Seeking the Legendby Neo MachineChaptersSetting OffSearching for HimDesert InsanityAn Unknown PonyReal or UnrealBonus: The WatcherSetting Off“He is real!” “Nope.” “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 states 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 echoes throughout the home in which they stand in, reaching all the way upstairs and into a third sibling’s ears. What was supposed to be a peaceful sleep-in for the orange mare, soon turned into another rude awakening by something caused by her siblings. With a heavy yawn and a brief stretch, the mare exits from her soft bed on the second floor. She then slowly walks down to where the fighting is taking place in the living room. Another yawn exits the orange pony’s mouth before she speaks upon confronting the arguing siblings, “What is going on down here?” “Applejack,” the older brother greets her, “Would you kindly explain to Applebloom that whatever this ghost pony is is most certainly not real.” “Big ‘sis,” the younger sister retorts, “Would you kindly explain to Big Mac that he is real and admit that I was right.” “Nope.” “I wasn’t asking you!” “The Ghost Pony?” Applejack replies 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 this age Applebloom.” “This old book I found on a shelf.” The young filly retreats around a corner into the hallway and quickly comes back, holding the book in her mouth. It was old and dirty brown, with several rips and tears to be found upon every inch of the large book. The pages appeared to be not made from this time, but from a time centuries ago. “Historic Tales of the Appeloosan Desert… I see.” “How about you read it to us?” “Yeah,” Big McIntosh adds, “I haven’t actually read it, but based on what Applebloom’s been spouting to me for the past few minutes, there’s no way it’s real.” “Okay,” Applejack moans, “if it means quieting you two down and letting me go back to sleep, I’ll do it.” The yellow filly gently places the old book down and opens it to the beginning page of the legend. Applejack clears her throat and begins to read out loud; “The legend of the Ghost Pony begins one hundred years after the fabled banishment of the queen of the night, when the city lands had become stricken with poverty throughout. When rumors of treasures hidden in the distant sands began to rose after early explorers entered the deserts of the South, it spreaded like wildfire in every direction imaginable. At this time, a poor mare gave birth to thirteen black sickly unicorns, the youngest of these children being Blaze Rider, and this is his story. Having their father died in the mines shortly after the twelve brothers were born, the young Rider Brothers had to work in the coal mines while their sick mother slowly died away. 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 as well, leaving them by themselves in the untamed world of city life. Without a guide to break up their fights, they were quickly fired from the mines, leaving the thirteen unemployed and homeless. One by one, the unicorns turned to a life of crime, with only Blaze keeping to his mother’s words of righteousness and loyalty. The rumors of treasure in the desert soon hit the town and the brothers took this opportunity and went out on the hunt for riches in the unexplored lands. They headed towards Stampeding Mesa and began to mine there, using their prior experience as fillies. They mined, day and night, searching for a fortune, only to get 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. Years later, when only seven brothers remained, while mining, they came across a massive vein of Foal’s Gold, but due to the insanity that build over the years, they believed it was real gold. Blaze’s remaining brothers shoved him into a small dried ravine as they ran back into the mine to collect the gold. For an entire week, the poor unicorn starved and dehydrated in his prison, trying to find a way out. Finally, having enough of this torture and wanting the gold to himself, Blaze mustered all his might and crawled out of the canyon and pushed a bunch of large boulders at the entrance of the mine. While his brothers continued to dig deeper for more gold, Blaze loaded the covered wagon with as much of his brothers’ gold he could steal and shoved the boulders over the mine entrance, sealing them in. They all died from each other within a week with the only remaining pony of the Rider family being Blaze, but this glory never lasted long. A tornado torched in fire, claimed to be sent by the gods, swept over the land, taking Blaze with it. But instead of killing the unicorn, the flaming tornado burnt off his flesh, his wagon, and his Foal’s 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, all that was left of Blaze was a skeleton with his soul trapped inside. For decades, the skeleton spirit traveled across the badlands, searching for some reason why he’s this and not suffering for his crimes in Tartarus. Until one night, a hundred years later, while looking upon the buried mine in which his brothers lay, he came across a group of settler ponies. He witnesses as a pink Earth pony mare being attacked by her six brothers and noticing a pair of wooden coffins in the back of the wagon. Seeing that she was just like him, hundreds of years ago, at that moment, Blaze knew his destiny, and fire erupted across his bones as his charged at the confrontation, looking for a fight. Blaze stood between the mare and the attackers and upon seeing the flaming spirit, the six brothers turned to stone from total shock. The mare then asked for the hero’s name after witnessing this selfless act, he turned to her and said, ‘I was once a black-hearted sinner, a killer, but now I am, and forever will be a savior of the desert. 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 and 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,” the orange Earth pony announces, “y’all happy now?” “Yep…” The red stallion replies, “Now I know for certain that this is fiction.” “What?!” Applebloom exclaims. “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.” “It’s magic.” “It’s stupid.” “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?” “Well…” Applejack hesitates for a moment before finishing, “I don’t really know.” “C’mon Applejack, does it even sound remotely real to you?” “Well, it could happen, strange things always come about here in Equestria. And I’m not the brightest filly in Equestria, so I’m not sure if there is this type of magic.” “I can rest assure you, he is not real.” “He is too!” Applebloom pipes. “Nope!” “Yep!” “Nope!” “Yep!” “Nope!” “Quiet you two!” Applejack screams, 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?” “What do you mean?” “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 Wild 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.” “Can I come with ya?” Applebloom asks, “Maybe I can get my cutie mark in something havin’ to do with explorin’, ghost huntin’, or somethin’ like that.” “Sorry ‘sis. But it is fairly dangerous despite what I’ve made it sound like. And besides, you’ll need to cover for my work while I’m gone.” “Aww, drat.” “That reminds me. When Granny wakes up, don’t tell her that I’ve left to wander around the desert. Say that I went on some ‘royal errand’ to Canterlot or something like that.” “Okay.” “I’ll see y’all the next day. Goodbye.” Big Mac and Applebloom nod in compliance and go outside for their chores. Meanwhile, Applejack rushes back upstairs into her room and begins to pack her saddlebags. Searching around the fairly large bedroom, the orange mare sifts through her things and places what she thinks 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, 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, all now tightly stuffed into her bags. After finishing her packing, Apple notices that her light green bags are about to burst from their seams, but she shrugs 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.” With a swift motion of her hips and tail, Applejack slides the saddlebags onto her back. Immediately, the full feeling of the weight rushes through her spine and nearly causes her to collapse. However, Applejack is quick to recover and slowly exits her home, grabbing 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 looks to the fields of apple trees to her left to see Big Mac and Applebloom bucking at them, already hard at work. She then looks back to her house to get one last look at the giant red barn she calls home. With the barn now long gone and the town just before her, Applejack begins to make her way to the train station at the far side of the village. Along the way, she manages to catch a glimpse of each of her friends along the way. She spots Rainbow Dash busting clouds above in the sky. She sees Rarity greeting potential customers right outside her boutique. She notices Pinkie Pie delivering cakes to some seemingly random house along the street. She watches Fluttershy leading a team of ducklings crossing the street far ahead of her. Upon reaching Town Hall, a familiar mare’s voice greets her from behind, “Hey AJ.” Hearing her name being called, the Earth pony snaps her head back to see a purple alicorn hovering behind, instantly recognizing her. “Oh, hi Twilight,” “What are you doing?” “Oh, I’m just going on a little trip, that’s all.” “Where?” “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. Speaking of which… You remember the legends right?” “Yeah.” “Could magic do it? Is the legend possible?” “Well, there could be some unknown arcane magic that might be able to do the things detailed in the story, but based on our current understandings on magic, it’s nigh impossible.” “Do you believe he’s real?” “No, but it would be interesting if he was.” “I guess.” “Well good luck.” “Good luck to you too.” “Mind the pole!” Applejack immediately stops and immediately realizes that she’s at the train station, with a mere inch separating her nose with the wooden pole in front of her blind walk-and-talk. “You might need the luck more than me...” “Ha.” Twilight then leaves her friend and flies back to Town Hall. Applejack, now back to being alone, enters the station, buys her ticket, and hops aboard the train already parked at the station. Seating herself in one of the more empty cars near the back of the train, Applejack looks out the window and gives one final glance at Ponyville. In a matter of minutes after being seated, the train suddenly jerks forward and soon begins to run. The orange Earth pony watches as the town exits her sight and the rolling fields and forests brush by her vision. Eventually however, the sights begin to bore Applejack and she finds herself slowly becoming sleepy. Her flank sinks itself into the soft seat below and her back tightens into a strain. The bags on her sides as well as her eyes begin to grow heavy as she lies down onto the white plush seats and begins to doze off. In only seconds, the feelings of reality escape her mind and the comforting warmth of nonexistence flows through her. Visions dance before her of meadows, trees brimming with apples, and absolute peace under the warm, yet not hot, sunlight. “…That’s it…” she mumbles to herself in the body of the real world, “…This is what I want to sleep to…” Hours seem to pass by of nothing but rest and peace inside her dream. However, in the blink of an eye, the dream comes to a screeching halt as her body jerks forward. Nearly slipping from the seat, Applejack jolts up and realizes she’s back to reality and that the train is stopping. In the corner of her eye, she spots the desert town of Appeloosa. Stumbling from her seat, the orange mare rushes to the doors and hops off onto the platform of this new train station. Taking a moment to catch her breath, Applejack looks around to see the vast desert surrounding her and the small wooden town. Brown mountains and plateaus line the horizon with miles of wavy sand before them. The sun scorches 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 viewing her surroundings, a familiar stallion’s voice echoes into Applejack’s ears, “Cousin Applejack?!” “Cousin Braeburn?” Searching for Him“Applejack,” the yellow stallion in front of Applejack speaks, “What are you doing here so early? You had to catch the train by at best seven o’clock in order to arrive here at ten o’clock.” “I’m just off on a little search.” The mare calmly responds before making a sharp left and walking next to the tracks ahead. Braeburn quickly trots to her side with a concerned look on his face. “Searching for what and where? You’re heading out into the untamed parts of the railways without the train.” “I’m going to break away from the tracks a kilometre or two ahead.” “Wait, are you saying you’re going into the dangerous untamed parts of the desert? Are you crazy?!” “No, I can take care of myself.” “I’ve heard many ponies say that before going where you’re going.” “How many?” “Very few go out there, and even fewer return…” “Well I’ll be one of those very few.” “What the hay are you even looking for?” “The Ghost Pony,” “Are you purposefully trying to get yourself killed?!” “What, is he not real?” “I rest assure you, he is real-” “Have you seen him or even have any evidence he exists?” “Well, no, but from what I’ve heard, I most certainly believe he is.” “I’m sorry, but I just can’t fully believe you on that. I’m going out there to find him myself and putting this whole mystery to an end.” “Applejack!” The large Earth pony runs in front of Applejack and stamps his front hooves in front of her. “You’re going to die out there in only a hoofful of hours. As your cousin, I see it best that you just return to Ponyville and put this Ghost Pony quest behind ‘ya.” “…” “I mean it.” “Nope.” Slowly, the determined mare walks around Braeburn and resumes her hike forward, never looking back at her cousin. “It’s your funeral!” “That’s nice.” “I’m not going to chase after you into there!” “Okay.” “I mean it!” “You’ve already said that. Have a good day.” “Gr…” Braeburn shrugs to himself and turns back towards the town, pondering about the sheer determination of Applejack despite his warnings. “This seems like a good spot to split.” Applejack looks to her right and sees the vast and empty desert, with no sign of anything made by hooves. Her pace turns to that direction and she eventually finds herself out of sight of both the railroad and the town of Appeloosa. Time seems to slow down as the orange pony walks around aimlessly throughout the wasteland, looking in every direction for the Ghost Pony. “Hmm…” she speaks to herself, “now what would he look like? Other than just a flaming pony skeleton I mean.” Her stomach begins to rumble before she can put much through into his appearance. Applejack stops and reaches her neck to her right. Flipping open the large bag with her nose, Applejack then sifts through her things until finding the set of ten ripe red apples near the bottom. She picks one up with her mouth and proceeds to eat it. She continues to think out loud while chewing the juicy fruit, “Maybe… maybe he wears some type of clothing to keep him hidden… but what could he wear that doesn’t burn from his body?” With one final gulp, Applejack finishes the apple and continues her stroll. An hour passes, and the sun has nearly grown to its peak. However, the heat of the desert has grown drastically and is now taking its toll on Applejack. Beads of sweat begin to seep from under her hat and run down her face. Her lips begin to grow stiff and dry, having to be licked every once in a while just to keep the awkward feeling at bay. Her chest starts to cramp and tighten with the lack of food and water given. Her lungs feel as if they are starting to wither away. Having grown tired enough of her body’s woes, she reaches into her right saddlebag and pulls out a water bottle. After unscrewing the lid in a swift motion, the mare lifts the lip of the bottle to hers. Immediately, upon the first drops of liquid hitting her lips, a sensation pulsates through her body as moisture purges the sick dryness. The feeling was nearly euphoric for Applejack. However, she stops herself halfway done with the bottle. “I have to conserve…” She screws the lid back onto the bottle and starts to set it back into her pouch. However, just as it’s nearly set back from where it was initially packed, the clear liquid inside begins to swirl around, practically hypnotizing Applejack with its freshening appearance. “Well, maybe one bottle won’t hurt me that much.” Quickly, she yanks the plastic bottle back out, unscrews the lid once more, and gulps down the second half. Another hour passes, as Applejack now finds herself climbing up the side of a steep hill. The loose gravel and sand shifts around her hooves as she attempts to reach the top. “A higher viewpoint, should help…” Suddenly, upon stepping on what seemed to be a large