Something precious is stolen from Apple Jack, and she means to get them back. By any means neccessary.
Apple Jack wakes up to an odd feeling. Something is wrong. The air feels thick with malice. She tries to figure it out when the magical map calls her and pony pals for another friendship mission. The mission that map has in mind is very personal for Apple Jack. Something precious to her was stolen. She has to get them back. By any means necessary.
Something was wrong. Every ounce of her soul screamed at her as she slowly opened her eyes. The air pressed down on Apple Jack as she slowly rose from bed. She glanced about the room, hoping to find whatever caused her undue distress. Her bedroom appeared as it did the night before. Everything sat where it was supposed to. A delicious aroma wafted on the air, and Apple Jack’s stomach announced that it too was awake.
So why was she trembling?
Slowly, Apple Jack eased herself out of bed and planted her hooves beneath her. Silence. Why did it bore into her this significantly? She trotted to the window and regarded the barnyard. Like her room, everything appeared normal. Her older brother Big Mac was already pulling the empty cart toward the legion of apple trees in the south orchard.
A sudden chill crawled up her back. She looked toward the sun.
She stomped her hoof. “Dang it! How come no one woke me up? There’s work to be done!” In a frenzied panic, she trotted downstairs.
Granny Smith and Apple Bloom were at the eating table. Both of them appeared quite delighted and not the least bit upset.
Like every morning, Granny Smith grinned at her warmly. “Mornin’, Apple Jack. Glad you finally decided to wake up. You were out colder than a night in the middle of the winter during an ice storm. I was starting to get a little worried about you, youngun’.”
Apple Jack narrowed her eyes. “You know I hate sleeping in. I’m already running late.”
Apple Bloom frowned as she swallowed the last mouthful of pancake. “We tried, Sis. You were just snoring and snoring. You were up pretty late last night.”
“Well the apples aren’t going to buck themselves,” Apple said a little too sharply.
Her younger sister shrank back a little, and her eyes became wet. Granny Smith’s brow furrowed over her usually weary stare. As soon as Apple Jack saw it, she winced.
“Aww dang… I’m sorry Apple Bloom,” Apple Jack said. “I guess I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. I don’t know… I feel off.”
“Off?” Granny Smith asked. “How can you feel off on a day like today? It’s as beautiful as a brand new litter of piglets.”
Apple Jack just shrugged. “I don’t know… I just get the feeling that something’s missing.”
Suddenly, Apple Jack’s entire body started vibrating. She jumped to attention and gazed all around.
Apple Blossom screamed “Sis, you’re cutie mark!”
Sure enough, Apple Jack’s cutie mark shook and expanded on her flank. Little apples extended off of the primary three and faded into her coat. That could only mean one thing.
“Dang! I guess my chores have to wait.” Apple Jack peered at her plate. “So does breakfast. I have to go.”
She ran out of the house and entered the barnyard. The air grew more menacing, despite the beauty of the day. Her veins squirmed within her, trying to get out. Apple Jack had never encountered sensations like this, even with her vibrating cutie mark. Though the map was summoning her and the others, something else was wrong. Acid pooled at the back of Apple Jack’s throat as she ran away from Sweet Apple Acres. Perhaps the other girls would know what was going on.
The run to the castle took much longer than what Apple Jack would have liked. Her other friends were already in their thrones, and they cast gazes on her as she entered the chamber.
Rainbow Dash crossed her arms over her chest. “Geez… It’s about time you got here. We’ve been waiting forever.”
Apple Jack rolled her eyes. “Well excuse me for living outside of Ponyville. It takes me a while to get places.”
Twilight Sparkle winced and held up a hoof. “Don’t worry about it. We totally understand, don’t we Rainbow?” Her compassionate expression took on a more stern appearance.
“Yeah, I guess,” Rainbow Dash said. “Let’s get this over with. I want to see what awesome adventure we’re going on next.”
The girls rested in their thrones with both unease and excitement. Pinkie Pie bounced in her seat while the others had planted themselves firmly on the cushions that Rarity had insisted upon installing. The last time the group had went on an adventure, they had encountered the terrible Phantom Pony who had been kidnapping other ponies in hopes to force them into being his friend. Teaching that odd ball how to make friends had been quite troubling, especially since the Phantom Pony almost forced Rarity to marry him.
As soon as Apple Jack planted her flank in the seat, the magical map started to grow from the ground. Even though she had seen the spectacle occur nearly a half dozen times, Apple Jack still got chills every time it appeared. Just like before, the map appeared, and the circular ring of their cutie marks popped over Ponyville. All eyes fell on the ring as it moved.
However, rather than glide very far, the ring only traveled about an inch. Every pony waited until Pinke exclaimed in a high pitched voice “That’s it?”
Fluttershy inched closer to the map. “This spot is just outside Ponyville. How can there be a friendship emergency so close to us? It doesn’t make sense.”
Rarity scratched her chin with her hoof. “I don’t think I’ve ever been in that area before. Or rather if I had, I don’t recall any pony actually living out there in the hills.”
