Bad End

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 4
Chapter 3

Chapter 1

“—RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!”

Apple Bloom took the hint and galloped off into the forest. She wished she could have brought Mitta with her, wished she could have found a way to end her suffering. The forest was alive with movement, wails and moans of zombie‐ponies echoed through the trees. Every bush was her enemy, every turn yielding nothing but more skeletons. The forest grew darker with every minute, the moonlight extinguished by the thick canopy once more. Apple Bloom counted her blessings that zombie‐pony’s eyes glowed or she would never have seen them coming in this darkness. In the distance Apple Bloom could see a patch of moonlight ahead of her; she was almost to the thicket! Abruptly, a slimy sensation wrapped itself around one of her hind legs. She screamed in horror, a zombie had managed to latch itself onto her! The familiar draining sensation began to pour over her again as the zombie opened its mouth.

“We’ll protect you…FOREV—”

The zombie didn’t get a chance to finish as Apple Bloom brought her free back‐hoof into the zombie’s skull. The adrenaline from her scare had nearly doubled her strength as her little hoof cracked the bones that made up the zombie’s face. Its skull teetered askew on its neck and a low growl keened from deep within it. The filly tried to pull her leg free with her remaining energy, expecting the zombie to let go after such a kick.

“...FOREVER...”

To her utter terror, the zombie had managed to hold on steadfast, and was dragging itself closer. Its eyes were gleaming with foul intent. Apple Bloom could only flail weakly as wild tunnel vision encompassed her field of view and her thoughts became cloudy and twisted by evil.

A flock of dark birds scattered from the treetops cawing angrily as a bone-chilling shriek pierced through the forest of the dead. Then there was silence.

The back gate to Sweet Apple Acres swung open momentarily, creaking with age, then banged shut under its own weight. A path was slowly burrowed through the cornstalks in the direction of the farmhouse. On the porch an orange pony sat, her cowboy hat low over her eyes as she rocked gently in the glider bench. The light was on in the window behind her, putting her in silhouette. Her ears started to twitch and shortly she roused from slumber as the groove in the grain came close enough to be heard snapping and swaying the starchy stalks.

“Apple Bloom? Is that you?” She asked the night, sliding off the bench and looking towards whatever was approaching. “Apple Bloom, it’s past midnight! Twilight was worryin’ herself sick, lookin' everywhere for ya! Where have you been?”

In the glare from the window, it was difficult to make out a red glow in between the stalks, but the glow was certainly there. The furrow came closer, to the edge of the field. The corn parted like a beaded curtain and a little filly stumbled out into the clearing before the porch.

“Hi, Applejack!”

Applejack blinked, not believing her eyes. She was at a loss for words. Standing before her, in full light, was a filly who was in near-complete shadow. Her coat was black as charcoal and missing in places, and her eyes were blood-red. This could not be her sister. She panicked.

“...Applejack? Hullo?" The thing shuffled up the porch steps towards the mare, who backed away frantically. “Applejack, Ah’m home! Ya miss me?”

“Get away! Stay back! Don’t hurt me!” Applejack’s hooves scrabbled on the wooden boards of the porch, pushing her backwards until she was pressed against the pillar holding the roof up. “Please don’t hurt me,” she pleaded, “don’t eat mah brains!”

“Applejack! Ah’m not gonna hurt you! Why would Ah hurt you?”

“Cuz yer a monster from the Everfree, pretendin’ yer Apple Bloom! Yer a rotten monster!”

The thing looked shocked. It fell down on its haunches and began to tear up. Although the tears were bloody, to the mare they appeared genuine. “Applejack! How could you say such a thing?” Its voice was a rasping whimper. “Do you know what Ah’ve just been through? Ah went through so much, an’ it was really, really scary, but Ah was strong an’ came back here 'cause Ah’m a big pony! And then you go an' call me a monster!”

Applejack cautiously stepped forward, almost every instinct telling her not to. “...Apple Bloom? Is that really you?”

The thing which may have been Apple Bloom jumped up and nodded. “A-course it’s me, sis! Who else would it be? Ah escaped from this weird town in th’ Everfree!” Several ratty clumps fell out of her mane as she rushed forward to nuzzle the mare. Applejack leaned back slightly.

“Hold yer horses now, you may not be a monster, but you look the spittin’ image of a zombie! How'dya explain that?”

“What? Ah ain’t a zombie! Ah got away from all th' zombies! Why, what do Ah look like?”

“Well fer starters, you don’t even have any eyes!”

Apple Bloom gasped. “But Ah can see you just fine, clear as day!” She reached up and poked herself in the eye, her hoof going much farther inwards than it should have. “AAH! What in the hay?!” She pulled her hoof out and stared at it, legitimately frightened.

“Yer skin is all sort of rotted an’ smelly... yer mane an’ tail’re fallin’ out... yer teeth too...”

“Get a mirror! Get a mirror!” The filly danced about anxiously while Applejack went inside and brought out a small mirror. Apple Bloom grabbed it from her and immediately yelped. “Omigosh, what happened to me?!” Her reflection was like tar, and in place of eyes, she had two bright fogs. “Applejack, what the hay happened to me?!” She dropped the mirror and spun around in a tight circle looking at herself. “What the hay?! WHAT THE HAY?!”

“Ah dunno, Apple Bloom! Yer a zombie! A-are you feelin’ okay?”

“Ah was fine, but now Ah’m all freaked out! Ah’m a zombie! What in blue blazes?! What will mah friends think? How will Ah go to school? What will Ah eat? Where will Ah live?” She started crying again. “Ah dun wanna go back to the Everfree!”

Applejack hugged the sobbing filly, the viscous blood drizzling down her leg. “Don’t fret now, you don’t hafta go back to the Everfree... everything’s gonna be alright... Ah hope...”

After a while, Apple Bloom murmured into her sister’s shoulder. “...Applejack, why did this happen to me?”

“Ah have no idea, sugarcube, but first thing in the morning Ah’ll get Big Macintosh to get some books from Twilight. They’ll help us get you back to normal.” The cowpony pulled apart from her sister and looked her in the eye sockets. “...In the mean time, you aren’t allowed to leave the farm, fer yer own safety. Some ponies might get the wrongest ideas...”

“Ah think Ah understand... can at least Sweetie Belle an’ Scootaloo come over?”

“No! Nopony else can know. ...Ah’m sorry, but Ah don’t want anything to happen to you, even in yer present state.”

“They wouldn’t do anything... Ah know they wouldn’t.”

“But they might tell somepony who might do something. We have to keep this secret from all of Equestria. As far as everyone you know is concerned,” she gulped, “y’all are dead.”

Apple Bloom nodded solemnly. “Okay... we’ll talk more about this in th’ morning... Ah’ll try to get to bed now, and maybe Ah’ll wake up normal...”

“Let's hope so... G’night, Apple Bloom. Sweet dreams, if you can still have them.”

The filly trotted ungainly into the house, a small tuft of hair getting stuck in the door. Applejack listened to her sister go up the stairs and into her room, then entered the house herself and turned the light off. The moon cast the porch in soft white tones, and the stillness of the moment pervaded the air. A pair of red orbs appeared in the upstairs window, unchanging.

Applejack awoke that morning face-down in the pillow. The sun glinted off the mirror laying on the bedside table, landing its beam on the ceiling. Yawning, she pushed up, turned around, and sat in bed, rubbing her eyes. She looked over at the clock on the table.

“8 AM, early enough fer a Saturday.” She pulled the covers aside, momentarily noticing that the light on the ceiling had a dark circle on it. The mare turned to glimpse the mirror throwing the beam, finding the corresponding spot on the glass. It was a drop of congealed blood.

The memories of the night before came surging back, frothing and grainy. Staying up until midnight, waiting for Apple Bloom to come home. Apple Bloom finally arriving, but not as her usual self. A zombie.

“Apple Bloom!” She scrambled out of her room, not bothering with her hat, rounding the corner and running down the hallway, kicking open the door and searching for her sister. “Apple Bloom! Where are you?!”

“Ah’m here.” A stiff voice grumbled. A black creature crawled out from under the bed and stood up. “Ah couldn’t sleep a wink, so I practiced bein’ the monster in the closet. Then the drawers, then the curtains, then the bed.”

Applejack stared. The thing in front of her stared back.

“Applejack, you okay? You know it’s me, right?”

The mare shook her head. “Uh, yeah, Apple Bloom. Right. Sorry, you looked different in the light.”

“What light?”

“Y’know, th’... the light all around. The sunlight. It’s 8 in the morning.”

“It is? Golly. Well Ah know Ah tried to sleep... Ah musta counted a thousand sheep before Ah realized Ah couldn’t close mah eyes. On account of Ah don’t have ‘em anymore.”

“Aheh, right... you couldn’t sleep at all?”

“Nope. Ah figured Ah didn’t need to. After Ah stared out the window for an hour, Ah read some of Big Macintosh’s old math book until Ah was bored. Then Ah went to get a glass of juice but Ah couldn’t keep it down. You might want to avoid the kitchen sink fer a while.”

“Uh, okay. Anything else?”

“No, not really. Oh, wait, there is one thing, Ah went an’ picked up the bits of mah mane that fell out, so’s you don’t have to. Ah put ‘em in that jar.” She pointed to the dresser.

“Well, uh, we better go tell Big Macintosh about all a’ this so he don’t freak out when he sees ya.”

“Aw, Ah wanted to surprise him.”

“Bad idea, sugarcube. Very bad idea.” The two ponies trotted out the door.

In the kitchen, Big Macintosh was eating his usual oatmeal out of his usual bowl. He was a stallion of routine. The whole family knew it and tried to live their lives to his schedule. He knew that any moment now, the two girls would come in and say good morning. The clip-clopping of hooves on wood confirmed it. His orange sister entered the kitchen with a nervous smile and sat down.

“Uh, good mornin’.”

“Mornin’,” he replied. He waited for a moment, looked up at the door, and looked to his sister. “Where’s Apple Bloom?”

“Oh, see, there’s something Ah wanted to talk to you about. About Apple Bloom.”

“She sick?”

“No, she’s not sick.”

“She get hurt?”

“No, definitely not.”

“She in trouble?”

“Um, depends what you call trouble.”

“AJ, tell me.”

“Um, maybe I’d better show you instead.” Applejack looked at the door. “Apple Bloom, you can come in now.”

Apple Bloom trotted into the kitchen and clambered up onto a chair. “Mornin’, Big Macintosh.”

The stallion’s wheat sprig poofed into little bits which fell in his oatmeal.

“Well, how do ya do t’ you too. What’s fer breakfast?”

“A-A-Apple Bloom?”