rock packed into the hill, the boulder slips and slides down the hillside. “Whoa!” Applejack falls and well, landing knees first on the rocks several metres behind her. Sharp pains spike across her body as the mare whimpers in response to the pain. “Ow, what happened?” Carefully, she stretches out her fright front hoof and nearly vomits on sight. Her knee was bruised and had several large red cuts across it, with small pebbles to be seen mixing with the blood that was about to pour from the wound. She can only imagine what her other knees looked like. “It hurts so much! But I need to continue!” Despite her pain, Applejack regains focus and continues her climb up the hill, as agonizing as it was. Half of an hour passes between her fall and her reaching the top. Now on top of the steep hill, Applejack pulls out another fresh water bottle and pours it on each of her clotted, yet brutal scrapes and cleans them. “It’s nothing. I’ve been through worse…” Her stomach growls again, only this time being much more brutal. “Aw, for Pete’s sake! Well… I guess it’s lunch time. Might as well get my bearings straight while I’m at it,” She unloads her saddlebags onto a large flat rock and takes a moment to recover. Four apples are eaten as she examines her compass and examines her surroundings for any sign of the ghoulish spectrum. “Let’s see, if the needle is pointing East, then I must be facing East, right? I think that’s what Twilight said.” A haunting feeling soon crawls up her spine, the feeling of being lost. “What if I’m… No! I’m not lost! Whatever heebie-jeebies this desert is trying to pull on me, ain’t gonna work! I just need something to cool myself down that all,” After a quick scan of her begs, Applejack pulls out the random magazine she stuffed in back home. “I wonder what I brought anyways…” One quick glimpse of the cover was all she needed. “Oh, one of Rarity’s fashion brochures…” She then stuffs the paper book back into the bag and pulls out the puzzle block. However, after looking at it for a minute, Applejack immediately gets frustrated, “Where the hay do I even start with this darn thing? I need something that’ll clam me down, not rile me up.” Retuning the block to its proper place, Applejack then blindly grabs the mirror and brush at the same time. Upon pulling them out, a seemingly disgusting thought enters her mind. She glances into the saddlebags to find Rarity’s magazine crinkled near the bottom of one of the pockets. “Well, I’m alone. Might as well…” Another half-hour passes upon the hill top. Applejack, now fully entranced in the mirror and one of the pages of the magazine, brushes her mane to fit the curled style of the model on the page, not noticing the amount of time that has passed. “Hm, doesn’t feel that bad. I might actually like this time. I wonder what Rarity would think of it.” A queasy feeling starts to build in her stomach, but she knew it was not hunger. “Gosh, I think I may be getting a little homesick. I wonder what my friends are doing right about now… No, stay focused Applejack, you gotta mission, and like an Apple, you gotta stick to it.” Applejack places the three items back into her saddlebags and sets it onto her back. Her knees begin buckle from the return of the weight and the recent accident that has happened to her. A heavy groan escapes her throat as Applejack strains to stand upright once more. Taking one last look at her surroundings for any signs of the Ghost Pony, she prepares herself to restart her trek. “Nothing in sight… The journey is still young, so I shouldn’t jump to any conclusions. Maybe a different location will give me a better view.” Slowly yet surely, Applejack starts to walk once more and begins to head down the hilltop to another location. An hour ticks by, and Applejack finds herself walking across a dry lakebed, with no mountain in sight. The sun had finally grown to its top, and seemed to be beaming its entire wrath upon the orange mare. The bottom of her hooves start to burn from standing on the heated clay and the top of her spine boils from the still heat. Promptly, Applejack pulls out another water bottle from her saddlebags and drinks it, bringing only a temporary relief to her body. “I swear, if there’s no Ghost Pony, I am going to be crossed beyond belief…” As she continues to walk, her eyes manage to catch a glimpse of something in the distance, something green. Newfound energy and adrenaline rush through her system as Applejack darts towards the green dot in the distance. Her tongue slips from inside her mouth and flops around her chin like a dog as the verdant object grows near. Now only a hundred metres away from the thing, Applejack realizes that it’s an oasis she sees in the midst of the dry basin. Her speed almost doubles and her mind can barely catch up to the body, now run by its instincts. Just as her nose makes contact with a tall bush at the edge of the oasis, the entire area vanishes before her eyes, with only the cracked clay ground as far as her eyes can see. “A mirage?! Gosh darn it to heck!” Applejack furiously slams her hat onto the dusty floor and stamps onto it with her hoof. “Now I be hallucinatin’! How am I ever going to make sure that I actually saw that ghost?” However, in the midst of her fury, the orange mare soon remembers what to do at times like this. She then takes a dream breath and picks up her hat. “Calm down Applejack. You can do this girl, all you have to do is keep your head straight. Focus on your goal. You can last the night and morning no problem. My siblings are counting on me, so I’ve got to follow through.” Setting her dusty hat onto her head, Applejack shakes her head to make sure her mind’s fully awake and sets off once more. Another hour of seemingly endless walking passes before the faint blur of an object in the distance catches her eyesight. “This better not be another hallucination…” Her pace accelerates for a moment as she draws closer to the unknown thing. The loud clopping of her hooves against the bone-dry lakebed rattles in her ears as she grows faster and faster. “I think… I think it’s a plateau. I could probably find an overhang and cool off!” Suddenly, a surge of pain jolts through her torso and head. Applejack screams at the top of her lungs and promptly grinds to a halt. With a split-second turn of the neck, the orange mare winces in fear at what just caused the pain. It was a long snake, with brown diamonds laced upon its beige back and a rattle at the end of its tail. The viper had managed to leap from wherever it came from and had sunk its fangs deep into Applejack’s torso. Applejack then bucks around viciously until the serpent lets go and slithers away, presumably back to its initial resting place. Panting, the Earth pony looks back to where snake had bitten to find two small holes in the flesh and the surrounding skin having turned black and blue. The fear inside the mare grows threefold as Applejack’s eyes start to shutter and water. “It was venomous! I might die! If only I didn’t run so fast and loud!” Applejack quickly drops her saddlebags and pulls out a fourth bottle of water and Rarity’s magazine. She then flips onto her back with the brochure and bottle in hooves. “Just stay clam Apple, you didn’t expect to be bitten by a snake, but it’s fine. I know what to do…” Applejack puckers her lips and positions her mouth on the bite. She sucks up as much of whatever liquid is in the holes and spits it out across her shoulder before repeating. Blood, yellow venom, and red slush coats the ground over the pony’s shoulder as Applejack continues to remove the infection. Her mind cramps up as little traces of venom make its way into her brain despite Applejack’s best efforts. After a while of only sucking up and spitting her own blood, she then pours the entire bottle of water over the wound and uses the papers to apply pressure to the area. Several minutes pass as the pony continues to hold her position, unsure of what to do now. She looks at her upturned body to get a good look at the damage she has taken, from the scrapes on her knees, to the dark flesh of the bite, to the amount of filth and dust on her body. “This has gone too far…” she gasps, “I need to head back…” Slowly, the mare gets back up onto three hooves with the fourth still holding the papers to her bite. Pulling out a compass, Applejack attempts to decipher what its saying. “Let’s see, if I’ve been going east, then I should go west back to Appeloosa. So, Should I turn until the needle points west? Or was it to point north and go right? Agh! I can’t think straight!” In frustration, Applejack shakes her head violently and even knocks against it with her free hoof, muttering curses to herself. Fear, anger, confusion, sadness, all crowd her train of thought as the mare continues to unleash her fury on whatever she can get her hooves on for what seems to be an eternity. Finally, after an hour of emotions and frustration, Applejack soon recollects her sanity, what little of it still remains. Whatever venom left in her system has already started to turn her brains into mush. Yet, Applejack does not notice her descending into madness as she attempts to think of what to do. “Alright, what would Twilight do in this situation? She’s the smart one… I think… so she’d have the best answer. I think that’s how it works, being logic and all…” Her eyes then catch a glimpse of the plateau off in the distance. “Shelter, that’s right. Don’t worry Applejack, don’t need to be fussy. You’re just, tired, and a little thirsty.” Although now weak and terribly ill, Applejack manages to regain some strength, pick up her bags, and slowly walks towards the plateau. Two hours of walking in the bright sun pass by before Applejack finally arrives at the foot of the massive rock formation. The snake’s venom starts to damage Applejack’s already injured knees, causing them to buckle once again. In a matter of moments, the orange pony’s legs give in and her body violently hits the sandy ground below. Now with her belly unwillingly pressed onto the desert floor, her skin starts to cook from the burning sands. Applejack winces and bites her lip as the burning sensation rushes through her, now searching for a way to quickly get back up. Using the rock wall as a grip, Applejack attempts to pull herself up, only to find it more strenuous and painful than just burning from the hot sand. She manages to pull herself up fortunately, but not without a few negative thoughts manifesting in her head. “I hate this… I hate all of this… No Ghost Pony… Barely any water left… These bags tearing my spine apart… Lost… Scraped and battered… Going stupid… Probably infected… Hungry… Thirsty… Tired… Dying… Why did I ever agree to this?” Applejack then slides her saddlebags off and opens them to see what she has left. “Six apples and one bottle of water. My main priority now is to survive. Maybe I can make this work…” As the sun starts to make contact with the horizon, Applejack feasts herself with four apples and only a quarter of water in the bottle, not even daring to drink a single drop more. However, her stomach still yearns for more food and her throat still demands more water. “Night’s coming fast, if I can make it to the top with the remaining daylight, I could have a safe spot to sleep for the night and figure out a way back. Maybe I’ll even feel better by tomorrow or better yet, actually find that darn ghost. I deserve to find something after what I’ve gone through.” Desert InsanityNight has fallen upon the deserted lands of the southern regions of Equestria. The distant mountains were black as charcoal, the sandy floor below became silver, and the sky was dotted with millions of stars on a dark blue hue with the glowing white moon for company. Applejack, now seated at the center of a lone plateau, speaks to herself as she looks up into the night sky. “The stars sure look pretty tonight. I guess I can come back home with a little bit of a reward. Well, if I even return home… Where’s the Ghost Pony now if he’s so helpful, I’m practically dyin’ out here.” She looks down and examines herself once more. With the light emitting from her lantern, the orange mare can clearly see the disgusting scars on her knees, the infected bite mark on her belly, and all the dust and grime caught in her fur. “Yep, this is pretty much what my feelings look like, hurt, gross, sick, tired, havin’ a bad headache…” “Applejack…” A familiar voice whispers in her ear. Applejack’s head snaps back up and looks around for the origin of the voice. “Who’s that?” “Don’t be silly, you know it’s me. Hehehe…” “Pinkie? How the hay did you get here? And where are you?” “I’m hiding, come and find me! Hehehe…” Listening to the voice, Applejack gets up onto her hooves, picks up the lamp in her mouth, and searches around the top of the plateau for her friend. “I don’t see you anywhere.” “Want me to give you a hint? Hehehe…” “Sure.” “I’m at the bottom of the mountain…” “That’s a bit obvious…” Applejack gallops to the nearest edge of the cliff and looks down the face of the ledge. At the bottom, a small black figure appears in her hazy image. “Is that you?” Seemingly out of nowhere, the rock below Applejack’s front hooves crumbles and falls down the cliff. Screaming, Applejack leaps back from the collapse, dropping the lamp just short of the crumble. “Pinkie, are you okay?!” Another voice soon calls out into her ears, *“Applejack…”* With the new voice entering her mind and Applejack’s splitting headache, the memory of Pinkie Pie seems to vanish. “Rainbow Dash?” “Want to do something awesome with me?” “Sure, but I’m not sure where you are.” *“Trust me, I’m at the bottom. Just jump down from the cliff and I’ll catch you…” Applejack looks over the edge of the cliff again to see a different dark figure on top of the new rumble.* “Are you sure you’ll catch me?” “Yeah, it’ll be so awesome! Come on…” “Okay, here goes nothing…” *“Applejack…” A third unknown voice echoes.* “Fluttershy?” “Would you kindly jump off from the cliff to help free my animal friends from the rocks below? Please…” “Wait, I don’t remember seeing any animals down there. Wait, what happened to Pinkie?” Another voice speaks to her, *“Applejack…”* “Rarity?” “Would you be such an ever great friend and search for gems. I sense there are a ton of them at the bottom of the cliff…” “Hold on just a minute,” Applejack slowly backs away from the ledge as her mind strains to understand what’s going on. “Where are all you ponies, and why do you all want me to go over that cliff?” “Applejack…” “Oh for Pete’s sake… What do you want Twilight?” “Look at the stars…”* Applejack follows the voice’s orders and looks up, somewhat glad that it wasn’t a request to go over the edge. *“Legends say that each of those stars is a soul that has moved on to whatever awaits after death…” “So, this doesn’t answer my questions, I want answers now!” “See those two stars next to each other? You know who they are…” “What sick game is this? What are you and the other four of the lot up to?” “There can be a third one with them…” “Stop it!” “Just go over the cliff…” “I, said, ENOU-” But before she could finish her statement, her back right hoof accidently stamps onto the laying lamp, shattering the glass and setting the fire loose on her hoof. A sharp blood-curling scream exits Applejack’s mouth as both sharp surges of pain and slow agonizing torture flood her body and mind. The orange Earth pony yanks her flaming back hoof from the broken lantern and attempts to put the fire out. As she’s frantically brushing her hoof against the sand below, she feels the glass shards now embedded in her flesh moving around and cutting even deeper into her, adding more pain. Out of instinct, the mare then pulls out the last water bottle and pours all of its contents onto the flames. Eventually, all the fire is extinguished, leaving Applejack in near complete darkness, with only the moon to barely illuminate anything several metres ahead of her. The pain in her hoof still lingers as well as her other injuries, only made worse as she continues to stand. The mare flops to her side, only to relieve a fraction of a percent of the agony. Now without a flame for heat and light, darkness and cold winds soon wash over the plateau and the weakened body of Applejack. Whimpering and crying of the torture, Applejack continues to lay there for what seems to be minutes, only for the five uncanny voices to soon return. “Find me…” “Do it…” “Go to them…” “Find your treasure…” “Join them…” “I’m lost…” “I want to do it…” “I want them…” “They are my treasure…” “I want to be with them…” “Jump…” “Jump…” “Jump…” “Jump…” “Jump…” “I am in pain…” “I have failed…” “I could not save them…” “They are now under…” “I must go to them…” “End this game…” “Go with your gut…” “Go with them…” “There is no hope here…” “Join your-” “AAAAAGH!!!” Applejack hollers. As quick as her destroyed body can go, Applejack springs up to her hooves, dropping the hat in the process, and charges towards the cliff edge. Although the aching in her body is escalating dramatically, she does not care anymore and speedily limps onward. However, upon having her front hooves now halfway over the edge, the orange mare stops and looks down. What was once a silver sand floor with rocks that have recently fallen, has now turned into a black abyss with no bottom. “Tired…” “Depressed…” “Sick…” “Lost…” “Alone…” “No, I don’t have to listen!” “You must…” “You have no choice…” “You cannot avoid this…” “You cannot avoid us…” “You cannot avoid them…” “Shut up!” In a fit of rage and mixed emotions, the young mare begins to violently bash her head into the sand and rock, trying to get rid of her ghostly friends’ voices. “We can not…” “You know us…” “We know you…” “You know you…” “You are you…” “Grrrrrrr!” After a minute of hitting her head, high pitched ringing starts to fill in whatever silence Applejack could hear, only making the uncanny voices for intolerable. A warm yet cold thick liquid runs from her numb forehead down her face and drips from her chin. She knew what it was by its mere metallic taste as some seems through her lips and onto her tongue. She looks over the edge again, this time seeing a pair of figures that seem to be hovering in the darkness. “What is this?” “You know what this is…” “You know who they are…” “They are waiting for you…” “There is nothing here…” “Go to them…” “No, no, no! These be mind games!” “These are not…” “Listen to them…” “They are calling…” “You can hear them…” “They are real…” “No!” *“Applejack…” An older stallion’s voice echoes from the abyss.