“Maybe some pony needs help there,” Rainbow Dash said.
Apple jack studied the spot. Her heart dropped into her stomach. The awful feeling that she encountered before throbbed with renewed vitality. She knew that spot intimately well.
“Oh no! In the name of Celestia, no!” Apple Jack whispered.
Her friends immediately regarded her with heightened tension.
“What is it?” Asked Twilight Sparkle. “What’s so special about this place?”
Rather than answer her, Apple Jack hopped onto the map and then leapt off of it. She sprinted out of the room. Tears welled in her eyes. Her muscles pumped with raw emotion. The girls called out after her, but their voiced sounded muted.
In Apple Jack’s mind, she kept on saying the same things over and over.
Please no! Let nothing be wrong with them. This has to be unrelated.
She ran through the town with increased haste. The girls had caught up with her, and Rainbow flew above her. A wave of relief fell over Apple Jack as none of them tried to stop her or ask her what was wrong. They just ran with her. She couldn’t answer what bothered her until she saw it for herself.
After a long while, Apple Jack and the others came to a single spot, the very spot the map had showed them.
Apple Jack screamed and started sobbing. The other girls collected around her and stared at the sight that caused such grief in their friend.
A pair of holes in the ground lay side by side. Some pony … or perhaps something had dug up something that had been buried. A pile of broken rocks lay beside the holes.
Rainbow dash flew over to the rocks and inspected them. After a moment, her mouth fell open and the color drained from her face.
Twilight Sparkle winced as she stepped out in front of every pony else. Pinkie rubbed Apple Jack’s back while Rarity stood beside her and cast a mournful and confused gaze at her. FlutterShy and Spike just stood at the back, perhaps not sure what was going on.
‘W-what is it, Rainbow?” Twilight asked. Judging from the tone in the princess’s voice, she perhaps already knew.
Rainbow Dash floated over to Apple Jack and stared down at her. Apple Jack looked up as Rainbow Dash answered.
The world crushed in on Apple Jack as she continued to wail. This wasn’t like her. She was the strongest one of the group, and yet… how was she supposed to be strong when they were missing? And why would any pony do such a dastardly thing anyway? Not even Tirek messed around with a pony’s remains.
“Apple Jack?” Twilight’s voice came on like a whisper in the wind. “Apple Jack, it’s going to be okay. We’re going to find whoever was buried here.” There was a long, agonizing pause before she spoke in a softer voice. “We’ll find your parents.”
Apple Jack rose up from the ground and glared. She didn’t mean to sound so hateful, but she couldn’t help it. Rage like nothing she had ever experienced before rippled through her skin. “How?! How are we going to find them? We don’t even know who took them! We have no clues!”
A pair of waterfalls cascaded down her cheeks. Her bottom lip quivered violently. Her lungs heaved with every breath.
Rarity embraced Applejack tightly, but she regarded the others as well. Her usually sweet and elegant voice came out in the form of a shrill. “Don’t just stand there! Every pony search! We have to help Apple Jack find her parents.”
The other ponies scrambled around the site. Apple Jack tried to move to help, but the prissy pony held her in place with surprising strength.
Rarity’s voice resumed its usually composed quality. “Oh no! You’re going to stay right here. We’ll take care of everything, darling. You just let it all out.”
“No! I can’t!” Apple Jack placed her nose to Rarity’s. “Don’t you see?! My parents taught me to always be tough. They told me that if there’s work to be doing, that an Apple’s always doing it. That’s our family legacy. I can’t let them down. Not like this.”
Fluttershy called out. “Hey girls! My little friend knowns something.”
Rarity let go of Apple Jack and followed her over to Fluttershy. A tiny grey squirrel with a bushy tale sat before the butter yellow pegasus. It kept shifting its head from side to side as it regarded all of the ponies in turn.
“Well?” Apple Jack asked a little too loudly. “What does the critter know?”
Fluttershy placed her ear by the squirrel and listed to it as it chit-chattered for a good minute. After the squirrel was done, Fluttershy raised back up.
She said “Mr. McNutt says that yesterday afternoon a really creepy pony dressed in black came here with a pair of other…” Fluttershy hesitated and looked back down to the squirrel.
The creature spoke again.
“Um… he says the other ponies looked wrong somehow. He says they smelled really bad and had parts of their coat missing,” Fluttershy said. “They dug up the bones and put them in a sack, and then they went north.”
Apple Jack started to move in that direction, but Pinkie yelled out. “Wait, A.J. You don’t know where you’re going. It could be anywhere north.”
Apple Jack whirled around. “Well what am I supposed to do then? They’re my parents! I have to get them back. They don’t deserve to have their remains messed with. It ain’t natural.”
The other ponies appeared troubled by her words, and each of them gazed at her with longing and mournful expressions.
“We’re coming with you,” Twilight said. “I might be able to cast a location spell that would help us find out where they went. All I would need is something that that belonged to the robbers… or maybe your parents. Do you have anything like that?”
