They found Shudderbones not but a few houses away from the castle, curled up in a ball as a crowd of angry ponies jeered at him, tossing stones, apples, and even cupcakes at the unicorn.
"Shudderbones! Git yer plot up and RUN!" Applejack hollered over the mob.
"But they have torches! And PITCHFORKS!" Shudderbones protested, a rock smacking up right in the forehead beneath his horn. The crowd did indeed have burning torches and a few of the stallion wielded pitchforks.
Big MacIntosh was shoving away the crowd, making a narrow path for Applejack to follow.
"Nope. Nope. Nnnope." One mob member leapt up to the giant red stallion, swinging a pitchfork. Big Mac simply picked him up in one hoof and threw the angry mare across the town square.
"Nope." Seeing this obvious act of treason, the mob threw things at the Apples, too. Not surprisingly, they mostly threw apples. Finally, after what seemed like ages, they reached the dark stallion, curled under an overturned flower cart. They bent over, right next to him. He smiled weakly at them as they were pelted by a sudden shower of pebbles.
"Well, y'all got any plans?" Applejack asked, hopefully.
"Nope."
"Big Mac here took the words right from my mouth."
"Well, shoot." Applejack said, dejectedly.
"Eeyup."
"Guess we're screwed," Shudderbones sighed, "sorry, guys. I had hoped Ponyville had changed, with a castle of friendship and all here..."
Hearing the word 'screwed' coming from Shudderbones made Applejack turn red again. The gears whirred away in her head so quickly that Steampunk the inventor would've been proud.
"Fellas, I got a plan."
- - - - - - - - -
The crowd quieted down as they watched Applejack get onto the fallen cart, helped up by Shudderbones and Big Mac. She cleared her throat several times, looking about nervously at the mob. She could see Roseluck, Thunderlanes, Octavia, and a few other ponies she barely knew. She was still surprised by their aggression towards the dead-riser. She prepared to tell them something that went against everything that being the Element of Honesty stood for. Even Shudderbones and Big Mac were unprepared for her speech.
"Now, I know y'all might not be all that fond of Shudderbones here-"
"He's a menace!"
"RIP HIM APART!"
"Somepony gimme another cupcake!"
"Lemme finish, lemme finish. But there is one reason as to why ya shouldn't hurt Mr. Bones here. And ya know you can trust me, being the Element of Honesty an' all..."
"SO WHAT'S THE REASON?"
"Spit it out already!"
"Hey, where's the bathroom?"
"Ya shouldn't hurt Mr. Bones here because... because..."
The crowd began to get restless. It was now or never.
"Ya shouldn't hurt Shudderbones cuz he's mah new coltfriend."
Gasps from everypony, including Big Mac and a frazzled Shudderbones, who sat on his haunches with his jaw gaping open.
Oh sweet Celestia, Applejack, she thought to herself, what have you gotten yourself into now?
- - - - - - - - - - -
"Applejack and... and HIM?!"
"Applejack likes unicorns?"
"I thought she liked mares!"
"I thought she wasn't available."
"This ruins all my ships! I hate this story now!"
"If she likes him, no! LOVES him..."
"If she likes him, then so will I."
There was muttering among the crowd. But eventually they accepted this as fact and the former mob slowly broke up, ponies each going to their own houses or shops.
Applejack leapt off the makeshift stage and landed next to Big MacIntosh and Shudderbones, who was still gaping at the spot where Applejack had been standing. She looked at the two sheepishly.
"Sorry 'bout that, fellas... Shoulda warned ya about what mah plan was."
Shudderbones said nothing. Big Mac let out a sniffle.
"Big Mac? What's wrong, big brother?"
The giant red stallion let out a weeping cry as he scooped up the still-paralyzed Shudderbones and Applejack in a big hug, and started talking in his deep rumbling voice, that exceeded even Shudderbones' Intimidating Voice.
