It was late evening in Ponyville, Equestria. Near the Everfree Forest, the CMC, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo, were walking along a path, on their way home from their latest crusade to find their Cutie Marks.

“At least, this time, we didn’t get covered in tree sap despite all the trees present,” Apple Bloom said.

“Only good part of today,” Scootaloo said, a bit grumpy.

“Hey, at least, we had fun!” Sweetie Belle said. “Even if we are now banned from the park…”

“Ah guess that park ranger isn’t for us,” Apple Bloom said. “Wait, what is it?”

What gained Apple Bloom’s attention was what appeared to be a tear in the air, which then opened to become a hole, surprising the fillies. Then, out of the hole came…

An alicorn Sweetie Belle.

The hole closed behind her.

The three’s jaws dropped.

“Sweetie… Is that you?” Scootaloo asked.

“But… But… What?!” Sweetie Belle shouted, not understanding what was going on, like the other two.

The other Sweetie Belle, who looked older by a few years, looked around and quickly spotted them, then grinned.

“Oh! I’m in another Equestria!” She waved at them. “Hello you three! What is your last crusade to date?”

The three were speechless for a moment, until Apple Bloom eventually answered, “Uh… Park rangers.”

The other Sweetie Belle put a hoof under her chin in thought. “Park rangers… Park rangers… Oh, right! After Rarity and the others went to the Grand Galloping Gala for the first time! And before Dis… Wait, spoiler. Wow, that’s very early. You girls pretty much just started crusading.”

Sweetie Belle hesitantly advanced. “Uh… A-are you… me?”

“Uh? Oh! Yes, I’m you, from an alternate future. No, you won’t become an alicorn. It was special circumstances that won’t repeat in any other timeline. Unless your timeline is special and you somehow find a way to become an alicorn without going through what I went through. You never known. But no, it means that you won’t get the same Cutie Mark as me.”

Sweetie Belle gasped and looked at her counterpart’s flank in excitement, only to get a questioning look upon seeing that her Cutie Mark was a black blotch.

“What is it? Paint?”

“Void. So, yeah, no way you will get it. Like I said, special circumstances. And yes, I know what Cutie Mark you will get, unless this is a special timeline and you will get a different Cutie Mark than usual. Again, you never know, the future isn’t written. So no, I won’t tell you. Same for you two, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo.”

The three looked down in sadness at that. “Aww…”

“But it doesn’t mean I can’t help,” the other Sweetie Belle said with a grin.

The three grinned, but then, Sweetie Belle looked at the late sun, and her grin disappeared.

“Can we talk while we walk? It’s getting very late. Rarity will be angry if I take too long.”

Apple Bloom looked disappointed. “The crossroad where Ah’ll have ta leave ya isn’t far.”

The other Sweetie Belle looked at Apple Bloom, then smiled. “Then, how about I bring my Apple Bloom? And my Scootaloo too? This way, you will each have a counterpart to talk to while you go home.”

“Yesyesyesyes!” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo shouted excitedly.

“Alright!” the other Sweetie Belle said before she opened a rift. “I will see you at the crossroad then! I’ll be quick!” She then jumped into the hole which closed behind her.

The CMC remained silent for a moment, looking at where the alicorn disappeared.

“I can’t believe we met another me, and she is an alicorn!” Sweetie Belle xclaimed.

“Yeah. I mean, things have gotten crazy in Ponyville lately. But this is a bit much,” Scootaloo said.

“Ah wonder what mah other me will be,” Apple Bloom said as she began to walk.

The other two began to walk too.

“I can’t wait to see other me,“ Scootaloo said. “I wonder if she will be awesome.”

After a few minutes, they reached the crossroad. One road led to Ponyville, the other continued along the Everfree Forest toward Sweet Apple Acres.

They didn’t have to wait long. After only one minute, a hole opened in the air, and out of it came alicorn Sweetie Belle, followed by an Apple Bloom and a Scootaloo.

Followed by another set of CMC.

Followed by yet another set.

Then the hole closed.

The three’s jaws dropped again. They expected only one set of CMC, not three.

And several of them weren't looking normal at all. Particularly a Sweetie Belle and an Apple Bloom.

The Sweetie Belle looked half fish. She had four legs, but also a tail fish, fins, and scales covering parts of her body. Her Cutie Mark was a music note.

It was tame compared to the Apple Bloom. The Apple filly was scary in comparison. She was half timberwolf. She had mostly a pony body, except made of wood, with claws, and fangs, and glowing green eyes, and she smelled very bad. The only thing that said that she was Apple Bloom was her bow. Her Cutie Mark was an apple made of wood.

Another Apple Bloom was made of wood, but her wood looked more like skin. Where the first Apple Bloom had a mane and tail made of twigs, this one’s were composed of leaves. From far enough, you could mistake the wood for brown fur and the leaves for a green mane and tail. Again, the only thing that said that she was Apple Bloom was her bow, and her eyes too. Her Cutie Mark was a black apple.

Then there were two Scootaloos that were robots. Like, really, robots. One looked normal with a Cutie Mark of a wheel on fire. The other, however, was bipedal, looking more like a minotaur, and she was about as tall as the fillies would be if they stood up on their hind legs. Also, she had an antenna beside her right ear, had no wings, and her Cutie Mark was a shadowy pegasus flying very rapidly judging by the trail behind it.

The third Scootaloo was also bipedal with black clothes covering her hands and black shoes covering… whatever was at the end of her legs. Feet? She had no wings too, her left eye was yellow while the right one was blue, and her Cutie Mark was some kind of gem.

The third Apple Bloom looked normal, just older, around fourteen the fillies would guess. Her Cutie Mark was quite unique. It was a red shield defending some white ghostly figure, and from the bottom of the shield was some machine in the process of capturing an angry black ghostly figure. Also, a pony skull made of purple energy was on the shield.

The last Sweetie Belle looked normal too, her Cutie Mark was also a music note, but something felt off about her.

