//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 // Story: Ouija // by Knackerman //------------------------------// “It’s so good to see you little Bloom." her father's corpse whispered. "It's been so long..." Bright Mac's body was shriveled and pale. It looked like he had been ripped apart and stitched back together at some point, thick black thread ran all over his once large frame. Though he looked very much dead his eyes were still vibrant and alive and, though his body remained unmoving, they locked with Apple Bloom’s eyes immediately. There were so many warring emotions there... Happiness, sadness, apprehension, and more than a little fear. But the raw emotion that seemed to overpower all the others was... relief. “Yes. It has been a long, long time, and we have been oh so very lonely,” murmured her mother's corpse. "But you are here with us now... And that's all that matters" As worn and decayed as her husband looked, Pear Butter appeared far worse. Her bones showed through skin worn as thin and brittle as a papyrus. The tree roots, which had grown down deep into her body, seemed to have sucked almost all of the life out of her. Indeed, the fat white tendrils had grown down through her empty eye-sockets and branched out through her mouth and chest. It was a wonder she could speak at all. Even so, she showed no sign of pain or distress as Bright Mac did. "Mom? Dad? Ah don’t understand... What is going on?” Apple Bloom blinked back tears. Without thinking about it she had shrugged off Big Mac’s chains and leaped down, running over to the edge of the pit just before her parents hanging bodies. She reached out a single tiny hoof towards them, but they were just out of reach “How did y’all get here?” “That’s a long and sad story little Bloom," answered Bright Mac, his withered muscles shifting slightly. "Ah don’t think we should ruin our happy reunion by dwelling on the past,” “She has a right to know dear. There should be no secrets between us. Not now that she can finally join us,” Pear Butter admonished her husband without moving at all. “Well, alright. Where to begin?” Bright Mac seemed to be struggling. “How about-“ “How about you start with the fact that you aren’t her real parents!?” shouted Twilight. The Princess of Friendship struggled through the tar like waters, but righteous fury seemed to lend her all the strength she needed. “How about you tell her how you tricked and manipulated her here so you could feed off of her despair!?” “Interloper! We will suffer no weeds in our orchard!” thundered the creature who moments ago resembled Big Mac before his body unfolded and seemed to grow shadowy and indistinct. The massive pony-creature reared back on his hind legs and pawed at the air, the rusty chains on his back coming to life and rattling around him like angry snakes. The chains flew through the air towards Twilight as his hooves came down hard, sending a wave of dark water crashing towards her as well. Twilight’s horn flared darkly, a smokey purple haze drifting up from her eyes as well, green sparks of magic leaping from her eyes and horn. The iris of her eyes turned from purple to red red as black flames shot from her horn, evaporating the wave and crumbling the chains to dust. Big Mac howled in pain as if it were he that was burning and crumbling away. Indeed, mere moments later, he began to writhe and scream as though it was his own body that was engulfed in invisible flames. In a flash he was suddenly awash in dark flames from his head to his hooves. The stallion stomped about, trying to extinguish himself in the lake water but the black liquid only seemed to feed the flames. He stumbled blindly, screaming himself hoarse, the stink of roasting horse flesh an unwelcome addition to the perfume of wet rot and decay. Finally, Big Mac turned and blindly charged the pit at the center of the lake. He didn't even pause a single moment before he plummeted over the edge and vanished into the invisible depths below. The pit must have gone down for miles... for Big Mac’s screams didn’t cease for some time, and when they at last faded into inaudibility it was not because they had ended, but because he was simply too far away. “Twilight!?” Apple Bloom was shocked at the violence of Twilight’s appearance. “This worlds Big Mac was awfully chatty. I figured it out while I was chasing after you two.” The flames faded and the dark energy emanating from Twilight’s horn subsided, though purple smoke still seemed to drift from her eyes for a few seconds. “This world isn't dying... It's already