“Yeah?”

“Apple Bloom, what happened to you?!”

“Ah’m a zombie now.” She pulled the pitcher of milk closer.

Big Macintosh gaped, struggling to find the words in the sense of terror he felt. “...Applejack, why is a zombie at the kitchen table?”

“She’s not a zo— well, not just a zombie, she’s yer sister! Mine too. She got lost in the Everfree and came back like this. It was late last night, y’all were already asleep.”

“It was really scary,” Apple Bloom went on, “Ah found this weird spooky town in the forest where nopony had a cutie mark.” She poured herself a glass, put it to her crumbly lips, but recoiled as the drink curdled. “Then Ah met this one filly who did have a cutie mark, but she was dead, an’ then all th’ others were too.”

“...A-Apple Bloom, yer a zombie...”

“Of course Ah am! Ah got snagged on one o’ the dead ponies an’ they turned me.”

“...You aren’t gonna eat mah b-brains, are ya?”

“Honestly! Applejack asked th’ same question! Why in th’ world would Ah eat yer brains?”

Big Macintosh continued to stare at the filly, shaking with fear. “Cuz yer a zombie...”

“Well if it’s such a big deal then Ah may as well do it!” She mock-snarled at the stallion, making his eyes go wide. “Aww, Ah’m just kidding. Ah wouldn’t do that to ya. Brains probably taste icky.”

“She may be undead, Big Macintosh, but she’s still Apple Bloom,” the orange pony said. “An’ on that matter, we need you to go into town an’ get some books about zombies so we can fix her. But don’t say a word to nopony. Apple Bloom is missing, presumed dead to Ponyville. Promise?”

Big Macintosh took a deep breath, summoning his calm face. “Eeyup.”

The chime jingled twice, once as the door opened and then as it closed. Twilight Sparkle looked up from her novel to the sight of the tallest pony in Ponyville.

“Oh, hi Big Macintosh! Is everything alright? Did you find Apple Bloom?”

“Nnope.”

The unicorn frowned, disappointed. “I’m so sorry. I should have kept a better eye on her. What if she’s still out there in the forest, lost and afraid?”

The stallion averted his eyes, trying not to get caught in a lie. He said nothing.

“...Well, can I help you with anything here then?”

“Eeyup.”

Twilight paused, expecting him to continue. “...With what?”

“Zombies.”

“Zombies?” She looked over her shoulder at the shelves. “They should be over there in the horror section. Funny, I never expected you to be interested in that sort of thing.”

“Nnope. Real ones.”

“Uh, you mean legends and folklore?”

“Eeyup.”

Twilight lit her horn and pulled several books into the air. “Hmm, real zombies... Babbling Brook’s Guide to Zombies? The Council Book of Zombiology? This one looks a little highbrow... Philosophical Zombies Eat Soul Food?"

"Ah'll take 'em."

The books floated over to the desk. "Okay, but you know these are only fiction, right?"

The stallion took out his card. “Eeyup. Ring ‘em up.” He gave the card to Twilight, who swiped it on her horn and gave it back. “Thank you kindly.” Putting the books in his saddlebags, he headed for the door.

“If there’s anything I can do to help find your sister, I’d love to help. Could we organize a search party? I’m good at organization.”

“Thank you, miss, but don’t worry about it none. She’ll turn up.” And the chime jingled twice again. Twilight was left with nothing but the silence in the library.

“...How can he not be worried?”

Chapter 2

“And he wasn’t worried at all!”

Rarity put her hoof to her mouth in shock. “Not at all?”

“Not at all!” Twilight Sparkle took a sip from her tea, looking around the cottage at her friends, save for Applejack. “He didn’t seem the least bit concerned that Apple Bloom’s been missing for almost a full day! All he cared about were some silly books! Oh, I feel horrible losing track of her like that. I looked everywhere in the forest, but she was nowhere to be found! What if something bad happens to her? It’ll be on me! It’s all my fault!”

“It’s not your fault, Twilight. You were clearing the path of those fallen trees, and that required your concentration.” Fluttershy took a sip as well. “Apple Bloom wandered off of her own free will, and you shouldn’t put yourself down for that.”

“Let’s just focus on finding her,” Rainbow Dash offered. “Don’t sweat the could-have-beens, after all, they haven’t happened yet.”

“Thanks, girls. So after that, because I was so worried, I asked him if I could form a search party to look for her, but he said no! He told me not to worry, and that ‘she’ll turn up’,” Twilight imitated the stallion’s drawl.

“He didn’t want to start a party?! Blasphemy against the Pielotariat!” Pinkie stood up and marched in place, her hoofbeats somehow echoing as if made by many ponies. “When the revolution comes, he’ll be first against the wall! We must overthrow the Bore-geoisie!”

“Pinkie, stop inciting revolt in the working class. This is a serious matter. Also, Big Macintosh is the working class.”

“Aw, okie dokie...” She sat down on her pillow again, pouring a little more tea in her cup of sugar. “...Hey, where’s Applejack?”

“Oh, um, I assumed she was busy looking for her sister, so I didn’t invite her...” The yellow pegasus shrunk back as she said this.

“We should go help her!” Dash said, “No matter what Big Mac says, we should form a search party! The more of us are helping, the faster we’ll find Apple Bloom!”

Rarity nodded in agreement. “A splendid idea. Should we ask anypony else to help?”

“Ooh! I can go and ask for help! Pick me!” Pinkie waved both forehooves over her head. Twilight sighed.

“Okay, get as many ponies as you can and tell them to meet at the entrance to the Everfree Forest in an hour. If we have enough, we’ll split up and start the search. I’ll go get Applejack.” She put down her tea and left the others to their plans.

A knock at the door startled Apple Bloom into the air. Bottles of spices and roots tumbled everywhere as she looked for a place to hide. Inadvertently she tripped on her own loose-hanging tail and the rest of the jars fell too, clinking as if in a toast against her exposed rib. Winona woofed in excitement, pawing at the door.

“Consarnit Apple Bloom! You done knocked over all the herbs!” Applejack set the bottles and the flailing filly upright and went to answer the knock. “Go up to yer room and stay there til Ah say so.” Her dark sister nodded and shambled up the stairs, the dog nipping at her heels after her. The mare turned to Big Macintosh, who was standing over a pot on the stove, saw that he was fine, and opened the door.

“Hi Applejack! Can I come in?” Twilight asked from outside the screen.

“Oh, uh, hi Twilight. Uh, sure, come on in.” She pushed the outside door open and let her friend inside. “Can Ah getcha anything?”

“No thanks, I just had tea with the others. We’ve decided to start a search party to look for Apple Bloom in the Everfree, and I was hoping you’d have the same thing in mind.”

“Oh! Yeah! Ah was lookin’ fer her all this mornin’.”

“All this morning?” Twilight peered around the Earth pony. “Is that... soup you’re making?”

“Uh, yeah, soup. Tasty soup. Apologies, but we can’t spare any.”

The unicorn sniffed the air, recognizing the musty scent that came to her. “...Mandrake? Applejack, why are you making mandrake soup? It’s quite hallucinogenic, not to mention poisonous.”

Applejack was starting to sweat. “Uh, that ain’t mandrake! That’s potatoes! Potato soup!”

“And you’re making... ‘potato’ soup instead of looking for Apple Bloom why?”

“Well it’s lunchtime, ain’t it? Y’all just had tea yerself.”

“...Okay then. Anyways, since she’s your sister, we want to include you in the search. Maybe you can show us all the places you didn’t find her.”

The cowpony rubbed the back of her head. “That’s a lot of places... Ah’d be glad to help, Twilight. Ah’ll meet you an’ the girls in... gimme ten minutes to get ready.”

“Ten minutes. We’ll be waiting at the Everfree.” The unicorn went out onto the porch and the door shut.

Applejack sighed monumentously. “Alright, Apple Bloom, you can come down now.”

“What was that all about?” The red-eyed filly appeared at the top of the stairs.

“A search party’s gonna be lookin’ fer you, an’ they asked me t’ help. Ah gotta help ‘em, so Ah’ll be gone fer the rest of the day. You an’ Big Mac keep trying those herbal potions, an’ one of ‘em might do the trick.”

“But the seven we already tried didn’t do a darn thing!”

“Maybe the eighth time’s the charm.”

Apple Bloom groaned, a gravelly, ancient sound that raised the hair on the back of her sister’s neck. “The last potion’s all over th’ hall floor. Frankly, Ah don’t think what’s left of mah stomach can take much more a’ this!”

“Well it’s got to. We’re turnin’ you back t’ normal whether you like it or not. Now help Big Macintosh stir in the betony.” Applejack headed out the door, slamming it shut.

Applejack galloped up to the forest entrance where dozens of ponies stood in small groups. “Alright, Ah’m here girls. What’s the plan?”

Rainbow Dash zipped over. “We rounded up almost everypony in Ponyville, and we’re going in there in fours. It’s you, me, Twilight and Rarity in Team Bodacious.”

“Rainbow! We don’t have team names!” the purple unicorn called over from across the clearing. “We’re in Team One. Fluttershy and Pinkie are with Lyra and Bonbon in Team Two, and so on.” Twilight pointed to the other four mares in order, who were admiring a necklace Bonbon was wearing. “Any questions, Applejack?”

“No, Ah’m good! Let’s get goin’!”

Twilight amplified her voice. “Alright, everypony, we’re heading in!” At this call, the six teams turned and slowly entered the forest.

Almost instantly the canopy blocked out the midday sun, wrapping them in shadow. The other teams followed Team One’s lead and headed to a place far into the gloom, round the bends and curves, through the dim light and across the thin wooden bridges that spanned the distance between the hillocks shrouded in fog. Quite a ways before Zecora’s hut, Twilight stopped walking, stood on a tree stump and announced again.

“Okay, this is where I was clearing the trees off the path when Apple Bloom wandered away. I think she was trying to tell me about something, but... I didn’t listen. So we’ll start from here and spread out. Everypony has their map, right?”

A sea of parchment papers unfurled on top of the crowd.

“Good. I’ve marked this point on every map. Decide on a direction with your team, but make sure it’s different from every other team’s. When you’re done, report back here. If you find Apple Bloom, you have your whistle to blow. Most importantly, stick together. As you know, the Everfree is very dangerous. Now let’s get searching!” The teams broke up with that, fanning into the overgrowth. Twilight joined Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack and headed in the general direction of Zecora’s hut, deeper into the Everfree Forest.

“Big Macintosh, Ah can’t find the lamb’s ear leaf!”

“Yer sitting on it,” the stallion replied.