Apple Jack peeked into the hole and saw a single lump of leather. The moisture in her mouth faded like a puddle on a dry day. She reached down and hopped into the hole.
“Did you find somehting?” Rainbow Dash asked.
A moment later, Apple Jack climbed out of the hole with the leather lump in her mouth.
“Ewww….” Rarity shrieked. “I can’t believe you’re putting that dirty thing in your mouth. Thank Celestia that I’m a unicorn.”
Apple Jack just rolled her eyes and set the lump down. It didn’t matter that it had been in the ground for nearly a decade. She didn’t even particularly care that it had rested next to the rotting and decomposing remains of her mother. If it could help her find her parents, she would eat the damned thing.
The other ponies gathered around the lump of leather and studied it with a sense of wonder and unease.
“What is it?” Fluttershy asked as she peered down to sniff it.
Instantly, she backed away and turned her nose upward.
“Yeah, it may not smell the best, but it’ll help me find my parents.” Apple Jack opened the leather pouch and emptied its contents on the ground.
A small gold ear ring, a necklace made from beads, a red handkerchief, and a blue scarf fell on the ground. Apple Jack gazed up at Twilight Sparkle. Lakes had formed on the bottom of each of her eyelids.
“Can you use any of this to find my parents?” Apple Jack asked.
Slowly, Twilight Sparkle leaned down and inspected the items. Her horn began to glow with a powerful radiance. Waves of energy rippled through the air, and suddenly, the items themselves shined. A bright purple beam rose from the items and touched Twilight’s horn.
No one said anything as the beam continued to pulsate between the alicorn and the small collection of burial items.
Apple Jack bit her lip and nervously danced in place. Would this be enough? It had to be! Twilight was the most power magical pony that she had ever known, aside from the Royal Sisters. Surely Twilight could devise a fancy way of finding out who ever took her parents.
A bright purple ball appeared on the end of Twilight’s horn. For a moment, it hovered in the air like some kind of Hearth’s Warming eve bauble. Suddenly, it flew off to the north, leaving a misty trail of magical energy behind it. The end of the misty trail remained connected to Twilight’s horn.
“Only we can see the orb and the trail,” Twilight explained. “That way, whatever villain did this heinous crime can’t see we’re following him… or her. “ Twilight’s expression resumed its pity filled demeanor. “Are you ready, Apple Jack?
Apple Jack wiped her tear stricken face and gazed inwardly. Was this the kind of filly that her parents raised? Absolutely not. To honor their memory, Apple jack had to be a real Apple. She had to be tough. After a reassuring deep breath, she squared her shoulders and stared into Twilight’s eyes.
Each hoof step felt harder than the last. Of all the things that could have ever happened to her, Apple Jack would have never dared to dream of this. Her insides lurched, no doubt due to the attempt to produce more tears. She was empty for now. Everything felt numb.
Her best friends trotted beside her, not saying anything. From the corners of her eyes, she noticed that they continued to switch their attentions from the trail of purple mist to her. In the center of this crazy whirlwind, at least Apple Jack could count on her friends.
An unexpected chuckle rumbled up through her throat. The girls had been with Apple Jack through the most unbelievable adventures. With them beside her, she braved a terrible legend and came out ahead. Nightmare Moon had frightened her as a filly, although she never wanted to admit it. Her parents told her Apples were strong and brave.
A year later, they stood up to Discord and managed to save the day again. During that whole ordeal, Apple Jack had a small piece of her soul stolen from her. In addition to being strong and brave, her parents taught her to be honest. When her honesty was taken… she was no better a pony than a Pear or a Banana. Granted, the Pears and Bananas were a good family of ponies, to be sure, but they weren’t Apples. When Twilight restored her back to the way she was supposed to be, it was like being able to hug her parents again.
The ache in her heart grew steadier. Despite her estimates of being completely drained of tears, a single droplet trailed down her cheek. What she wouldn’t give to hug them one more time.
The girls fought changelings, evil plants, and even the most terrible of foes together. Tirek had stolen her essence from her… and even without it, she managed to hold on to a piece of who she was. Friendship was the magic glue that saved Equestria… and Apple Jack had been a key component for that victory.
Would her parents be proud of her? Did they know all of the things she did? Did they know how much she loved and missed them?
Big Mac never talked about them or his feelings about them. Neither did Granny Smith. They both represented everything it meant to be an Apple. Would Apple Jack be able to be like that one day? Hell, she thought she was a good model of her family’s strength until she broke down like a heart broken youngster, weeping over a crush. What’s worse, her friends saw her break down.
Surely her parents would be disappointed.
Apple Jack’s head bowed a little lower as she ran. The sky had started to darken. The trees loomed over them, but at least they weren’t menacing like the Ever Free Forest. Apple Jack’s muscles strained, but she had been accustomed to hard labor and exhaustive work. A disheartening notion appeared in the depths of her mind.
She stopped and glanced back to her friends.
Each of them were haggard. Rainbow Dash had been in the best shape of all them aside from Apple Jack, and even the cyan pegasus looked winded. Twilight Sparkle’s chest heaved wildly, and her facial muscles appeared strained.