* *“Applejack…” A slightly younger mare’s voice calls out.* “Is it?” “Come to us…” “Jump into our hooves…” “I-I can’t!” “That’s right, you can’t…” “You didn’t…” “You are the reason…” “You caused this…” “No, I didn’t mean to!” Tears start to pour from Applejack’s eyes and mix into the red goo dripping from her face. Images and faces from the deepest parts of her memory flash before her eyes as the voices become more aggressive in tone. “You did this…” “You killed us…” “No! Please!” The voices begin to grow violent as the desert sky surrounding her turns pitch black with the mountains. “You murdered us!” “You murdered us!” “I didn’t murder you, it was an accident!” At this point, the only things Applejack could see with her watery eyes were the two figures in the abyss and darkness. “Butcher!” “Slaughterer!” “NO!” All seven of the voices then join together to form a demonic character, roaring from every angle form Applejack’s dying body, *“End it all! Jump! End it all! Jump! End it all! Jump! End it all! Jump! End it all! Jump! End it all! Jump! End it all! Jump!”* Then, just as Applejack’s about to snap, an eight voice faintly whispers in her ear, a voice sounding just like her own, *“Do it…”* “Fine...” Applejack miserably replies in a fit of crying. In a single swift motion, the orange mare leaps forward and begins her fall into the abyss. However, just as it seems that there was no return, something from the ledge bites her in the back of the neck. At first, Applejack believes that it’s another snake or monster that seeks to torture her in the desert once more. To her surprise however, it is not a sharp bite, or even a painful one, but it feels like that of a mother picking up her child. Her fall comes to an abrupt fault as the thing holding her in place bites firmly into the thicker flesh of Applejack. “Who-who is this?” “…” The mysterious savior doesn’t speak, but rather, gives a very warm snort. Slowly, Applejack finds herself being pulled up by the unknown pony as well as growing uncontrollably tired. From the absolute torture her body and mind have gone through, she surprised herself by how long she’s lasted up to this point. As her eyelids grow heavy and begin to blink, the normal world of the desert soon returns from the darkness. The silver sands, the stars in the sky, and even the moon return to her vision. The ringing in her ears as well as the echoes of the voices cease to exist as the mare slowly drifts to sleep. As her back makes contact to the surface of the plateau, she is already fast asleep. *“Idiot mare…”* An Unknown PonyA warm gush of wind flows through Applejack’s fur as the mare returns to her senses. As she awakes and her eyelids become light and flutter open, a golden gradient of white and dark blue can be seen on the black horizon. A small tingly feeling can be felt in her knees, her back hoof, and her belly, soon bringing back the memories of what happened to them yesterday. Her throat promptly becomes dry and her stomach begins to rumble as if on cue. The mare groans in irritation to her body and slowly lifts her head from the dusty rock where it rested. Her mind retraces what has happened to her as she stretches, back to the point where she was on the plateau looking up at the night sky, before being interrupted by a sharp pain in her head. “Ow,” she moans, “my head…” “Figures,” a stallion’s voice replies from behind, “you nearly died after hallucinating for a good couple of minutes.” Applejack leaps forward in fright and turns around to the origin of this new voice, ready for a fight. Upon looking around, she sees a stallion slightly larger than her, draped head to hoof in black clothing, standing only a few centimeters from where she slept. She’s unable to see what he looks like underneath because of the darkness of the night and the shadowy clothing he wears on him. “Wh-who are you?” “Name’s not important. Just refer to me as the stallion that saved your life.” “What are you? The Ghost Pony I presume?” “The Ghost Pony?” A dry chuckle belts out as the mysterious stallion’s body shivers in laughter. ”They still use that name for-haha! I would’ve thought they’d change it by now…” “So, are you him?” “Well, that depends. Do you want me to be him?” “What does that mean? Are you the legendary Ghost Pony or not?” “What gives you the idea that I am the Ghost Pony?” “I don’t know, you did save my life.” “Hahaha!” “What’s so funny now?” “Can’t a pony do some good these days and not be labeled a ghost? If that’s the case, most ponies better be off dead than alive-HA!” “Quit makin’ fun of me! You just seem to come out of nowhere and rescued me for no reason. The most logical conclusion is that you are him.” “Logic huh? Trying to tackle paranormal ideals, or any ideals of that matter, with logic? What a laugh. If I was a logical pony at this here point, I could very simply kill you in this weak and pathetic state, take all of your valuables, and none would be the wiser. The world isn’t a very logical place my dear.” “Well, fine, I can see it like that. But if you aren’t the Ghost Pony, what are you even doing here in the first place?” “What are you doing out here, if you’re not the Ghost Pony?” “Looking for him.” “Why?” “I have my reasons that you don’t need to put your nose into. How about you?” “It’s a long story. Let’s just say that I have some unfinished business to take care of out here, I’m tied to this here land so to speak.” “What business?” “Helping idiots like you not die out here for one.” “Excuse me? What gives you the gall to call me an idiot?” “Well for starters, the shoddy work on your preparations. How long did you plan on staying out here?” “A day and a night.” “Are you serious? With this setup, I expected an hour or two at most.” “Look who’s calling the kettle black. I don’t see any fancy schmancy gear on you except for that little canister on your flank.” “I never really needed much food or water. I’ve grown used to the barren desert so to speak. Want some water?” “Really? After insulting me, you’re expecting me to just take your generosity?” “Well, if you want to be dehydrated for the rest of your time here, be my guest.” “…Fine...” An orange red aura glows around the black canteen on the stranger’s body and begins to hover towards the orange pony. The lid unscrews as the water canister is caught in Applejack’s hooves. Lifting the very warm metal canteen to her lips, water then pours into her system. It is warm as well, but Applejack doesn’t mind, as her body once again rejuvenates and her mind begins to clear up. “Sorry I drank the whole thing, I just,” “It’s fine. You’ll need every drop if you’re going to make it back to that town alive.” “Appeloosa?” “That’s the name of the town? I see.” “Well, do you mind pointing to me the right direction?” “You have a compass with you. Are you saying that you don’t know how to work the thing?” “…Yes…” “Gah, idiot…” At black figure lifts a hoof to the right of Applejack’s head. “That way. About a four hour walk in your condition. Not a hoof left nor a hoof right.” “Thanks.” “Is that all?” “Wait a moment,” Applejack quickly snaps her head to her knees to find them barely scarred, as if her previous injuries vanished overnight. “How did you even…” “A lot of things can be accomplished with a little bit of magic and secrets of the desert.” “Okay…” “Just don’t strain yourself, I’m not too sure if I was able to get rid of all of the glass in your hoof and heal it, so take caution. There also maybe some snake poison still in ya.” “Okay. Thanks again. Seeing as you’re not the Ghost Pony, I won’t bother you and leave you be.” “Who said I wasn’t the Ghost Pony?” “So you are?!” “Who said I was?” “Hey! Are you or are you not? It’s that simple of a question.” “Why do you want to know?” “Why do you have to keep it so secret?” “I don’t know, maybe you want to exorcise me if I am him or rob me if I’m not. It’s that simple of a question.” “Grr…” Applejack grits her teeth in frustration, now being locked in a questions game that she can’t escape from. “Fine. My brother and sister back home were fighting over whether or not the Ghost Pony exists or not, so I set off to find the answer, come back home, tell them the truth, and finally get some decent sleep as part of our deal.” “I see…” “Can you please just answer my question?” “I could, but would you actually believe my answer.” “Oh my… Enough of these riddles! Can’t you just give me a straight answer?!” “Sure I can, but what’s to make you think that your kin will believe in ya? What’s to make ya think that you’re not just hallucinating at this point and that what you just drank was your own urine?” “Well, I…” “You believe?” “Well…” “Your brother and sister can believe whatever they want, you can’t fight that.” “Then what am I going to say to them when I get home? Any smart ideas?” “Maybe I can’t help you with your siblings, but maybe I can help you with your sleeping problems. How do you sleep at night? Are you comfortable, cozy, no nightmares?” “I have a nice bed, and life back home is safe, so I have nothing to really have any bad dreams about.” “Really?” “Yeah.” “Well, from what I can tell during your little trip several hours ago, I could hear you mumbling to yourself about something you might have done in the past. Something you regret is haunting you both at night and day it seems.” “I rest assure you, I was just tired.” “…You seem like an honest pony, I can see it in your eyes. I can see that you would rarely ever lie to anypony. However, from what I see, you lie to yourself with your pride, and you buy it.” “No I don’t. I am completely hundred-bonified-percent honest with everypony including myself. And what gives you the authority to tell me what’s real or not?” “You’re right, I don’t have the authority. And yet, you still give me it.” “Well maybe I’ll stop it and be on my way.” “You won’t, you need to give me authority. ‘Cause inside, you know that something’s wrong, and only I am the pony you feel that can help you. I know how you feel, I’ve been there. I know how it felt to have those dark memories haunt you for days and nights, maybe even years. But I never had a shoulder to cry on and accept what had happened, and it took me a near eternity to come to terms. Let me be your shoulder to cry on. I don’t want you to suffer.” “W-Why? What did you do?” “Committed a few crimes, murder, robbery. Nowadays I’ve managed to get over it and move on.” “How did you feel?” “I was pretty much good as dead during those times of my crimes. Considering you have a family, and are not a lone-wolf like me, I see it best you tell me what happened. Please.” “Well, if you really want to know,” before continuing, Applejack lies down onto her belly, followed by the stallion, “Fine.” “…” “It was all ‘bout a decade and a half ago. My brother, ‘my lil ‘sis, and I were just little foals at that time. Our parents were taking us to Granny’s place for vacation. On the way there, there was an ol’ wooden bridge that extended across a large ravine, with the only things keeping the thing up were some stone stacks and stakes at each end of the chasm. While we were crossing the bridge, my brother and I had started to bicker and fight, oblivious to how unstable the bridge truly was. My ma and pop tried to break up the fight, telling us that we were making the baby, my little sister, cry. In hindsight, I know that they knew the real reason, but they didn’t tell us to keep us from worrying.” “Your parents, what were they like?” Applejack’s eyes start to water a small bit as memories of her parents run through her mind. “Well, my dad and mom ran an apple cider factory back in our town. They weren’t all that famous, but they did have an easy life raising us.” “I mean, what were they like themselves, how did they treat each other and you?” “I don’t really remember that well. I wouldn’t be able to give a good description for ya.” “Still, I want to hear.” “My father was a little cynical, and my mother was always a bit clingy to us. But overall, it was all in good love for me and my kin, like all parents, you know.” “…” “Right?” “In truth, I never really did know my parents that well. My father, he died in the coal mines back in the day, a common yet very unfortunate event they said.” “And your mother?” “She also worked in the coal mines, even shortly after giving birth to me and my kin. My mother, she’d always break up the small quarrels me and my siblings had when we were foals. I’m still surprised she was able to both manage work and us for however long she lasted.” “What do you mean?” “While my siblings and I were still very young, she died of sickness, most likely from the mines.” “Oh… I’m so sorry for ya, not know what having a pa and ma feels like.” “Don’t worry yourself over it, you have far more important things at hoof. So, about that there story?” “Oh, w-well, right…” “…” “We were at about over the first rock support of the bridge, and me and my brother were still fighting despite our parents’ warnings. At one point, I tried to shove my brother away from me, only to miss and trip myself onto the rope ledge. The force of my fall caused part of the cliff where we came from to fall off, almost ripping the bridge at its seams and tearing at the other edge as well. The panic and fear struck us all in a millisecond as our parents fanatically tried to usher us to the other end. Yet, I was too scared to leave the support of the first rock stack. I was incompetent! So my dad stayed behind for me while my mother escorted the others across. When my mom, my brother, and my sister made it to the second stack, the bridge split in two, separating me and my dad from the others. Mom then shooed my siblings to the other side just before the edge of their cliff crumbled down as well. At this point, there was no bridge and the only things that remained above the ravine were the stacks, but even they began to fall apart as the parts of the cliffs that fell off bashed into the skinny towers. I was scared beyond all comprehension, but not even close to the level my parents were experiencing. Time was running short and all hope was nearly lost, so my parents did the only they could, save me. My Daddy, he, h-he…” “…” Rampant tears begin to spew from Applejack’s closed eyes with the mysterious figure watching in silence. “He looked at me, he looked at me with his deep green eyes. He looked at what seemed to be hours, silently wishing me good luck. He then gently grabbed me with his hooves and threw me to my mother, who caught me without any fault. She-she then also looked at me in her hooves. Even at my extremely young age, I knew what was going on. I tried to tell her not to die, not to leave us, not to let me sad, but I and they knew it was unavoidable. She kissed me on the forehead before also throwing me towards my siblings on the edge. It was a rough landing, but I managed to recover quickly and turn around to see it.” “It...” “I-I-I saw the stacks fall with my parents. All three of us younger ones screamed and cried at the chaotic and disastrous sight. The screams of our parents rung out from the falling rock and