Scootaloo immediately approached her two robotic counterparts. “Oh my gosh! You two look awesome!”

The two exchanged looks, then the bipedal one giggled and said, “Don’t think it means you will become a robot too.”

“Aww…”

“Trust us, you don’t want to know how we became robots,” the other one said.

Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle approached her half fish counterpart. “Uh… Are you a merpony?”

“Half siren,” the other Sweetie Belle corrected.

“A siren?”

“Think of it as a special merpony who can fly and use magic by singing.”

Sweetie Belle had stars in her eyes. “Oooooh! I want to be a siren too!”

Siren Sweetie Belle laughed sheepishly. “I don’t think it will happen.”

“Wait. Two of you have music note Cutie Marks. Does it mean that my Cutie Mark will be a music note too?”

“Maybe, maybe not,” alicorn Sweetie Belle said.

Meanwhile, Apple Bloom approached her counterparts, keeping an eye on the timberwolf one.

The timberwolf sighed. “Don’t worry. ah won’t hurt ya.”

“Sorry. Force of habit. Ya know…”

“Ah know. And Ah’m sure it doesn’t help that Ah stink like the dead. Can’t help it despite all the showers Ah take.”

“Just think of her as a good girl,” the other Apple Bloom made of wood said with a chuckle.

Timberwolf Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. While it couldn’t be seen because of her glowing eyes, it was easy to guess that she did it.

The last Apple Bloom giggled. “Black Apple, give the poor girl some respite, we just arrived.”

“Black Apple?” Apple Bloom questioned.

“Oh yeah. We give each other nicknames to differentiate us. It’s much less confusing when we call each other.”

“Alright everypony!” alicorn Sweetie Belle called. “I think that we should go. We wouldn’t want the adults to worry.” She laughed. “Also, I can’t wait to see Rarity’s reaction when she will see four Sweetie Belles.”

All the fillies laughed at that.

“Then Ah’m leaving y’all. Goodbye girls,” Apple Bloom said.

After saying their goodbyes, the Apple Blooms separated from the others and took the path leading to Sweet Apple Acres.

Not long after, the Apple Bloom who looked normal said, “So, Ah’m Apple Death, and they’re Black Apple and Timber Bloom.”

“Apple Death?” Apple Bloom questioned with worry.

“Eh… Long story. Ah’ll tell ya later once we reach Sweet Apple Acres. Meanwhile, how about ya tell us about yer last crusade?”

Apple Bloom happily did so.

After a few minutes of walking, they reached another crossroad where they stopped as they saw none other than Twilight approaching with a saddlebag.

“Wow. Seeing her as a unicorn is weird after all this time,” Apple Death said, and Black Apple and Timber Bloom nodded. Apple Bloom looked at them in wonder.

Twilight spotted them, then did a double take.

“What the…?!”

The four Apple Blooms waved at her and said, “Hey Twilight!”

“Look who Ah met on the way!” Apple Bloom said.

Twilight was silent for a moment. “Apple Bloom,” she then began slowly. “Why is there an… older filly looking like you? And a… timberwolfpony? And a… dryad? What is going on?!”

“Dryad?” Apple Bloom questioned before she looked at Black Apple. “Is this what ya’re?”

“Close enough,” Black Apple answered. “Anyway, we’re alternate versions of Apple Bloom. We come from other universes.”

“We came with alternate versions of Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle to visit your version of the CMC,” Timber Bloom said.

Twilight stared at them. “”Alternate versions?” “Other universes?””

The three Apple Bloom not from this universe said, “Uh oh.”

Apple Death then approached Twilight and did calming gestures. “Deep breath, Twilight. Ah know this is a big deal, but can yer geek out wait tomorrow? It’s getting late. Deep breath. Hold. Exhale. Here we go. Deep breath. Hold. Exhale.”

She was joined by the other Apple Blooms. “Deep breath. Hold. Exhale.”

Twilight followed the instructions and calmed down.

“Thank you. So… You three are here to visit Apple Bloom. Why?”

“Well, we thought that it would be nice ta visit a Ponyville rather early in the timeline,” Black Apple said. “For nostalgia.”

“And see if we can help our past counterpart here in any way with her Cutie Mark,” Timber Bloom said. “Like by giving advice.”

“That’s very kind of you,” Twilight said.

“What about ya Twilight? Ya’re visiting Zecora?” Apple Death asked, recognizing the path.

“Ah yes, I promised Zecora to bring her some books on local herbs. I better hurry, I’d rather get home before dark.”

This got Apple Bloom excited. “Oh oh! Can Ah come too?”

“Ah guess that we have time ta visit Zecora,” Apple Death agreed. “It’s always nice ta see her.”

Twilight shook her head. “I would rather avoid bringing you with me. The Everfree Forest is not a place for fillies. Especially so close to the dark.”

“Eh. Don’t worry. As long as Ah’m around, no critter’ll come ta bother us,” Timber Bloom said. “At least one good thing mah odor is good for,” she grumbled.

“Yeah, we have a very good guard dog,” Black Apple said before she laughed when Timber Bloom glared at her. “Also, we can defend ourselves. And we know to remain on the path.”

Apple Death nodded. “The Everfree’s pretty much mah backyard. Apple Bloom won’t have ta worry with me at her side.”

Apple Bloom gave Twilight the puppy dog eyes. “Come on, Twilight. Ah’ll be extra careful. Oh please please please!”

Twilight looked at the four fillies, doubtful.

Seeing that, Black Apple walked out of the path and placed a hoof above the grass. Out of her hoof then came a seed that fell in the grass. She placed her hoof where the seed disappeared, and suddenly, a tree grew in just a few seconds, to Twilight and Apple Bloom’s amazement.

Then, Apple Death approached the tree and touched it. Again, to Twilight and Apple Bloom’s amazement, and also horror, the tree instantly died.

Apple Death looked at Twilight. “Animals know ta avoid me.”

