Princess Celestia had joined Princess Luna in storming the castle.
Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had brought back the Wonderbolts and a battalion of Pegasi soldiers.
Discord had reunited with Fluttershy, the two hugging and then tending to the injured together.
Spike had joined Twilight, the two doing research on umbrums at the Canterlot Main Library.
Pinkie Pie and Rarity had worked together building makeshift tents.
And Shudderbones suddenly had a new marefriend.
Applejack would repeatedly enter Shudderbones' tent as he helped the Princesses draw up battle plans and learn simple banishing spells. She would often hand him a pastry of sorts every few hours, giving him a kiss and a nuzzle on the neck, then going off again to help others in any way she could. Shudderbones loved the sudden relationship, but he wished she'd stop being so open about it. It was getting embarrassing turning back to the Princesses, blushing furiously. Her having called him "hon" and "sugar". And unexpected kisses and lovely nuzzles. The last few times, though, he had managed to nuzzle back and kiss her as well.
The plans he and the Princesses had drawn up were pretty sketchy. The two had apparently taken out an umbrum before. But that umbrum had returned. They wanted to make sure this umbrum went down and stayed down. They were discussing possible banishing spells when Applejack entered for the fifth time that morning (Celestia claimed it was still morning, but the Sun remained down, they did not want to alert Oscurdia).
"Howdy, Princess. Howdy, Princess." She said cheerily to the two Alicorns. "Hey, sugar." She added silkily, trotting up and rubbing her nose against Shudderbones', bearing half-lidded eyes. She gave him a quick peck, and then dug around in the satchel she was carrying, her gaze not once breaking away from his.
"Twilight asked me ta give this ta y'all," she announced, pulling out an ancient scroll, "supposed to be one a' Starswirl's banishin' spells." Shudderbones eagerly snatched it in a levitation spell, unfurling it.
The title read: "The Bell to Tartarus".
Shudderbones gasped. It was the spell from the storybook. A bell summoned by Starswirl, that rang and banished Grogar and Tambelon to Tartarus.
For a moment, he had the desire to shred the scroll to tatters. But then he remembered that he wasn't the bad guy here. He was the good guy. At least he hoped he was. Applejack gave him a quick kiss goodbye and then skipped away. She seemed oddly happy and flamboyant considering the circumstances.
He turned to the Princesses. He found he wasn't blushing this time. Maybe he was getting used to it?
"That mare loves you a lot, my little pony." Celestia said.
Shudderbones let out a sigh.
"I know... And I love her, too... More than anything! But I'm worried..."
Suddenly both Princesses seemed more interested in his relationship than in the task at hoof. Were all mares like this?
"What do you worry about?" Luna asked.
"Do you two... Do you think I'm a good guy? Like, I'm not a villain. I'm a hero?"
The Alicorns looked at each other.
"You are who you make yourself out to be." Celestia answered.
"And who am I?"
"You're Shudderbones."
"No, I mean, what is my purpose? How do I do good?"
"We have always known about you, Shudderbones," Celestia admitted, "ever since the day we got a letter saying a young necromancer attacked Ponyville. We knew you hadn't really attacked them. So we kept an eye on you. We discovered your true purpose here in Equestria."
Shudderbones raised an eyebrow, his glowing eyes widening.
"And that purpose to keep the Life and the Afterlife in coexistence. Separate, but assisting each other. And I, in my own opinion, believe that Oscurdia possessed you because of that. Obtaining your powers would mean there is not one who is maintaining the balance, but two. And one who should be maintaining is simply wrecking havoc. That is why we have to use this," Celestia gestured at the Bell Spell, "to remove him from Equestria before he deals irreversible damage."
Shudderbones looked outside the tent flaps. He had closed off all the nearby portals into the Afterlife, but more of the giant blue wells had formed in the distant. They were still able to be closed, it was just the sheer quantity of them all...
Shudderbones gazed now into a mirror. Rarity must have put it there. Who knows why. Shudderbones looked into it anyways. He was relieved to see a very sleepy, very stressed out Shudderbones stare back rather than the Nightmare Shudderbones.
Learning he was himself again, and that he was indeed going to remain as himself was a huge relief. Suddenly a happily ever after, and a promising future with Applejack. As he and the Princesses stepped up to the top of the stairs before the castle, Shudderbones was thrust into a world of possibilities.
Courting, marriage. Then... a family. Shudderbones wondered what the child of a unicorn necromancer and an Earth pony farmer would turn out to be like.
His mind snapped back with a crash into reality.
"Luna will lead the Royal Guard in a storming of the Castle. Now, I will lead the Pegasi to form a curtain above the castle, to prevent the umbrum's escape. Shudderbones here will take the Elements of Harmony with them, and together, they will perform a spell to hopefully berid of the demon. It is a simple operation. Any questions?" Celestia boomed. "Very good. Now, to victory, my little ponies!"
With a roaring cheer, the Pegasi flew up with Celestia, and the Guard thundered into the Castle with Luna, The Elements, and Shudderbones.
- = - = - = - = - = -
Shudderbones stayed close with Applejack and her friends.
The battle around them was chaotic, everywhere they turned, somepony was locked in combat with any number of terrifying spirits. Shudderbones helped when he could, either reverting the spirits to their non-agitated states, or else banishing them. But he couldn't help everypony. He had to keep going. Only he was capable of casting the Bell Spell, and the Elements had to be present to power his necromancy.
Shudderbones stuck by Applejack's side, sending flashes of light towards anything that lunged for her. The had their tails wrapped tightly together, so they wouldn't lose each other in the battle.
They had reached the crumbling stairs, and the two and the other Elements were struggling to climb them. Occasionally, Rarity, Twilight, or Shudderbones would levitate Applejack and Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were flying overhead, not daring to venture forth to even scout for them.
They inched their way up, listening to the clatter below. Eventually they had climbed so high that the only noise they heard was the flapping of wings and their own hoofsteps. Applejack pressed up against Shudderbones. It was more out of fear than for the sake of flirting. He couldn't help but use his tail to sweep her closer. The air in the stairwell had gone stale. There was evil near them.
He could sense it.
Suddenly, they all heard a terrible shriek from above them. The girls screamed as a ghoul popped out of the wall, lunging for them. It had even startled Shudderbones. He sent out a banishment spell, and the ghoul dissipated.
They trudged on, avoiding anymore ghouls and making sure that they remained unheard. As far as they knew, Oscurdia only knew about the battle in the main hall. He didn't know about them, sneaking upstairs floor by floor, towards Celestia's bedchamber, where he lurked.
- = - = - = - = - = -
They reached Celestia's door. Pinkie Pie tentatively kicked a hoof at it, and it swung open with a dull roar. They all cringed. There was no way that Oscurdia hadn't heard that.
Silence. Twilight entered the room first, and then Shudderbones and Applejack. The two were close, not letting one stray too far from the other. The other shuffled in. The room was empty.
"So where the hay is he?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
That was when hell broke loose.
Oscurdia materialized, as did several poltergeists and skeletal warriors. Oscurdia had sent out a shadowy lightning bolt, shooting it directly towards Shudderbones, who was unprepared. The poltergeists swooped upon the Princess, and the warriors attacked the other Elements as the bolt arched towards Shudderbones. Everything happened in slow motion.
Shudderbones felt Applejack leave his side, stepping right in front of him. She looked to him, smiling weakly. Milliseconds had passed in what seemed like minutes. Before he could do anything, the bolt of shadows struck Applejack.
He leapt forward, catching her in his hooves as he watched the life blink out from her eyes. Time resumed as he cradled her. Shudderbones watched as Applejack, his first marefriend and the only pony he would ever love, died in his hooves.