“W-why are w-we stopping?” Twilight gasped.
Apple Jack bucked herself inwardly. Here she was being so selfish, and she never once considered her friends. She winced as she moved to the side of the path.
“We should rest for the night and pick it up when Celestia raises the sun again.” Apple Jack moved toward some sticks and grabbed one of them in her mouth.
Rarity also looked quite weary, though not as worn out as Twilight Sparkle. “But what about your parents? We have to find them.”
Apple Jack dropped the stick and gave her friends a sideways glance. “Whoever took my parents’ remains has had them for several days now. There’d be no sense in showing up to take them back if we’re as worn out as a herd of cattle after a twenty two mile stampede. We should rest.”
Pinke Pie collapsed on the ground. “Thank Goodness. I was about to pass out.”
Apple Jack bent down to pick up another stick when Fluttershy placed her hoof on it. She gave Apple Jack a warm smile. Her voice cracked with tiredness.
She said “You sit back, we’ll worry about collecting the sticks and making a fire. You have a lot on your mind as it is.”
Apple Jack opened her mouth to refute her, but the other ponies gave her pleading expressions. Without saying another word, Apple Jack plopped down and watched as her exhausted friends slowly built a fire. She could have done it in half the time, but they were quite insistent.
The crackling fire smelled good, and staring at it mesmerized her. Within its wondrous depths, Apple Jack saw her parents again. Come to think of it, she hadn’t really thought about them in a long while. Life had become so busy and complicated that she hadn’t taken the time to reflect on what it meant to bear the burden of their absence. Wow… one more reason that Apple Jack was a terrible daughter.
Pinkie Pie broke the awkward silence that lingered around the camp fire. Good ol’ Pinkie.
“I have an idea,” Pinkie said. “I know you’re all super duper sad about your parents and all, but maybe you might feel better if you told us a happy story about them.”
The other girls watched Apple Jack with both expectation and longing eyes.
Of all her friends, she had known Rarity the longest. Only Rarity had actually seen her parents alive, but even then, both she and Rarity had been young’uns when they passed.
Apple Jack sighed. “Okay… if you think that’ll make me feel better. I’m up for anything at the moment.” She paused and closed her eyes. The smell of the fire filled her nostrils. The aroma changed. Memories conjured a different set of fragrances. Her soul quivered as she imagined the pair of them standing at the fire with them.
When Apple Jack opened her eyes, she saw them standing beside the other girls.
Her father had the same yellow coat that Apple Bloom had. Big Mac took after their father’s build and hair style. Like Apple Bloom, her father had bright red hair. Apple Jack got her father’s green eyes and freckles. He was a good stallion with the world’s largest heart. There was nothing her father couldn’t do, and no problem that he wouldn’t take on to help the folks around him. Usually, her father wore a checked green and white plaid shirt.
Her mother stood beside him, although she was much smaller than he was. Big Mac got their mothers coat, but Apple Jack got her hair. A thick yellow braid trailed over her mother’s shoulder. Resting on top of her mother’s head was the same hat that Apple Jack wore now. A pair of orange irises stared fondly at Apple Jack. From the way Granny Smith tells it, Apple Jack inherited her mother’s fiery spirit. Coupled with a capacity to be always regarded as strong and brave, her mother had a bit of an ego. Not only that, but her mother was very creative and could build such wonderful things. Apple Jack suspected Apple Bloom got that from her.
Apple Jack quivered in her spot. Tears welled on the bottom of her eyes. “I remember this one time when I was a little younger than what Apple Bloom is now, my parents took Big Mac and me to the rodeo. It was my first time going to such a thing, and I was immediately hooked. There was pig wrestling, barrel jumping, and even races. My parents even introduced me to some of the rodeo clown ponies. I had so much fun.”
She sniffed and wiped her face. Moisture covered her hook and leg, but she didn’t care.
“There was this other time during Hearts and Hooves day when they…” she choked up a little bit. Apparently, her body had refilled its supply of sadness and woe, for it started to spill out from her. She started sobbing and couldn’t stop herself, despite her best efforts.
“It’s okay, darling. Let it out.” Rarity started rubbing her back with a hoof.
“No it’s not okay. I’m weak.” Apple Jack whimpered harshly. “Apples are supposed to be strong. I’m not supposed to…”
In an instant, they were all around her. Great warmth encompassed her entire being. The dominant woe she had been holding on to tightly suddenly melted away. When Apple Jack opened her eyes and gazed at her friends, she felt a wave of astonishment slap her across the face.
They were all crying too. Five pairs of weepy eyes locked with hers.
“You’re not weak,” Fluttershy said. “There is nothing weak about crying. It’s weak not letting it out.”
Rarity rubbed her cheek against Apple Jack’s, the combination of their tear stained faces caused their faces to slid easily against one another. “You’re the strongest person I know, and nothing will ever change that. If you weren’t crying about something so terrible, I would worry about you.”
