Chapters "Are you sure this is a good idea, Applebloom?" Sweetie Belle peered into the cave the Cutie Mark Crusaders approached.
Applebloom smiled at her friend, "Of course it is! I'm sure we'll have our cutie marks in no time!"
Scootaloo stood behind the other two atop his signature scooter, "Yeah, we should at least try spelunking."
The trio stood at the mouth of a particularly well-hidden cave, which opened underneath one of the foremost trees in the Everfree Forest. A small clearing was opened around it, surrounded by thick fauna.
Sweetie Belle glanced between her friends, "Ok, we might have done this before, but I'm in."
Her and Applebloom leapt into the air and screamed in unison, "CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS SPELUNKERS!"
Scootaloo put a hoof to her face, "Do we have to keep doing that? We've been crusading for over a year now, and it's starting to get old."
The other two exchanged glances and shook their heads at Scootaloo, who rolled her eyes in response. The three then turned back to the cave's mouth and walked inside, with Applebloom in the lead. They passed through the cave for a moment in the dimly lit cavern before the narrow path turned pitch black.
"Sweetie, it's pretty dark in here. Can you do that light spell Twilight's been teaching you?"
"Uh, I think so. Give me a moment."
A dim light green hue quickly covered the room, glistening on the glossy stones. The three crusaders looked around, analyzing the shiny surface around them before continuing forward.
Applebloom turned back to her friend, "Thanks for the light."
The white unicorn smiled gleefully back, her horn glowed softly in pale green light, "I'm just glad I got it to work! Remind me to thank Twilight when we get back."
Scootaloo smiled bravely, "This cave is pretty spooky, isn't it?"
Applebloom shrugged, "I don't know, it's not too bad."
Scoots' smile faltered, "Are you sure? It is a little creepy, right?"
"-AAAAH" Applebloom receded from the front of the line, screaming.
The end of the cave was dimly lit, revealing a massive, rotting corpse in front of them. It's shape was unquestionably equine, yet it was as large as the solar diarch, and a suit vest was draped around it without much holding it together. There was no blood surrounding the area, save the few splotches of blood-red coat that had not yet decomposed.
Scootaloo was in hysterics, and Applebloom was trying to compose herself. Sweetie Belle quickly receded from the corpse, flickering her light off and whimpering slightly before tripping over Scootaloo, who suddenly stopped screaming as she hit the cold stone.
Sweetie Belle tried to stand, cutting herself on a jagged rock jutting out from the floor of the cave. "Ow! " She breathed in through gritted teeth, "Is everyone alright?"
Applebloom was breathing heavily, shortly replying, "I'm fine, but I can't see again."
Sweetie nudged Scootaloo with a bleeding hoof, "Scoots, how about you?"
The orange pegasus lied crumpled on the ground before slowly shifting, "Ugh, my head..."
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah. My head hurts like Tartarus, though."
"We should get out of here."
"Yeah, let's go."
Applebloom stared at the skeleton in the distance. A thin trail of blood stretched across the ground. Her eyes followed the trail to its source: a thin cut on Sweetie Belle's leg.
"Sweetie, you're bleeding..."
"It's just a scratch. I'll be alright. We really need to get out of here."
"Agreed, can you walk, Scoots?"
"Yeah, I think so..." She slowly stood, glancing between her friends, "Uh, Sweetie, you stopped your light spell."
"Yeah, I kind-of lost it during our freak-out."
Scootaloo glanced at Applebloom, who struck an expression of realization upon her face, "If you lost your light spell, how is it that we can still see?"
The crusaders turned, eyes darting around the room. Scootaloo stared at the rotting corpse that had given them the fright earlier. The thin trail of blood reached the disfigured face of the dead body. She glanced at its horn, and had to stifle a second scream. Surrounding the body's horn was a light green ball of light.
Scootaloo stepped back, gesturing to her friends, "Uh, girls..."
Applebloom and Sweetie Belle watched as the rotting corpse's eyes shot open, revealing lime-green irises. The corners of its mouth twisted upward, forming an unmistakable smile. Its eyes darted to the trio of fillies standing with their back to a wall, and it stood up.
Most of its body was rotted, and some parts were completely missing. A large chunk was taken out of its cheek and jaw, a foreleg was completely gone, and there were only a few splotches of red fur that hadn't begun to decompose.
The creature turned its head, and a shadow appeared around the missing flesh, which receded, revealing a pristine read coat underneath. Similar black splotches danced around its body, patching up the holes. It looked down at the missing leg, and a new one shot into place. It stood as tall, if not taller, than Celestia herself, with a black mane, messily cut below its shoulders. The only thing that hadn't regenerated was his vest, which was covered with dirt and blood.