been dead for some time. That’s why my magic faded here, because such magic no longer exists in this reality. Fortunately Celestia taught me a few spells that can tap into the darkness that seems to pervade this realm. Although, I’ll admit, I had no intention of setting that creature on fire. I had no idea that spell would be that effective.” “Wait so... was he telling the truth, or was this all a lie?” asked apple Bloom, confused. "Ya said ya figured it out from listenin' to him?" “Call it an educated guess." replied Twilight, carefully putting herself between Apple Bloom and the pit. "When he mentioned the Pony of Shadows everything finally clicked. When the darkness took Stygian, it came to him when he was at his most vulnerable. Cast out, alone, and wrestling with feelings of self-doubt, betrayal, and despondency. Does any of that sound familiar? It’s exactly the kind of feelings you’ve been having Apple Bloom, and exactly what these fake parents have been nurturing.” Apple Bloom turned to her ‘parents’. “Y’all ain’t really mah parents then? Y’all just pretended ta be to get me tah come here. Y'all used me?” "She doesn't know what she's talkin' about Apple Bloom!" shouted Bright Mac angrily, "Yer Ma and Pa are right here! We Just-" "Bright Mac..." chided Pear Butter quietly. There was a soft sigh from Bright Mac. He seemed to grow a little smaller as he said, “You need to understand. You were so lonely, so sad.” “You called to us from across the void," added Pear Butter, a long centipede crawling over her face. "You blazed like a bonfire against a midnight sky. We were lonely too. We thought it would be better if you were here with us.” “Look around you little Bloom... Does anyone seem like they're sad or in pain?” asked Bright Mac, his eyes moving over the ceiling. “We are all together, part of something greater here in the orchard. We wanted to share that sense of belonging with you.” “But as alone as you were it wasn’t enough," rasped Pear Butter. "Though you didn't appreciate them like you should have, you still had family, friends. You didn’t truly know despair..." "Despair is what he desires." "What he feeds on." "To reach you..." "To bring you to us..." " To cross over from your realm to ours, the seed of your sadness would have to blossom into despair.” “So you did trick me!” Apple Bloom realized, horrified. “All those terrible pranks ya made me pull, and all those horrible things ya told me to say! You wanted me to drive my friends and family away! You wanted to make me as miserable as all of you! Y'all were tryin' ta hurt me the whole time!” “Apple Bloom there is more to it than that-“ began one of her ‘parents’ but it was impossible to tell who. “Shut up! Just shut up!” she was crying but her words were choked with anger rather than sadness or fear. “Ah’ve been so unhappy and so afraid, for weeks now, and it’s all because y’all thought being with you in this disgusting hole in the ground would somehow make mah life easier!? Ya thought that would make me happy!? That seeing ya like this would somehow put me at ease!? I hate you! I hate this place! I don’t know why ya would think anyone would ever want to be anywhere near ya let alone in such an awful place!” “Oh I don’t know Apple Bloom, it’s not so bad once you get used to it.” chuckled a familiar, yet strangely altered voice. “Starlight?” Twilight gasped, but had no time to wonder at her wounded friends sudden reappearance before tendrils of liquid shadow shot up from beneath her and bound her legs and horn. She tried to summon up the spell she had used before, to burn away the clinging darkness, but the tendrils tightened around her burned wings with a twist and sent a white hot wave of agony through her body. She cried out pitifully, her concentration completely broken, and any spell work she might have done rendered impossible. “Twilight!” Apple Bloom cried, terrified by the adults screams. “Starlight how could you? Ah thought you were our friend!” “That’s not... Starlight,” Twilight barely managed to croak out before the tendrils gripped her more tightly and crushed the air from her lungs. “I’d tell you to save yourself some pain and just surrender to the darkness Twilight, but we both know you’re a fighter,” Starlight said with mock admiration as she stepped into view. It was as if her entire body had somehow absorbed the lake water. Her body was a shiny jet black, her mane hanging limp beneath the black slime, while her eyes glowed a ghostly white. Starlight sneered. “Honestly I think I’d rather enjoy watch you squirm, so