Apple Bloom stood up and found it. “Oh, hehe. Ah guess Ah don’t have a sense of touch there anymore.” She picked up the old glass jar and gave it to her brother, who poured some of the ground leaves into the bubbling pot. “So this is number... 12, right?”

“Eeyup.”

The filly sighed. “Ah bet it’ll taste jus’ as awful as the last eleven. Maybe ‘cause mah sense of taste is bad too. But to tell ya the truth, it’s not that Ah’m not hungry. Ah’m just not hungry fer this stuff.”

“Whatcha hankerin’ for?”

“Maybe a hot dog...”

Big Macintosh stopped stirring, taking a judgmental look at his sister. “A hot dog? Kind of a strange thing to eat at a time like this.”

“But Pinkie Pie eats them all th’ time!”

“Well she’s Pinkie Pie. Don’t mind her.” The stallion continued stirring. “When we’re done here, Ah’ll make you a hot dog. Might have to go into town if’n we don’t have the ingredients.”

“What’s a hot dog made of? Ah don’t wanna lose my lunch again.”

“Soy beans, egg whites.”

“Eww, no thanks...” She sat down at the table and tapped her hooves on the chair legs. The bones clicked together like castanets, which she thought was sort of funny. Click-clack, click-clack, click-clack, click-

“Apple Bloom, would ya stop that? It’s unsettlin’.” Big Macintosh shuddered. “So if you don’t want a hot dog, what then?”

The undead pony put her head in her hooves. “Ah dunno. A hot dog sounded good in mah head. But it ain’t important, Ah can go without eatin’ anyways. Never mind.”

“The potion’s ready.” He poured a thin steaming liquid from the pot and handed it to her.

“Bottoms up!” She drained the cup. Several drops leaked through the blackened skin of her throat. She waited for something to happen. She waited some more. Just when she thought she had waited enough, the potion came back up in a putrid whirl all over the table, along with a scabbed tooth. “...Eeuugh... Sorry, Big Mac.”

This time, the stallion sighed. “Don’t matter. That was the last recipe, so we’ll have t’ wait for Applejack to come back ‘fore we move onto the next book. You can go play, but don’t leave the house.”

“Sure thing! See ya!” She hopped down from the chair and hobbled up to her room, her bones clicking and her pink bow bouncing. Big Macintosh was left to clean up the foul mess.

“Dear Celestia, please fix mah little sister.”

It was late into the afternoon when the search teams regrouped at the stump. To the disappointment of all, they had been unsuccessful. Twilight stood high and addressed the crowd again.

“Well, uh, we didn’t find Apple Bloom, but we tried our best... How about we meet here again tomorrow at 9? Sound good? Okay, 9 tomorrow.” The herd dispersed and wearily trotted back to Ponyville. Applejack approached the stump.

“Thank ya kindly for yer effort, Twilight. Ah know how much you wanted to help.”

“Why are you thanking me? We didn’t find her! We have less chance of finding her the longer it takes!”

Fluttershy cleared her throat. “Um, Twilight? Maybe... maybe we’re not going to... to, um, find her...”

“What?! Don’t say that! We have to find her! We’re going to find her!”

“We’ve been looking for six hours straight! If she’s still in the forest, she’s trying to avoid us for all the places we haven’t found her!” Dash threw her hooves wide.

“Well, uh, why would she do that?! Doesn’t she want to be found?”

“Twi, thank you fer doing all this, but you’ve done yer part. Go home, get some rest, and we’ll look fer Apple Bloom in the morning.”

“...Okay then, Applejack... I hope we find her...” The unicorn trod off, followed by the orange mare and the other four, all sulking.

“Ah’m home! Big Macintosh, get in here!”

The stallion peered around the doorframe to the kitchen. “Ah’m right here, AJ. No need to holler.”

“Where’s, uh, Apple Bloom?”

“Upstairs playing. Ah cleaned up the messes.”

Applejack sat down and laid her head on the kitchen table sideways, the brim of her hat folding up against the yellow-checkered tablecloth. “Thanks, Ah guess.”

“...Yer worried about her too, ain’t ya?”

“You said it. Everypony in town was looking fer her, and it took every ounce of willpower to play like Ah thought she’s missing. There musta been three or four times Ah nearly spilled the beans. And Twilight’s a dern smart pony, she’d be outta line to not suspect something’s up.”

Big Macintosh sat down as well. “...Apple Bloom ever eaten a hot dog?”

The mare rubbed her chin. “Nah, can’t say she has. Why?”

“Jus’, she said she was craving one while we made the potions. Sounded like she had somethin’ else in mind, though.”

“Well she’s a zombie, she’s bound t’ get weird ideas about what t’ eat. Ah remember that time Rarity thought she was a vampire and drank nothin’ but tomater juice an’ red wine fer a week.”

“Was that why she got that stomach bug?”

“Point is, she had a bad idea based on a notion she fully believed in. Maybe Apple Bloom’s makin’ it worse fer herself by believing things about zombies that ain’t true. She can’t keep any normal food down, so she tries to find somethin’ she can. Do zombies even eat brains?”

A frightened yipping from the second floor answered Applejack promptly. The two ponies stood up at the same time as they realized what the sound was.

“WINONA!”

They galloped up the stairs like the cars of a wooden roller coaster.

“Hfldl fhtil, dggmnint!”

Apple Bloom held the dog’s tail tightly in her mouth, struggling to flip her onto her back. Her efforts were met with scratches to her unfeeling face and kicks in the jaw. Winona was losing traction on the hardwood floors with her trimmed nails, running out of energy faster than expected. The filly finally succeeded in pinning the dog down, a hoof pressing on her furry chest, and leaned in to take a bite. The bedroom door was thrown flush against the wall and the zombie’s siblings bucked their way in.

“APPLE BLOOM! Let go of Winona!” Applejack bolted forward and pushed her sister into the air. The terrified pet was no slower in escaping the room. “What in tarnation are you doing?!”

The filly sat up from her lie against the bedpost and shook her head with a crackling sound. “Er, what now?” She tapped her temple and a chip of bone fell out the other ear into her waiting hoof.

“Y’all just tried t’ eat Winona!” Big Macintosh drawled, visibly shaken.

“No way! Ah was playin’ with Smarty Pants an’ Winona wanted to play too!” She pointed to the doll on the rug, half of its arm ripped open. The stallion gasped.

Applejack stood her ground. “Li’l miss, you are a pony. Ponies do not eat dogs.”

“Ah didn’t even do anything, sis, uh, ma’am!” Apple Bloom rasped, standing up quickly.

“You serious? We saw ya holdin’ her against the floor like a darned wolf!”

“That’s a lie! Ah did nothin’ of th’ sort!”

Big Macintosh stepped between the two arguing ponies, pushing them apart from their nose-to-nose stance. “Girls, calm down,” he said with a flutter in his voice.

The older sister backed off first. “...Ah’ma go check on Winona, see if she’s hurt.” She left the battlefield. Apple Bloom turned to her brother.

“Big Maaaac, Ah didn’t do nothin’! Honest!”

His gaze shifted from the filly to the torn doll. “...Stay in here, don’t come down til supper. An’ don’t wake Granny, if she ain’t already woke. We’ll talk.” He picked up Smarty Pants in his mouth and left the room.

Apple Bloom licked her dry lips. “Stupid dog...” she muttered hoarsely.

Big Macintosh entered the living room to find Applejack bandaging Winona’s tail. The poor dog was trying to whimper and pant at the same time for all the fright she had.

“She okay?”

Applejack stood and wiped her brow. “‘Sides a broken tail and some Pee-Tee-Ess-Dee, she’s in good health. Apple Bloom, on the other hoof...”

“She says she ain’t done nothin’. She doesn’t sound like she’s lyin’.”

The mare patted her dog on the head. “Yeah, well, zombies have weird voices. They can coax you inta doing stuff you weren’t gonna do, tell lies and sound like truths.”

“Ah think that’s vampires.”

“No matter! That filly’s a lyin’ zombie, an’ you shouldn’t trust her. She tried to eat Winona! Nopony in her right mind would even think about eatin’ a dog! It’s horrible!”

Her brother looked over his shoulder at the stack of books by the door. “Ah’ma take those books back t’ Twilight. Nothin’ helpful in ‘em. Oh, an’ Ah heard Granny say she was in the mood fer beans tonight.”

“Beans it is then. But Ah’m not having Apple Bloom sit at th’ table with us. She can eat at the counter.”

Big Macintosh slung the books over his back in a pair of saddlebags. “We can’t keep this secret fer long, AJ.”

Applejack hung her head. “Ah know, Big Mac. Ah know that.”

“Should we tell anypony ‘fore it’s too late?”

“No! They’d hurt her, cuz they don’t understand that she’s... still okay...”

The stallion watched his sister silently struggle through the confusion of zombie ethics. After some time he spoke up. “Either they put her down or we do.”

“Big Mac! How could you say that?!” She sniffled. “She’s our sister! We jus’ gotta keep tryin’ to find a way to turn her normal again! We’ll find somethin’!”

“Want me to tell Twilight?”

“Twi?” She blinked, then shook her head frantically. “No no no! It’s bad enough Ah lied to her so much, but asking fer her help afterwards, an’ on such a sensitive matter? That’d wreck everything!”

“Shoe yerself. Ah’m returning the books. Git to beanin’.” He stepped out into the warm summer evening and headed for town.

Chapter 4

The next morning saw a large congregation of ponies mourning in the fields of Sweet Apple Acres. Dressed in black cloth despite the warmth of the day, they carried flowers and boxes of tissues. A small applewood casket was displayed upon a flat low table. A framed photograph of the deceased stood on a stand inside a wreath of pinecones. Mr. Waddle, the funeral director, clearing his throat and gripping the lectern, he smiled and faced his audience, clearing their throats and smiling back at him with the same sad eyes.

“We gather here today to mourn the loss of one of Ponyville’s finest citizens. Apple Bloom was known by all of us, whether for her wild antics or her remarkable craftsmanship, as a dependable and thoughtful pony. She brought much joy and happiness to us in times of darkness and despair. It is tragic for her life to have been cut short before she even discovered herself and her purpose in life. ...Apple Bloom will be dearly missed by us all.”

The crowd began chanting Apple Bloom’s name, loud at first. “Apple Bloom! Apple Bloom! Apple Bloom!” Slowly they became quieter, “Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom,” and slower, “apple... bloom... apple... bloom... apple... bloom,” until the name was a mere whisper, just unconnected words with no inherent meaning. Finally it was gone in the cool, forgiving breeze. The casket was lightly placed in the ground at the edge of the farm, where two other tombstones discreetly hid in the tall grass. One by one the ponies tossed their asphodel into the grave, said their goodbyes, and somberly headed away. Two mismatched unicorn colts left with hoof-fulls of the pinecones chattering about ‘tributes’ and idolatry. Applejack’s friends stood with her after the last flower had been thrown.