debris all the way to whatever bottom the abyss had for them. Oh Celestia, the screams! I can still hear them! They will never leave me!” Applejack brakes in a second and buries her face in her hooves and the sand below as she loudly weeps. As she weeps, a warm, comforting cloth tickles at her exposed right cheek. She opens a green eye upwards to the shadowy pony now above her with his hoof touching her soaking cheek. “Don’t worry. Just cry, it is only just you and me in this crazy world now.” “A-and after that, we waited for them, hoping they’d return. They didn’t. Granny then came along, we told her everything. I can still remember the look on her face… She then took us in, and the rest of our lives to this day, we’ve tried to move on and live our lives at Granny’s farm… However, I don’t think I ever will!” Applejack then buries her head even further into the dirt. Her body shutters and shakes as she cries uncontrollably as the series of unfortunate events replay in her head. “I see. You’ve held onto these emotions for years it seems, destroying you from the insides. From what I see of you now, you have built a wall, a barrier of pride and stubbornness, not allowing anypony past and interfere with your life.” “I-I just don’t want anypony to get hurt due to me again. I was the one who was responsible for my parents’ deaths, I’m a murderer! It feels horrible, knowing how I killed two ponies, ponies with families I know, I’m in them!” “You’re right, for the most part. You are responsible for their deaths-” Before the cloaked pony can continue, a loud scream muffles from the sand. “However, you are no murderer. You never truly intended to kill. Me on the other hoof, ha… I’ve killed with intent, I practically am a murderer. To make matters worse, I knew the ponies and the families I had destroyed much more than you knew your own kin. Suffering in Tartarus is what my fate should be at this point, my life of innocence ended a long time ago. Miss...” The black figure then gently grabs the mare’s messy blonde mane with his hoof and lifts her face from the ground. A small grunt and a snort escapes from the Earth pony before the stranger continues. “…” “Things happen, either it be by our own design or by our own mistakes. Both can be devastating, and can leave a lasting negative impression on your life. However, there are a multitude of solutions to you problem. You can either label yourself a criminal and shame yourself as such, or, you can accept what has happened and better yourself upon these experiences.” “How do I do that?” “Your parents are dead, and there’s nothing you can do about it. How they died was by mistake, you were never truly guilty for it.” “But my fighting was the reason-” “Shut up, you didn’t intend to kill your parents. What happened was a mistake. Was it a mistake?” “Well, yes. But still,” “But still what? You have no room to blame yourself. However, that doesn’t mean you’re scot-free. There is still a lesson to be learned here. If you were to replay that moment of your life once more, what would’ve you done different?” “Not fight with my brother.” “Listen. Don’t be wrapped up in whatever you’re trying to prove and listen to reason. Your parents knew better about reason than what you did as a filly. You not listening to reason is also the reason why you’re out here in the first place without having enough knowledge to prepare yourself. Your life is still young and innocent, don’t destroy it over your own pride.” “Oh, I guess you’re right. I think I do need to break those barriers, listen to other ponies, and let them help me through my problems.” “Correct.” “So, did you learn anything from your experiences?” “Quite frankly, I never truly did learn anything. I’m still figuring it out, it’s complicated to say the least. I’m hoping that on my road to redemption, I can learn from the ponies I’ve helped and find a way to better myself from the crimes I committed o-so long ago…” At this point, Applejack has stopped her sobbing and is now only sniffling off a few more tears. “You already have, based on what I have heard. You’ve gone from a criminal to a hero, how is that not bettering yourself?” “That’s mighty kind of you to say miss,” “Applejack, call me Applejack.” “Applejack, thank you for the compliment, but I’m afraid that I’m not quite there yet to fully bettering myself.” “What do ya mean?” “Let’s just say I haven’t moved on yet. I still have some loose ends to tie up, still gotta find my path.” “Well, good luck on that Mister…” “Eldur, just call me Eldur, or the Ghost Pony if you so desperately want.” “Eldur, that’s quite a unique name, I like it.” “Haha, I’m glad you think so.” “So, where again to I go?” Once again, the stranger lifts his hoof in the same direction he did before. “Not a hoof left-” “Not a hoof right.” “Catch on quickly I see.” “So wait, before I go, I just want to know. Are you truly the Ghost Pony? And can you please just give me a straight answer? A lot has happened over the past hour.” “The funny thing is…” “Oh dear-” “The funny thing is, there isn’t really a Ghost Pony. The Ghost Pony these days is more of a title that the good ponies of these here deserts badge themselves with. The Ghost Pony is seen as a positive influence to all, and the good ponies that travel under his name make up that influence. So I guess, by definition, I am the Ghost Pony. Now, whether or the ‘original’ one, being the flaming skeleton Ghost Pony, exists or not… In this crazy type of world we live in, one with so much magic and mystery, I wouldn’t be surprised if he were amongst us at this very moment.” “I guess so. Thank you for everything, I’m not sure how I’ll be able to repay you.” “You don’t need to Applejack. Thank you for letting me help you despite our past quarrels. Have a safe travel back.” “I will Mr. Eldur. Oh wait!” Applejack hops onto her hooves and dashes to her saddlebags. She pokes her head into them in search for the last two apples she had. “Let me give you an apple, I have two so we can share one each!” Applejack’s eyes finally find the pair of red fruits and she picks them up with her mouth. Lifting her head from the bag and turning her head back to where Eldur was standing, the mare finds that he has disappeared without a trace. Dropping the apples in shock, Applejack snaps her head from left to right, searching for her new friend. “Eldur? Where are you?” A bright light pierces the corner of her eye, causing her to wince. She turns to see where the light is coming from and sees the sun rising from the horizon, beaming its early rays of morning. “Is he… No, I’m going to have to think about it later. For now, I better head back home as he suggested.” “Good luck Applejack…” Real or UnrealThe sun is resting on top of the blue sky at Sweet Apple Acres, with Applebloom, Big Mac, Granny Smith, and Twilight Sparke, all gathered together at the front gates of the barn. “Gosh darn it you kids!” Granny Smith hisses, “Why’d y’all let Applejack go out into the desert, then lie to me to where she’s been off to? For Pete’s sake!” “She wanted to prove that the Ghost Pony was real,” Twilight responds, “I told you this morning.” “Snitch…” Big McIntosh mumbles. “Well I didn’t know that this was some sort of sneak-out.” “And besides,” the old Earth pony adds, “everypony knows that he’s real. So this quest of hers was meaningless in the first place!” “Really? Everypony?” “Why yes. Why do you ask? Don’t tell me you don’t accept the facts.” “Accept the facts? What fact is there to a flaming skeleton that turns ponies to stone upon eye contact?” “Plenty of it I rest assure you.” “Nope.” Big Mac disagrees, “I’m sorry to say this, but the Ghost Pony’s just a false myth.” “False myth, my flank!” “See Granny,” Applebloom pipes in, “this is why Applejack left. She’s probably got hard evidence with her as we speak.” “I don’t care if she went to find evidence. You kids should’ve known better then to let her wander out into the dangerous barren wasteland to prove something that the lot of you should know!” “Oh my,” Big Mac hollers, “I tried to reason with her not to go, but she just ignored me and moved on! And for the last time, there is no way that the Ghost Pony is-” “I’m back!” A fifth voice exclaims from outside the arguing huddle. Everypony turns their heads to see Applejack both with great joy and great concern. Her mane and tail are an unbraided mess, her knees are bruised, her back right hoof is in a limp, and her face is worn and weary. “Applejack!” Granny joyously barks, “I’m so happy you’re okay!” “I’m fi-” “Yet, I’m also so crossed at you! What happened to you? What gave you the gall to give your grandma a heart attack like that? Why did you need to search for the Ghost Pony? We all already should know he is real!” “I’m sorry, I had my doubts. I wasn’t too sure so I went for a short while to find some hard evidence. I didn’t expect for the trip to be so difficult, but I managed to come back home safe and sound. These bruises will heal in no-time, I rest assure you.” “Speaking of which,” Twilight replies, “what did you find out there? Is the Ghost Pony real or not?” “Well…” “Well… what?” “I don’t necessarily have physical or eyewitness proof that he exists,” “HA!” The large red Earth pony howls in pride. “Yep I knew it.” “However, during my travels, I met this stallion who recognizes himself as the Ghost Pony. He told me that the Ghost Pony is actually nowadays a title self-given by ponies that help others out there in the desert. They create an influence in the form of the Ghost Pony for others to look up to. So, in a way, he is real.” “So wait,” Applebloom asks with a look of confusion, “does the Ghost Pony exist?” “Sort of… He exists in many good ponies out there, you can believe in him and draw a good influence from him like many of the real heroes we know of.” “So, does that mean I can become the Ghost Pony?” “I guess, maybe when you’re older and have straightened a few things out. Okay?” “Okay!” “Good, now run along you.” “Hmph,” Big Mac snorts, “still doesn’t explain the flaming skeleton…” “Well you don’t have to believe in the tale of the ‘original’ Ghost Pony, but you do have to admit something.” “What?” “Seeing Applebloom wanting to follow a role model that help other ponies and even become a role model herself, you want that to be her future right.” “I guess. I will admit, he is real in the sense as a role model, there I said it. Happy?” “Very.” Big Mac and Applebloom head away from the group and go into the apple orchards to play, leaving Applejack, Twilight, and Granny Smith in front of the barn. “So Applejack,” Twilight sheepishly states, “I guess you’re going to have to face some punishment for this whole thing?” “Oh she sure will.” Granny sternly replies. “However, I will give a little curve for her, seeing that she’s learned a bit it seems.” “Yeah… I’m sorry for blowing your cover AJ.” “It’s fine,” Applejack responds, “I did deserve it in the long run.” “Oh, before I go, I read up on some history on the magic art of necromancy while you were gone, and I found this very interesting article about something called Hades’ Breathe.” “What about it?” “Well, although most of it is based upon loose theories and ancient mythological recordings, there is a solid basis on what Hades’ Breathe most likely is. It is, and I quote, ‘Whenever a massive creature of great magic power dies, as their soul depart from their body, a large pulse of powerful magic of often chaotic properties, reminiscing of the creature’s most prominent usage of their magic powers is spread throughout a vast area over a vast amount of time. This magic pulse is known as Hades’ Breathe.’” “What does that all mean?” “If this Hades’ Breathe thing is real, and if a powerful magical creature with a heavy usage of fire were to die a long time ago, then the Hades’ Breathe created could have created the fire tornado that created the Ghost Pony.” “Do you think that it’s possible?” “I’m not too sure, I may have to do some more research due to the poor amount of corroboration backing up this concept. Let alone that necromancy is an often disregarded topic in the common knowledge of magic, I have many reasons to doubt this theory.” “…Uh… …Simplify it please?” “Hehehe…” “Oh, don’t be usin’ your fancy words to confuse the poor girl.” Granny replies, “Get to whatever princess business you need to take care of.” “Okay, bye Applejack!” “Goodbye Twilight!” Applejack cheers as the purple alicorn flies away. “Hey Granny.” “Yes?” Her grandmother responds. “While I was gone, something happened.” “What was it?” “The stallion I met, his name is Eldur, and he helped me out with an important issue.” “Better not be what I think it is…” “No-no, well, at least I hope it isn’t what you’re thinking. What he helped me out with, was, was… Dealing with the loss of my parents, and how it cause me trouble sleeping at night.” “You said you were over it and slept perfectly normal.” “I thought that as well, but Eldur pointed out that and that I lied to myself without even knowing it. He helped me coop with the issue and make myself a better pony out of it.” “How so?” “By listening and asking help from you. You know so much more about the world than I do, and I should not let my stubborn pride hurt myself instead of an easier solution. Granny, I love you, and I never wanted to hurt you by requiring myself to be helped by ponies like my parents, ponies that could get hurt because of me. But what I did instead was too much, and I made an idiot of myself. Granny, can you please forgive me, and help guide me?” “Applejack, I know how you feel, back then and now, and I am so proud of you for coming to me about this. You were never an idiot, you had good intentions. And now, you’ve fixed your intentions, admitting they had flaws instead of being stubborn about it. You’ve grown up so much, and have become such an amazing granddaughter, but no matter what, no matter how old you get, you can always come to me for help and guidance.” “Really?” “I love you too Applejack, and I will always be there for you.” “Thanks Granny.” “…Actually, now that you mention his name…” “Who? Eldur?” “Yes, him.” “What about it?” “There was always this little known Apple family secret that was passed down from generation to generation, about the Ghost Pony.” “What was it?” “The Ghost Pony’s name, Blaze Rider, his middle name was Eldur…” Bonus: The WatcherIt is a dark and stormy night over the desert as a lone stallion is sitting at the edge of a plateau, taking in the scenery. The sandy floor of the desert gentle glides across and splashes into the towers of stone. The sky above rumbles with the presence of dark clouds and thunder echoing throughout them. Despite the sky's conditions, not a single drop of rain falls to counter the warmth of the coming sunrise. But the stallion does not mind the dry heat. He has been peacefully sitting for over an hour and grown used to it. If what he has heard is correct, then the wait was worth it. "You lost or something?" A voice speaks to the stallion from behind. "Nah," He replies, not turning back. "Just waiting for somepony." "At the crack of dawn?" "Yes, I've heard that my client fancies to go here at this time of the day." "Is this client of yours special?" "You can say that. He certainly isn't one of the normal type, an odd sight in public." "Then he came to the right place. This land is vast, constantly changing, a perfect place for one to hide." The unseen pony nods. He walks next to the stallion and sits down next to him. His thick clothing ruffles as his body adjusts. "You a hider as well?" The mysterious pony asks. "Let's just say that I have no business now." "Hmmf." "How much longer are ya gonna wait here?" "Not much. Say, do you know the legend of the Ghost Pony?" "I most certainly do." "..." The waiting stallion kept quiet. "Are you saying you're looking for him?" "Who else?" "Are you sure this pony is real? A legend's a legend after all." "Some legends are real. A wanderer like you knows that." "Indeed." "Are you, by chance, him?" "You think I am the Ghost Pony? What type of pony are you to ask that?" The dressed stallion calmly asks. "A question of morality, huh? To put it lightly, I am one that seeks the truth, the greater good." "Yet you have no sight. I can see it in your eyes." "That hasn't stopped me now has it?" The blind pony grinned. "Now isn't that a funny tale... A blind pony, seeking the help of a dead legend, to help the greater good." "There are many 'dead' legends, my friend. Not just here, but across the world, in the stars above, and even beyond." "Well you're not going to find one here." The darkly clothed stallion declares as he rises from his seat and walks away. "Pity, we could've used his help." The black stallion stops and asks, "Who's 'we'?" "The greater good." "..." "If you ever come across him, tell him that we need him." "Who's telling him this?" "The Watcher."