struggle away little Princess!” Through the pain, Twilight realized that the unicorn looked much like Stygian had when he was possessed by the Pony of Shadows! As Starlight’s laughter echoed through the cavern the strange spider-like ponies began to descend from the ceiling above on long black threads. They surrounded Apple Bloom on all sides, their gaunt corpse like bodies perfectly still as if they were waiting for something. From behind Starlight appeared the one that resembled Granny Smith and a skinless pony wearing a dusty old farm hat. “Ah take it the offering is to your liking my lord?” asked the flayed pony, reverently. To Apple Bloom’s horror, she recognized the voice as that of her older sister, Applejack. It seemed her hide had been completely removed at some point, though it was impossible to tell how long ago. She showed no signs of being in pain, but it was difficult to look at the her glistening raw flesh. “Indeed! You have outdone yourselves this time my little ponies!” Starlight/The Pony of Shadows praised them with a deeply disturbing laugh. “This vessel is full of such delightful neuroses! Anxiety, obsession, self-doubt, and depression! Such unique and intense negative emotions are to be cultivated and savored! In time she will provide a truly heady draught of despair. I can’t wait to sample the other offerings you have gathered for me.” As she said this, long tendrils of liquid shadow began to creep up Apple Bloom’s legs, not seizing her like Twilight but squeezing her in the same way she sometimes saw ponies squeeze an apple at the market. It was as if Apple Bloom was being tested for ripeness. That thought made the filly shudder. “Happy to oblige my lord,” the bloody Applejack smirked. Not that she had much choice but to smile, what with her lips peeled off along with the rest of the skin on her face. “I am ready to receive your blessings, whenever ya like.” This made the possessed Starlight pause. “Hm, are you indeed? It was your brothers turn to receive the dark baptism, but I do not sense his presence,” Starlight tilted her head and sniffed at the air, as if searching for Big Mac’s scent. “No matter. He can have the next turn. Step forward daughter of the Apple’s and receive my gift!” As ‘Applejack’ took a step towards her master, the shallow lake seemed to rise up around her. Or rather, she began to slowly sink in with each step. When she had just about reached Starlight, the dark water reached her muzzle. Something like fear flickered in her eyes then, but she was soon swallowed whole by the black liquid. A long muffled wail seemed to rise from below, but was cut off almost as soon as it had begun. Slowly, a new shape began to rise out of the mire. The corpse-like creature was clearly still Applejack, but gone were her hooves, replaced with long scythe like claws at the end of each leg. The new appendages made her much taller and far more gangly than before, though that was at least partially due to her little remaining flesh shrinking around the bones that now jutted out of her body. The monster opened its mouth revealing rows of needle sharp teeth and let out a high pitched cry that was echoed by the other monsters that surrounded them. “With that the pact is sealed,” Starlight boomed with a rumbling laugh, clearly pleased with herself. “Now we will planet a new seed of darkness and let our orchard grow!” Having said that Starlight, or rather the Pony of Shadows within her, turned her full attention on Apple Bloom. Vast wings of darkness spread on her back and she seemed to grow in size as the shadows whirled around her. “Fight it!” cried Twilight, finally able to breath again as the shadows binding her were sucked into their master, loosening their grip. “You have to fight it Starlight! I know deep down inside you there’s a light that the Pony of Shadows could never hope to snuff out! Hold on to that spark of light and fight!” “Starlight is gone!” thundered the Pony of Shadows. But even as his voice shook the cavern, a crack of light appeared in the shadowy surface of his ‘skin’. The cracks quickly spread across the dark mirror like surface of his body, little glowing spider webs spreading all over his form “No! This isn’t possible! I am all powerful here!” With one last defiant roar a column of light exploded in the cavern, driving away the arachnid ponies and evaporating the lake of darkness in a flash of foul vapor. Twilight and Apple Bloom were free! For a moment, Starlight floated serenely in mid-air, but then in another flash of light all three ponies vanished!