“Applejack, we’re so sorry for your loss.” Twilight wiped away a tear. “I can’t begin to imagine the pain you must be going through,” she said, entirely but briefly dishonest.

Fluttershy spoke. “Pinkie and I each know what losing a family member is like, Applejack. If you need advice or support, we’d be happy to help.”

Applejack’s face was down, hiding her eyes under her forelock, and her hat was exchanged for a black velvet look-alike; her hair bands were replaced by black silk scrunchies. “Thank you kindly, girls.” She sniffled, and Rarity offered her a tissue which she accepted. “Ah thought Ah was done with this when my p... my parents...” she swallowed a lump.

“Let it all out, dear. You’ll get through this like you have before. Let it aaall out.” Rarity stolidly handed her another tissue, though her own wet eyes betrayed her.

As usual, Rainbow Dash made a poor choice of words. “Yeah, I mean how would any of us expect Apple Bloom to survive a Taraxa... Taraxip... scary ghost in the Everfree? She was doomed from the start!” Seeing everypony glare at her, she frowned. “My bad, AJ.”

“S’alright Dash, you didn’t mean nothin’ by it... Ah’m going inside fer a drink... maybe some salt...” She meandered towards the farmhouse, head at her hooves, tail between her legs.

“Let us know if we can help!” called Pinkie Pie. “Maybe some cake would be nice!” If Applejack had heard, she didn’t show it aside from kicking up a cloud of dust. Pinkie turned to the girls, befuddled. “...Wouldn’t cake be nice?”

“Yes, Pinkie... but that’s not the point. We’re not celebrating, we’re mourning. It’s the opposite of a party.”

“I know that, Twilight. I just think cake can make anything better.”

Rarity cleared her throat. “If you’ll excuse me girls, I have to get back to my shop to check in all the rental suits.” She trotted off.

“See you later. I’m going home to the library. I've... got some thinking to do...” Twilight left the group.

“Um, do you two want to come with me to feed the birds?” Seeing their knowing nods, Fluttershy left for her cottage with Pinkie and Rainbow Dash behind her.

“Gee, they’re all so sad...” Apple Bloom said to herself as she watched her funeral from the security of her bedroom window. “They think Ah’m dead... and Ah sorta am...” She sat down on her bed to think. Applejack, now wearing her regular hat, appeared at the open door and knocked.

“Well, it weren’t easy fer me to do, but as far as anypony knows, you were killed by some scary ghost called a Taraxippus. Thank Celestia fer Granny Smith’s old horror novels.” Applejack stepped inside the room to comfort her sister, but was repulsed immediately. “PEEYEW! Apple Bloom, just because yer dead don’t mean you can skip bathtime! You stink t’ high heavens!”

“But when Ah washed my hooves the hair fell out...” She jumped off the bed, her neck bones clacking. “And Ah like my hair where it is. Same goes fer the skin.”

“Then at least wear an air freshener. There’re some in the basement.”

“Alright, alright. So, uh... Ah'm bored. Ah don’t like bein' cooped up in here. When can Ah go outside?”

“When it’s dark out, so nopony sees.”

“But they’ll see mah eyes anyways, cuz they’re like big ol’ lanterns!”

“Ah’ll get some sunglasses for you.”

“But then Ah won’t be able to see cuz it’ll be too dark!”

“Then stay inside. Yer a zombie. The Sun’ll burn yer skin if you go out in the daytime.”

Accepting her defeat, Apple Bloom passed her sister to go downstairs, muttering hoarsely, inadvertently dragging her bedsheet behind her wrapped around her hind hoof. Applejack heard her and said, “Don’t forget to eat something while yer down there!”

“Ah’m not hungry!” she lied. Her stomach growled madly at her. It ached for flesh.

“I’m so bored!”

“What do you wanna do, Scootaloo?”

Scootaloo sighed, absently glancing around Carousel Boutique. “I don’t know, Sweetie Belle. Nothing’s fun without Apple Bloom.”

Sweetie Belle got out of her chair and started to pace back and forth. “Can we still be the Cutie Mark Crusaders without her?”

“I don’t know that either. Should we come up with a new name?”

“I was thinking, ‘The Two-O Duo’, but then again...”

Scootaloo flopped out of her chair and onto the floor on her back. “We could be Cutie Mark Crusaders 2.0.”

“Cutie Mark Crusaders Reloaded?”

“Cutie Mark Crusaders II: The Quickening?” She kicked her back legs.

“Quicken-whatnow?”

“I read it in a newspaper.”

“Oh.” Sweetie sat down again, picked up a crayon, and began to draw Apple Bloom. “So what do you think Apple Bloom was doing in the Everfree Forest in the first place?”

“She went in with Twilight to see Zecora, but then she got lost.”

“I guess Twilight didn’t find her in time.”

“I guess.” The pegasus sat up and looked over at her friend. “What are you drawing?”

“Apple Bloom fighting that monster, but this time she wins.”

“I asked Rainbow Dash about the monster and she said it was a scary ghost.”

“What would a not-scary ghost be?”

“I dunno. She said there was no chance Apple Bloom could survive its attack.”

Sweetie put down the yellow crayon and picked up the red. “In my drawing, she ties it up like a cute little piggy.”

“Do ghosts have legs?”

“No, but this one has ten of them.”

“A ten-legged ghost.”

“Yeah. They’re all wiggly.”

Scootaloo sighed again. “I’m so bored!”

“What do you wanna do?”

“Let’s go see Applejack and ask about the ghost.”

“Okay!” Sweetie Belle hopped down from her chair and followed Scootaloo out the door.

“No trespassing?” Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle said in unison. They were very confused. About every twenty yards, there was a signpost on the fence indicating that trespassing was forbidden on Sweet Apple Acres land.

“How are we supposed to talk to Applejack if we can’t go onto the farm?”

“We could throw a rock.”

“Good idea!” Sweetie Belle picked up a small stone on the ground and, with a great wind-up, threw it over the fence, where it landed about a foot onto the property. “...Dumb rock.”

“Guess we’re not Cutie Mark Crusaders Baseball Pitchers.”

“Or Cutie Mark Crusaders Stoners.”

“Yeah...” Scootaloo looked past the fence at the farmhouse in the distance, trying to find some way to catch Applejack’s attention despite her being out of sight. Then she had an idea. “Hey, isn’t it only trespassing if we get caught?”

“Hey, yeah!” Sweetie’s voice cracked. “Let’s go!”

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS 2.0 RULE-BENDERS, YAY!” The two fillies ducked under the fence and onto the farm, heading for the farmhouse where they knew Applejack would be. It took them several minutes to figure out which direction the farmhouse was in.

Some time later, they were about halfway to the farmhouse and right in the thick of the orchard. It felt as though they had never walked so much in one day, and the day was hot.

"How much farther, Scootaloo?"

The pegasus reared up, trying to get a better view. Her wings flapped to help her keep her balance. "Um, between ten feet and a million miles."

"Not even the Sun's a million miles away," Sweetie Belle said, remembering their lessons.

"Well then I don't know. Pretty far."

"That's no help at a—" Sweetie trailed off, noticing something out of the corner of her eye.

"No help at what?"

"Shh! I saw something," the unicorn whispered.

"What? What did you see?" The orange pony whispered back.

"It was white, and it went behind that tree. Come on," she beckoned her friend. The two ponies tip-toed through the orchard, catching sight of the thing getting away from them. It eluded them despite how fast they moved.

"Hey, if it's on the farm, isn't it a trespasser too?" Scootaloo asked.

"Oh, it is! Maybe if we catch it we can turn it in and get a reward!"

Agreeing on this point, they continued to follow it. Even at their sneakiest, they could only catch glimpses as whatever it was moved out of sight. It evaded them at every turn. At last, Scootaloo saw it go behind a scraggly old bush.

"I'll go to the left, you go to the right." The two ponies advanced, then at the last second leapt around the bush and tackled the thing. "Yaah! Take that, trespasser!"

“AAAHH!” The thing screamed and fell to the ground in a wriggling mass of fabric. “GIRLS! OW! WHAT - OW! - THE HAY - OW! - ARE YOU - OW! - DOING?”

The two fillies froze.

“...Apple...Bloom...?” the unicorn said uneasily.

“Is... that you?”

The thing shoved them off and stood up, letting them see it clearly. It was about the same size and shape as them, covered in a white bedsheet. A pair of holes in the front revealed the lenses of thick black sunglasses.

“Um, uh... oh shoot... Yeah, it’s me...”

The fillies’ faces lit up so bright a sailor could guide their ship through a storm by them. “APPLE BLOOM!” they cried, and hug-tackled the filly.

“We thought you were dead!” Scootaloo whinnied mirthfully.

“What happened to you? Where were you?”

“Oh, um, now those there are very good questions, an’ they deserve proper answers an’ all...” Apple Bloom started to say, shuffling her hooves, but was interrupted by Sweetie Belle lifting up the edge of the bedsheet. “No! Don’t touch that! Don’t take th’ sheet off!”

“Why not? Are you okay?” Sweetie Belle tilted her head. “Why do you smell so weird?”

“Well, uh, Ah’m not exactly ‘okay’... but Ah’m not dead, fer certain. Jus’ don’t touch the sheet. It protects me.”

“Protects you from what?”

“The Sun, Scootaloo.”

“Why do you need protection from the Sun?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Cuz if Ah don’t, mah skin will burn to ashes and Ah’ll die fer real.”

The two hesitated. “...Apple Bloom, are you really okay?” asked Scootaloo. The filly in the bedsheet sighed, visibly deflating.

“Truth be told, no Ah ain’t. Ah’m... Ah’m a zombie.”

“A zombie?! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—” Sweetie Belle screamed, only for Scootaloo to hoof her in the mouth. Apple Bloom spoke up quickly.

“Sweetie Belle! Stop yer hollerin’! Ah’m not a bad zombie!”

“Not a bad zombie? Hold up, Apple Bloom. You’re talking to us like a normal pony would talk to us. Zombies don’t do that,” the pegasus paused, “...Do they?”

“Ah got turned by these freaky blank-flank zombies in th’ Everfree forest, but Celestia musta been smilin’ on me, cuz Ah’m still me and Ah ain’t about to eat yer brains. Promise.”

Sweetie Belle spit out her living friend’s hoof. “Pinkie Promise?”

“Ah would Pinkie Promise but Ah don’t have eyes to stick a cupcake in.”