"Mah lil' baby sis's in love! Ah can' believe it! I never thought you'd buck up to a coltfriend, A.J. Now you'll have a unicorn hubby who can help on the farm, an' Ah'll get ta be an uncle to lil' AppleBones colts an' fillies an'-"
"Big Mac! It's not like that! I jus' said that to get the mob ta go away!" Applejack choked in protest, struggling against the hug. Shudderbones snapped out of his daze, his dark complexion turning to a deep maroon.
"Yeah, she was only saying that to make those ponies back off! Wait, so does that mean you don't-" He was interrupted by Big Mac dropping the two from the hug. The giant stallion didn't listen to them, and began to bounce Pinkie Pie-style in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack pulled Shudderbones to his feet. The unicorn's horn glowed, and his cloak materialized from thin air, tying itself around his neck. She gestured for him to follow. They would have some explaining to do.
Before A.J. and Mr. Bones suddenly became a thing.
- - - - - - - - - -
"Whaddaya mean they're in love?"
The dark unicorn and the orange Earth pony heard Granny Smith shriek from inside the barn. Apparently, Big Mac had beaten them to Sweet Apple Acres. They bolted inside, ready to fight off an overexcited Granny.
"Granny, wait! It's not like that at all!" Applejack shouted. The old mare looked at Applejack with surprise.
"'Course ya are, ah mean, he ain't a nice earth pony stallion like ah'd hoped, but he's a devilishly handsome unicorn, and has a mansion to boot..."
"Granny!"
"Alright alright, now ah know it's not all about money, and ya have mah blessin' an' all, but couldn't ya float a coupla bits our way when ya get married-"
"Granny!"
"Gee, sorry I asked, then," The rambling old mare turned to Shudderbones, "for years I tried getting her to settle down with some stallion. You come along and the next day, you're two lovebirds. I dunno how ya did it, Chickenbones."
"Shudderbones."
"Whatever."
Applejack interrupted: "But Granny, we're not in love! Ah just said that ta get that angry mob to quick tryna string him up from the nearest tree!"
The entire barn went quiet. From outside they heard giggling that told the four adults that the Cutie Mark Crusaders were lurking just outside the door. Shudderbones nickered angrily and his horn glowed with a purple and green light. A blue specter manifested before him, and immediately darted outside. They heard the ghost groan as the girls squealed and ran away. The entire time they ran, they sang:
"Applejack 'n Bonesy sittin' in a tree,
K-I-S-S-I-N-G!
First comes love,
then comes marriage,
then comes-"
"OOoooOOOaooooo!"
"EEEEEEEEEEEEK!"
While Applejack was rambling to Granny Smith about how they were not in love and would never ever even think about being in love, and while the Cutie Mark Crusaders practiced getting their cutie marks in running away from an angry ghost, Shudderbones caught himself.
Caught himself admiring Applejack's flanks as he stood behind her.
Blushing furiously, his dark coat almost turning tomato red, he immediately looked away. He found himself wondering why he and Applejack COULDN'T be in love. She was a pretty mare for an Earth pony, especially one that worked all day on a farm, and Shudderbones couldn't help but imagine using his powers to help harvest and to repair the barn and...
No. He was a necromancer. He studied death magic. She was an orchard keeper. She raised apples, he raised the dead. It was ridiculous to think it would work out. Shudderbones shot a blast of indigo light at the specter and it vanished.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders fell to their bellies, panting. Levitating them, Shudderbones led them away from the bickering mares.
"Mr. Bones, does mah sister like ya or not?"
"Please, Apple Bloom, call me Shudderbones. And I don't know."
"Well, do ya like her?"
Shudderbones thought about Applejack's flanks again. Then about her beautiful green eyes and the way she kept her mane tied up...
He blushed, making sure to keep the fillies from seeing.
"I just met her."
"So? Ya ever heard of love at first sight?"
"A.B., that's just a fairy tale."
"Aw, Scootaloo, it don' havta be, right, Shudderbones?"
Shudderbones merely grunted.
He remembered not but a month ago he had found a book of fairy tales in the Bones Manor library. He had delved into the book, but had noticed something that had just now made him feel terrible.
If this was a fairy tale, Shudderbones, as a necromancer, was most certainly the villain.