//------------------------------// // Chapter 065: The Ghost Pony // Story: Ultimate Equestria // by Leo Pachino //------------------------------// “He is real!” Applebloom yelled. “Nope,” her older brother, Big Mac, disagreed. “He is! The Ghost Pony does exist!” “Nope, there is no such thing as some flaming-skeleton-ghost thing.” “Big Mac, if it’s in this here book, then it is real!” “Applebloom, don’t be ridiculous, that book probably says that the world is flat as well. It’s older than Granny, for Pete’s sake.” “So what if it’s old, it’s true!” “Nope,” The bickering between two siblings downstairs echoed throughout the house, reaching all the way upstairs and into Applejack’s ears. What was supposed to be a peaceful sleep-in soon turned into another rude awakening by something caused by her siblings. All Applejack wanted to do was sleep. Even eight months after the defeat of Korsan, Applejack was still exhausted from her high-seas adventures. She had obtained a collection of broken and bruised bones during her battle with pirates and it took well over a few months to heal them all. She could barely get any sleep during recovery due to the pain. Now was her perfect chance to sleep and recover her mind. But, as usual for the Apple house, silence was a rare sight. With a heavy yawn and a brief stretch, the mare crawled out from her soft bed. She then slowly walked down to where the fighting was taking place, in the living room of all places. Another yawn exits her mouth before confronting the arguing siblings. “What is going on down here?” She asked. Big Mac started, “Applejack, would you kindly explain to Applebloom that whatever this ghost pony is most certainly not real?” “Big ‘sis, would you kindly explain to Mac that he is real and admit that I was right?” Applebloom retorted. “Nope,” Mac replied. “I wasn’t asking you!” Applebloom exclaimed. “The Ghost Pony?” Applejack replied in confusion, still tired from her abrupt stir. “How the hay did you hear about the Ghost Pony you two? I know this story, and it is not one you should know at your age, Applebloom.” “I got it from this old book I found on a shelf.” Applebloom explained. The filly retreated around a corner into the hallway and quickly returned, holding the book in her mouth. It was old and dirty brown, covered several rips and tears. Every inch of the large book was destroyed practically. The pages appeared to be not made during this time, but from a time centuries ago. “Historic Tales of the Appeloosan Desert, I see.” Applejack said. “How about you read it to us?” Applebloom suggested. “Yeah, I haven’t actually read it…” Big Mac guiltily stated. “Ha!” Applebloom taunted. “...But based on what you’ve been spouting to me for the past few minutes, there’s no way it’s real.” Big Mac finished. “I ain’t reading this.” Applejack said. “It’s way too grody for a filly like you to hear.” “Pff, that’s nothing from what I’ve heard from those pirates a while ago.” Applebloom replied. “Yin and Yu…” AJ hissed. “What?” “Nothing.” Applejack moaned. “Okay, if it means quieting you two down and letting me go back to sleep, I’ll do it.” Applebloom gently placed the old book down and opened it to the beginning page of the legend. Applejack cleared her throat and read out loud. The Legend of the Ghost Pony begins one hundred years after the fabled banishment of the queen of the night. The city lands were stricken with poverty throughout during this dark time. Ponies were desperate for some money, no matter the risk or how much it would screw ‘em up in the long haul. At this time, a poor mare gave birth to thirteen black, sickly unicorns, the youngest of these children being Blaze Rider. This is his story. Having their father died in the mines shortly after the twelve brothers were born and their mother dying of sickness, the young Rider Brothers had to work in the coal mines. As their sick mother slowly died away, the brothers struggled to make ends meet between themselves. The brothers constantly fought one another, but their mother was there before they killed each other. However, before the first born brother could get his first tooth, their mother passed away, leaving them by themselves in the untamed world of the city. Without a guide to break up their fights, they unleashed war upon each other in the workplace. They were quickly fired from the mines, leaving the thirteen unemployed and homeless. One by one, the unicorns turned to a life of crime, seeing it as their only chance of survival. Only Blaze kept to his mother’s words of righteousness and loyalty, and stayed away from crime. Eventually, the law gained on them. Crime wasn’t paying up as the poor and easily robbed became even poorer. Things were looking desperate for the brothers. Slowly though, rumors of treasures, hidden in the distant deserts, rose after early explorers entered the South. These rumours spread like wildfire in every direction imaginable. The rumors of treasure in the desert soon hit the town and the brothers took this opportunity of fortune. They went out on the hunt for riches in these unexplored lands. They headed towards the Stampeding Mesa and mined there, using their prior experiences as fillies. They mined, day and night, searching for a fortune. Every day, they came up empty, with only more hunger and thirst to show. Despite their common goal, they only got angrier and angrier with each other. Many lost their minds, turning against the group and trying to eliminate each other. Blaze kept quiet during these conflicts, but was scarred by the violence and abuse the brothers gave to each other and him. It seemed like everywhere they went, Blaze was competing with his others for mere survival. Years later, when only seven brothers remained, while mining, they came across something great. A massive vein of gold was dug up in their mine. It was