“Is that why you’re wearing sunglasses?” Scootaloo pointed out.

“Yeah. They cover up th’ glow.”

The white filly sighed. “I’m really glad you’re not dead. We were so bored without you!”

“And we couldn’t think of a new good name for the Cutie Mark Crusaders.”

“Ah missed you girls a lot too. Now listen, we gotta keep this on th’ down-low. Applejack doesn’t want anypony to know Ah’m a zombie, but now you do, so y’all gotta say you won’t tell a soul. Ah could get hurt or worse if anypony finds out.”

“We won’t tell a soul, Apple Bloom.” Sweetie mimed the Pinkie Promise out of tradition, and Scootaloo did the same. “So what were you doing outside if it’s such a big risk you’ll get burned?”

“Jus’ wandering around, looking fer stuff t’ eat, but no luck so far. Ah’m really hungry.”

“Well, there are apples growing right up there!” Scootaloo pointed to a treetop. “Can’t you eat those?”

“Nope. Bein’ a zombie has certain... dietary requirem’nts. Namely meat.” She awaited her friends’ reactions and was not disappointed. The two fillies reared back like fish hooked by the mouths.

“M-m-m-meat?!”

“Meat is murder, Apple Bloom!”

“Ah know, Ah know, but Ah’m a zombie! Ah want it! Ah need it! Its taste borders on heavenly an’ sets every nerve in mah body aflame! An’ y’know, Applejack said that if Ah don’t keep eatin’ meat like Ah am, Ah might get so hungry that Ah might try t’ eat another livin’ pony. Ah really don’t wanna eat somepony.”

Her friends sighed. “I guess that’s understandable,” Scootaloo conceded, “But eating meat is so gross! How could you do that?”

“Ah dunno, Ah can’t help it! Ah know it’s wrong, but it’s delish’us!”

“So... if you’re not eating ponies, what are you eating?” Sweetie Belle said cautiously.

“Ah’m huntin’ squirrels an’ birds an’ mice. Maybe some fishes too.” She stopped to remember the taste, licking her lips. “Ah like fishes,” she said fondly. Then she looked at each of her friends. They looked like they were going to be sick. “Ah swear, Ah ain’t gonna eat ya. As long as Ah’m well-fed, that is.”

“We believe you, Apple Bloom,” Scootaloo stated.

“Hey, maybe we could get you some stuff to eat!”

Scootaloo double-took at Sweetie Belle. “Ew! Where the hay would we get meat?! We could get in big trouble! We could go to jail! I don’t want that on my hooves!”

“Hear me out, girls. You know Rarity’s cat, Opal? Her cat food is made of meat! I can get some of that for you and Rarity won’t even notice!”

“Cat food? At this point Ah’ll try anything. Ah’m starvin’ here!”

The pegasus nodded. “It’s settled then. Apple Bloom, we’ll bring you cat food as soon as we can. And, uh, it’s great that you’re not dead! But maybe we should go before—”

“WHAT IN TARNATION IS GOIN’ ON HERE?!”

The three fillies leapt into the air and scrambled in different directions, running in circles before bumping heads with a sound of coconut and falling on the ground. Apple Bloom’s hoof stuck out from under the sheet slightly. Thin gray smoke snaked out of her limb as it smoldered.

“OW OW OW OW!!” she howled in unearthly pain as the bone began to burn in the sunlight, before Applejack flipped the sheet over it again.

“Apple Bloom. Inside. Now.” She said succinctly. The zombie stood up and limped towards the farmhouse. Applejack turned to the others. “You two. Inside with her. Now.” They followed.

“Of all the mindless, careless, idiotic things to do! Ah oughta—”

“Applejack, it wasn’t her fault!”

“It was ours!”

The mare turned out of her tirade and stared down the two fillies. Big Macintosh was behind her, wrapping Apple Bloom’s burnt hoof with a medicinal compress containing embalming fluid. The filly grit her remaining teeth in discomfort as her singed flesh hissed colder, and the stallion’s nose was plugged up since her hoof still gave off a roadkill stench.

“Bull!” Applejack snorted. “T’ain’t yer fault in the slightest! Apple Bloom went out there fully knowin’ she could be found out or burnt up, an’ whaddya know? BOTH happened! If she weren’t already undead, Ah’d strangle her within an inch of her life!”

“Ah, Ah was just hungry, Applejack...” the zombie winced as the wrap got tighter. “There’s nothin’ else t’ eat around here. Ah thought Ah might find a squirrel or somethin’...”

“Y’ coulda just asked me! Ah’d be happy t’ go an’ slaughter another hog if it meant you didn’t kill or get killed!” She then considered what she had just said. “Well, uh, Ah wouldn’t be happy about it, no sir, but Ah’d do it jus’ the same! Cuz yer mah sister!” Applejack looked back at her sister’s friends. They were completely disgusted.

“Applejack, can we, uh, can we just go now?”

“I think it’s the fumes getting to us. Bye!” They scurried away.

“Hold it!” They froze. “Y’all ain’t goin’ anywhere now you know what’s up! We gotta make sure ya don’t tell a soul!”

“We already Pinkie Promised Apple Bloom!”

“Not good enough! Pinkie Promises can be broken!” Applejack exclaimed, nearing tears. “No, Ah need somethin’ better... Big Macintosh, get that book a’ spells fer non-unicorns! We gotta do a truth bind!”

“Twilight...?”

A lone figure opened the door and crept into the darkened library. The outside world threw a harsh light inwards. The curtains on the windows were drawn and sashed; the lights were off. The room was filled with dust and chilled Rainbow Dash to the bone. It felt like a mausoleum.

“...Twilight? You in here?” She waited for a response, but hearing none she carefully went up the curving stairs. The upper room was just as dim, cool, and unclean. Her eyes finally adjusted and she saw a form lying in the bed on the upper ledge. It was breathing too fast to be asleep but too slow to be alert. Dash flew gently to the loft and stood next to the bed.

“Twilight... it’s been a whole day... you’ve been in here a whole day...”

There was no response save for an ear perked up involuntarily.

“Twilight, you... you can’t stay in your bed forever. Nothing could be that bad, whatever you’re upset about.”

“yunowahimussetabbow.” the form under the covers murmured.

“What was that?” She stepped closer, and the figure poked its purple tear-stained snout out into the open.

“You know what I’m upset about.”

Dash took in a quick breath and let it out slow. “...Yes, I do, Twilight. But you can’t blame yourself for what happened. It wasn’t your fault.”

“Yes it was.”

“No, Twilight! Apple Bloom... she wandered off on her own. Whatever happened to her doesn’t rest on your withers. It’s not your burden to bear!”

Twilight snorted softly, a mucousy sound that ruffed Dash’s feathers. She turned her head and ducked under the covers again.

“Twilight, no! Listen to me, you don't want to lie in bed like a vegetable and do nothing the rest of your life. I've tried it. Bedsores hurt!”

The snout came back out. “...Don’t want to kill anypony else.”

“You didn’t kill anypony in the first place! You did what you thought was right at the time!”

There was silence for a long while.

“...Dash?” The unicorn asked meekly.

“Yeah, Twilight?”

“Why... why do bad things happen to good ponies?”

“I... I can’t answer that. I don’t know the answer. At a better time I’d say to ask the Princess, but I doubt even she could answer it.”

“Dash?”

“Yeah, Twilight?”

“Am I a bad pony?”

Rainbow Dash felt her vision shake for a split-second. “Twilight, you are not a bad pony. Whatever happens, you will never be a bad pony,” she said resolutely. “You were clearing the path to get home. You never could have known she would wander off and... and get lost. You never could have known she was under the porch. You didn’t know then what you know now. It’s not your fault.”

There was silence again as Twilight processed this. Dash felt a spur of hope when she saw the covers begin to shift, but it was just the snout retreating under the blankets again.

“‘m the worst pony.” a tiny bodiless voice said.

Dash sat down to make her concern clear. “Twilight, you’re really worrying all of us. Fluttershy is chewing her own mane out. Pinkie’s gotten a non-stop case of Pinkie Sense hiccups and they sound like heart attacks. Rarity is spending all of her suit rental dough to make a dress for you. It’s the only thing she knows how to do that could possibly make you feel better.”

There was only silence.

“...it’s a really nice dress. It’s something Hemonian. Y’know, like all those ‘onagers’ wear.”

A moment passed, and a little voice asked, “...What color?”

“A really deep, uh, green? It’s... it’s the color of pine needles.”

“...’sit accurate?”

“Rarity is working her flank off making it accurate. She sent for a consultant who lived in Hemonia.”

“...tell her to get a real onager...” The form in the bed rolled over and appeared to face the wall. Nothing more was going to be said.

“Alright, Twilight. She’ll get an onager. Just remember we’re all here for you if you need somepony.” Dash flew off the ledge and down to the floor below, flapping her wings once as she landed, tucking them in to walk the rest of the way. She was about to step outside and leave the dreariness behind when a scaly hand tugged at her tail.

“Rainbow Dash.”

“Yeah, Spike?”

Spike let go of her tail. “Please help me, she won’t eat anything. All she drinks is decaf. She’s been sleeping since she got home yesterday, except for like three hours when she went to the funeral, and then when she came back she was crying so much she threw up. She did it again an hour ago. You’re her friend, what do I do?”

“Listen,” Rainbow said, “Uh, I’m not the best with friendly advice, but... don’t try to force anything on her. Just offer her food she likes and maybe she’ll eat it. Tempt her with warm comfort food. Soup, grilled cheese, easy-to-digest stuff. Leave it by her bed so the smell draws her out. That’s what I’d want.”

“Got it.” Spike went to the kitchen with new determination, and Rainbow Dash saw fit to leave then.

“There!” Applejack slapped the tome shut, sending a puff of dust into the air of the farmhouse. “Two truth binds!” She stepped back to admire her hoofiwork. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, small patches sewn into the fur on their necks, winced at each other momentarily, then back to Applejack.

“Can we... have some water?” Scootaloo rasped.

“No! This is a warning to y’all. Yer mouths’ll dry up like th’ Pastel Desert the instant you even consider telling anypony about Apple Bloom being living-impaired.”

Sweetie Belle coughed a bit, looking at Winona’s water bowl out of the corner of her eye. With no inhibition she ran over and drank it all. She lapped thirstily, but when the water was gone, the dryness in her mouth returned with a vengeance. She hacked breathily.

“Alls ya have t’ do,” Applejack continued, “is never tell a single pony and you won’t be thirsty. An’ don’t even think about removing those patches. You’d rip yer throat open.”

“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh intoned sagely, swiping one hoof across his neck in pantomime.