Setting Off“He is real!” “Nope.” “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 states 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 echoes throughout the home in which they stand in, reaching all the way upstairs and into a third sibling’s ears. What was supposed to be a peaceful sleep-in for the orange mare, soon turned into another rude awakening by something caused by her siblings. With a heavy yawn and a brief stretch, the mare exits from her soft bed on the second floor. She then slowly walks down to where the fighting is taking place in the living room. Another yawn exits the orange pony’s mouth before she speaks upon confronting the arguing siblings, “What is going on down here?” “Applejack,” the older brother greets her, “Would you kindly explain to Applebloom that whatever this ghost pony is is most certainly not real.” “Big ‘sis,” the younger sister retorts, “Would you kindly explain to Big Mac that he is real and admit that I was right.” “Nope.” “I wasn’t asking you!” “The Ghost Pony?” Applejack replies 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 this age Applebloom.” “This old book I found on a shelf.” The young filly retreats around a corner into the hallway and quickly comes back, holding the book in her mouth. It was old and dirty brown, with several rips and tears to be found upon every inch of the large book. The pages appeared to be not made from this time, but from a time centuries ago. “Historic Tales of the Appeloosan Desert… I see.” “How about you read it to us?” “Yeah,” Big McIntosh adds, “I haven’t actually read it, but based on what Applebloom’s been spouting to me for the past few minutes, there’s no way it’s real.” “Okay,” Applejack moans, “if it means quieting you two down and letting me go back to sleep, I’ll do it.” The yellow filly gently places the old book down and opens it to the beginning page of the legend. Applejack clears her throat and begins to read out loud; “The legend of the Ghost Pony begins one hundred years after the fabled banishment of the queen of the night, when the city lands had become stricken with poverty throughout. When rumors of treasures hidden in the distant sands began to rose after early explorers entered the deserts of the South, it spreaded like wildfire in every direction imaginable. At this time, a poor mare gave birth to thirteen black sickly unicorns, the youngest of these children being Blaze Rider, and this is his story. Having their father died in the mines shortly after the twelve brothers were born, the young Rider Brothers had to work in the coal mines while their sick mother slowly died away. 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 as well, leaving them by themselves in the untamed world of city life. Without a guide to break up their fights, they were quickly fired from the mines, leaving the thirteen unemployed and homeless. One by one, the unicorns turned to a life of crime, with only Blaze keeping to his mother’s words of righteousness and loyalty. The rumors of treasure in the desert soon hit the town and the brothers took this opportunity and went out on the hunt for riches in the unexplored lands. They headed towards Stampeding Mesa and began to mine there, using their prior experience as fillies. They mined, day and night, searching for a fortune, only to get 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. Years later, when only seven brothers remained, while mining, they came across a massive vein of Foal’s Gold, but due to the insanity that build over the years, they believed it was real gold. Blaze’s remaining brothers shoved him into a small dried ravine as they ran back into the mine to collect the gold. For an entire week, the poor unicorn starved and dehydrated in his prison, trying to find a way out. Finally, having enough of this torture and wanting the gold to himself, Blaze mustered all his might and crawled out of the canyon and pushed a bunch of large boulders at the entrance of the mine. While his brothers continued to dig deeper for more gold, Blaze loaded the covered wagon with as much of his brothers’ gold he could steal and shoved the boulders over the mine entrance, sealing them in. They all died from each other within a week with the only remaining pony of the Rider family being Blaze, but this glory never lasted long. A tornado torched in fire, claimed to be sent by the gods, swept over the land, taking Blaze with it. But instead of killing the unicorn, the flaming tornado burnt off his flesh, his wagon, and his Foal’s 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, all that was left of Blaze was a skeleton with his soul trapped inside. For decades, the skeleton spirit traveled across the badlands, searching for some reason why he’s this and not suffering for his crimes in Tartarus. Until one night, a hundred years later, while looking upon the buried mine in which his brothers lay, he came across a group of settler ponies. He witnesses as a pink Earth pony mare being attacked by her six brothers and noticing a pair of wooden coffins in the back of the wagon. Seeing that she was just like him, hundreds of years ago, at that moment, Blaze knew his destiny, and fire erupted across his bones as his charged at the confrontation, looking for a fight. Blaze stood between the mare and the attackers and upon seeing the flaming spirit, the six brothers turned to stone from total shock. The mare then asked for the hero’s name after witnessing this selfless act, he turned to her and said, ‘I was once a black-hearted sinner, a killer, but now I am, and forever will be a savior of the desert. 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 and 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,” the orange Earth pony announces, “y’all happy now?” “Yep…” The red stallion replies, “Now I know for certain that this is fiction.” “What?!” Applebloom exclaims. “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.” “It’s magic.” “It’s stupid.” “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?” “Well…” Applejack hesitates for a moment before finishing, “I don’t really know.” “C’mon Applejack, does it even sound remotely real to you?” “Well, it could happen, strange things always come about here in Equestria. And I’m not the brightest filly in Equestria, so I’m not sure if there is this type of magic.” “I can rest assure you, he is not real.” “He is too!” Applebloom pipes. “Nope!” “Yep!” “Nope!” “Yep!” “Nope!” “Quiet you two!” Applejack screams, 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?” “What do you mean?” “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 Wild 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.” “Can I come with ya?” Applebloom asks, “Maybe I can get my cutie mark in something havin’ to do with explorin’, ghost huntin’, or somethin’ like that.” “Sorry ‘sis. But it is fairly dangerous despite what I’ve made it sound like. And besides, you’ll need to cover for my work while I’m gone.” “Aww, drat.” “That reminds me. When Granny wakes up, don’t tell her that I’ve left to wander around the desert. Say that I went on some ‘royal errand’ to Canterlot or something like that.” “Okay.” “I’ll see y’all the next day. Goodbye.” Big Mac and Applebloom nod in compliance and go outside for their chores. Meanwhile, Applejack rushes back upstairs into her room and begins to pack her saddlebags. Searching around the fairly large bedroom, the orange mare sifts through her things and places what she thinks 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, 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, all now tightly stuffed into her bags. After finishing her packing, Apple notices that her light green bags are about to burst from their seams, but she shrugs 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.” With a swift motion of her hips and tail, Applejack slides the saddlebags onto her back. Immediately, the full feeling of the weight rushes through her spine and nearly causes her to collapse. However, Applejack is quick to recover and slowly exits her home, grabbing 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 looks to the fields of apple trees to her left to see Big Mac and Applebloom bucking at them, already hard at work. She then looks back to her house to get one last look at the giant red barn she calls home. With the barn now long gone and the town just before her, Applejack begins to make her way to the train station at the far side of the village. Along the way, she manages to catch a glimpse of each of her friends along the way. She spots Rainbow Dash busting clouds above in the sky. She sees Rarity greeting potential customers right outside her boutique. She notices Pinkie Pie delivering cakes to some seemingly random house along the street. She watches Fluttershy leading a team of ducklings crossing the street far ahead of her. Upon reaching Town Hall, a familiar mare’s voice greets her from behind, “Hey AJ.” Hearing her name being called, the Earth pony snaps her head back to see a purple alicorn hovering behind, instantly recognizing her. “Oh, hi Twilight,” “What are you doing?” “Oh, I’m just going on a little trip, that’s all.” “Where?” “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. Speaking of which… You remember the legends right?” “Yeah.” “Could magic do it? Is the legend possible?” “Well, there could be some unknown arcane magic that might be able to do the things detailed in the story, but based on our current understandings on magic, it’s nigh impossible.” “Do you believe he’s real?” “No, but it would be interesting if he was.” “I guess.” “Well good luck.” “Good luck to you too.” “Mind the pole!” Applejack immediately stops and immediately realizes that she’s at the train station, with a mere inch separating her nose with the wooden pole in front of her blind walk-and-talk. “You might need the luck more than me...” “Ha.” Twilight then leaves her friend and flies back to Town Hall. Applejack, now back to being alone, enters the station, buys her ticket, and hops aboard the train already parked at the station. Seating herself in one of the more empty cars near the back of the train, Applejack looks out the window and gives one final glance at Ponyville. In a matter of minutes after being seated, the train suddenly jerks forward and soon begins to run. The orange Earth pony watches as the town exits her sight and the rolling fields and forests brush by her vision. Eventually however, the sights begin to bore Applejack and she finds herself slowly becoming sleepy. Her flank sinks itself into the soft seat below and her back tightens into a strain. The bags on her sides as well as her eyes begin to grow heavy as she lies down onto the white plush seats and begins to doze off. In only seconds, the feelings of reality escape her mind and the comforting warmth of nonexistence flows through her. Visions dance before her of meadows, trees brimming with apples, and absolute peace under the warm, yet not hot, sunlight. “…That’s it…” she mumbles to herself in the body of the real world, “…This is what I want to sleep to…” Hours seem to pass by of nothing but rest and peace inside her dream. However, in the blink of an eye, the dream comes to a screeching halt as her body jerks forward. Nearly slipping from the seat, Applejack jolts up and realizes she’s back to reality and that the train is stopping. In the corner of her eye, she spots the desert town of Appeloosa. Stumbling from her seat, the orange mare rushes to the doors and hops off onto the platform of this new train station. Taking a moment to catch her breath, Applejack looks around to see the vast desert surrounding her and the small wooden town. Brown mountains and plateaus line the horizon with miles of wavy sand before them. The sun scorches 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 viewing her surroundings, a familiar stallion’s voice echoes into Applejack’s ears, “Cousin Applejack?!” “Cousin Braeburn?”
Searching for Him“Applejack,” the yellow stallion in front of Applejack speaks, “What are you doing here so early? You had to catch the train by at best seven o’clock in order to arrive here at ten o’clock.” “I’m just off on a little search.” The mare calmly responds before making a sharp left and walking next to the tracks ahead. Braeburn quickly trots to her side with a concerned look on his face. “Searching for what and where? You’re heading out into the untamed parts of the railways without the train.” “I’m going to break away from the tracks a kilometre or two ahead.” “Wait, are you saying you’re going into the dangerous untamed parts of the desert? Are you crazy?!” “No, I can take care of myself.” “I’ve heard many ponies say that before going where you’re going.” “How many?” “Very few go out there, and even fewer return…” “Well I’ll be one of those very few.” “What the hay are you even looking for?” “The Ghost Pony,” “Are you purposefully trying to get yourself killed?!” “What, is he not real?” “I rest assure you, he is real-” “Have you seen him or even have any evidence he exists?” “Well, no, but from what I’ve heard, I most certainly believe he is.” “I’m sorry, but I just can’t fully believe you on that. I’m going out there to find him myself and putting this whole mystery to an end.” “Applejack!” The large Earth pony runs in front of Applejack and stamps his front hooves in front of her. “You’re going to die out there in only a hoofful of hours. As your cousin, I see it best that you just return to Ponyville and put this Ghost Pony quest behind ‘ya.” “…” “I mean it.” “Nope.” Slowly, the determined mare walks around Braeburn and resumes her hike forward, never looking back at her cousin. “It’s your funeral!” “That’s nice.” “I’m not going to chase after you into there!” “Okay.” “I mean it!” “You’ve already said that. Have a good day.” “Gr…” Braeburn shrugs to himself and turns back towards the town, pondering about the sheer determination of Applejack despite his warnings. “This seems like a good spot to split.” Applejack looks to her right and sees the vast and empty desert, with no sign of anything made by hooves. Her pace turns to that direction and she eventually finds herself out of sight of both the railroad and the town of Appeloosa. Time seems to slow down as the orange pony walks around aimlessly throughout the wasteland, looking in every direction for the Ghost Pony. “Hmm…” she speaks to herself, “now what would he look like? Other than just a flaming pony skeleton I mean.” Her stomach begins to rumble before she can put much through into his appearance. Applejack stops and reaches her neck to her right. Flipping open the large bag with her nose, Applejack then sifts through her things until finding the set of ten ripe red apples near the bottom. She picks one up with her mouth and proceeds to eat it. She continues to think out loud while chewing the juicy fruit, “Maybe… maybe he wears some type of clothing to keep him hidden… but what could he wear that doesn’t burn from his body?” With one final gulp, Applejack finishes the apple and continues her stroll. An hour passes, and the sun has nearly grown to its peak. However, the heat of the desert has grown drastically and is now taking its toll on Applejack. Beads of sweat begin to seep from under her hat and run down her face. Her lips begin to grow stiff and dry, having to be licked every once in a while just to keep the awkward feeling at bay. Her chest starts to cramp and tighten with the lack of food and water given. Her lungs feel as if they are starting to wither away. Having grown tired enough of her body’s woes, she reaches into her right saddlebag and pulls out a water bottle. After unscrewing the lid in a swift motion, the mare lifts the lip of the bottle to hers. Immediately, upon the first drops of liquid hitting her lips, a sensation pulsates through her body as moisture purges the sick dryness. The feeling was nearly euphoric for Applejack. However, she stops herself halfway done with the bottle. “I have to conserve…” She screws the lid back onto the bottle and starts to set it back into her pouch. However, just as it’s nearly set back from where it was initially packed, the clear liquid inside begins to swirl around, practically hypnotizing Applejack with its freshening appearance. “Well, maybe one bottle won’t hurt me that much.” Quickly, she yanks the plastic bottle back out, unscrews the lid once more, and gulps down the second half. Another hour passes, as Applejack now finds herself climbing up the side of a steep hill. The loose gravel and sand shifts around her hooves as she attempts to reach the top. “A higher viewpoint, should help…” Suddenly, upon stepping on what seemed to be a large rock packed into the hill, the boulder slips and slides down the