foal’s gold, but due to the insanity that devoured them the years, they believed it to be real gold. For the first time ever, the brothers could have a stable life. They could afford things unimaginable back then. Though, a question then came. How much should be shared? Out of selfishness, Blaze’s remaining brothers shoved him into a small dried ravine. They ran back into the mine to collect the gold. With one less brother in the way, they could buy more stuff. For an entire week, the poor unicorn starved and dehydrated in his prison, trying to find a way out while his brothers took his share of gold. Finally, having enough of this torture and wanting the gold to himself, Blaze mustered all his might and crawled out of the canyon. He pushed a bunch of large boulders over the entrance of the mine, sealing his brothers in. While his brothers continued to dig deeper for more gold, Blaze loaded the covered wagon with as much of his brothers’ upturned gold that he could steal. Blaze fled the scene, leaving his brothers with nothing but their hole. They all died from each other within a week, and the only remaining pony of the Rider family was Blaze. But, like all tales of redemption, this selfish glory never lasted long. A tornado came and crossed his path. Torched in fire, claimed to be sent by the gods, the tornado took Blaze with it. Blaze had practically entered Tartarus, locked away for his crimes and sent into a fiery prison. Instead of killing the unicorn, the flaming tornado burnt off his flesh, his wagon, and his gold. He looked upon the eye of the tornado and saw the dastardly deed he did as his eyes turned to dust. When the sandstorm died down a year late, all that was left of Blaze was a skeleton and his soul, trapped inside. For decades, the skeleton spirit traveled across the badlands, searching for some reason why he’s this. Why was he sucked in and spat out by that firestorm and not suffering for his crimes in Tartarus? He wandered, thinking, but came to no conclusion that resolved him. Until one night came, a hundred years later. While looking upon the buried mine in which his brothers lay, he came across a group of settler ponies. He witnessed as an Earth pony mare, fur pink as beauty roses, being attacked by her six brothers. He noticed a pair of wooden coffins in the back of the wagon. She was just like him, hundreds of years ago. At that moment, Blaze knew his destiny. Fire erupted across his bones as he charged at the confrontation, looking for a fight. Blaze stood between the mare and the attackers. Upon seeing the flaming spirit, the six brothers were horrified. They turned to stone from total shock. Blaze had saved the mare from, as he knew, certain death. The mare asked for the hero’s name after witnessing such a selfless act. He turned to her and said this: “I was once a black-hearted sinner, a killer, but now I am, and forever will be a savior of the desert. I am a pony that shall smite the wicked and provide the light of which I lacked. I am the Ghost Pony, the Spirit of Redemption.” With that said, he ran off into the sunrise, off to redeem himself. To this day, they say that he continues to wander the desert, searching for more lost souls to save. They say that if you look upon Stampeding Mesa at the final hours of night, you’d have a slim chance of seeing the red glow of the Ghost Pony, running into the East and beyond the horizon. “There, y’all happy now?” AJ asked, having finished the story. “Yep… now I know, for certain, that this is fiction.” Big Mac declared. “What?!” Applebloom exclaimed. “He doesn’t die from a flaming tornado after having his flesh burnt off. How does that sound real? I had a higher chance to believing your rambles before actually knowing the story.” Big Mac said. “It’s magic.” Applebloom replied. “It’s stupid.” Mac said, rolling his eyes. “Big ‘sis, you said you knew this story before us. You think he’s real right?” “Watch Applebloom, Applejack’s going to side with me on this one… Right?” Applejack hesitated for a moment before answering, “Well, I don’t really know.” “C’mon Applejack, does it even sound remotely real to you?” Big Mac asked. “Well, it could happen, strange things always come about here in Equestria. I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed, so I’m not sure if there is this type of magic. I could ask Twilight.” “I can rest assure you, he is not real.” Big Mac declared. “He is too!” Applebloom retorted. “Nope!” Mac barked. “Yep!” Applebloom yelled. “Nope!” “Yep!” “Nope!” “Quiet, you two!” Applejack yelled, immediately silencing the two siblings. “Tell you what. How about I go out and try and find the Ghost Pony? I’ll spend an entire day and night searching for him, and if I can’t find a single hint of his existence, then he’s not real. Then, will you two stop fighting?!” “Wait, Applejack, you sure you know what you’re getting into?” Big Mac asked. “What do you mean?” AJ asked. “The desert’s a very dangerous place. There’s a high risk that you’ll get lost, or even worse.” “What’s the worst that can happen?” “Venomous snakes, bandits, heat, dehydration, quicksand…” “They’re just fictional Mild West tropes. The chances of me encountering any of that stuff would be one in a million. And besides, I would probably take care of them easy if I even came across it.” “I’m just saying, I don’t want you to get hurt out there.” “If it means hushing you two for once in a while and giving me some actually sleep for once, then I’ll take whatever risk.” Applejack said. “Can I come with ya? I can be of some good help.” Applebloom asked. “After that stunt you pulled on the ocean, nope.” Applejack replied. “Aww, drat.” “I’ll see y’all the next day. Bye, y’all.” Applejack rushed back upstairs into her room and packed her saddlebags. Searching around the fairly large bedroom, she sifted through her things and put