The three fillies sat terrified against the wall, staring at the blood-red figure. They huddled together, shaking in fear.
The newly-made stallion spoke in a deep voice that seemed to flow from his lips like silk, "My name is Post-Mortem. It is a pleasure to meet you." The crusaders blinked as Post-Mortem bowed to them, "I am at your service."
Applebloom shook her head, "What are you?"
Mortem smiled with teeth like razor blades before responding, "I am at your service. "
Applebloom looked back at her friends, who were still terrified, "Get us out of the cave."
Mortem bowed his head before the cave disappeared in a bright green flash, and the Ponyville town hall appeared in its place. A few ponies paused, glancing at the dark figure that had appeared in the center of town. It didn't last long, however, as they quickly returned to their usual routines.
The crusaders looked around the town before relaxing.
Sweetie Belle stood back up, "Uh, I'm going back home."
Scootaloo slowly got to her feet as well, "Yeah, I think that's enough crusading for today."
The two each walked away from the scene, staring at the ground, wide-eyed and open-mouthed from their encounter with the massive stallion.
Applebloom looked back to her friends, before turning to the figure, "I'm gonna get going, too."
The stallion stood in place, watching as the crusaders left. He turned and began walking, eyeing how the town had changed during his absence.
Sweetie Belle stumbled into her room and crashed onto her bed. This was perhaps one of the worst experiences she had ever had crusading. On top of the incident at the cave, her sister had thrown a fit with the mess she found her in.
The cut was actually not than bad, but it had to be cleaned out, which was more painful than the cut itself was. Her coat had been covered in dirt and grime, and she had to endure one of Rarity's signature four-hour baths. She happened to get lucky, as a customer arrived after the first twenty minutes. While lying on her bed, she listened to the conversation going on downstairs.
"Oh, uh, hello and welcome to Carousel Boutique, sir. Is there anything I could help you with today?"
"Greetings, madam, might you be able to help me refurbish some of my grandfather's old clothing? I found this old vest in his attic, and I'd like it repaired."
Sweetie's ears perked up as her head jolted off the bed. The voice was deep and smooth, almost like- no, that couldn't be...
"Oh, uh, I'm sure I could patch it up for you. Of course, I'll need some measurements first."
"I have all the time in the world."
No, no, it couldn't be. Why would it come here?
Sweetie crawled out of bed and inched toward the door. The door opened with a faint creak, and only needed a glance at the customer. Standing tall in the center of the room was the living corpse she encountered in the cave with a cheshire grin, patiently allowing Rarity to take its measurements.
It took Sweetie Belle a moment before realizing his smile faltered, if only momentarily, when she opened the door, and he was analyzing her intently.
Rarity also noticed the stallion's gaze just before he asked, "You look familiar. Have I seen you around somewhere?"
Sweetie Belle let out the breath she didn't notice she was holding, "Uh... No! No, you most certainly haven't. I'm going back to my room." She bolted back through the doorway, slamming the door shut as quickly as she could. He didn't come here for me, and he certainly didn't recognize me. Good.
"What's her name? I believe I recall seeing a couple other fillies with her: an orange pegasus and a yellow earth pony, if I remember properly."
Please, Rarity, don't-
"Her name's Sweetie Belle, and yes, those are her friends. They call themselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and they aren't well-known for subtlety. I'm sure they stick out in a crowd, and not in the good way."
Sweetie crashed on the bed, groaning internally. He recognized me, and he followed me here. Why else would he have come?
"I know the feeling. Do you mind if I talk to her for a minute? My appearance isn't exactly child-friendly, and I fear I may have scared her."
Wait, what? Please, don't let him in here!
"Don't worry, she's more mature than she looks, most of the time. I'm sure she'll be fine."
Yes! Take that, Mr. Corpse guy!
"Well, could you at least let me apologize?"
Wait, no!
"Well, she'll be alright," Sweetie's relief flooded her face, "but I'm sure she wouldn't mind a simple apology." Her heart sunk into the floor. "Those should be all the measurements I need. Give me a couple days, and I'll have it worked up for you. I'll talk to Sweetie Belle."
Sweetie heard her sister's muffled footsteps approach the door, "Sweetie, could you come out please? My customer would like to apologize for scaring you."
She lifted her head off the bed before yelling, "Apology accepted! Go away!"
"Sweetie, please, open the door."
"I said go away! "
From the other side of the door, Mortem spoke, "Give me a moment."