“Woah… Mah counterparts are scary,” Apple Bloom said.

“What… kind of magic do you have?” Twilight asked hesitantly.

“It’s not magic. Long story. Ah doubt ya’d believe me. Now let’s go. If we remain here, it’ll be too late.”

Twilight sighed. “Very well. But promise me to remain close.”

“Yay! Thank ya Twilight!” Apple Bloom said.

And with that, the group walked toward the Everfree Forest, following a path that the Apple fillies knew very well.

“Ya know, we regularly visit Zecora,” Black Apple started. “She teaches us potions.”

“Really?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Yes. And all the times we took this path, nothing ever happened to any of us,” Timber Bloom said.

Apple Death nodded. “This is one potential path for ya. If ya decide ta focus on it, potionmaking could be yer Cutie Mark. We’re very good at it. Black Apple is a mistress in the domain.”

“Ah grow mah own ingredients. No need ta explore the Everfree anymore,” Black Apple said. “Speaking of, farming can also be yer special talent. After all, it’s in yer blood.”

“As Twilight would say, it’s easy to overlook the obvious,” Timber Bloom said. “That’s what ya must focus on, what ya’re already good at. Any talent ya already possess can be yer special talent.”

Apple Death snorted. “Or ya can be like me and go through a traumatic adventure ta discover yer special talent. Ya test everything ya can think of, and something unexpected suddenly comes and before ya know it, ya’ve yer mark. We’re special in this way. Our Cutie Mark is not written. As ya saw, our Cutie Mark is very different from an Apple Bloom to another.”

“So yeah, we could tell ya the Cutie Mark ya should get, but it’s very possible that ya get something different for one reason or another. It’s not like AJ and her friends who get the same Cutie Mark from one universe ta another,” Black Apple said. “Ya could very well get a truly unique Cutie Mark.”

“Same for yer friends,” Apple Death said. “Ya three really are a special trio.”

Apple Bloom looked at her three counterparts. “So… Ya’re saying… Ah shouldn’t try to force the mark ta appear, but ta let it come when the time comes?”

“Pretty much. But a good start, like we said, is ta focus on yer strengths,” Timber Bloom said. “Ah got mine thanks ta carpentry. Yes, we’re also good at building stuff. Ah don’t know if ya noticed. No, obviously not. Yeah, Ah know we already tested carpentry at Fluttershy's, but... Yeah, Ah can't think of a reason why we failed so badly back then. Ah guess it wasn't a good day.”

Apple Bloom now looked thoughtful, then she nodded. “Thank ya. It really helps a lot.”

“Everything for a fellow Apple,” Apple Death said, giving the youngest filly a noogy, making her squeal.

All the while, Twilight listened and smiled, happy to see the older fillies giving such nice advice to the youngest one. Also, that thing about the CMC being so special that they often get different Cutie Marks in different universes was very interesting! It seemed like Harmony really had a special place for these fillies. It was also worrying when the oldest gave the possibility that they may have to go on a traumatic adventure. Whatever Harmony had in store for them, Twilight hoped to be there for them.

Or with some luck, they were in a timeline where nothing special will happen.

It wasn’t long after that that they reached Zecora’s home. The three visitors decided to remain behind, not wanting to give Zecora a scare. Also, Timber Bloom’s muzzle didn’t like the smells that the zebra placed to keep away the critters of the forest.

“Hey Zecora!” Twilight began when Zecora came out of her home to welcome her. “I brought the books you wanted.”

“Kind ponies. I thank you for delivering what told.”

“Glad to help!”

“But you do not want to remain for the events that will unfold,” the zebra suddenly warned. “Hurry back to Ponyville you two must. For the darkness this night you cannot trust.”

With that, Zecora returned in her home, and Twilight and Apple Bloom looked at each other in worry.

“Well, what the hay did that mean?” the filly wondered.

“I do not know what this is about, but we better go. Come on Apple Bloom.”

The two returned to the three other fillies who also looked worried, and the group began their journey to leave the forest, hurrying up a bit.

The three didn’t remember Zecora giving this warning that day.

But then, after a minute, they discovered the path blocked by a fallen tree.

“What the…? How in Equestria did this tree fall?” Twilight wondered.

“Maybe it was… ghosts?” Apple Bloom supposed.

“Oh silly. There is no such thing as ghosts,” the mare reassured, not seeing Black Apple and Timber Bloom stare at Apple Death holding a laugh. “Never mind. I’ll move it.”

At that, Twilight levitated the tree and threw it out of the way only to discover more trees blocking the path.

“Oh come ooon! Stay right there Apple Bloom, this may take a while.”

And the mare began the task of moving all the trees one by one.

Behind her, the fillies occupied themselves by looking around and starting small talks.

Suddenly, Apple Bloom spotted something unexpected: a gray furred, blonde maned filly crossed the path behind them, disappearing among the trees.

Not moving her eyes from where the filly disappeared, she shouted, “Hey, Twilight!”

“Not now Apple Bloom,” the unicorn replied as she remained focused on her task.

Apple Bloom hesitated. She promised Twilight to remain close, but she couldn’t let this filly wander the forest alone. It was almost dark.

“What’s going on, Apple Bloom?” Apple Death asked when she saw the younger filly’s worry.

“Ah saw a filly. Alone. She went ta the left. Into the trees.”

The fillies exchanged looks.

“What in Equestria is a filly doing alone in the Everfree Forest when it’s almost dark?” Timber Bloom wondered.

“And it wasn’t a filly Ah recognized from Ponyville. She had a gray coat and a long light blonde mane. Longer than Dinky’s, so he couldn’t be her,” Apple Bloom said.

Again, the fillies exchanged looks.

“What do we do? We promised ta remain with Twilight,” Apple Death asked.

“But we can’t leave that filly alone in the forest,” Black Apple said.

Apple Death bit her lips. “Everypony for searching the filly, raise a hoof.”