what she’ll need into her saddlebag. Five bottles of fresh water, ten apples, a brush, a mirror, a compass, a half-empty bottle of sunblock were what she started with. Then the necessity dropped when AJ reevaluated needs from wants. She then packed an old magazine, the old book, her diary, a quill, a small bottle of ink, a puzzle block, a lamp, some oil in a glass bottle, and a small collection of random objects to help pass the time. It took some effort to stuff everything into her tight bags. After finishing her packing, Apple noticed that her bags were about to burst from their seams. She shrugged it off, considering how long they’ve been in her possession and having an educated guess on how much they would carry. “That should do it.” She told herself. With a swift motion of her hips and tail, Applejack slid the saddlebags onto her back. Immediately, the full weight rushed through her spine, nearly causing her to collapse. However, Applejack was quick to recover. As she left home, she grabbed her iconic hat from the coat hanger on the way out. Walking along the dirt trail from Sweet Apple Acres to the main town, Applejack looked to the fields of apple trees to her left and see Big Mac and Applebloom bucking at them, already hard at work. She looked back to her home to get one last look at the giant red barn she called home. It was going to be the last of colour she’d see for a while. With the barn now long gone and the town just before her, Applejack made her way to the train station at the far side of the town. Along the way, she managed to cross paths with her friends along the way. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Twilight, and Spike were also heading to the train station. Based on their attire, it was obvious all six of them were heading to the beach. Each had their own swimsuit and had brought individual items for the beach. “Hey, AJ,” Twilight called to her. “Oh, hi Twilight,” Applejack replied. Applejack joined alongside the others and they walked together to the station. “What are you doing?” Twilight asked. “I thought you were ditching the beach. “Oh, I’m just going on a little trip, that’s all.” Applejack replied. “Where?” Twilight asked. “To Appeloosa. Well, to be more specific, outside of Appeloosa.” “You mean the barren desert? Isn’t that dangerous?” “Not too dangerous for me.” “I guess… May I ask why?” “Meh, just to look for the Ghost Pony, see if he’s real or not. You remember the legends right?” “…I think.” “Hm… Hypothetical question: Could magic turn a pony into a flaming skeleton?” “What?” “With a soul inside.” “A ghost?” “Completely hypothetical,” “Well, nothing known that would do that oddly specific thing. There could be some sort of soul-binding spell, but based on our current understandings on magic, it’s nigh impossible. It sounds more paranormal than scientific.” “Do you believe ghosts are real, though?” “No, but it would be interesting if they were.” “I guess.” “AJ, are you sure you don’t want to join us? You would make a great volleyball teammate against Pinkie.” Twilight persuaded. “Nah, I’m sick of water.” AJ replied. “Come on, what’s the worst that can happen? A bunch of sirens hop out of the sand and try to tear out our souls?” Rainbow Dash joked. “Nah, nah, I just want something more… landlocked.” Applejack replied. “Well good luck.” Twilight replied. “Good luck to you too.” Applejack replied back. “Mind the pole!” Applejack immediately stopped in place, soon realizing that she and the others were at the train station. A mere inch separated her nose with the wooden pole in front of her. “You might need the luck more than me...” Twilight said. “Ha.” Applejack chuckled. Twilight and the others stayed back in town to wait for their train. Applejack, now back to being alone, entered the station, bought her ticket, and hopped aboard the train already parked at the station. She seated herself in one of the more empty cars near the back of the train. Applejack looked out the window and gave one final glance at Ponyville. In a matter of minutes after being seated, the train suddenly jerks forward and ran out the station. Applejack watched as the town exited her sight. Rolling fields and forests darted by her vision from then on. Eventually however, the sights began to bore Applejack. She found herself slowly becoming sleepy. Her flank sunk into the soft seat below and her back tightened into a strain. The bags on her sides, as well as her eyes, started to grow heavy as she lied down onto the white plush seats. Before she knew it, AJ was dozing off. In only seconds, the senses of reality escaped her mind and the comforting warmth of nonexistence flowed through her. Visions danced before her, visions of meadows, trees brimming with apples, and absolute peace under the warm, yet not hot, sunlight. She mumbles to herself in the body of the real world, “…That’s it… …This is what I want to sleep to…” Hours seemed to pass by with nothing but rest and peace inside her dream. However, in the blink of an eye, the dream came to a screeching halt as her body jerked forward. Nearly slipping from the seat, Applejack jolted up. She realized she’s back to reality and that the train was stopping. In the corner of her eye, she spotted the desert town of Appeloosa. Stumbling from her seat, Applejack rushed to the doors and hopped off onto the platform of the train station. Taking a moment to catch her breath, Applejack looked around to saw the vast desert surrounding her and the small wooden town. Brown mountains and plateaus lined the horizon, with miles of wavy sand before them. The sun scorched the sky with thick yellow hues and turning everything a kilometre away from a pony’s sight into a wavy distortion of colours. As she’s viewed her surroundings, a familiar stallion’s voice echoed. “Cousin Applejack?!” It exclaimed. “Cousin Braeburn?”