hillside. “Whoa!” Applejack falls and well, landing knees first on the rocks several metres behind her. Sharp pains spike across her body as the mare whimpers in response to the pain. “Ow, what happened?” Carefully, she stretches out her fright front hoof and nearly vomits on sight. Her knee was bruised and had several large red cuts across it, with small pebbles to be seen mixing with the blood that was about to pour from the wound. She can only imagine what her other knees looked like. “It hurts so much! But I need to continue!” Despite her pain, Applejack regains focus and continues her climb up the hill, as agonizing as it was. Half of an hour passes between her fall and her reaching the top. Now on top of the steep hill, Applejack pulls out another fresh water bottle and pours it on each of her clotted, yet brutal scrapes and cleans them. “It’s nothing. I’ve been through worse…” Her stomach growls again, only this time being much more brutal. “Aw, for Pete’s sake! Well… I guess it’s lunch time. Might as well get my bearings straight while I’m at it,” She unloads her saddlebags onto a large flat rock and takes a moment to recover. Four apples are eaten as she examines her compass and examines her surroundings for any sign of the ghoulish spectrum. “Let’s see, if the needle is pointing East, then I must be facing East, right? I think that’s what Twilight said.” A haunting feeling soon crawls up her spine, the feeling of being lost. “What if I’m… No! I’m not lost! Whatever heebie-jeebies this desert is trying to pull on me, ain’t gonna work! I just need something to cool myself down that all,” After a quick scan of her begs, Applejack pulls out the random magazine she stuffed in back home. “I wonder what I brought anyways…” One quick glimpse of the cover was all she needed. “Oh, one of Rarity’s fashion brochures…” She then stuffs the paper book back into the bag and pulls out the puzzle block. However, after looking at it for a minute, Applejack immediately gets frustrated, “Where the hay do I even start with this darn thing? I need something that’ll clam me down, not rile me up.” Retuning the block to its proper place, Applejack then blindly grabs the mirror and brush at the same time. Upon pulling them out, a seemingly disgusting thought enters her mind. She glances into the saddlebags to find Rarity’s magazine crinkled near the bottom of one of the pockets. “Well, I’m alone. Might as well…” Another half-hour passes upon the hill top. Applejack, now fully entranced in the mirror and one of the pages of the magazine, brushes her mane to fit the curled style of the model on the page, not noticing the amount of time that has passed. “Hm, doesn’t feel that bad. I might actually like this time. I wonder what Rarity would think of it.” A queasy feeling starts to build in her stomach, but she knew it was not hunger. “Gosh, I think I may be getting a little homesick. I wonder what my friends are doing right about now… No, stay focused Applejack, you gotta mission, and like an Apple, you gotta stick to it.” Applejack places the three items back into her saddlebags and sets it onto her back. Her knees begin buckle from the return of the weight and the recent accident that has happened to her. A heavy groan escapes her throat as Applejack strains to stand upright once more. Taking one last look at her surroundings for any signs of the Ghost Pony, she prepares herself to restart her trek. “Nothing in sight… The journey is still young, so I shouldn’t jump to any conclusions. Maybe a different location will give me a better view.” Slowly yet surely, Applejack starts to walk once more and begins to head down the hilltop to another location. An hour ticks by, and Applejack finds herself walking across a dry lakebed, with no mountain in sight. The sun had finally grown to its top, and seemed to be beaming its entire wrath upon the orange mare. The bottom of her hooves start to burn from standing on the heated clay and the top of her spine boils from the still heat. Promptly, Applejack pulls out another water bottle from her saddlebags and drinks it, bringing only a temporary relief to her body. “I swear, if there’s no Ghost Pony, I am going to be crossed beyond belief…” As she continues to walk, her eyes manage to catch a glimpse of something in the distance, something green. Newfound energy and adrenaline rush through her system as Applejack darts towards the green dot in the distance. Her tongue slips from inside her mouth and flops around her chin like a dog as the verdant object grows near. Now only a hundred metres away from the thing, Applejack realizes that it’s an oasis she sees in the midst of the dry basin. Her speed almost doubles and her mind can barely catch up to the body, now run by its instincts. Just as her nose makes contact with a tall bush at the edge of the oasis, the entire area vanishes before her eyes, with only the cracked clay ground as far as her eyes can see. “A mirage?! Gosh darn it to heck!” Applejack furiously slams her hat onto the dusty floor and stamps onto it with her hoof. “Now I be hallucinatin’! How am I ever going to make sure that I actually saw that ghost?” However, in the midst of her fury, the orange mare soon remembers what to do at times like this. She then takes a dream breath and picks up her hat. “Calm down Applejack. You can do this girl, all you have to do is keep your head straight. Focus on your goal. You can last the night and morning no problem. My siblings are counting on me, so I’ve got to follow through.” Setting her dusty hat onto her head, Applejack shakes her head to make sure her mind’s fully awake and sets off once more. Another hour of seemingly endless walking passes before the faint blur of an object in the distance catches her eyesight. “This better not be another hallucination…” Her pace accelerates for a moment as she draws closer to the unknown thing. The loud clopping of her hooves against the bone-dry lakebed rattles in her ears as she grows faster and faster. “I think… I think it’s a plateau. I could probably find an overhang and cool off!” Suddenly, a surge of pain jolts through her torso and head. Applejack screams at the top of her lungs and promptly grinds to a halt. With a split-second turn of the neck, the orange mare winces in fear at what just caused the pain. It was a long snake, with brown diamonds laced upon its beige back and a rattle at the end of its tail. The viper had managed to leap from wherever it came from and had sunk its fangs deep into Applejack’s torso. Applejack then bucks around viciously until the serpent lets go and slithers away, presumably back to its initial resting place. Panting, the Earth pony looks back to where snake had bitten to find two small holes in the flesh and the surrounding skin having turned black and blue. The fear inside the mare grows threefold as Applejack’s eyes start to shutter and water. “It was venomous! I might die! If only I didn’t run so fast and loud!” Applejack quickly drops her saddlebags and pulls out a fourth bottle of water and Rarity’s magazine. She then flips onto her back with the brochure and bottle in hooves. “Just stay clam Apple, you didn’t expect to be bitten by a snake, but it’s fine. I know what to do…” Applejack puckers her lips and positions her mouth on the bite. She sucks up as much of whatever liquid is in the holes and spits it out across her shoulder before repeating. Blood, yellow venom, and red slush coats the ground over the pony’s shoulder as Applejack continues to remove the infection. Her mind cramps up as little traces of venom make its way into her brain despite Applejack’s best efforts. After a while of only sucking up and spitting her own blood, she then pours the entire bottle of water over the wound and uses the papers to apply pressure to the area. Several minutes pass as the pony continues to hold her position, unsure of what to do now. She looks at her upturned body to get a good look at the damage she has taken, from the scrapes on her knees, to the dark flesh of the bite, to the amount of filth and dust on her body. “This has gone too far…” she gasps, “I need to head back…” Slowly, the mare gets back up onto three hooves with the fourth still holding the papers to her bite. Pulling out a compass, Applejack attempts to decipher what its saying. “Let’s see, if I’ve been going east, then I should go west back to Appeloosa. So, Should I turn until the needle points west? Or was it to point north and go right? Agh! I can’t think straight!” In frustration, Applejack shakes her head violently and even knocks against it with her free hoof, muttering curses to herself. Fear, anger, confusion, sadness, all crowd her train of thought as the mare continues to unleash her fury on whatever she can get her hooves on for what seems to be an eternity. Finally, after an hour of emotions and frustration, Applejack soon recollects her sanity, what little of it still remains. Whatever venom left in her system has already started to turn her brains into mush. Yet, Applejack does not notice her descending into madness as she attempts to think of what to do. “Alright, what would Twilight do in this situation? She’s the smart one… I think… so she’d have the best answer. I think that’s how it works, being logic and all…” Her eyes then catch a glimpse of the plateau off in the distance. “Shelter, that’s right. Don’t worry Applejack, don’t need to be fussy. You’re just, tired, and a little thirsty.” Although now weak and terribly ill, Applejack manages to regain some strength, pick up her bags, and slowly walks towards the plateau. Two hours of walking in the bright sun pass by before Applejack finally arrives at the foot of the massive rock formation. The snake’s venom starts to damage Applejack’s already injured knees, causing them to buckle once again. In a matter of moments, the orange pony’s legs give in and her body violently hits the sandy ground below. Now with her belly unwillingly pressed onto the desert floor, her skin starts to cook from the burning sands. Applejack winces and bites her lip as the burning sensation rushes through her, now searching for a way to quickly get back up. Using the rock wall as a grip, Applejack attempts to pull herself up, only to find it more strenuous and painful than just burning from the hot sand. She manages to pull herself up fortunately, but not without a few negative thoughts manifesting in her head. “I hate this… I hate all of this… No Ghost Pony… Barely any water left… These bags tearing my spine apart… Lost… Scraped and battered… Going stupid… Probably infected… Hungry… Thirsty… Tired… Dying… Why did I ever agree to this?” Applejack then slides her saddlebags off and opens them to see what she has left. “Six apples and one bottle of water. My main priority now is to survive. Maybe I can make this work…” As the sun starts to make contact with the horizon, Applejack feasts herself with four apples and only a quarter of water in the bottle, not even daring to drink a single drop more. However, her stomach still yearns for more food and her throat still demands more water. “Night’s coming fast, if I can make it to the top with the remaining daylight, I could have a safe spot to sleep for the night and figure out a way back. Maybe I’ll even feel better by tomorrow or better yet, actually find that darn ghost. I deserve to find something after what I’ve gone through.”
Desert InsanityNight has fallen upon the deserted lands of the southern regions of Equestria. The distant mountains were black as charcoal, the sandy floor below became silver, and the sky was dotted with millions of stars on a dark blue hue with the glowing white moon for company. Applejack, now seated at the center of a lone plateau, speaks to herself as she looks up into the night sky. “The stars sure look pretty tonight. I guess I can come back home with a little bit of a reward. Well, if I even return home… Where’s the Ghost Pony now if he’s so helpful, I’m practically dyin’ out here.” She looks down and examines herself once more. With the light emitting from her lantern, the orange mare can clearly see the disgusting scars on her knees, the infected bite mark on her belly, and all the dust and grime caught in her fur. “Yep, this is pretty much what my feelings look like, hurt, gross, sick, tired, havin’ a bad headache…” “Applejack…” A familiar voice whispers in her ear. Applejack’s head snaps back up and looks around for the origin of the voice. “Who’s that?” “Don’t be silly, you know it’s me. Hehehe…” “Pinkie? How the hay did you get here? And where are you?” “I’m hiding, come and find me! Hehehe…” Listening to the voice, Applejack gets up onto her hooves, picks up the lamp in her mouth, and searches around the top of the plateau for her friend. “I don’t see you anywhere.” “Want me to give you a hint? Hehehe…” “Sure.” “I’m at the bottom of the mountain…” “That’s a bit obvious…” Applejack gallops to the nearest edge of the cliff and looks down the face of the ledge. At the bottom, a small black figure appears in her hazy image. “Is that you?” Seemingly out of nowhere, the rock below Applejack’s front hooves crumbles and falls down the cliff. Screaming, Applejack leaps back from the collapse, dropping the lamp just short of the crumble. “Pinkie, are you okay?!” Another voice soon calls out into her ears, *“Applejack…”* With the new voice entering her mind and Applejack’s splitting headache, the memory of Pinkie Pie seems to vanish. “Rainbow Dash?” “Want to do something awesome with me?” “Sure, but I’m not sure where you are.” *“Trust me, I’m at the bottom. Just jump down from the cliff and I’ll catch you…” Applejack looks over the edge of the cliff again to see a different dark figure on top of the new rumble.* “Are you sure you’ll catch me?” “Yeah, it’ll be so awesome! Come on…” “Okay, here goes nothing…” *“Applejack…” A third unknown voice echoes.* “Fluttershy?” “Would you kindly jump off from the cliff to help free my animal friends from the rocks below? Please…” “Wait, I don’t remember seeing any animals down there. Wait, what happened to Pinkie?” Another voice speaks to her, *“Applejack…”* “Rarity?” “Would you be such an ever great friend and search for gems. I sense there are a ton of them at the bottom of the cliff…” “Hold on just a minute,” Applejack slowly backs away from the ledge as her mind strains to understand what’s going on. “Where are all you ponies, and why do you all want me to go over that cliff?” “Applejack…” “Oh for Pete’s sake… What do you want Twilight?” “Look at the stars…”* Applejack follows the voice’s orders and looks up, somewhat glad that it wasn’t a request to go over the edge. *“Legends say that each of those stars is a soul that has moved on to whatever awaits after death…” “So, this doesn’t answer my questions, I want answers now!” “See those two stars next to each other? You know who they are…” “What sick game is this? What are you and the other four of the lot up to?” “There can be a third one with them…” “Stop it!” “Just go over the cliff…” “I, said, ENOU-” But before she could finish her statement, her back right hoof accidently stamps onto the laying lamp, shattering the glass and setting the fire loose on her hoof. A sharp blood-curling scream exits Applejack’s mouth as both sharp surges of pain and slow agonizing torture flood her body and mind. The orange Earth pony yanks her flaming back hoof from the broken lantern and attempts to put the fire out. As she’s frantically brushing her hoof against the sand below, she feels the glass shards now embedded in her flesh moving around and cutting even deeper into her, adding more pain. Out of instinct, the mare then pulls out the last water bottle and pours all of its contents onto the flames. Eventually, all the fire is extinguished, leaving Applejack in near complete darkness, with only the moon to barely illuminate anything several metres ahead of her. The pain in her hoof still lingers as well as her other injuries, only made worse as she continues to stand. The mare flops to her side, only to relieve a fraction of a percent of the agony. Now without a flame for heat and light, darkness and cold winds soon wash over the plateau and the weakened body of Applejack. Whimpering and crying of the torture, Applejack continues to lay there for what seems to be minutes, only for the five uncanny voices to soon return. “Find me…” “Do it…” “Go to them…” “Find your treasure…” “Join them…” “I’m lost…” “I want to do it…” “I want them…” “They are my treasure…” “I want to be with them…” “Jump…” “Jump…” “Jump…” “Jump…” “Jump…” “I am in pain…” “I have failed…” “I could not save them…” “They are now under…” “I must go to them…” “End this game…” “Go with your gut…” “Go with them…” “There is no hope here…” “Join your-” “AAAAAGH!!!” Applejack hollers. As quick as her destroyed body can go, Applejack springs up to her hooves, dropping the hat in the process, and charges towards the cliff edge. Although the aching in her body is escalating dramatically, she does not care anymore and speedily limps onward. However, upon having her front hooves now halfway over the edge, the orange mare stops and looks down. What was once a silver sand floor with rocks that have recently fallen, has now turned into a black abyss with no bottom. “Tired…” “Depressed…” “Sick…” “Lost…” “Alone…” “No, I don’t have to listen!” “You must…” “You have no choice…” “You cannot avoid this…” “You cannot avoid us…” “You cannot avoid them…” “Shut up!” In a fit of rage and mixed emotions, the young mare begins to violently bash her head into the sand and rock, trying to get rid of her ghostly friends’ voices. “We can not…” “You know us…” “We know you…” “You know you…” “You are you…” “Grrrrrrr!” After a minute of hitting her head, high pitched ringing starts to fill in whatever silence Applejack could hear, only making the uncanny voices for intolerable. A warm yet cold thick liquid runs from her numb forehead down her face and drips from her chin. She knew what it was by its mere metallic taste as some seems through her lips and onto her tongue. She looks over the edge again, this time seeing a pair of figures that seem to be hovering in the darkness. “What is this?” “You know what this is…” “You know who they are…” “They are waiting for you…” “There is nothing here…” “Go to them…” “No, no, no! These be mind games!” “These are not…” “Listen to them…” “They are calling…” “You can hear them…” “They are real…” “No!” *“Applejack…” An older stallion’s voice echoes from the abyss.