The four raised their hooves.

Apple Death sighed. “Sorry Twilight.” She looked at Apple Bloom. “Show us where ya saw the filly.”

Apple Bloom nodded, and she walked toward where she saw the filly disappear, the others following her. Walking among the trees, they found a new path among them that they hadn’t known existed. It was very dark here, so they made sure to remain together as they followed it.

“You out there?” Apple Bloom called to the filly, receiving no answer.

So they continued to follow the path for a while, looking around, Apple Bloom in worry, the others in warryness.

Then, they found a light among the trees. They followed it.

And to their surprise, they entered a small town that seemed to be in the middle of a party.

“Wha-How is there a town in the Everfree? How come we never found it?” Apple Death asked.

Not far at their left, a gray stallion with a black mane and, to their surprise, a blank flanc, said jovially, “Ah ah! Why hi there little fillies, and welcome to Sunny… Town…”

At that moment, the stallion saw something that he didn’t like, because he became very disappointed.

“Oh… You three have the mark.”

The fillies looked worried.

“Uh… The mark? What mark?” Black Apple asked.

“The mark…” the stallion growled as he closed his eyes. “The mark of the curse.”

Suddenly, before the fillies’ eyes, the stallion began to transform. His fur turned black as charcoal. His mane and tail became damp-like. He lost weight until he was pretty much skin and bones. Worse, some bones, especially his ribs, poked out of his skin. He then opened his eyes, revealing that they were now glowing red.

Behind him, the town suddenly lost its light, and the houses visibly rotted, partially collapsing. In an instant, the nice little town became a ruin right out of a horror story.

“The curse…” the stallion then said as he began to slowly advance toward the fillies. “We must destroy the curse. You have to go, like her.”

Timber Bloom began to growl at him.

Black Apple quickly pointed a leg toward the stallion, and out of it came a vine that pierced him in the chest. The stallion dropped on the ground.

However, after a few seconds, they saw him move again, putting a hoof to start to slowly rise.

“Let’s get out of here!” Timber Bloom exclaimed.

The fillies were ready to run, wanting to return to Twilight to better prepare to face this sudden new threat, but then…

“Wait!”

They stopped as Apple Bloom shouted.

“What about the filly? She’s still around there, somewhere!”

The fillies looked at each other hesitantly. She wasn’t wrong. Unless the filly had been just a lure to draw them to this town.

“Besides, this is an adventure, right? Ya said earlier that Ah’d get a Cutie Mark in an adventure, and look what we have here! Let’s find out more about this town!”

At that, Apple Bloom ran around the rising stallion who was clearly a zombie and into the village despite the protests of the others.

They groaned as they began to run after her.

“Were we that bad?” Timber Bloom wondered.

“According to Applejack, yes,” Black Apple said.

Apple Death saw a couple more zombies-it was hard to say if they were mares or stallions-approaching Apple Bloom. Rapidly, she turned into a ghost, levitated the closest zombie, and threw it very hard toward the second, causing the two of them to crash violently into a house that crumbled on them.

Apple Bloom, seeing that, stopped running to look in awe, then turned to look at Apple Death, seeing her skeletal ghost form. She got very terrified.

“Wh-what…”

Before the filly’s eyes, Apple death returned back to normal, except that whatever illusion had been making her look normal was gone because Apple Bloom could now see her bones through her now pale skin, her mane and tail were also paler, and her eyes were glowing purple behind the iris.

“There’s a reason why Ah’m called Apple Death, and it’s not just because Ah can kill whatever Ah touch. But don’t worry, Ah’m still a friend. Ya’ve nothing ta fear from me. Now let’s go out of this town before more of these zombies come.”

Apple Bloom shook her head, then looked around before she pointed at a building larger than the others.

“Wait! Maybe there’s something in this building? Maybe it’s the town hall?”

“What could we find in there?” Black Apple questioned.

“Ah don’t know, but if we want to find what’s going on, and find the filly too, it’s a good start ta search buildings that look suspicious, right?”

“All the buildings here look suspicious,” Apple Death said before she sighed. “Alright. But remain close ta us.”

So they entered the building and discovered that it wasn’t the town hall. Instead, it was a storehouse.

“If there’s anything in there, good luck finding it,” Timber Bloom said.

“Who is here?” they suddenly heard from the other side of a row of crates. The voice of a mare. “Whoever you are, you shouldn’t be here! Run before they get you!”

Apple Death immediately turned into a ghost again and flew above the crates to see who was speaking. There, at the other side of the row, was another zombie. However, this one was different. Instead of a black coat like the other zombies encountered until now, she had a red coat.

The zombie was very surprised to see her.

“What in Equus…?!”

More observation of the area showed to Apple death that the zombie was trapped. Large metallic crates were blocking the only path through the rows of smaller crates. There was also a crank for some reason.

She looked back at the mare who didn’t seem hostile contrary to the others.

“Who are ya? What’s going on here?”

“I should be the one asking that! What are you?”

“A very special ghost. Let’s go with that. No time ta explain more. Now, answer mah questions!”

“I… I’m Mitta. And… Since that terrible day where they killed her, the town has been trapped. Always the same party. Always the same events. Trapped forever… as those ghouls. They see it as a benediction. They can’t get the mark anymore as they are now. But I know what it is. A curse. A punishment for what we did. Doomed to walk these lands as monsters, unable to die, unable to touch another pony without spreading it. If only I had done more to protect her…”

Of course it had to be a curse. What were the chances?

“How do we destroy this curse?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think it can be destroyed.”

“Do ya have any hint at least? A gut feeling? A clue?”

“Maybe… Maybe… Where it all started.”

“And do ya have any idea where a filly could hide here?”

“A filly?”

“Yes. We saw a filly coming here. We went after her ta get her out of the forest. She must now be hiding somewhere.”

“There is nowhere to hide in this forsaken town. They are everywhere. If the filly has the mark, they will kill her. If she doesn’t have it, they will force her to join them.”