Twilight Sparkle said “The fact that you’re crying shows how much you care about your parents. Don’t forget we’re here with you too. That’s what friends are for. We’re here to ease your burdens and prop you up when you feel you can’t go on. Think about all the times you’ve done it for us?”
In turn, Apple Jack studied each of her friends. Warm sparkles flared in her mind. In the center of each of those sparkles, a wondrous memory of their friendship flashed. In the midst of those memories, more positive recollections of her parents surfaced.
Apple jack hugged her best friends a little tighter. “I really love you all. You’re like my family… and I couldn’t do this without you.”
For the rest of the night, Apple Jack recounted great stories of her parents and growing up around them. There were still moments where Apple Jack cried, but now she knew she could do it without having to feel like she wasn’t living up to the Apple name. It wasn’t all sad though, and she laughed as she told some of the stories.
In the morning, Apple Jack and her friends resumed their journey. They moved with purpose and renewed vitality. They would no doubt find her parents and the villain in the mountains in the distance. Under her breath, Apple Jack whispered “I’m coming, Mom and Dad.”
“Well,” Twilight said. “There it is, the end of the trail.” The trail of purple mist drifted into the mouth of a cave at the base of one of the mountains that made up the Unicorn Range. Applejack had never been here before. She had never had a reason to venture this far north of Sweet Apple Acres. An odd, and very unpleasant smell perfumed the air. It felt colder, despite the sun being at its zenith. Her stomach swirled with a complex concoction of various emotions. She tried to keep her breathing steady, but it proved difficult. The girls needed her to be strong for this. She couldn’t afford to break down like before.
Rainbow Dash landed beside Applejack and glared at the cave mouth. “Well what are we waiting for? Let’s get in there and get Applejack’s parents back. No doubt there’s a terrible monster in there! Fighting a terrible monster would be…” Her words died on her tongue when Applejack gave her an icy stare.
A chilling wind blew past them and made Applejack’s mane flap a little. She took several little steps at first, but then she grew bolder. Apples weren’t ever scared, or if they were, they never showed it. Honestly, Applejack was frightened. She wanted to run home and hide, but there were things that needed doing. And as her mother used to say, ‘When there are things that need doing, Apples do them.’
A quick glance revealed that her five best friends in the world followed her. Even Fluttershy, the meekest and easily unnerved of ponies, found the courage to brave this unknown terror along with her. Applejack was lucky.
As they got closer to the cave mouth, a figure moved out to meet them. As soon as it came fully into the light, Applejack and the others froze.
It was a pony to be sure, but it looked … well…. It looked wrong. Its coat was faded and mostly grey or green with patches of other color in it. The eyes were wide and empty of anything but blackness. The pony had no lips, but its gums were exposed. A bright cutie mark still sat on its flank, and it almost glowed with prominence. When the pony moved, it did so in jerky motions. Its mane hung lifelessly from its scalp, and it lacked a tail completely.
“Ewwww!” Rarity started to back away from it. “What in Celestia’s name is that?!”
Applejack stood her ground and braced herself to buck it if it got any closer.
The pony’s mouth opened. A ghastly voice echoed out. “Go away! The Master doesn’t want you here.”
Applejack took a step forward. Though her voice cracked with unease, she spoke loudly. “Your master stole my parents’ remains. I want them back!”
The pony stopped and even tilted its head at her. “The Master takes many remains. She gives us new life. Go away. Or I will make you go away.”
“Oh yeah?” Applejack whirled around and bucked that creature so hard, it toppled to the ground.
Pinkie Pie pulled out a cannon from somewhere and aimed it at the struggling pony monster. A devious grin plastered itself on Pinkie Pie’s face. “Eat confetti, you big meanie!!!”
The cannon boomed. A giant ball of confetti soared through the air and slammed into pony. The ball continued forward for another ten feet or so and dragged the pony with him. All became silent as the girls gathered around the confetti mound.
Little pieces shifted out of the way as the pony slowly stood up from the giant pile. Bits of paper and such fell from its open eye sockets and mouth.
“Stop!” The pony said. “I will take you to the Master. No more confetti.”
Applejack stepped up to the pony. “Yes, take us to whoever stole my parents.”
The pony slowly stood up and moved into the cave. Confetti still covered its back and sides. The girls followed along, but they kept huddled close together. Both Rarity and Twilight Sparkle activated their horns and shined light as the darkness swallowed them up.
Twilight Sparkle leaned in close to Applejack and whispered so only the girls could hear her. “I think I know that that thing is. It’s called a ghoul. Starswirl the Bearded referenced some ancient and forbidden rituals that could create such things.”
“A-are ghouls dangerous?” Fluttershy asked.
Twilight Sparkle bit her lip a little. “They can be. It really depends on the pony who created it. I didn’t get a lot of information about ghouls, but I did remember all you need is a pony’s remains. I didn’t know any pony knew how to make them now a days.”
Applejack’s heart clenched within her chest. “Do you think this Master could have done that to my parents?”
Twilight Sparkle winced.