* *“Applejack…” A slightly younger mare’s voice calls out.* “Is it?” “Come to us…” “Jump into our hooves…” “I-I can’t!” “That’s right, you can’t…” “You didn’t…” “You are the reason…” “You caused this…” “No, I didn’t mean to!” Tears start to pour from Applejack’s eyes and mix into the red goo dripping from her face. Images and faces from the deepest parts of her memory flash before her eyes as the voices become more aggressive in tone. “You did this…” “You killed us…” “No! Please!” The voices begin to grow violent as the desert sky surrounding her turns pitch black with the mountains. “You murdered us!” “You murdered us!” “I didn’t murder you, it was an accident!” At this point, the only things Applejack could see with her watery eyes were the two figures in the abyss and darkness. “Butcher!” “Slaughterer!” “NO!” All seven of the voices then join together to form a demonic character, roaring from every angle form Applejack’s dying body, *“End it all! Jump! End it all! Jump! End it all! Jump! End it all! Jump! End it all! Jump! End it all! Jump! End it all! Jump!”* Then, just as Applejack’s about to snap, an eight voice faintly whispers in her ear, a voice sounding just like her own, *“Do it…”* “Fine...” Applejack miserably replies in a fit of crying. In a single swift motion, the orange mare leaps forward and begins her fall into the abyss. However, just as it seems that there was no return, something from the ledge bites her in the back of the neck. At first, Applejack believes that it’s another snake or monster that seeks to torture her in the desert once more. To her surprise however, it is not a sharp bite, or even a painful one, but it feels like that of a mother picking up her child. Her fall comes to an abrupt fault as the thing holding her in place bites firmly into the thicker flesh of Applejack. “Who-who is this?” “…” The mysterious savior doesn’t speak, but rather, gives a very warm snort. Slowly, Applejack finds herself being pulled up by the unknown pony as well as growing uncontrollably tired. From the absolute torture her body and mind have gone through, she surprised herself by how long she’s lasted up to this point. As her eyelids grow heavy and begin to blink, the normal world of the desert soon returns from the darkness. The silver sands, the stars in the sky, and even the moon return to her vision. The ringing in her ears as well as the echoes of the voices cease to exist as the mare slowly drifts to sleep. As her back makes contact to the surface of the plateau, she is already fast asleep. *“Idiot mare…”*
An Unknown PonyA warm gush of wind flows through Applejack’s fur as the mare returns to her senses. As she awakes and her eyelids become light and flutter open, a golden gradient of white and dark blue can be seen on the black horizon. A small tingly feeling can be felt in her knees, her back hoof, and her belly, soon bringing back the memories of what happened to them yesterday. Her throat promptly becomes dry and her stomach begins to rumble as if on cue. The mare groans in irritation to her body and slowly lifts her head from the dusty rock where it rested. Her mind retraces what has happened to her as she stretches, back to the point where she was on the plateau looking up at the night sky, before being interrupted by a sharp pain in her head. “Ow,” she moans, “my head…” “Figures,” a stallion’s voice replies from behind, “you nearly died after hallucinating for a good couple of minutes.” Applejack leaps forward in fright and turns around to the origin of this new voice, ready for a fight. Upon looking around, she sees a stallion slightly larger than her, draped head to hoof in black clothing, standing only a few centimeters from where she slept. She’s unable to see what he looks like underneath because of the darkness of the night and the shadowy clothing he wears on him. “Wh-who are you?” “Name’s not important. Just refer to me as the stallion that saved your life.” “What are you? The Ghost Pony I presume?” “The Ghost Pony?” A dry chuckle belts out as the mysterious stallion’s body shivers in laughter. ”They still use that name for-haha! I would’ve thought they’d change it by now…” “So, are you him?” “Well, that depends. Do you want me to be him?” “What does that mean? Are you the legendary Ghost Pony or not?” “What gives you the idea that I am the Ghost Pony?” “I don’t know, you did save my life.” “Hahaha!” “What’s so funny now?” “Can’t a pony do some good these days and not be labeled a ghost? If that’s the case, most ponies better be off dead than alive-HA!” “Quit makin’ fun of me! You just seem to come out of nowhere and rescued me for no reason. The most logical conclusion is that you are him.” “Logic huh? Trying to tackle paranormal ideals, or any ideals of that matter, with logic? What a laugh. If I was a logical pony at this here point, I could very simply kill you in this weak and pathetic state, take all of your valuables, and none would be the wiser. The world isn’t a very logical place my dear.” “Well, fine, I can see it like that. But if you aren’t the Ghost Pony, what are you even doing here in the first place?” “What are you doing out here, if you’re not the Ghost Pony?” “Looking for him.” “Why?” “I have my reasons that you don’t need to put your nose into. How about you?” “It’s a long story. Let’s just say that I have some unfinished business to take care of out here, I’m tied to this here land so to speak.” “What business?” “Helping idiots like you not die out here for one.” “Excuse me? What gives you the gall to call me an idiot?” “Well for starters, the shoddy work on your preparations. How long did you plan on staying out here?” “A day and a night.” “Are you serious? With this setup, I expected an hour or two at most.” “Look who’s calling the kettle black. I don’t see any fancy schmancy gear on you except for that little canister on your flank.” “I never really needed much food or water. I’ve grown used to the barren desert so to speak. Want some water?” “Really? After insulting me, you’re expecting me to just take your generosity?” “Well, if you want to be dehydrated for the rest of your time here, be my guest.” “…Fine...” An orange red aura glows around the black canteen on the stranger’s body and begins to hover towards the orange pony. The lid unscrews as the water canister is caught in Applejack’s hooves. Lifting the very warm metal canteen to her lips, water then pours into her system. It is warm as well, but Applejack doesn’t mind, as her body once again rejuvenates and her mind begins to clear up. “Sorry I drank the whole thing, I just,” “It’s fine. You’ll need every drop if you’re going to make it back to that town alive.” “Appeloosa?” “That’s the name of the town? I see.” “Well, do you mind pointing to me the right direction?” “You have a compass with you. Are you saying that you don’t know how to work the thing?” “…Yes…” “Gah, idiot…” At black figure lifts a hoof to the right of Applejack’s head. “That way. About a four hour walk in your condition. Not a hoof left nor a hoof right.” “Thanks.” “Is that all?” “Wait a moment,” Applejack quickly snaps her head to her knees to find them barely scarred, as if her previous injuries vanished overnight. “How did you even…” “A lot of things can be accomplished with a little bit of magic and secrets of the desert.” “Okay…” “Just don’t strain yourself, I’m not too sure if I was able to get rid of all of the glass in your hoof and heal it, so take caution. There also maybe some snake poison still in ya.” “Okay. Thanks again. Seeing as you’re not the Ghost Pony, I won’t bother you and leave you be.” “Who said I wasn’t the Ghost Pony?” “So you are?!” “Who said I was?” “Hey! Are you or are you not? It’s that simple of a question.” “Why do you want to know?” “Why do you have to keep it so secret?” “I don’t know, maybe you want to exorcise me if I am him or rob me if I’m not. It’s that simple of a question.” “Grr…” Applejack grits her teeth in frustration, now being locked in a questions game that she can’t escape from. “Fine. My brother and sister back home were fighting over whether or not the Ghost Pony exists or not, so I set off to find the answer, come back home, tell them the truth, and finally get some decent sleep as part of our deal.” “I see…” “Can you please just answer my question?” “I could, but would you actually believe my answer.” “Oh my… Enough of these riddles! Can’t you just give me a straight answer?!” “Sure I can, but what’s to make you think that your kin will believe in ya? What’s to make ya think that you’re not just hallucinating at this point and that what you just drank was your own urine?” “Well, I…” “You believe?” “Well…” “Your brother and sister can believe whatever they want, you can’t fight that.” “Then what am I going to say to them when I get home? Any smart ideas?” “Maybe I can’t help you with your siblings, but maybe I can help you with your sleeping problems. How do you sleep at night? Are you comfortable, cozy, no nightmares?” “I have a nice bed, and life back home is safe, so I have nothing to really have any bad dreams about.” “Really?” “Yeah.” “Well, from what I can tell during your little trip several hours ago, I could hear you mumbling to yourself about something you might have done in the past. Something you regret is haunting you both at night and day it seems.” “I rest assure you, I was just tired.” “…You seem like an honest pony, I can see it in your eyes. I can see that you would rarely ever lie to anypony. However, from what I see, you lie to yourself with your pride, and you buy it.” “No I don’t. I am completely hundred-bonified-percent honest with everypony including myself. And what gives you the authority to tell me what’s real or not?” “You’re right, I don’t have the authority. And yet, you still give me it.” “Well maybe I’ll stop it and be on my way.” “You won’t, you need to give me authority. ‘Cause inside, you know that something’s wrong, and only I am the pony you feel that can help you. I know how you feel, I’ve been there. I know how it felt to have those dark memories haunt you for days and nights, maybe even years. But I never had a shoulder to cry on and accept what had happened, and it took me a near eternity to come to terms. Let me be your shoulder to cry on. I don’t want you to suffer.” “W-Why? What did you do?” “Committed a few crimes, murder, robbery. Nowadays I’ve managed to get over it and move on.” “How did you feel?” “I was pretty much good as dead during those times of my crimes. Considering you have a family, and are not a lone-wolf like me, I see it best you tell me what happened. Please.” “Well, if you really want to know,” before continuing, Applejack lies down onto her belly, followed by the stallion, “Fine.” “…” “It was all ‘bout a decade and a half ago. My brother, ‘my lil ‘sis, and I were just little foals at that time. Our parents were taking us to Granny’s place for vacation. On the way there, there was an ol’ wooden bridge that extended across a large ravine, with the only things keeping the thing up were some stone stacks and stakes at each end of the chasm. While we were crossing the bridge, my brother and I had started to bicker and fight, oblivious to how unstable the bridge truly was. My ma and pop tried to break up the fight, telling us that we were making the baby, my little sister, cry. In hindsight, I know that they knew the real reason, but they didn’t tell us to keep us from worrying.” “Your parents, what were they like?” Applejack’s eyes start to water a small bit as memories of her parents run through her mind. “Well, my dad and mom ran an apple cider factory back in our town. They weren’t all that famous, but they did have an easy life raising us.” “I mean, what were they like themselves, how did they treat each other and you?” “I don’t really remember that well. I wouldn’t be able to give a good description for ya.” “Still, I want to hear.” “My father was a little cynical, and my mother was always a bit clingy to us. But overall, it was all in good love for me and my kin, like all parents, you know.” “…” “Right?” “In truth, I never really did know my parents that well. My father, he died in the coal mines back in the day, a common yet very unfortunate event they said.” “And your mother?” “She also worked in the coal mines, even shortly after giving birth to me and my kin. My mother, she’d always break up the small quarrels me and my siblings had when we were foals. I’m still surprised she was able to both manage work and us for however long she lasted.” “What do you mean?” “While my siblings and I were still very young, she died of sickness, most likely from the mines.” “Oh… I’m so sorry for ya, not know what having a pa and ma feels like.” “Don’t worry yourself over it, you have far more important things at hoof. So, about that there story?” “Oh, w-well, right…” “…” “We were at about over the first rock support of the bridge, and me and my brother were still fighting despite our parents’ warnings. At one point, I tried to shove my brother away from me, only to miss and trip myself onto the rope ledge. The force of my fall caused part of the cliff where we came from to fall off, almost ripping the bridge at its seams and tearing at the other edge as well. The panic and fear struck us all in a millisecond as our parents fanatically tried to usher us to the other end. Yet, I was too scared to leave the support of the first rock stack. I was incompetent! So my dad stayed behind for me while my mother escorted the others across. When my mom, my brother, and my sister made it to the second stack, the bridge split in two, separating me and my dad from the others. Mom then shooed my siblings to the other side just before the edge of their cliff crumbled down as well. At this point, there was no bridge and the only things that remained above the ravine were the stacks, but even they began to fall apart as the parts of the cliffs that fell off bashed into the skinny towers. I was scared beyond all comprehension, but not even close to the level my parents were experiencing. Time was running short and all hope was nearly lost, so my parents did the only they could, save me. My Daddy, he, h-he…” “…” Rampant tears begin to spew from Applejack’s closed eyes with the mysterious figure watching in silence. “He looked at me, he looked at me with his deep green eyes. He looked at what seemed to be hours, silently wishing me good luck. He then gently grabbed me with his hooves and threw me to my mother, who caught me without any fault. She-she then also looked at me in her hooves. Even at my extremely young age, I knew what was going on. I tried to tell her not to die, not to leave us, not to let me sad, but I and they knew it was unavoidable. She kissed me on the forehead before also throwing me towards my siblings on the edge. It was a rough landing, but I managed to recover quickly and turn around to see it.” “It...” “I-I-I saw the stacks fall with my parents. All three of us younger ones screamed and cried at the chaotic and disastrous sight. The screams of our parents rung out from the falling rock and debris all the way to whatever bottom the abyss had for them. Oh