“What do ya call the mark?”

“The mark on your flank.”

“Oh! The Cutie Mark!”

“Cutie Mark?”

“Ya don’t know what’s a Cutie Mark?”

Mitta shook her head. “It started with a mark appearing on the flank. The ponies getting them were then forced to do what the marks represented. Then more and more marks appeared all over the body, the ponies couldn’t stop themselves from juggling and doing other tricks. More and more different tricks the more marks appeared on their bodies. Until, eventually, they dropped dead from fatigue. Many ponies died because of it. Gray Hoof saw it as a curse. Anypony getting a mark had to go, so the curse wouldn’t fall on Sunny Town again.”

Apple Death winced, “What ya’re describing, it’s the Cutie Pox. A disease that causes Cutie Marks ta appear all over the body and forces the ponies to do what they depict. Ah know, Ah got it long ago. But Cutie Marks aren’t a bad thing normally. They appear on yer flank when ya discover yer special talent. That’s all they are, a depiction of what ya’re good at. No curse.”

Mitta looked at Apple Death. Her expression was total despair. If she wasn’t a zombie, or ghoul, she would be crying. “You mean… She died for nothing?”

“Uh… Apple Death!” Timber Bloom shouted. “Ah can see zombies approaching! Hurry up!”

Apple death obviously wanted to ask more, but she sighed before she levitated the row of crates, opening a path for Mitta.

“Help us. Ah’m sure we can find a way ta destroy this curse. And hopefully, we’ll find that filly.”

Mitta nodded. Then she grabbed the crank before she walked under the crates which Apple Death dropped after. Mitta then saw the other fillies, and she couldn’t help looking at Timber Bloom in wonder.

She didn’t pose any question however, shaking her head before saying, “Remember, you can’t touch the ghouls. If they touch you, you become one of them.”

“Ah doubt Ah’ll become a ghoul if Ah’m touched,” Apple Death said.

“Me too,” Black Apple said.

“Me three,” Timber Bloom said. “Ah don’t think the curse’ll work on a timberwolf hybrid like me.”

The three then looked at Apple Bloom before they quickly surrounded her.

“No ghoul’ll pass us!” the three exclaimed determinedly.

Mitta stared at the four fillies, then shook her head again before saying, “Follow me.”

They then exited the building to find themselves surrounded by six ghouls, all black with red glowing eyes. Timber Bloom growled, daring them to approach.

“You freed Mitta,” one of the ghouls said.

“She is confused,” another said.

“She is for the curse.”

“We must keep her locked for her safety.”

Timber Bloom snorted. “Her safety my flank.”

One of the ghouls then approached, and Timber Bloom jumped on her, beginning to tear her apart with her fangs.

Meanwhile, Black Apple grew vines from her body and wrapped them around three ghouls’ legs to tear them off.

Apple Death grew impaled two ghouls with bones sprouting out of the ground under them.

Mitta took care of the last ghoul with a punch followed by pulling on the head to tear it off.

Apple Bloom looked in awe at her three counterparts. It was easy to see that they were used to fighting. Those ghouls were nothing for them.

Now, she wanted to be like them.

Mitta dropped the beheaded head and shouted, “Time to go!” before she walked away, further into Sunny Town. The fillies quickly followed her as the ghouls were already beginning to heal and get up.

“By the way, what does the filly you search look like? In case we see her,” the ghoul eventually asked.

Apple Bloom answered. “Gray coat and a long light blonde mane. Ah couldn’t see if she had a Cutie Mark.”

Mitta stopped in shock. “T-there is no way…” She shook her head to calm down. “No, you must speak of a different filly that looks like her. There is no way you saw her.”

“You know her?” Black Apple asked.

“I knew a filly with a gray coat and a blond mane, but…” She sighed. “You will see.”

They continued through the town, dealing with a couple more ghouls. Eventually, they reached the back of the town where they followed a path in the forest.

For a very brief moment, Apple Bloom saw gray disappearing behind a tree further down the path. “Ah saw the filly! Ah think! Hey! Wait up!” she shouted before she ran.

“Hey! We told ya ta remain close!” Timber Bloom shouted before the three visitors ran after her, followed by Mitta.

Eventually, they reached a lone house in the middle of the forest, in the dark. Apple Bloom went to open the door only to find out that it was locked.

“Uh? Locked? Where did she go then?”

The others quickly caught up.

“Apple Bloom! Don’t run off like that! Ya know it’s dangerous here!” Apple Death shouted.

Apple Bloom looked down in sadness. “Sorry. But Ah swear Ah saw the filly. Ah saw gray for a moment.”

Black Apple groaned. “Ah hope she hasn’t gone into the forest. It’ll be like searching for a needle in a haystack.”

Mitta stared at Apple Bloom, expressionless, before she went toward the well beside the house. She placed the crank, then turned it to lift the bucket, getting a key. Finally, she put the key in the lock of the door and turned, opening it.

“Come.”

The group entered the gloomy building which was revealed to be entirely empty except for a table at the left and a fireplace at the opposite side of the entrance.

Mitta walked toward the fireplace. “This is why there is no way the filly you saw is the filly I knew, and the origin of the curse.”

The four approached, then could only look in horror as they saw the skeleton of a foal in the fireplace. Apple Bloom was particularly horrified, visibly paling, and she couldn’t stop herself from taking a step back.

It was the first corpse she ever saw.

Mitta looked at the skeleton with a forlorn expression.

“Ruby… She was a little ball of sunshine. Always so full of energy. Always happy to help others. She was my best friend.”

She looked away from the corpse, toward the fillies who could see the pain in her eyes.

“That day, Gray Hoof had planned yet another party. I don’t even remember why. Gray Hoof made parties for any reason he could think of. Roneo wanted to use the occasion to give a gift to Starlet, a ruby, but he lost it. Ruby found it and gave it back to him. The next instant, a mark… a Cutie Mark appeared on her flanks. A magnifying glass.”