“Now, do we have an agreement?” Applejack smirked.

The two fillies coughed and nodded their heads frantically.

“We... we promise,” Sweetie Belle croaked.

“Double promise,” Scootaloo agreed. Almost instantly they felt relief as the thirst disappeared. Applejack walked over to the stairs and called up.

“Apple Bloom, you can come down and apologize now! Everythin’s set!”

Four bony hooves knocked like falling building blocks against the wood of the stairs, culminating in the young zombie entering the kitchen with a frown.

“...Sweetie? Scootaloo? ...Ah’m sorry Ah let you find out Ah’m a zombie. It wasn’t yer place to know. Applejack says, th’ more ponies that know about me, the bigger th’ chance is that Ah could be killed. All it’d take is a blow to th’ head. So, uh, we can’t risk that. Ah’m sorry you guys had to know. It was stupid of me.”

The pegasus smiled weakly, rolling her tongue over her teeth. “Don’t be sorry, it was our fault for sneaking onto the farm. We’re just really glad that you’re alive, er, not-dead.”

“Even if you are a bloodthirsty monster,” Sweetie Belle said wearily.

“But we won’t tell anypony.”

Apple Bloom smiled, a thin line of tinged drool rolling down her chin. “Thank ya kindly, girls.” She turned to her older sister. “But Ah’m still starving, Applejack. ...We got any chicken?”

Scootaloo took a half-step back but was reassured when Applejack spoke up. “No, we don’t got any chicken. What we got is pig. Ah’ll fix ya somethin’.” She went to the back door, shuddered as she picked a cleaver off the kitchen counter, and left to the pigpens sobbing.

Big Macintosh spoke. “You two better get goin’ back t’ town. You won’t want to see this.”

The fillies hugged Apple Bloom once more and headed for the front door. Just as Scootaloo was about to turn the knob, a squeal and a thwack cut through the air. They gulped and ran to Ponyville as fast as they could.

The bell to Carousel Boutique jingled, but it was not a sound of warmth. It was a sound of grief. Rainbow Dash briefly recalled a line she had read in some book. For whom the bell tolls...

“Uh, hey, Rarity? I just got back from Twilight’s.” She said aloud, hoping her friend was home.

The white unicorn appeared at the top of the stairs, her mane frazzled. She carried about her an air of exhaustion. “Hello, Rainbow.” As she came down she continued. “How is the poor dear?”

“She won’t get out of bed, she won’t eat, she won’t turn a light on. The place smelled like puke and stale coffee.”

“Ah. A deep depression. Well, I can hardly fault her. The situation truly is the classic tragedy.” Rarity thought of the archetypal theater drama. “Two mares are friends, the first mare’s sister dies due to the negligence of the second, the second sinks into a depressive coma...”

“But it wasn’t ‘due to negligence’! Twilight had no part in Apple Bloom’s death!”

Rarity sighed. “I suppose you’re right, as you always are in matter of faith. So, are you here to see how the dress is coming along?”

“Yeah, sure. Twilight did say she wanted you to get a real onager for advice.”

Rarity frowned. “Oh, but none live anywhere near here! I’d have to go all the way to Manehatten to have a chance at finding one! And while Manehatten is quite fabulous... Ah, but I’m getting sidetracked. If it has any hope of making Twilight feel better, I must do it.”

“That’s the spirit! So, uh, have you heard anything from Applej—”

The door burst open, and two fillies galloped in. They collapsed on the floor and groaned, taking deep swallows of air.

“Sweetie Belle! Scootaloo! What happened?” Rarity asked worriedly. “Is something the matter with —”

“Water! We need water!” Scootaloo gasped, lying spread-eagled.

Sweetie had her face flat against the tile floor. “Waaaaater!”

“You guys sound a little hoarse. Be right back, Rarity.” Rainbow flew into the kitchen and in no more than five seconds returned with a sloshing bucket. The two fillies leapt for it and got both their heads stuck inside at the same time. The bucket burbled for some time until Rarity had the sense to float them out before they drowned. Placing them on the floor, they immediately dashed back and attempted the same thing, only to be pulled by a blue glow on their tails.

“Whoa! Where’s the fire?” Dash questioned.

“...Our ...mouths!” They wheezed, collapsing again out of breath. Rarity lifted the two fillies up in the air, inspecting them.

“Rainbow, take a look at their necks. Do you see what I see?”

“Those patches of cloth? Ewww, it looks like they’re stitched in!” She gagged.

“We need to get them to Twilight. Something is dreadfully wrong.” Rarity galloped out levitating the stertorous fillies, and Rainbow Dash flew to Sugarcube Corner where Pinkie and Fluttershy would surely be baking something for the purple unicorn.

Far from the center of town, deep in the Everfree Forest, something stirred eerily. A dying wind momentarily lofted a fragment of pink ribbon half-stuck under a clump of dirty muscle fascia. A creature not entirely unlike a pony yet somehow incomplete and wrong rose from the ground to inspect the billowing cloth.

“She has escaped,” it said with the harshest of undead growls.

Chapter 3

The night was breezeless. For all the world it should have been easy to sleep, no wind clattering the windows or draft under the door, and it was summer so any wind would have been warm and calming, but Applejack couldn’t sleep. Not with a zombie in the house.

She lay in bed, her ears twitching listening to her sister pace back and forth in the room down the hall, bone upon bone upon bone all grinding and knocking. Sometimes she’d hear the bedsprings squeak and know that Apple Bloom was trying to get some sleep too. Then the springs would squeak again and four hooves would hit the floor, in the wrong order of course, and she’d know that no sleep had come to her sister. She could see how difficult it would be to sleep when your eyes had no lids. That was how she felt too, like her eyes were lidless, staring at the ceiling, picturing what she was hearing through the walls.

She was frightened too, no doubt. The walking dead was in her house. It was her sister, sure, but it was also a monster that ate the flesh of the living. She was terrified that any hour now, Apple Bloom would sneak in and try to eat her brain, or another organ she needed. In that event, she would put up as best a fight she could against the zombie without injuring her sister, if that were possible. She had seen a duality in Apple Bloom. There was the zombie, and the pony. She didn’t like to think that they could be one and the same. There was no way.

Down the hall, the doorknob turned, and Applejack froze like a stalked animal, keeping the noise from her turning in the sheets to a minimum. Little bony legs trotted towards her door, and as they drew closer the mare began to work up a sweat. She had to be ready to defend herself.

Her own door’s knob turned now, a soft red glow shining through the cracks and the keyhole. She lay as flat as possible, with one hoof holding the covers and another reaching under her pillow for the rubber mallet she had stashed there in case of this very incident. As the door opened, she peered at the two orbs floating in the darkness and waited for them to move. They entered, and Applejack jumped up in bed with the mallet in her mouth, about to strike.

“Applejack, Ah can’t sleep, can Ah try an’ sleep in here?” The filly gurgled. She noticed her sister holding the mallet and cocked her head. “Whatcha got that fer? You building somethin’?”

“Oh, um, hi Apple Bloom... no, Ah ain’t building anythin’...” she tucked the mallet back under the pillow. “Ah... Ah’m not gonna lie to ya, Ah was scared you were gonna hurt me...”

“Honestly! Everypony thinks Ah’m gonna eat them all up! What’s with that?”

The mare rubbed her head. “Well yer not the most friendly-lookin’ pony Ah’ve seen...”

“Ah thought you learned yer lesson about that when we met Zecora!”

“It’s a hard habit t’ break, sugarcube. Plus, Zecora don’t eat dogs.”

“Ah didn’t eat a dog! Where did that even come from?”

“Ask Winona. Oh wait, she won’t go within ten feet of ya. The poor thing’s terrified of ya.”

The filly sighed purely for dramatic effect. "Well anyways, Ah came in here to ask if Ah could try to get some shut-eye in here with you. Can’t sleep at all, but Ah’m really tired.”

“Can’t y’all zombies get by without sleeping anyways?”

“Ah dunno, Ah’ve only been one for a few days. Ah don’t know any other zombies either. Ah’m tired, AJ, so can Ah get in there?”

Applejack shivered. “Uh, sure... Ah’ll make some room.” She slid over, and Apple Bloom climbed into bed, her back leg wheeling until it got a purchase on the mattress, pulled the covers up and lay back. “You need anythin’?”

“No, Ah’m good. G’night.”

“G’night... AB.”

Apple Bloom turned her head, snuggled into the pillow and slowed her motions, but it was obvious she was awake. With the zombie inches away from her, Applejack was twice as terrified as before, ready to run if need be. She was trying to ignore the red glow penetrating the corner of her closed eyes when a peculiar smell drifted over her face. It smelled like death, evil, and rancid beans from that night’s dinner. She stuck her tongue out.

“Apple Bloom, yer breath stinks. Stop mouth-breathin’.”

“Ah’m not breathin’ at all, AJ. Th’ smell just leaks out.”

It was going to be a long sleepless night for them both.

The following day, a mare sat alone in her living room, reading a coffee table book with pictures of trees. There was a knock at the door, two reluctant ones, then another two that were stronger. Fluttershy jumped off the couch and opened the door to see her friend Applejack grinning weakly in the morning shade cast by the tree nearby.

“Howdy, Fluttershy. Can Ah come in?”

“Oh, hello Applejack! Is everything okay? Did you find Apple Bloom yet?”

The Earth pony tipped her head down a touch. “Not yet, unfortunately. But Ah need a favor from you, if it’s not too much t’ ask.”

“I’m so sorry about that. I’d be delighted to give you anything at all. What do you need?”

“Got any fish?”

The pegasus startled a bit. Her wings flapped once. “Um, yes, I do have some fish...”

“Ah need some fish.”

Remembering a word from a lesson from an old acquaintance, she took a closer look. She began to see the heat pooling in Applejack’s face. She saw her irises contracting slightly and the way her breath rose and fell in her chest. “...Why do you need some fish...?”

“Uh, now’s when we’re planting the corn, an’ th’ fish, well, we put it in the ground so the seeds have lots of nutrients. Growin’ some nice fish-corn bushes by th’ harvest season.”

Fluttershy saw her friend’s eyes momentarily dart the slightest bit to her left. It couldn’t have been more than a few arc-minutes. Maybe ten. She saw the blood vessels constrict at the edges of the eyes, saw the tear ducts pulse.

“Applejack, um, why are you lying to me?”

The response was immediate. The pupils became much smaller. The ducts quivered. The whole eye vibrated like a kitchen timer for a split second. The nostrils flared, taking in a shaky breath. The face grew hot. Applejack gulped.