Sweetie watched the door. A shadowy mist slipped in from under the door and began bubbling upward. The blob twisted and morphed before depositing four thin streaks of smoke toward the ground. The shadowy cloud vaguely resembled a pony, though it appeared to be made of black storm clouds. The smoke pony opened it's eyes, which glowed bright green.
It opened its mouth and began to speak in Post Mortem's voice, "My regeneration, rebirth, whatever you choose to call it, is not a pleasant process. Miss Belle, What you saw was traumatizing, at best, even for most adult ponies. The fact that you can even function after seeing something like that shows remarkable bravery on your part. I both thank you and apologize deeply for this, so if there is anything I can do for you, let me know."
The smoke pony dropped to its knees before dissipating. Sweetie sat speechless. She could vaguely hear the muffled footsteps as Post Mortem left the doorway.
She could hear a momentary pause in the footsteps before his voice sounded across the room, "Miss Rarity, I will be back in a week. If you have not finished, don't rush yourself. I can be as patient as you need."
The bell rung twice as the front door opened and shut. The living corpse was gone, leaving only Sweetie, her sister, and her sister's work. Sweetie hopped back into bed, staring off into space before slowly drifting off to sleep.
Sweetie sprinted through the woods as fast as she could. Whatever was chasing her was right behind, and it inched ever closer. She risked a glance over her shoulder. A pair of bright green eyes loomed out of the darkness behind her. She turned her head forward, just in time to see the stray tree branch she tripped over.
She tried to lift her leg, which scraped against a root, engraving a deep gash into her foreleg. She looked back to the monster pursuing her, and watched as it loomed out of the darkness. The massive unicorn was ice white, with a curly pink mane. It opened its mouth, revealing a set of razor-sharp teeth. The beast crept slowly forward before-
Sweetie jerked her head up from the bed, panting. She stared at her door, trying to catch her breath as she felt her , which beat faster than a heavy metal drum set.
She tried desperately to forget the dream, but it was engraved on her mind for the rest of the night. She crawled out of her room, slowly making her way down the hallway to Rarity's room. She crawled into bed with her sister, and her memory of the nightmare didn't stop her from slowly drifting back to sleep.
"Alright, class, what did we all do over the weekend?" Cherilee smiled brightly at the class, though she knew something was wrong with a couple of her students. They were usually full of energy and drive, even if that energy wasn't specifically for school. Over the weekend, much of that energy was gone, especially from- "How about you, Sweetie Belle?"
Sweetie raised her head, "Uh, I played with my sister. We went to the park." Sweetie's eyes darted around the room as she shrunk back into her chair.
Cherilee's smile faltered momentarily before turning to the next student, "How about you, Scootaloo?"
The orange pegasus instantly made a casual smirk, "My weekend was pretty cool. I went spelunking with Sweetie and Applebloom." Applebloom put her face in her hooves, and Sweetie nervously glanced at the door. Scootaloo looked between them, "We, uh- We didn't find anything."
Cherilee knew something was wrong. The three of them were nervous, but they had certainly done scarier things than spelunking during some of the other 'crusades' she'd heard about.
"Alright, class, let's turn to page five of our history books. Who would like to read first?"
The rest of class came and went. Near the end, the three fillies seemed to have calmed down, though they still hadn't fully relaxed. Cherilee noticed Applejack and Rarity holding a conversation in front of the school as they waited to pick up their sisters. She couldn't tell what they were talking about, but she could tell they worried.
She turned to two of the fillies as they were coming through the door, "Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, could you wait here for a moment?"
The two nodded and silently sat on the ground next to the schoolhouse.
Cherilee slowly made her way toward the older mares before hearing a bit of their conversation.
"Applejack, I let Sweetie sleep in my bed when she has a nightmare."
"I know, but aren't you bothered that Sweetie was so upset? I mean, Applebloom seemed mighty frightened over whatever this might be."
"Of course I am, dear, I simply- Oh, hello Cherilee!"
The two mares watched Cherilee approach them, and her expression gave Rarity a good reason to be worried. "Pardon me for eavesdropping on your conversation, but your sisters seemed pretty disinterested in class. Well, more than they usually are. I'm sure you're familiar with their friend, Scootaloo." The two mares nodded, "Well, she mentioned something about a cave at the beginning of class. Would either of you happen to know anything about that?"
Applejack shook her head as Rarity opened her mouth, "I believe Sweetie may have mentioned it while I was cleaning her up. It didn't seem to be anything particularly strange. Why, what happened?"
"Well, I didn't hear much, so please talk to them about it. They may be getting older, but whatever this is troubles them deeply. It would be good for them to know their sisters are there to help when they need it."