Several seconds of silence followed.

“Gray Hoof ordered her death right away, thinking that the mark was the curse returning to Sunny Town. They threw her in this fireplace to be burned alive. I couldn’t stop them. Then, that very night, we transformed into these… things, and Sunny Town got stuck in a loop. Gray Hoof saw it as a sign of eternal prosperity, a gift for having destroyed the curse preventively, and since then, he wants to give this benediction to other ponies to save them from getting the curse.

And yes, Ruby had a gray coat and a long light blonde mane.”

Apple Bloom was now visibly shaking. “C-Celestia… Ah swear… Ah saw a filly with a gray coat and a blonde man. Ah’m not crazy.”

Apple Death, Black Apple, and Timber Bloom exchanged looks, then all nodded at the same time while saying, “Ghost.”

Apple Bloom and Mitta looked at them for a moment. Then, the ghoul opened her mouth, ready to say something, only to look at Apple Death and remember that the impossible may be possible.

“You… You think she’s still here?”

“Very probably,” Apple Death said with a nod. “Upon dying, Ruby must have gotten a lot of resentment and must have cursed the town as a result, and she must now be wandering the surroundings as an angry ghost. Ha wouldn’t be surprised if the Everfree Forest helped her get the power to create this curse. Cursing a whole town isn’t nothing. And the only way to destroy it… would be ta put her to rest. Or capture her, but Ah don’t think anypony wants that.”

“So… We find Ruby, we talk ta her, and that’s it?” Timber Bloom asked.

“Ah think so. We still have ta find her however. It won’t be easy. Especially if she has the bad habit of disappearing. And all the while, we’ll have ta deal with the ghouls. While protecting Apple Bloom.” She looked at the youngest filly. “Ah think we should find Twilight and leave ya at Sweet Apple Acres. It’s too dangerous for ya to remain here.”

“But maybe Ah can help!”

Apple Death shook her head. “How?”

Apple Bloom opened her mouth, only to close it when she couldn’t think of anything. She finally sighed and said, “Alright…”

“Then let’s leave this town,” Apple Death said, and the others nodded. She looked at Mitta. “Of course, ya can come with us. With yer help, it’ll be easy explaining everything ta Twilight. With her help, we’ll be able ta destroy the curse, and Sunny Town.”

Mitta looked at the fillies, thinking for a moment, then nodded. “Very well.”

Before leaving the house, Apple Death looked at the skeleton in the fireplace, and after some thinking, turned into a ghost and levitated it.

“Getting her a burial should be a good start in calming her down.”

Finally, they left the house, returning to the town proper where they were welcomed by a dozen ghouls.

“There was no other way. She was going to spoil the party,” one of them, who they recognized as the stallion from the entrance, said.

“Your stupid party didn’t deserve the death of an innocent filly!” Mitta shouted.

“The curse had befallen her this very night. She had the mark! She had to go!” another ghoul, a mare, said.

“There was no curse,” Apple Death said.

Apple Bloom, full of rage, advanced and yelled, “Yeah! Her mark was harmless! It should have been the best day of her life, and ya ruined it! Ya killed her for nothing! Murderers!”

The ghouls now looked at her, one of them, a stallion, saying, “She doesn’t have a mark. We can save her.”

Apple Bloom gulped and stepped back, the others quickly placing themselves between her and the undeads.

“Ya won’t touch her,” Timber Bloom growled.

Black Apple raised a hoof and a black apple grew from it. Once it was fully grown, she grabbed it and threw it at the ghouls. The apple exploded upon impact with the group, spreading a cloud of spores that blinded everypony in it like a smokescreen.

“Come on,” Black Apple said before the group circled the cloud and ran away.

As they ran, more ghouls came out of the ground to try to stop them, but the fillies either avoided them or dealt with them. Eventually, they reached the entrance of the town and left, entering the forest.

Behind them, the ghoul who was Gray Hoof watched them escape for a moment before he buried himself into the ground.

On the path they took to reach Sunny Town, ghouls continued to come out of the ground, so they continued their strategy of avoiding them when possible, attacking them only when they had no other choice to avoid slowing down too much.

After several minutes, they reached the beginning of the path. However, to their surprise, they found small hoofprints leading further into the forest. They were too small to be the ones of a grown pony. They could only be the ones of a foal.

Apple Bloom gasped and said, “Ah think we found Ruby!” before she ran ahead, leaving behind the others, again.

“Wait! Consarnit, stop running ahead of us!” Apple Death shouted before the group followed her.

Apple Bloom followed the hoofprints into the forest.

At the end was a gray coated, blonde maned filly.

With a magnifying glass Cutie Mark.

With glowing yellow eyes. If it wasn’t for them, you would think she was a normal filly.

“I am sorry. I didn’t mean to bring you into this. I was just curious,” the filly said.

“Don’t be sad. Ah don’t blame ya,” Apple Bloom replied while the others caught up.

When Mitta saw the filly, she gasped and put a hoof before her mouth in shock. “Ruby… You are really here…”

Before more could be said, the ghouls appeared behind them, and more came out of the ground all around. Apple Death, Black Apple, and Timber Bloom immediately surrounded Apple Bloom and Ruby, ready to defend the youngest member of the group.

Ruby smiled sadly at the mare. “Mitta… I am sorry you were caught in it.”

“No, I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to protect you! I totally deserve this curse!”

Ruby shook her head. “Don’t say that. You did what you could.” She then looked at Apple Bloom. “As for you, don’t worry, your friends will get you out of here alive. The purple mare will soon come.”

“Wait. How about, instead, ya put an end to this curse?” Apple Bloom hesitantly asked as she looked around at the approaching ghouls.

Timber Bloom growled.

Black Apple glared at the ghouls, then said, “Timber Bloom, attack!”

Timber Bloom stopped growling and glared at Black Apple.

Apple Death facehooved. “Not the time, Black Apple.”