“How did—?! Aw, dagnabbit Fluttershy, you used yer Sinonian senses, didn’t ya?”

“Why are you lying to me, Applejack?” The normally timid mare put one hoof forward. “Why do you need fish?”

“Well, uh, y’all wouldn’t believe me if Ah told you. So Ah need some fish, pronto.”

The two ponies locked eyes for a few seconds more. The air grew thick. Eventually, Fluttershy began to feel the heat too. The lights became too bright, the sun’s rays shimmered down like waterfalls. Even the shadows were glowing. Her eyes dry, she blinked. Just like that, it was over. The tension snapped as she hid her face in her hair, all trace of her assertion gone.

“Um, okay, uh, I’ll... I’ll get you some fish...” She snuck past Applejack and went down to the river, opened the trap and landed two flopping salmon, which she snuck back into her house and wrapped in newsprint. A paper bag, wriggling gently, was pushed over the doorstep by a damp yellow hoof.

“Thank ya kindly sugarcube, yer a wonder at a tryin’ time like this. Now don’t you dare use those freaky senses a’ yers again on me. Ah know where you live an’ Ah got dozens a’ pies,” Applejack said irritably. She plucked the bag in her teeth and trotted away.

Inside the cottage, the pegasus collapsed on the couch, overworried, her eyes hurting, and wanting only to feel the comforting blindness of a pillow on her face.

Two cuts of salmon plopped onto the table in front of Apple Bloom, who looked on with a strange mix of disgust and hungry desire.

“AJ! Do Ah hafta eat fishes?”

The mare finished washing her hooves and dried them with a rag. “Either that or we lock you up ferever. Yer dangerous to other ponies if we don’t feed you. Eat yer fish.”

“Why would Ah even want t’ eat fishes?”

“Yer a zombie, Apple Bloom. Zombies eat meat, no matter how gross it is.”

“But—!”

“No buts, filly. This is yer lot in life. Eat yer fish or starve.”

The zombie stared at the cold slices of animal, her chin on the table, ratty forelock hanging over her eye sockets. “They’re not even alive...” she muttered.

Her sister’s ears pricked up in shock. “What was that?”

“Nothing! Ah’m eatin’ ‘em!” Indecisively, she began to nibble on the reddest edge of the meat, taking care to avoid the thin rib bones that striated it. Applejack walked into the living room, where Granny Smith and Big Macintosh were talking but stopped as she entered.

“Hello, dearie! Oh, I was just telling your brother how much I love Apple Bloom’s Nightmare Night costume! She makes such a cute oil spill diver.”

“Uh, yeah Granny, she sure is.” She glared at the stallion, who shrugged. “But remember that we gotta keep it secret. It’s s’posed to be a surprise fer her friends.”

“Oh yes! Little Sweetie Loo and Scootabelle. Now those fillies have good taste in friends. Things weren’t so easy back when there were only five other foals in the whole town, and all of them were the wrong colors to dress up as a pack of crayons for Nightmare Night. And one of them smelled like beets all the time.”

“Gee, Granny, maybe you should write all this stuff down. ...Big Mac? Can Ah talk with you?” The two left Granny Smith in the living room and ducked into the hall. “Nightmare Night costume?!” She whispered angrily.

“Ah needed an excuse.”

“It’s the middle of Ju-ly!”

“Granny didn’t notice.”

Applejack sighed. “Just come around to the kitchen an’ help keep an eye on our sister.” They peeked through the open doorway. Apple Bloom had torn the slab of fish into several pieces and was trying to rank them from fewest to most bones. Her jaw dripped with blood-tinged sticky juices, and though it was plain she was repulsed, she was also very hungry. As she bent to take a bite, she spied her siblings in the doorway.

“Oh, hi! Um, Ah’m just eatin’ mah fishes... num num.” She pretended to chew, creaking all the while. The two adults ducked back into the hall, and when she thought they weren’t looking, she actually took a bite of the piece she thought to be boneless, shuddering with confused pleasure. “Eww...”

“See what Ah mean?” Applejack said. “She’s a devious monster. She’s actually eatin’ meat!”

“You gave her meat, what did you expect?”

“Don’t forget she tore up Smarty Pants.”

Big Macintosh whinnied. “You have no proof a’ that.”

“Winona’s too gentle, she couldn’t tear up a toy if she wanted to.”

He opened his mouth but paused because he heard a sob. They peered back into the kitchen. Apple Bloom had finished one fish and was devouring the second, drooling copiously but with a look of pure nausea on her face, murky tears streaming down.

“Why is it so delicious?!”

“Hi Pinkie Pie! Can I help you with anything?”

The party pony entered the library nervously. “I don’t know Twilight, can you?”

Twilight Sparkle blinked. “I’m the librarian here! Of course I can, if it’s a book you want.”

“Not a book, Twilight. A friend. Fluttershy and I were talking earlier over lunch...” She hesitated to go on, like it might be painful.

“I’m listening.”

She returned. “...Fluttershy is really worried. About Applejack.”

“We all are, Pinkie. It’s been over two days now since her sister went missing.”

“Not exactly that... I’ll get righty-tighty to it. Applejack needed fish, and lied about why she needed them.”

“Applejack lied?” The thought seemed foreign to the unicorn’s mind. “...Fish? What did she say to Fluttershy?”

“Some silly story about growing corn with the fish. With anypony else, even me, it would have worked, but you know Fluttershy...”

“Pinkie, first off, that’s a real thing. Fish is and has been traditionally used to fertilize crops such as corn for hundreds of years. Second, how certain is she?”

“Crystal! Um, wait, that doesn’t work. She’s just really sure. It took a lot out of her to notice this, and I trust her totally.”

“Okay, so why do you think Applejack needs fish?”

The Earth pony regained some energy as she revved up for a One-Breath-Explanation™. “Well, she could be making lipstick or other cosmetic pastes, she could be studying biology for a super-duper hard quiz at the night school classes for adults who didn’t learn so well as fillies so she needs something to dissect, she could be trying to make an army of fish-apple abominations, she could be succeeding in making an army of fish-apple abominations and needs extra genetic material so they’re immune to disease, she could be laboring under the misapprehension that she’s a lonely little fish who can’t find her friends in the deep blue sea, she could be transporting them across state lines for immoral porpoises, she could be taking care of some sickly animal that only eats fish but she’s too embarrassed to show her caring side to tell Fluttershy the truth, she could be founding an aquarium, she could be starting an underwater circus, she could be a fish enthusiast if you get my drift, hint hint, she could be teaching Big Macintosh what’s okay to catch when they go fishing out on the lake in a little boat called the S.S. Sweet Apple that has a patch on the hull where they threw a harpoon wrong and almost sank one time, she could be releasing them into the wild because she disapproves of Fluttershy’s fish traps, she could be obsessing over them in a misguided attempt to relieve herself of the terror of discovering a sea-pony skeleton buried in the foundations of her house where her ancestors killed it for its Seaquestrian gold and entombed it in concrete, she could be expressing a desire to be cold-blooded, she could want to draw or paint a fish and need a reference, she could be an alien who convulses them with lightning rays so they dance for her amusement, she could be going mad with grief over her missing sister and trying to replace her, or she could be making fish food and need taste-testers.” She panted furiously before asking, “Did you catch all that?”

Twilight’s eyes spun in her head. “Uhhh, sure, Pinkie Pie. But, uh, I asked what you thought, not what could be.”

“Why didn’t you say so? My best guess is she’s making a dead fish puppet show.”

“Puppet sh— Pinkie, that’s horrible! Ew! Why would you think that?”

“Hey, you asked. It seems most likely to me.” She pointed a hoof. “Now it’s your turn to dish. I heard Big Macintosh was over here last night?”

“It - it was nothing, just nothing, he was just returning the books he borrowed. He didn’t have a care in the world.”

“What books?”

“Ugh, we’ve been through this before. You do not have the right to know which books other ponies checked out. It’s not any of your business and it’s not allowed. Not even if they’re an ‘enemy of the state’ or whatever you said last time.”

“Even if it could solve all our problems? If it could find Apple Bloom?” Pinkie proposed.

“...That’s debatable.”

Pinkie grinned and was about to argue her point, only to be interrupted.

“But we’re not debating it, Pinkie! The books don’t matter. What matters is that Apple Bloom must be found.”

“Twilight? I really don’t mean to be a downer but there’s always the tiny possibility that—”

“We’re going to find her,” she said firmly. Looking over her shoulder, she pulled a book off one of the top shelves and floated it to the table. The pages flipped and stopped on an overhead map of the Everfree, more detailed than the parchment copies she had given the search teams.

“Here’s the Everfree Forest. Given Apple Bloom’s average speed, I’ve drawn rings on this overlay that represent how far away she could have gotten within certain times. By now she could be all the way to the Drackenridge Mountains!”

Pinkie pondered. “Or... she could be right here in Ponyville! Thanks, Twilight!” And she bounced out the door. Twilight looked over the map.

“Well that is a possibility... but she’s NOT!” She called after her friend to no avail. Chalking Pinkie’s antics up to too much sugar, she retrieved her cartographic divider from its pocket in the book and continued measuring distances. A thought struck her and she shuddered.

“No way Applejack would do that...”

“Oh shoot, everypony hide! Apple Bloom, get upstairs and under yer bed!” Applejack hollered to her family as she looked out the back window. Two teams of ponies were making their way through the fields of grain towards the farmhouse. Gritting her teeth, she tightened her hat and went out into the strong heat of the day to meet the ponies halfway.

Outside, the teams had wandered from the back gate and in the swelter were tracking a trail in the wheat where the stalks were flattened. Twilight’s horn could be seen bobbing up and down just above the tips. Even in this light, it was glimmering. Applejack soon found herself right in front of her, but Twilight didn’t notice. She was too busy with her spell. She was wearing a blue jumpsuit with black hooves and a Canterlot University baseball cap. The other ponies were wearing the same, but without caps.

“Ahem? Twilight? What are y’all doin’ on mah property?”

Twilight looked up and got dizzy, shook her head and refocused on the cowpony. “Hi Applejack! We, being myself and these seven volunteers, have discovered this strange trail through your crops. Come over here and see this!”

“See what?” The orange mare passed around Twilight and looked where she was pointing. “...Oh. That.” In front of Twilight was a magic bulge in the air, magnifying the ground like a lens. Applejack could see hundreds of times closer than normal. And hundreds of times closer than normal, she saw something disturbing. “Is that what Ah think it is?”