The cave itself went on for quite a while until they all came to a large chamber. Towards the back of the space sat a throne made of pure black stone. Twelve creatures identical to the one who lead the group into the cave stood before the throne. In a panic, Applejack scanned their cutie marks. She saw umbrellas, quills, race flags, and more. No apples though.
A light blue unicorn with light green hair sat upon the throne. She had the most splendid purple irises. On her flank rested a laughing pony skull. The unicorn hopped up from her throne as soon as Applejack and the others came in.
The unicorn smiled. “What do we have here? Visitors? I love new friends, although I prefer to make my own friends.”
Applejack pointed her hoof at the unicorn. “You stole my parents! I want them back.”
The unicorn smiled. “No.”
“No?” Applejack winced. The anger within her festered. A dark bitterness surfaced that she was unaccustomed to. “What do you mean no? They’re my parents and you had no right to take them.”
The unicorn arched an eyebrow at her. “Oh no? I had no right? I bet you think it isn’t fair, don’t you?”
Rainbow Dash flapped into the air above the others. “You’re darned right it isn’t fair! Who do you think you are, anyway?”
The unicorn placed a hoof to her chest. “My name is Jitterbug. JITTERBUG! My parents gave me a cute name and expected me to have a cute little life just like them. Well guess what? When my cutie mark finally came, it wasn’t a cute little bug or a flower like I wanted. It was this!” She pointed to the grinning skull on her flank. “When my family and friends saw this, they all shunned me and called me cursed. I was left alone! How was that fair?!”
Applejack stamped her hooved on to the ground. “I don’t care if you had a rough fillyhood. I want my parents back!”
Jitterbug waved her off with a dismissing hoof gesture. “I don’t care what you want. They’re my friends now! If I’ve learned anything in this world, it is this: no one will love you unless you force them too. These ghouls are my friends because I command them to be! I won’t ever be alone again. I won’t ever be unloved!
Pinkie Pie bounced forward. “But that’s no way to make friends! You’re doing it all wrong! Real friends choose to be with you. That’s how they show you they really care.”
Jitterbug turned her back to them. “No one cares about me. That’s why I had to do all of this. This is the best I can do.”
“How did you do this anyway?” Twilight Sparkle asked. “I thought these rituals were lost.”
Jitterbug flourished a dramatic pose. “Well it is my super special talent, after all. I could only create one ghoul with my magic though. Step forward, Fruit Cake.”
One of the ghouls toward the front of the pack stepped forward and placed itself beside Jitterbug.
“Fruit Cake was my first real friend. You don’t want to leave me do you, Fruit Cake?” Jitterbug asked.
In a monotone voice, Fruit Cake replied “No, Master. I would never want to leave you.”
Twilight Sparkle asked “Well how did you raise the other ones then?”
Jitterbug trotted over to the black throne. “With this! It called out to me and told me it could help me never be alone again. It gave me the power to make all of these friends.”
“Don’t you see what you’re doing to yourself?” Applejack asked. “This ain’t natural. These ponies don’t really want to be your friends. They have no choice! You’re probably hurting them more then helping them. You’re being selfish.”
Jitterbug’s eyes grew harder. “You’re lying! These ghouls love me.” She waved her hands at the legion of unnatural ponies before her. “These ponies were all long forgotten in old graveyards. I watched those places for a long while before I took their remains. They were just lying there in the ground. No pony cared about them. I gave them purpose.” She pointed at Applejack. “Now that I think about it, I stumbled across a pair of long forgotten grave markers a couple days ago. I salvaged their remains from that desolate spot in the woods. You forgot them and now they’re mine.”
Applejack stepped forward. “You didn’t turn them in to ghouls yet, did you?”
Jitterbug frowned. “Not yet, but I will as soon as I deal with you. You’re not welcome here! Go away and leave me alone with my friends.”
“Don’t you see? This isn’t real friendship. This is slavery.” Twilight flapped up into the air beside Rainbow Dash.
Up till this point, Fluttershy had been quite nervous and silent. Slowly, she skulked forward. “If you really want to find out how they feel, then ask them to tell you honestly.”
Jitterbug opened her mouth to say something, but then stopped. Her eyes quivered with unease.
“You’re afraid, aren’t you?” Applejack stepped up closer.
Several of the ghouls moved to block her, but Jitterbug held up her hoof. She watched Applejack with wavering eyes.
“I know it’s scary, but if you really care about these… friends of yours, you’ll ask them honestly.” Applejack rested her hoof on Jitterbug’s shoulder. “It’s the only way to really know if you have friends, or if you’re alone.”
Tears rimmed Jitterbug’s eyes. “What if they don’t really like me?”
A terrible voice echoed throughout the chamber. "Don’t listen to them, Jitterbug. They are lying to you. They will shun you like your family did."
All eyes fell on the throne.
“That thing can talk?” Rainbow dash asked. “That’s creepy.”
Applejack said “Ask them.”
At first, Jitterbug stared at the throne, but then she turned her attention to the ghouls. “D-do you really want to be here with me.”
The ghouls just stared at her, but then they spoke one right after the other.
“We want to be released.”