The older sisters nodded to Cherilee, who returned to the doorway of the school, smiling at the two fillies who sat by the doorway, "Alright, you two can go now."
The pair smiled, and happily trotted back to their sisters.
Rarity and Sweetie Belle began to leave the schoolyard, and Rarity decided to address her sister, "Sweetie, are you alright? Miss Cherilee said you seemed a bit off in class today."
Sweetie leaned against her older sister, who draped a hoof over her shoulder. After a moment, Rarity heard her sister's quiet sobbing, "Well, yesterday, when I went spelunking with the Crusaders, we found this cave on the edge of the forest..."
"...and then he thanked me, and he said that if there was anything I needed, to let him know. Then I had a nightmare. He was chasing me through the woods, and I tripped, and I looked at him, and it was me, but not me. It looked like me, but it was as big as him." Sweetie lied down on the ground, quietly sobbing her story into her hooves.
Rarity had curled up next to Sweetie, her mouth was wide after hearing her sister's story, "Sweetie, why didn't you tell me this sooner?"
Sweetie buried her face in her hooves, "I'm so sorry, Rarity."
Rarity's eyes widened, "No, no, no, Sweetie, you have every reason to be frightened." Rarity tried to find a way to make her sister feel better, "Now, why don't we go to Sugarcube Corner. We could get milkshakes, if you want."
Sweetie smiled at her older sister, "Really?"
Rarity stood and smiled back, "Of course, dear."
The pair silently continued walking before Rarity asked a question that bothered her somewhat, "You said that he thanked you. Would you happen to know what he thanked you for?"
Sweetie shook her head.
Rarity silenced herself, wondering what Sweetie might have done for the creature. She didn't want to press for questions, especially if they might make Sweetie's fear worse.
Unfortunately, things were about to get worse anyway. When the pair entered Sugarcube Corner, they quickly scanned the crowd, and they noticed one character who stood out particularly well. A massive, blood-red unicorn was drinking a strawberry milkshake, reading a newspaper.
Sweetie shook, hiding behind her sister's legs. Post-Mortem took a sip from his milkshake, and paused as he saw the pair that entered the room. He stared at them with the straw poking out of his mouth, and Rarity raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me, what are you doing?"
Mortem shook his paper, dropping the straw back into his drink, "Well, I can see you've talked to your sister. I've been dead for almost fifty years, most of which were fairly boring. This past year and a half, however, heralded the return of Nightmare Moon, a changeling invasion, Discord's reformation, and the addition of another alicorn princess. Needless to say, there's a lot to catch up on."
Mortem turned back to his paper, levitating his milkshake and taking a prolonged sip.
Rarity's eyes narrowed as she approached the unicorn, "How DARE YOU terrify my sister! "
Mortem pursed his lips, looking down at the table, "I'm truly sorry. I'm sure I can't repay you both for what I've done, but, truly, if I can help in any way-"
Rarity took a step toward Mortem's table, "What in Tartarus are you?"
The ponies rarely saw Rarity this angry over something, and the situation was attracting an audience. Mortem's eyes widened as he looked around the room, "You can scream all you like, and I will answer you, but could we please do this somewhere else ?"
Rarity stood in front of Post Mortem, jabbing a hoof in the center of his chest, "No, we are doing this right now! You are going to tell us exactly what kind of pony scares little fillies without even an ounce of remorse!"
Sweetie stood behind her sister, watching as this last phrase ignited a fire in Mortem's eyes unseen by her sister. With a swirling vortex of green light, the table, unicorn, and sister pair were dropped into a nearby alley.
Mortem bared his razor-sharp teeth as he stood at full height, "Now listen here, you incessant pain in the flank ." Mortem's voice had completely lost its smoothness, becoming forced and raspy, "Do you honestly think I can help being a demon in a land of angels? Your sister had the incredible bad luck of crossing paths with me. How am I supposed to help that?"
Mortem shrunk back into his chair, and his voice slowly regained its smoothness as he spoke, "I've lived for so long trying to be the good guy, but how can you be the good guy when the world can only see you as a demon?" Mortem set his head on the table, drawing his hooves over his head, "I'm sorry. Both for my outburst, and for what happened. I guess the devil is limited to vice after all. I'll see myself out." With a bright green flash, the unicorn disappeared, leaving behind a half-finished milkshake and a slightly singed newspaper.
Rarity took a step back from the empty chair, looking back at her sister, who stared at the ground, "You know, Rarity, he actually didn't seem that bad." A few seconds later, she finally recognized what she had said, "I mean, he's still scary, but not as bad as I thought."
Rarity shook her head, staring at the ground as she left the table, "Sweetie, we need to find out what's going on."