//------------------------------// // Apple Jewel // Story: Shudderbones: The Necromancer of Flame Geyser Swamp // by SkelePone //------------------------------// Applejack watched as the Princess fell from the air, striking the floor with a sickening crack. Fear had engulfed the orange mare's heart, fear and worry, worry for the stallion who she had fallen for. The nightmarish demon that proclaimed itself to be Shudderbones was cackling above them, reveling at his obvious victory. Skeletons and ghouls had been summoned, corralling the ponies together. Trapping them. Princess Luna had completely ignored Shudderbones, flying immediately to rescue her sister. Twilight was struggling against the many spells of skeletal unicorns. Nopony could save them. No pony, of course. Discord curled up into the air, facing Shudderbones with a confident smirk. "Hello, Skinnybones. Think you can manage to take on the Master of Chaos?" Nightmare Shudderbones snarled. "Yes." He hissed. Suddenly a full-grown dragon, made completely out of darkness erupted from the floor, snapping up the draconequus. Applejack heard Fluttershy let out a scream. Moments later, a flash of light dissolved the dragon, and Discord floated triumphantly before Nightmare Shudderbones. Everypony in the hall cheered. Until Shudderbones swooped upon the bowing draconequus. With a single spell, Discord was rendered immobile, and he too crashed into the stone floor, beside the fallen Princess. Fluttershy broke free from the grasp of a giant griffon skeleton, sobbing uncontrollably. She fell before the draconequus. Everypony looked up in fear at Nightmare Shudderbones, who tsked slowly. "Now that that has been dealt with, anypony else want to take a gander?" He sniggered. Applejack felt heartbroken. She realized she was crying. What had happened to him? An hour ago, he had been riding calmly with her in an old apple cart. Now he had... she ddn't want to think about what he had done to the Princess or to Discord. Pinkie Pie was suddenly beside her, holding her. Pinkie glared up at the necromancer. "SHUDDERBONES! YOU BROKE A PINKIE PROMISE!" She shrieked at him. He turned towards her. Pinkie shrunk as the evil eyes met hers. He then turned to Applejack. Suddenly, he was different. His eyes returned to normal, his coat lightened. He had a look of horror on his face. Applejack felt her heart swell up with hope, and she reached out a hoof to the levitating stallion. But then he relapsed, once again the sneering Nightmare. "No! Shudderbones, stop! Think about us!" She cried out, "We love ya, Shudders! Granny loves ya! Big Mac loves ya! Apple Bloom loves ya! I - I LOVE YA!" The stallion landed before her, sniggering. She couldn't help but cry more, harder. So much for crying on the inside. "Pitiful. To think a stupid hick like you would have dreams of being with Shudderbones-" "So yer not the same pony!" "Pony? Ahahahaha... Dear Applejack, I am so, SO much more." To punctuate, he let out a burst of purple light. But this wasn't the warm purple light that Applejack knew. This was sheer evil pouring from Nightmare Shudderbones' horn. The beam of corruption seeped about, transmuting all of the hall, and possibly all of the castle, into a hellscape. The marble became obsidian, the tiles became rugged stones. All the gems lost their luster and became orbs of darkness. "Now," Nightmare Shudderbones whispered, looking at Twilight this time, "get out." And they didn't have to be asked twice. - - - - - - - - - - - Applejack sobbed beside her friends outside the castle. Her mane had been ruined, as had her dress, now riddled with tears (from her eyes and gaping holes along the fabric). She had proclaimed her love for Shudderbones, but not towards him. It was towards a monster. But she knew that wasn't the real Shudderbones. It was something wearing him like a mask. Using his talents. But still, hearing that horrible remark come from his mouth, calling her a 'hick'... She cried harder, grabbing onto the also-crying Fluttershy. Celestia and Discord were okay, but they both appeared to be catatonic. Like they were asleep. Frequently they lashed out; screaming at unseen horrors. It scared them all. Twilight hadn't been able to cure them, and several pony doctors had walked away, shaking their heads in disbelief. The castle had changed, becoming a mass of jutting spires, reaching up into the starless night sky. There was not only a linger of fear among the Canterlot ponies, but one of hopelessness. Their Princess defeated, and the other desperately trying to awaken her, they truly seemed defeated. Was this the end of Equestria? For what seemed like the umpteenth time now, Applejack's heart swelled. No. She picked herself up off the ground. This wasn't the end of Equestria. And it wasn't the end of Shudderbones either. "Somepony get mah hat. I'm gonna save him." - - - - - - - - - Dress off and hat on her tied-back mane, she had galloped full speed AWAY from the castle. She wasn't going to save him that way. She was no where NEAR strong enough to take him on directly. She had went ahead of her friends, who dashed off to find the Elements of Harmony (just in case, Twilight had promised), and Applejack had made her way to the Bones Manor. She had to find something, anything, that could tell her what had happened to the kind, loving stallion. She had given up over the library. There were too many books of Dark magic, and Shudderbones had specifically warned her of the dangers of even flipping through some of them. She checked his bedroom. In the middle of the room was an ornate four-poster bed. Her imagination strayed, picturing the dark handsome stallion upon the bed becoming her to join him so they could... She shook her head. There wasn't time for fantasies. Shudderbones was in trouble. She noticed an open book, lying cover-up on the floor. It was titled 'Faerie Tails From Across The Land'. She flipped over the book. "Starswirl an' The Necromancer," Applejack read aloud. She skimmed the short story. "Oh no... Shudders... you can still have a happy ending..." There was an envelope not far from where the book had laid. It looked like it had been forgotten. He probably left it behind when they had gone to the Gala. She flipped it over, and was surprised to see her name in gold letters across the front. She tore it open with her teeth, and quickly used her hooves to unfold the letter. She began to read, imagining that Shudderbones was reading it aloud to her. Knowing him, that was probably what he would have done. My Dearest Applejack, We have had the greatest fortune of knowing each other for but a month now. I know that whatever relationship we have developed in that time is rushed, but I do hope that it will continue to blossom. Before the day I met those fillies, I was nothing but an empty, terrible mess. And then you, and the Apple family, came into my life. Ever since, my morning have seemed brighter and more hopeful. Every day, I'd see you, and my heart would soar. I love you, Applejack. And I can only hope you will be able to love me back. And maybe then, we can have a happily ever after. "Shudders" "Ah do love ya, Shudderbones..." She whispered. She had smiled weakly when he saw that he had signed it has her nickname for him. She had a lightbulb moment as she realized what she could do. Her dawning was interrupted by the creaking of floorboards. Turning in alarm, she gasped as she saw a mare's skeleton behind her. But this skeleton wasn't attacking her. It cocked it's skull. Applejack noticed the large crack over the side of it. "Numbskull? Is that you?" The skeleton mare nodded eagerly. "Oh Sweet Celestia! Ya have to come with me! Shudders is in trouble!" She looked hesitant, but the skeleton quickly nodded again. It was settled. Together, the two mares, one dead and one alive, went to save the connection between Life and the Afterlife.