“Yes! It’s blood!” Twilight beamed at her knowledge of forensics, then remembered that blood is not a thing to beam about when it could be your friend’s sister’s blood. “Um, uh... sorry... So, we followed this trail out of the forest, and it led right to your farm. I’m... afraid this doesn’t look good for Apple Bloom...” She retrieved a sample stick from her saddlebag and scooped up the dried droplet to test later. “If this is... her blood, then it could indicate she wandered onto the farm severely injured.” She paused, looking down, then back up. “It’s a lot of blood, AJ. Most of it was in the forest.”

“...Where, in th’ forest?” Applejack asked quietly.

“Actually quite near where I lost her; it was hidden under the brush, in a... puddle.” Twilight looked into her saddlebags again. “We... we got a jar...” she murmured, “Do you wanna see i— no, you don’t wanna see it...”

Applejack blinked. She blinked twice more. Then she put on her horror face. “Oh! Oh gosh, Twilight, that’s horrible! Tell it t’ me straight, is she still alive?”

Twilight gulped. “Judging by the evidence, not likely... But we’ll keep looking. We’ll find Apple Bloom and save her. Whatever was in the forest that did this to her will meet a swift fate.”

“Twi,” Applejack began, suppressing a tear, “thank you fer everything you’ve done so far. Ah really appreciate all y’all helping us look fer her. But if you don’t mind, Ah’d like to take things from here.”

The unicorn sputtered. “But, but, my search teams found all of this, and you, you didn’t even offer to help! She’s your sister, I get that, but you haven’t done anything before now!”

“Trust me, Twilight, when Ah say Ah’ve been working mah hooves off looking fer her day an' night. If yer right, she's somewhere on th' farm, and since this is mah property, Ah think it's best if Ah continue the search mahself."

"But— but wouldn't a team effort be more efficient? This is a matter of life and... death!" She spat out the ugly word.

"Ah'll find her, Twi. Don't you worry none." She turned to go back to the farmhouse, then looked over her shoulder at the teams. "Now git off mah farm. Yer tramplin' the crops."

"Applejack, I—"

"Ah don't want t' hafta remove you by force."

Twilight was shocked. Her mouth agape, she nodded once to her teams, who left the way they had come. She chose her next words carefully. "We'll leave. But I have to ask, what did you do with the fish?"

"...We're planting corn with 'em. Just as Ah told Fluttershy... who told you..." she grumbled.

"Well it wasn't like it was a secret or anything, ri—"

"GET THE HAY OFF MAH PROPERTY!" She stood firm, leering at the unicorn.

"Alright, alright, I'm going!" Twilight trotted off hurriedly. Applejack took a long last look and headed back to the farmhouse. Her tail swept along the ground behind her, scattering bits of dirt and broken chaff to the sides. Inside, she closed the door and latched it, then slumped down to the floor.

"What happened out there, AJ?" A hoarse voice from the stairs.

"This is bad, Apple Bloom, real bad. Twi and the others are gettin' real close to findin' you. They found a puddle of blood in the forest."

"Blood? Mah blood?" Apple Bloom wonderrd as she came downstairs.

"Looks like it." She wiped the sweat off her brow. "Now, what Ah need you to do is tell your brother and me everything you remember from the night you came home."

"Oh, okay! Hey Big Mac, where are you?"

"In the kitchen," the stallion said. The two sisters went in and sat at the table. "What's goin' on?"

"Apple Bloom's gonna tell us all about that night she turned."

"Well, it started that afternoon, after Ah got separated from Twilight. Ah was following this mysterious filly into the forest."

Apple Bloom recounted to them the tale of the weird Sunny Town, of the ponies without cutie marks, of the party with the awful stale food, of the gem, of Mitta, of the crank, of the well and key, of the cabin with the fireplace, and of the skeleton. She dropped her rough voice to a whisper as she described how creepy and terrible the town became after that. She told them about the zombie ponies, who, she admitted, didn't look half-bad to her in retrospect. She reached the part where she was escaping, and culminated with when she got tagged.

"So Ah kicked the creep in the head, but he just keeps draining the life outta me! Golly, it hurt. Ah guess he musta taken a bite or two. The next thing Ah know, Ah'm waking up in a bush, and the moon is high and bright and there ain't anymore zombies around. Ah figured Ah was just lucky, or maybe Ah dreamed it, but in either case Ah felt fine, so Ah found mah way back to the farm."

"And you didn't notice you were a zombie?" Big Macintosh asked.

"Nope! But Ah tell ya, mah sense of smell saved the day. I followed my nose all the way right home to AJ." She frowned. "And then she called me a monster."

"Forgive mah honesty, sugarcube."

Big Macintosh was still having a hard time believing his ears. "How does a pony not realize they're a zombie?"

"Ah dunno, it just didn't occur to me! Same way you dunno if yer face has changed until you look in the mirror."

Applejack sighed. "Well, you know what we gotta do now."

"What? What do we gotta do now?"

"Fake yer death. It's the one an' only thing that'll stop the search."

"And how are we gonna do that?"

Applejack thought for a moment. "Y'know, Granny has those ghost story books of hers up in the attic. Ah bet there's something in there we could use." She excused herself and trotted up the steps. The little zombie looked at her brother and put on her biggest puppy-dog eye sockets.

"Can Ah have a hot dog now? One made of pig? Them pigs smell delect'ble."

The stallion just barely managed to keep his lunch down.

"Twiliiiiight!!" Rainbow Dash burst into the library through the window, careening into the table and getting the Greek horse bust stuck on her head. She tried to pry it off with her hooves to no avail. Suddenly a magenta glow enveloped both the statuette and her head and pulled the two apart, leaving her head decidedly more horse-shaped.

"What is it, Dash?" Twilight was standing right next to her.

Dash shook it off and continued her message. "Come quick, Applejack said she found Apple Bloom! Bring a monster book!"

"I'll be there right away!" She lifted several dozen books into the air, which all fell when a gust of wind made her lose her concentration. "Urgency is still no reason to be rude..." she mumbled. Taking the most comprehensive book, as well as a first aid kit, she galloped off to Sweet Apple Acres.

The scene was not as pretty as she expected. Well, she hadn't expected it to be beautiful when a filly's been missing for three days with copious blood loss, but this was just disheartening. As she entered the vicinity of the farmhouse, she could hear Applejack wailing, and this only made her hasten her gait. A small herd of ponies had gathered around the back end of the farmhouse. She pushed through them, her objects in tow, to the center of their attention.

A white sheet covered a small and bloody form. A fragment of pink ribbon peeked out from under it.

Twilight fell onto her haunches. This was not what she had hoped for at all. Not at all. Applejack wailed on, their other friends surrounding her. Cautiously, Twilight set down the floating book and the now-unnecessary first aid kit and skirted around the inner edge of the herd to her grieving friend.

"Applejack, I..." she glanced over at the crimson-stained sheet. It was barely recognizable as the shape of a filly. "Applejack, I don't even know what to say..."

Rarity spoke stiltedly, with an air of detachment. "She was found under the porch, not half an hour ago." She waited for a lull in the sobbing. "Far too late."

Pinkie handed Applejack a tissue, then used the rest of the box for herself in one blow. She was weeping just as hard, if quieter. "So much blood... there was no way..."

"Who found her?" Twilight asked.

"It was Applejack, of course. From what I heard, it was far too... gruesome a sight for anypony else to gaze upon. That's what the sheet is for," she indicated, "to preserve Apple Bloom's memory." She put her leg around Applejack's neck and hushed her.

"Wh-where's Fluttershy?"

"Over there somewhere," Dash pointed to the fields behind them, "Hiding. She doesn't like the sight of blood."

Twilight couldn't bear to look either. She stared at her hooves, until a thought reached her. "Well, uh, Applejack, did you need my help or something?

The mare choked back her tears. "Yeah... Ah think Ah done found what killed her," she looked over at the Everfree, "but Ah can't figure out what it is."

This was right up Twilight's alley. A problem that had a solution she could find. "Take me there," she said, "I have knowledge."

The five ponies gathered Fluttershy quivering in the corn and left the scene behind them. Two of the farmhands lifted the sheeted body onto a cart to take to the rarely-used morgue. Big Macintosh followed them, and the crowd dissipated.

Applejack led her friends into a clearing in the forest. Immediately Twilight and Rarity felt their horns tingling. "Here it is." She showed the five a small red rock in the ground. "It looks plenty unnatural to me."

"It's just a rock! You think a rock killed your sister?" Rainbow Dash questioned harshly.

"No, wait, I definitely feel something. It's more than a rock." Twilight approached the the stone and cast a reveal-me spell on it. All of them leapt back as a ten-foot column of flame erupted from it. The flame subsided after a moment, leaving a stench of burnt hair in the air. Twilight quickly flipped through her book, ignoring her singed mane.

"What is it, Twilight?" Fluttershy tried to read over her shoulder but the pages were moving too fast. Finally the book stopped on a page with a picture of a rock with a horrendous ghost coming out of it.

"This is a Taraxippus, or at least what remains of one. It's a type of ghost made of fire that is extremely frightening to those who are under physical stress, causing them to injure themselves drastically. The book says it's motion-sensitive, but has to wait for long periods of time between attacks to gather its strength. It's dormant right now, so we're safe."

"Wait," Pinkie balked, "you mean Apple Bloom caused her own injuries?!"

"Yes... The ghost attacked, and she hurt herself in her confusion."

Applejack had snuck to the back of the group during this. "Thank ya kindly, girls. Ah'm... Ah'm going back home now..." She cantered out of the forest.

"Wait, Applejack!" But she was gone. "Okay, um, Rarity. Would you mind carrying the rock back to the library for me? I need to keep reading, and I'd like to do so while we all get there."

"It's no trouble at all, darling, just as long as it doesn't burn my mane." She plucked the red stone out of the ground and trotted away. Twilight, with the book hovering in front of her, fell into line. Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Dash filled out the rear, all consoling each other.

Meanwhile in the farmhouse's kitchen, Apple Bloom was eating the best hot dog ever. Ethically she knew it was completely and unforgivably wrong to consume the flesh of any animal, but she couldn't argue with the succulent flavor and intoxicating aroma the cooked and bunned meat exuded. It was her fourth one. As she gnawed greedily on what was once oinking and playing in mud, she caught a glimpse of a plate she had tossed on the floor. She stopped chewing, swallowed, and double-took. Her char flank stared back at her in the mirrored surface.

"LAND SAKES! AH CAN'T GIT MAH CUTIE MARK IF AH'M UNDEAD!"

At Nemea of the Argives there was no hero who harmed the horses, but above the turning-point of the chariots rose a rock, red in color, and the flash from it terrified the horses, just as though it had been fire. But the Taraxippos at Olympia is much worse for terrifying the horses. Pausanias, Guide to Greece 6.20.19