“We hate it here.”
“We are your slaves, nothing more.”
Fruit Cake lowered its head. “I want to be released and rejoin my husband.”
Tears streamed down Jitterbug’s cheeks. “Y-you too Fruit Cake?”
Fruit Cake slowly nodded. “I’m sorry, Jitterbug. I do like you. You have a good heart, despite your dark intensions. You need to let go of all this and make real friends. I am your friend, but I am tired. I want to rejoin my husband. Please let us go. Please do the right thing.”
Once more, the voice screamed out. This time, it carried greater resonance. "No! I will not let you go! You will do as I command!" Suddenly, the throne started crackling with energy. Jitterbug’s body started jerking wildly. She screamed.
“It’s the chair!” Pinkie Pie said. “We have to destroy the chair.”
The eyes of the ghouls glowed wildly, and then they turned on the ponies. In one unified voice, they said “The Master commands us to destroy you. We will trample you beneath our hooves.”
“No you wont!” Twilight Sparkle flew a little higher into the air. Her horn radiated with intense magical energy. A moment later, a powerful beam of energy blasted toward the throne. When it struck, the beam simply ricocheted off.
The voice laughed. "Silly alicorn. Only Jitterbug can destroy me since she awakened me. And she won’t do that because she’ll be all alone if she does." The voice laughed again.
Applejack bucked one of the ghouls to the ground but the others closed in. She backed up and stared at Jitterbug with pleading eyes. “You can do it! You can do the right thing.”
Jitterbug glanced up to the only ghoul who had not followed the commands of the throne. Fruit Cake leaned down and said something to the light blue unicorn. Applejack didn’t hear what was said, but whatever it was, it made Jitterbug sob a little.
Slowly, Jitterbug rose to her feet. Streams of magical energy zapped all over her body. Anguish painted itself in her eyes. Her horn glowed.
"No you fool!" The voice hollered. "You will be alone and no one will love you. You need me. You need them."
“Shut up!!” Jitterbug pointed her horn at the throne and sent forth a blueish – green beam of power towards it.
"Nooooooooo!!!!!"
The throne exploded in a giant shower of shrapnel and dust. As it did, a powerful wave of energy spiraled out and struck every pony. As it hit Applejack, she felt her hairs stand on end. When the wave hit the ghouls, they collapsed into hunks of meat and body parts.
All at once, beautiful wispy images melted from the bodies of the ghouls and floated in the air. Each of the images looked like the ghouls, only if they were living ponies. Every single pony danced about and gazed at one another with a sense of relief. They laughed. They praised Celestia. None of them gave Jitterbug so much as a passing glance.
One of the ponies started flying toward the exit, so others did as well. Jitterbug watched them go with a quivering lip. Slowly, she turned back to Fruit Cake, who was still a ghoul.
“I’m going to mi-miss you,” Jitterbug said.
“Please release me.” Fruit Cake’s face contorted.
Jitterbug closed her eyes and her horn glowed. Fruit Cake’s body crumpled before her. A ghostly image of a beautiful brightly colored mare emerged from the fleshy prison. Rather than go for the exit, she hovered there and gazed down at the light blue unicorn.
“Let go of it all and make real friends,” Fruit Cake said. With that, she floated toward the exit.
Applejack came up behind Jitterbug and rested a hoof on Jitterbug’s shoulder. Though a small degree of anger still existed within her, Applejack remembered one of the most important aspects of being an Apple was being as neighborly. Yes, this mare had performed the worst theft of all, but it was over.
Jitterbug averted her eyes from Applejack’s, or from any of the pony’s for that matter.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I just didn’t want to be alone anymore.” A small whimper escaped Jitterbug. “Now I am.”
Pinkie Pie came up beside her. “You know, if you come to Ponyville and promise to be a super nice pony, I’ll be your friend.”
Jitterbug blinked and then locked eyes with the pink mare. “Y-You mean it?”
“Of course.” Pinkie gave her a small hug. “I love making new friends. We’ll have to find you a new job though. You can’t raise the dead in Ponyville.”
“Well,” Jitterbug said. “There is something else I can do. Maybe it will make up for me stealing your parents.” She glanced at Applejack. “Follow me, I’ll take you to where I stored your parents’ remains.”
Jitterbug led them to a small cavern that extended off of the large room. Inside the room laid a pair of pony skeletons. As soon as Applejack saw them, her eyes watered.
Jitterbug approached the skeletons.
“Now hold on, just a minute!” Applejack stomped her hooves. “I won’t have you defiling my parents anymore!”
Jitterbug held up a hoof. “I won’t. I promise. I have one more super special talent that is related to the dead. This one, I think you might like.”
Once more, Jitterbug’s horn glowed. The air started blowing all around them as if an invisible whirlwind had appeared. It grew slightly colder. The skeletons started to glow too. Applejack opened her mouth to protest, but two ghostly images appeared above the bones.
