before zooming off. Blue Monarch turned back to Apple Bloom as she pulled herself out of the ground. “Nicely handled, Apple Bloom. I apologize for not having Scootaloo warn you that those creeps were in the area, but we didn’t think they were targeting you. And I’d rather not drag you into our war if it can be helped. I’m just glad Thorax was able to get us here before anything more serious happened,” said Blue Monarch. Apple Bloom noticed Thorax standing nearby giving an awkward wave. “It’s fine, Ah think. Thanks for the help, Thorax,” said Apple Bloom as she tried to regain her balance with her three remaining legs. “If you’re worried about them making another run for you, don’t. The ghouls mostly operate outside Equestria's borders, and we’ll be upping our security in this area just in case. And after that little speech of yours, I doubt they’ll consider you prime recruiting material, anyway. How are you, by the way? He didn’t hurt you, did he?” asked Blue Monarch. “No. Ah torn my leg off myself. Er… Ah don’t suppose you know how long it takes for a ghoul’s leg to grow back?” asked Apple Bloom. “I do, but I think you’d rather have this,” said Blue Monarch as she levitated Apple Bloom’s missing leg towards her. “Oh. Yeah, that’s loads better,” said Apple Bloom as she quickly reattached it. She then pulled off what remained of her costume and redid her bow. “And I wasn’t talking about the leg, Apple Bloom. I know how that particular ghoul operates, planting doubts and making you forget about the joys in life,” said Blue Monarch. Apple Bloom sighed. “Yeah, he did say some things that hurt. He made me think stuff Ah really shouldn’t have. But ya know what? Ah think Ah’m better for it. It made me realize somethin’ important about myself. About what I’m goin’ to grow up to be despite mah problem. Kinda like tearin’ off a bandage, ya know?” said Apple Bloom. Blue Monarch gave Apple Bloom a knowing smile. “Well now. I’ll have to remember to bring this up if I ever run into that ghoul again. He’ll no doubt be delighted to know he helped convince a young ghoul to ‘reject her heritage,’” said Blue Monarch with a giggle. Apple Bloom giggled as well, though it occurred to her that she had never learned the ghoul leader’s name. “Say, what was…” she started. “Apple Bloom!” cried Sweetie Belle as she rushed forward to hug Apple Bloom. Though she almost lost her balance, Apple Bloom quickly returned the hug. She noticed that the rest of her friends had joined them as well. “Glad to see you’re OK,” said Scootaloo with a relieved look on her face. “Yeah. Even if Ah was totally right about somethin’ goin’ wrong,” said Babs. Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. “Uh huh. Sure thing, Babs,” she said with a shake of her head. “So, uh… what do we do now?” asked Thorax. “Well, me and the others are going to try and catch that creep, but for you little ones I think we’ll just escort you back to Ponyville. It’s still Nightmare Night, after all. It’d be a shame to let this incident ruin your holiday,” said Blue Monarch. Apple Bloom smiled. A holiday devoted to celebrating the scary things in life, like her. She looked back at her friends, all so happy to see that she was safe. For the first time in months, she felt to her very core that she belong with them. “Yeah, Ah think that’d be nice,” she said. “This stinks,” complained one of the ghouls. “Sorry. I forgot to take a shower before we left on this job,” replied another. “How am I going to eat any brains if I’m a prisoner?” whined another. “Well, they did reattach my head. Maybe they're friendly and they'll just let us go?” suggested the last one. The changeling guarding the prisoners sighed. “I can see why they just threw these guys at our hooves. Anything they tell us is going to be questionable at best or a trap at worst. And I think my brain cells are dying from merely standing near them,” he mumbled.