Finally, the three began to attack the ghouls. Apple Death sent purple electricity, making them yell in pain. Black Apple planted her front hooves in the ground, causing vines to sprout under the ghouls to ensnare them. And Timber Bloom jumped from ghoul to ghoul, using her superior strength to tear their heads off very easily.

Meanwhile, Ruby stared at Apple Bloom, then tilted her head.

“Why would I do that?”

“Erh… Because? It’s the right thing ta do?” Apple Bloom replied, again hesitantly.

A ghoul managed to get past Timber Bloom. Mitta hesitantly looked between it and Ruby before she decided to trust Apple Bloom and went to help against the ghouls.

Ruby shook her head. “These ponies are monsters. They deserve to be monsters forever.”

“What about the innocents who risk ta become ghouls?”

“Nopony ever finds Sunny Town. You and your friends only found it because of me. Once you escape, the town will disappear and won’t reappear for at least a century. By then, nopony will know about its existence anymore, and so, it will not be found anymore.”

“Apple Bloom!” a familiar voice was suddenly heard.

Then, from the darkness between the trees appeared Twilight, light coming out of her horn. The light caused the ghouls to step back.

However, one said, “The filly with the bow is trying to put an end to our paradise. We must stop her. Don’t mind the light.”

Ruby looked around at the ghouls not escaping. “Uh… This wasn’t planned…”

Meanwhile, Twilight saw the battle going on and got paralyzed by fear. Whether it was after seeing the ghouls, Apple Death’s ghost form, or Timber Bloom shredding them savagely, they weren’t sure.

But then, Twilight saw Apple Bloom in the middle of all this, then what the ghoul said registered, and she immediately understood that she had to get over her fear to protect her charge. So she blasted the ghouls left and right, creating an opening.

“Girls! Let’s go!” she shouted.

By now, it was easy to guess that every ghouls in Sunny Town were present. Dozens of them surrounded the fillies. No more were coming out of the ground.

Ruby looked back toward Apple Bloom. “Listen to her. Go. Leave this place.”

“But… But… And the curse…”

“This is their punishment for eternity. I will not end it. Now go. Hurry up.”

Apple Bloom gritted her teeth, then stomped a hoof on the ground stubbornly. “No! Ah won’t leave things as they are! Ah’ll end this curse!”

“Apple Bloom!” Twilight shouted as she blasted a ghoul.

Apple Bloom didn’t listen. “Ya say that Sunny Town will never be found again after today, but ya don’t know! It already happened once, it’d happen again someday! In one hundred years! In two hundred! In one thousand! There’s always a risk that things’ll go wrong! So plea-”

Suddenly, she felt something touch her back right hoof.

Immediately, she felt cold spreading in her leg.

Before her, Ruby looked at her leg, and her eyes widened in shock and horror.

Apple Bloom’s heart skipped a beat as she understood but didn’t want to believe. Slowly, she looked down at her leg…

And saw a ghoul, half out of the ground, touching her leg.

The ghoul was grinning.

Her leg was turning black and emaciated.

It was spreading.

Around, everypony was staring in shock and horror, the battle pausing for a moment.

“You will be one of us now,” said who she recognized was Gray Hoof. “You will see, you won’t regret it. You will be free of the curse, and we will party together forever!”

Apple Bloom couldn’t say a word. She looked between Gray Hoof and the black, the cold, reaching her right flank.

Then she looked at Gray Hoof again, and she saw red.

“GO TA TARTARUS, GRAY HOOF!” she roared before she bucked him in the head, sending the head flying into the forest.

The cold was spreading to her other back leg.

Apple Bloom looked at where the head disappeared, taking big breaths, before she heard Ruby talk. She looked back toward the filly ghost who was now panicking.

“NonononoNONONONONONO! NO! NO! NO! I DIDN’T WANT THIS! WHY DIDN’T YOU LISTEN TO ME?! YOU SHOULD HAVE GONE TO SAFETY WHEN I TOLD YOU!”

Apple Bloom chuckled. “Apple Family stubbornness…”

The cold was reaching her chest.

Then, Apple Bloom wrapped her legs around Ruby, surprising the ghost.

She was shaking.

“Ah know that what they did ta ya is horrible. Ya didn’t deserve ta die. Not like that. Those murderers deserve Tartarus. But… Ya shouldn’t remain trapped here because of them. Ya should be free. In peace. Up there. And this curse must end. I-it’s d-dangerous.”

Ruby wrapped her legs around Apple Bloom, crying. “I’m sorry! You are right! I should have listened! I should have never placed this curse! But I was so angry! And now, you are… I’m so sorry!”

“W-well then. M-make s-s-sure Ah’m the l-last v-victim. A-a-alright?”

Ruby felt a hoof on her back, and she looked around to see Mitta smiling at her.

“Come on, Ruby. Let’s end this. Let’s be at peace together.”

Ruby stared at Mitta, then nodded. “Yes.” Then, she looked back at Apple Bloom and squeezed one last time. “I’m sorry. I will make it right.” Finally, she removed her legs from around Apple Bloom and stepped backward. “Once I’m gone, the ghouls will be vulnerable. Attack their brains, and they will die, for good. And… Thank you, for opening my eyes.”

She closed her eyes.

A breeze came for a second.

She wasn’t here anymore.

See you again one day, my friend.

Everything was silent

Timber Bloom then looked at the ghoul nearest to her and jumped at it, planting her claws into its head. As she removed them, the ghoul dropped.

Lifeless.

“Like the ghost said! They’re now vulnerable! Let’s end this!” she yelled.

The ghouls all had the same reaction. “Oh buck!”

What followed was a carnage.

After watching the fillies for a bit, looking in sadness at Apple Bloom, Twilight glared at the ghouls and decided to join the carnage. They will pay for Apple Bloom! These monsters won’t harm another innocent!

While this happened, Mitta looked at Apple Bloom. “Thank you for freeing Ruby.”