At first, they were devoid of any distinguishing features. The coats started to take on specific colors. One of the ponies, a female, had a red coat and a blond mane and tail. Her hair had been tied into a braid. The other pony was much larger and had a yellow coat and bright red mane and tail. The male wore a white and green plaid shirt.
Applejack’s knees felt wobbly. “This is some kind of trick. It ain’t fair for you to tease me like this.”
Jitterbug said nothing. She merely smiled as the ponies softly landed beside Applejack.
Applejack’s mother’s eyes filled with tears. “By all the glory of Celestia, is this real? Is that really our little Applejack?” She reached out and touched Applejack’s face. Actually touched it.
Applejack shuddered.
“Don’t be scared of me, Sugar Cube,” her mother said. She nudged Applejack’s father. “Oh… say something, dear.”
Applejack’s father grinned as rivers flowed down his cheeks. “What am I supposed to say? I never thought this would happen? How are we here?”
Applejack’s mother rolled her eyes. “Who cares how it happened, I just want to hug my little girl.” Her eyes took on a more mournful quality. “Can I hug you, Sugar Cube?”
Applejack leapt into her mother’s arms and felt her body. Though there wasn’t as much warmth as what she would have liked, it still felt more wonderful than anything Applejack could have ever hoped for. Her father joined in on the hug.
“We’re so proud of you, darling,” her father said. “We’ve been watching you for such a long time. When you went into this cave, everything got… cloudy.”
From behind her, the sounds of her friends openly sobbing sent shivers down Applejack’s spine. She couldn’t focus on that now though. Once more, she sobbed into her parents.
“I’m sorry, Mom and Dad.” Applejack pulled away. “I sure ain’t acting like an Apple bawling like this. I hope I didn’t let you down.”
Applejack’s mother locked eyes with her daughter. “Don’t you ever let me hear you say that again. You are too acting like an Apple! You always have! Never doubt yourself again. Your father and I are always proud of you. Nothing is ever going to change that!”
Her father opened her mouth to speak, but Jitterbug cleared her throat. “I’m really sorry. I can’t maintain the spell for much longer.” She gave an awkward smile. “Once I rest up, I can bring you back for another meeting.”
Fluttershy’s eyes opened wide. “So… you can communicate with the spirits of ponies that have passed on?”
Jitterbug winced. “I know that’s kind of freaky.”
“Freaky?” Rainbow Dash hovered so she was eye level with Jitterbug. “It’s awesome!!!”
The ghostly images of Applejack’s parents started to waiver.
Applejack grabbed hold of her parents’ hooves. Slowly, their bodies got softer and softer.
“I ain’t ready. There’s so much I want to say to you.” Applejack sobbed outright. “I love you and miss you so much.”
Applejack’s father kissed his daughter on the cheek. “We love you too. If what this mare says is true, we’ll be back very soon. Just know that the both of us are so proud of you and your siblings.”
Applejack’s mother poked her in the chest. “You never stop believing that you’re a perfect Apple. We’re going to be waiting for you, Big Mac, and Apple Bloom when the time comes. Be good.”
Applejack nodded furiously. “I will. I promise.”
Her parents faded altogether. Applejack just stood there and stared into the space where they once were.
Jitterbug said “So would…”
Applejack cut her off. “I’m sorry, but I need a few moments.” Tears still trailed down her cheeks.
Thankfully, the other ponies gave her all the time she needed.
“I don’t know, Applejack.” Apple Bloom lowered her eyes to the floor. “I’m scared.”
Applejack couldn’t help but chuckle. “Why are you scared, little sis? They’re our parents. They ain’t monsters.”
“I know, but what if they don’t like me?” Apple Bloom said.
A soft bead of warmth exploded in Applejack’s heart. She nuzzled her little sister’s face with her nose. “There ain’t no way they wouldn’t like you. Heck, they love you. You’re an Apple. We’re Apples together, Apples forever, family and so much more, right?”
Apple Bloom slowly raised her eyes and then smiled. “Right. So… you think they might be disappointed that I don’t have my cutie mark yet?”
“Not even a little bit,” Applejack got behind Apple Blossom and scooted her forward. “Now come on, Jitterbug only has so much magic. We’re wasting valuable time just talking about silly things like being afraid of Mom and Dad.”
Applejack led Apple Bloom into the larger room where the others were gathered. Jitterbug sat at the table, and her horn glowed brightly and steadily. A bright smile remained plastered on her face. Granny Smith and Big Mac were already seated on a couch beside the ghostly images of Applejack’s parents. When Apple Bloom and Applejack came into the room, all conversation stopped.
Apple Jack’s mother rose from the couch. “By Celestia’s light…”
Apple Bloom sprinted forward. “Momma!!!”
A wide and satisfied grin covered Applejack’s face as she sat beside Jitterbug.
“Thank you, Sugar Cube,” Applejack said. “You have no idea how wonderful this is. We never got a chance to really say goodbye.”
Jitterbug reached over and touched Applejack’s hoof with her own. “It is I who should be thanking you. You saved me from the darkness that was consuming me. You showed me what real friendship is. I hope you can forgive me. I hope we can one day become friends.”