Celestia, the screams! I can still hear them! They will never leave me!” Applejack brakes in a second and buries her face in her hooves and the sand below as she loudly weeps. As she weeps, a warm, comforting cloth tickles at her exposed right cheek. She opens a green eye upwards to the shadowy pony now above her with his hoof touching her soaking cheek. “Don’t worry. Just cry, it is only just you and me in this crazy world now.” “A-and after that, we waited for them, hoping they’d return. They didn’t. Granny then came along, we told her everything. I can still remember the look on her face… She then took us in, and the rest of our lives to this day, we’ve tried to move on and live our lives at Granny’s farm… However, I don’t think I ever will!” Applejack then buries her head even further into the dirt. Her body shutters and shakes as she cries uncontrollably as the series of unfortunate events replay in her head. “I see. You’ve held onto these emotions for years it seems, destroying you from the insides. From what I see of you now, you have built a wall, a barrier of pride and stubbornness, not allowing anypony past and interfere with your life.” “I-I just don’t want anypony to get hurt due to me again. I was the one who was responsible for my parents’ deaths, I’m a murderer! It feels horrible, knowing how I killed two ponies, ponies with families I know, I’m in them!” “You’re right, for the most part. You are responsible for their deaths-” Before the cloaked pony can continue, a loud scream muffles from the sand. “However, you are no murderer. You never truly intended to kill. Me on the other hoof, ha… I’ve killed with intent, I practically am a murderer. To make matters worse, I knew the ponies and the families I had destroyed much more than you knew your own kin. Suffering in Tartarus is what my fate should be at this point, my life of innocence ended a long time ago. Miss...” The black figure then gently grabs the mare’s messy blonde mane with his hoof and lifts her face from the ground. A small grunt and a snort escapes from the Earth pony before the stranger continues. “…” “Things happen, either it be by our own design or by our own mistakes. Both can be devastating, and can leave a lasting negative impression on your life. However, there are a multitude of solutions to you problem. You can either label yourself a criminal and shame yourself as such, or, you can accept what has happened and better yourself upon these experiences.” “How do I do that?” “Your parents are dead, and there’s nothing you can do about it. How they died was by mistake, you were never truly guilty for it.” “But my fighting was the reason-” “Shut up, you didn’t intend to kill your parents. What happened was a mistake. Was it a mistake?” “Well, yes. But still,” “But still what? You have no room to blame yourself. However, that doesn’t mean you’re scot-free. There is still a lesson to be learned here. If you were to replay that moment of your life once more, what would’ve you done different?” “Not fight with my brother.” “Listen. Don’t be wrapped up in whatever you’re trying to prove and listen to reason. Your parents knew better about reason than what you did as a filly. You not listening to reason is also the reason why you’re out here in the first place without having enough knowledge to prepare yourself. Your life is still young and innocent, don’t destroy it over your own pride.” “Oh, I guess you’re right. I think I do need to break those barriers, listen to other ponies, and let them help me through my problems.” “Correct.” “So, did you learn anything from your experiences?” “Quite frankly, I never truly did learn anything. I’m still figuring it out, it’s complicated to say the least. I’m hoping that on my road to redemption, I can learn from the ponies I’ve helped and find a way to better myself from the crimes I committed o-so long ago…” At this point, Applejack has stopped her sobbing and is now only sniffling off a few more tears. “You already have, based on what I have heard. You’ve gone from a criminal to a hero, how is that not bettering yourself?” “That’s mighty kind of you to say miss,” “Applejack, call me Applejack.” “Applejack, thank you for the compliment, but I’m afraid that I’m not quite there yet to fully bettering myself.” “What do ya mean?” “Let’s just say I haven’t moved on yet. I still have some loose ends to tie up, still gotta find my path.” “Well, good luck on that Mister…” “Eldur, just call me Eldur, or the Ghost Pony if you so desperately want.” “Eldur, that’s quite a unique name, I like it.” “Haha, I’m glad you think so.” “So, where again to I go?” Once again, the stranger lifts his hoof in the same direction he did before. “Not a hoof left-” “Not a hoof right.” “Catch on quickly I see.” “So wait, before I go, I just want to know. Are you truly the Ghost Pony? And can you please just give me a straight answer? A lot has happened over the past hour.” “The funny thing is…” “Oh dear-” “The funny thing is, there isn’t really a Ghost Pony. The Ghost Pony these days is more of a title that the good ponies of these here deserts badge themselves with. The Ghost Pony is seen as a positive influence to all, and the good ponies that travel under his name make up that influence. So I guess, by definition, I am the Ghost Pony. Now, whether or the ‘original’ one, being the flaming skeleton Ghost Pony, exists or not… In this crazy type of world we live in, one with so much magic and mystery, I wouldn’t be surprised if he were amongst us at this very moment.” “I guess so. Thank you for everything, I’m not sure how I’ll be able to repay you.” “You don’t need to Applejack. Thank you for letting me help you despite our past quarrels. Have a safe travel back.” “I will Mr. Eldur. Oh wait!” Applejack hops onto her hooves and dashes to her saddlebags. She pokes her head into them in search for the last two apples she had. “Let me give you an apple, I have two so we can share one each!” Applejack’s eyes finally find the pair of red fruits and she picks them up with her mouth. Lifting her head from the bag and turning her head back to where Eldur was standing, the mare finds that he has disappeared without a trace. Dropping the apples in shock, Applejack snaps her head from left to right, searching for her new friend. “Eldur? Where are you?” A bright light pierces the corner of her eye, causing her to wince. She turns to see where the light is coming from and sees the sun rising from the horizon, beaming its early rays of morning. “Is he… No, I’m going to have to think about it later. For now, I better head back home as he suggested.” “Good luck Applejack…”
Real or UnrealThe sun is resting on top of the blue sky at Sweet Apple Acres, with Applebloom, Big Mac, Granny Smith, and Twilight Sparke, all gathered together at the front gates of the barn. “Gosh darn it you kids!” Granny Smith hisses, “Why’d y’all let Applejack go out into the desert, then lie to me to where she’s been off to? For Pete’s sake!” “She wanted to prove that the Ghost Pony was real,” Twilight responds, “I told you this morning.” “Snitch…” Big McIntosh mumbles. “Well I didn’t know that this was some sort of sneak-out.” “And besides,” the old Earth pony adds, “everypony knows that he’s real. So this quest of hers was meaningless in the first place!” “Really? Everypony?” “Why yes. Why do you ask? Don’t tell me you don’t accept the facts.” “Accept the facts? What fact is there to a flaming skeleton that turns ponies to stone upon eye contact?” “Plenty of it I rest assure you.” “Nope.” Big Mac disagrees, “I’m sorry to say this, but the Ghost Pony’s just a false myth.” “False myth, my flank!” “See Granny,” Applebloom pipes in, “this is why Applejack left. She’s probably got hard evidence with her as we speak.” “I don’t care if she went to find evidence. You kids should’ve known better then to let her wander out into the dangerous barren wasteland to prove something that the lot of you should know!” “Oh my,” Big Mac hollers, “I tried to reason with her not to go, but she just ignored me and moved on! And for the last time, there is no way that the Ghost Pony is-” “I’m back!” A fifth voice exclaims from outside the arguing huddle. Everypony turns their heads to see Applejack both with great joy and great concern. Her mane and tail are an unbraided mess, her knees are bruised, her back right hoof is in a limp, and her face is worn and weary. “Applejack!” Granny joyously barks, “I’m so happy you’re okay!” “I’m fi-” “Yet, I’m also so crossed at you! What happened to you? What gave you the gall to give your grandma a heart attack like that? Why did you need to search for the Ghost Pony? We all already should know he is real!” “I’m sorry, I had my doubts. I wasn’t too sure so I went for a short while to find some hard evidence. I didn’t expect for the trip to be so difficult, but I managed to come back home safe and sound. These bruises will heal in no-time, I rest assure you.” “Speaking of which,” Twilight replies, “what did you find out there? Is the Ghost Pony real or not?” “Well…” “Well… what?” “I don’t necessarily have physical or eyewitness proof that he exists,” “HA!” The large red Earth pony howls in pride. “Yep I knew it.” “However, during my travels, I met this stallion who recognizes himself as the Ghost Pony. He told me that the Ghost Pony is actually nowadays a title self-given by ponies that help others out there in the desert. They create an influence in the form of the Ghost Pony for others to look up to. So, in a way, he is real.” “So wait,” Applebloom asks with a look of confusion, “does the Ghost Pony exist?” “Sort of… He exists in many good ponies out there, you can believe in him and draw a good influence from him like many of the real heroes we know of.” “So, does that mean I can become the Ghost Pony?” “I guess, maybe when you’re older and have straightened a few things out. Okay?” “Okay!” “Good, now run along you.” “Hmph,” Big Mac snorts, “still doesn’t explain the flaming skeleton…” “Well you don’t have to believe in the tale of the ‘original’ Ghost Pony, but you do have to admit something.” “What?” “Seeing Applebloom wanting to follow a role model that help other ponies and even become a role model herself, you want that to be her future right.” “I guess. I will admit, he is real in the sense as a role model, there I said it. Happy?” “Very.” Big Mac and Applebloom head away from the group and go into the apple orchards to play, leaving Applejack, Twilight, and Granny Smith in front of the barn. “So Applejack,” Twilight sheepishly states, “I guess you’re going to have to face some punishment for this whole thing?” “Oh she sure will.” Granny sternly replies. “However, I will give a little curve for her, seeing that she’s learned a bit it seems.” “Yeah… I’m sorry for blowing your cover AJ.” “It’s fine,” Applejack responds, “I did deserve it in the long run.” “Oh, before I go, I read up on some history on the magic art of necromancy while you were gone, and I found this very interesting article about something called Hades’ Breathe.” “What about it?” “Well, although most of it is based upon loose theories and ancient mythological recordings, there is a solid basis on what Hades’ Breathe most likely is. It is, and I quote, ‘Whenever a massive creature of great magic power dies, as their soul depart from their body, a large pulse of powerful magic of often chaotic properties, reminiscing of the creature’s most prominent usage of their magic powers is spread throughout a vast area over a vast amount of time. This magic pulse is known as Hades’ Breathe.’” “What does that all mean?” “If this Hades’ Breathe thing is real, and if a powerful magical creature with a heavy usage of fire were to die a long time ago, then the Hades’ Breathe created could have created the fire tornado that created the Ghost Pony.” “Do you think that it’s possible?” “I’m not too sure, I may have to do some more research due to the poor amount of corroboration backing up this concept. Let alone that necromancy is an often disregarded topic in the common knowledge of magic, I have many reasons to doubt this theory.” “…Uh… …Simplify it please?” “Hehehe…” “Oh, don’t be usin’ your fancy words to confuse the poor girl.” Granny replies, “Get to whatever princess business you need to take care of.” “Okay, bye Applejack!” “Goodbye Twilight!” Applejack cheers as the purple alicorn flies away. “Hey Granny.” “Yes?” Her grandmother responds. “While I was gone, something happened.” “What was it?” “The stallion I met, his name is Eldur, and he helped me out with an important issue.” “Better not be what I think it is…” “No-no, well, at least I hope it isn’t what you’re thinking. What he helped me out with, was, was… Dealing with the loss of my parents, and how it cause me trouble sleeping at night.” “You said you were over it and slept perfectly normal.” “I thought that as well, but Eldur pointed out that and that I lied to myself without even knowing it. He helped me coop with the issue and make myself a better pony out of it.” “How so?” “By listening and asking help from you. You know so much more about the world than I do, and I should not let my stubborn pride hurt myself instead of an easier solution. Granny, I love you, and I never wanted to hurt you by requiring myself to be helped by ponies like my parents, ponies that could get hurt because of me. But what I did instead was too much, and I made an idiot of myself. Granny, can you please forgive me, and help guide me?” “Applejack, I know how you feel, back then and now, and I am so proud of you for coming to me about this. You were never an idiot, you had good intentions. And now, you’ve fixed your intentions, admitting they had flaws instead of being stubborn about it. You’ve grown up so much, and have become such an amazing granddaughter, but no matter what, no matter how old you get, you can always come to me for help and guidance.” “Really?” “I love you too Applejack, and I will always be there for you.” “Thanks Granny.” “…Actually, now that you mention his name…” “Who? Eldur?” “Yes, him.” “What about it?” “There was always this little known Apple family secret that was passed down from generation to generation, about the Ghost Pony.” “What was it?” “The Ghost Pony’s name, Blaze Rider, his middle name was Eldur…”
Bonus: The WatcherIt is a dark and stormy night over the desert as a lone stallion is sitting at the edge of a plateau, taking in the scenery. The sandy floor of the desert gentle glides across and splashes into the towers of stone. The sky above rumbles with the presence of dark clouds and thunder echoing throughout them. Despite the sky's conditions, not a single drop of rain falls to counter the warmth of the coming sunrise. But the stallion does not mind the dry heat. He has been peacefully sitting for over an hour and grown used to it. If what he has heard is correct, then the wait was worth it. "You lost or something?" A voice speaks to the stallion from behind. "Nah," He replies, not turning back. "Just waiting for somepony." "At the crack of dawn?" "Yes, I've heard that my client fancies to go here at this time of the day." "Is this client of yours special?" "You can say that. He certainly isn't one of the normal type, an odd sight in public." "Then he came to the right place. This land is vast, constantly changing, a perfect place for one to hide." The unseen pony nods. He walks next to the stallion and sits down next to him. His thick clothing ruffles as his body adjusts. "You a hider as well?" The mysterious pony asks. "Let's just say that I have no business now." "Hmmf." "How much longer are ya gonna wait here?" "Not much. Say, do you know the legend of the Ghost Pony?" "I most certainly do." "..." The waiting stallion kept quiet. "Are you saying you're looking for him?" "Who else?" "Are you sure this pony is real? A legend's a legend after all." "Some legends are real. A wanderer like you knows that." "Indeed." "Are you, by chance, him?" "You think I am the Ghost Pony? What type of pony are you to ask that?" The dressed stallion calmly asks. "A question of morality, huh? To put it lightly, I am one that seeks the truth, the greater good." "Yet you have no sight. I can see it in your eyes." "That hasn't stopped me now has it?" The blind pony grinned. "Now isn't that a funny tale... A blind pony, seeking the help of a dead legend, to help the greater good." "There are many 'dead' legends, my friend. Not just here, but across the world, in the stars above, and even beyond." "Well you're not going to find one here." The darkly clothed stallion declares as he rises from his seat and walks away. "Pity, we could've used his help." The black stallion stops and asks, "Who's 'we'?" "The greater good." "..." "If you ever come across him, tell him that we need him." "Who's telling him this?" "The Watcher."