The filly’s glowing red eyes stared at nothing before her. “................What will ya do… now…?”

“I… I want to join Ruby. I want to rest in peace too. So, I will let myself be killed.”

“Wish granted,” a familiar voice said behind the mare before she was suddenly pushed into the ground. Gray Hoof revealed himself behind her, and he walked to her head before he violently stomped on it, crushing it.

“Mitta!” Apple Bloom shouted.

Gray Hoof glared at the filly. “Look at what you have done! We gave you our benediction, and this is how you thank us?! We would have accepted you in Sunny Town! Free of the mark! You would have been part of our family! We would have partied together for all of eternity! But now, the party is ruined! You ruined it! You ruined everything! This is the end because you couldn’t accept us! Despite our gift! You little…”

Apple Bloom listened to the rant, gritting her teeth more and more, before she finally snapped.

“ShutupshutupshutupSHUTUP!!!”

Grabbing one of her ribs, she jumped toward Gray Hoof and planted her rib in his eye, silencing him. The stallion dropped on the ground, and the filly repeatedly stabbed him with her rib.

“DIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIED-”

Her leg was suddenly held back. She immediately turned to glare at whoever stopped her, seeing Apple Death.

“Stop it, Apple Bloom. It’s over. He's dead. They’re all dead.”

Apple Bloom looked around, seeing that she was right. All the ghouls were dead.

Then, she looked at her hooves.

Her red hooves.

“No… There’s still a ghoul…”

She then curled up, and Apple Death hugged her right away.

“Wait.” She looked at her hooves again. “Why am Ah red? Shouldn’t Ah be black?”

“Well, it’d seem that when Ruby hugged ya for the last time, she… changed ya a bit. The red is probably ta tell that ya’re friendly, like Mitta.”

“Oh…”

“Ah wouldn’t be surprised too if she made it so ya don’t turn other ponies into ghouls when ya touch them. Or maybe it’ll be a result of the curse ending.”

“Ah… hope…”

Apple Bloom then curled up again.

“It doesn’t change that Ah’m now a monster… Forever… Ah’ll never get a Cutie Mark… Ah’ll never grow up… Ah… Ah… Ah’ll be a-a-aloooone!”

She began to cry, without tears.

Black Apple and Timber Bloom looked guiltily at their undead counterpart before they joined Apple Death in giving her a group hug.

Twilight also approached them, looking guilty too. When she got close enough, the light emitting from her horn caused Apple Bloom to return to normal.

“It’s my fault. I should have refused to let you come with me.”

Apple Death shook her head. “Ya had no way to guess that something so bad was here. None of us had. We took the path ta Zecora dozens of times before, and nothing ever happened. Also, it’s our fault. We told ya that Apple Bloom had nothing ta fear with us at her side. We should have insisted ta go once we discovered the ghouls.”

It was Apple Bloom’s turn to shake her head. “No. It’s mah fault. Ya’ll tried many times ta put me ta safety, but Ah refused ta listen. Ah wanted ta defeat the ghouls. Ah wanted ta see if Ah’d get a Cutie Mark at the end of this adventure, like Apple Death told me it could happen. But now…”

Silence followed, the only sound being Apple Bloom’s crying.

“If…” Black Apple hesitantly began. “If it can reassure ya, ya won’t be alone. Ah’ll… live a pretty long time, too. And Apple Death’ll live forever. There are also Sweetie Void, Shadow Speedster, Phantom, Sweetie Ghoul, and Scootabot. And maybe Timber Bloom and Siren Belle. Sirens are very long-lived apparently, if not totally ageless, and Timberwolves don't get old. Not sure if their mutations include that.”

“Wait… Sweetie Ghoul?”

“Oh yeah. The Sweetie Belle who looked normal. She’s actually an undead. Well, more exactly, a ghost possessing her own body, but close enough. And Scootabot is a ghost possessing a robotic body. So, yeah, ya aren’t the only undead. Well, ya’re the only true undead, but like Ah said, close enough.”

“Also, ya may be different now, but don’t worry about Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Yer friendship with them is stronger than that. And AJ, Big Mac, and Granny Smith’d rather die than abandon ya,” Apple Death said.

Timber Bloom nodded. “Ah was accepted despite being part timberwolf. The worse ya’ll have ta worry about are the Flower Sisters fainting when seeing ya.”

Apple Death giggled. “Yeah. And a ghoul living in Ponyville will be nothing compared ta what’s awaiting this town. It should help that ya’ll look normal when not in the dark.”

Twilight became thoughtful. “Speaking of it. Thanks to that, you don’t even need to tell everypony that you are a ghoul if you don’t want them to know. If you look normal when in daylight, then it will be as if nothing happened. Of course, you will still have to tell your family, at least.”

“It’ll only help for a bit,” Apple Death reminded. “She won’t grow up anymore, so ponies will eventually see that something’s wrong. But it’ll at least give her time.” She looked at Apple Bloom. “Something ta think about in the following months. Talk with yer family and yer friends ta prepare together for when ya’ll have ta do the big reveal.”

Apple Bloom looked at everypony in turn. “So… Ah guess… It’s not so bad?”

Apple Death shook her head. “Oh, trust us, it’s very bad what ya went through, and it sucks a lot that ya’re now an undead. It’s a big change for ya. But yeah, at least, ya won’t have ta go through this alone. Ya’ll have yer family, yer friends, and even us. Yes, we’ll definitely come back regularly to keep tabs on ya.”

Apple Bloom smiled hesitantly. “Thank ya.” She hugged all of them. “Thank y'all.”

Twilight looked for a bit, then slowly put a hoof on Apple Bloom. Seeing that her leg wasn’t turning black, she joined the hug, showing her support.

Author's Note

Have a scary Halloween!

If you want to see the aftermath with everypony's reaction to what happened, tell me. I'm not sure if it would be ok to write it, or if it would be superfluous.