"Here it is," Scootaloo said as she opened the box. "It's a genuine Ouija board! Rainbow Dash played it last year with the girls, and it scared Fluttershy so much they had to stop. Ooo~!" she added with a spooky wave of her hooves.
"That ain't a surprise, Scoots," Apple Bloom said in disbelief. "That pony’s afraid of her own shadow."
"Yea!" Sweetie Belle chimed in too. "But, we're not actually talking to ghosts, right?"
"Mwahaha!" Scootaloo laughed. "The spirit realm is the closest to ours near Nightmare Night, and we can see all manner of ghosts and ghouls running about if you know where to look, or listen for those little bumps in the night. But with this, we’ll be able to talk directly to them!"
"I don't know..." Sweetie said hesitantly as she looked outside. It was dark and raining, with only a few candles in the clubhouse lighting up the space. A low rumble of thunder could be heard nearby.
Scootaloo shook her head, "Relax, it's not actually that scary. You just ask a few questions and get some answers." She pulled it out between the three of them. The board had all the letters of the ponish alphabet, numbers zero to nine, and three words on it: yes, no, and goodbye.
The three of them all put their forehooves on the wooden planchette and waited.
"So... any ghosts here?" Scootaloo asked, and waited. The planchette slowly drifted to YES.
Sweetie gasped.
"No way!" Apple Bloom said as she shared a glance with the others.
"See!" Scootaloo cheered. "Easy. Sweetie, you ask it some questions!"
"Um... ok," she said as she moved the planchette: A-G-E
"That's not how you..." Scootaloo mumbled a little, but the indicator started drifting over to 9-2. "Wow, isn't that like how old your Granny is, Bloom?"
"Scoots!" Apple Bloom scolded. She couldn't help but feel a shiver down her spine at the implication, but shook her head after thinking about it for a moment. "No, Granny Smith ain't nearly that young! And she ain't no ghost!"
Sweetie tried another question: N-A-M-E
But the spirit quickly signaled GOODBYE.
"Scootaloo!" Sweetie scolded too. "You scared them off!"
Scootaloo shook her head. "No, it's fine! I bet there are a bunch more ghosts to talk to. Uh... any other ghosts around?" She looked a little sheepish, until it went over YES again. "Yes!" Scootaloo cheered. "How many brains have you eaten?"
Sweetie facehoofed, but Apple Bloom stared intently at it moving right to 1.
Scootaloo scoffed, "Oh, that's not too ma-" It shifted over to 8. "Eighteen! That's way too many! Are you like some crazy zompony?! Eating brains of everypony you see?"
The planchette held for a few moments, but then quickly shifted to GOODBYE.
"You're going to get us cursed!" Sweetie Belle yelled. "If anypony comes haunting me, I'm telling them where you live instead!"
"Alright," Apple Bloom quickly took her turn as the two argued a little more, moving the planchette around the board. "My turn... M-O-M... mom?" she said curiously, hopeful even as she stared at the indicator, waiting for it to move. Her curious smile started to fade the longer it went on, until she glanced around.
The room was quiet as Scootaloo and Sweetie gave each other a concerned look.
Scootaloo took her hooves off the planchette to hold her friend, "It's ok, Apple Bloom. Sometimes it just doesn't-"
"Achoo!" Sweetie sneezed, shoving the planchette directly to YES.
They all looked shocked as they stared, but Sweetie's face started to turn horrified. "I'm sorry, Apple Bloom! I didn't mean that, it was an accident!"
"That's... alright…" Apple Bloom said with a small sigh.
"I think that's enough of this for now," Scootaloo said as she stood up and started to put the board away. It was quiet the whole time, until she plopped herself right down beside Apple Bloom, "Now how about that candy? I got my whole route planned out this year! Right down to the second. But I think I can get to more houses if I use my scooter and really push it this year."
"Oh yea, and Rarity made me the purrfect costume this year!" Sweetie said with a smirk. "We're going as a pair of cats! Well, I'm a kitten, but it works."
Apple Bloom started to smile, "I'm going as an apple this year!"
Scootaloo looked at her skeptically. "Don't you go as an apple every year?"
"Yea! I know, it's great, right?"
The three of them all started giggling and chatting until they started to head to bed. But as they were trying to sleep, Apple Bloom kept her eyes on the Ouija board, wondering if the impossible could ever happen.
Apple Bloom couldn't get to sleep.
She tossed and turned through the night, but each time her eyes were drawn back to that board. The others had passed out an hour or two ago. Now she was all alone, listening to the slowing rain on the roof, and the thunder that was getting quieter in the distance.
With quiet hooves, she got out of her blankets and crept over to the board. As carefully as she could, she got it set back up in the dark; luckily a few parted clouds let some of the moonlight through, enough that she could faintly see. She grabbed the planchette and glanced around; her friends were still asleep.
Apple Bloom's lips trembled as she tried to speak the words, just barely giving it enough voice to whisper out a soft, "M-Mom?"
She glanced down at the wooden indicator, wondering if it was all in her head, if she was just being a silly filly playing with a toy in the dark. But before she knew it, it was slowly gliding on the board. She felt hopeful, but was it just her own hooves? Was it just her doing it? Either way, it moved to YES.
She gulped, mouth suddenly feeling parched as she tried to think of what else to even say.
"Is... is Dad there too?"
The pause was long, but slowly she felt her hooves move the planchette like they had a mind of their own. Slowly it went to NO. She could feel her stomach drop. But, if her mother was here, that was still something.
"Can... can I see you?" she asked.
YES
She felt a shiver down her neck, like the room suddenly got cooler. She glanced at her surroundings anxiously, yet still daring to hope for the best. It was dark and she was the only one up.
She felt a tickle on her mane. It was like something brushing past it, and it wasn't her imagination. She spun around quickly, but there was nothing there. Nothing at all. She shivered again as she felt herself moving the planchette down the board, right towards GOODBYE. Her eyes went wide and she snatched the indicator up, cradling it, protecting it from giving her that dreaded word.
Her heart was pounding in her chest. It was too much. She felt like she wanted to stay, but wanted to run. To desperately hold on, but having no idea what to grasp. To keep going? Or had she already gone far enough? She squeezed her eyes tight and hugged that planchette with all she had.
In the morning, her friends departed and she headed home to catch up on chores and other work around the house. It was strange, but she couldn't help but feel somepony was watching over her through the day; a small chill when there was no wind, or even a mysterious bump where there was nopony around. She tried to put it out of her mind as best as she could, but eventually the day was over and she was back laying in bed.
She was still tired from yesterday, not having slept well at all. The cooler air from this time of year had her reaching for another blanket and tossing it on to keep the chill out. She'd get some good sleep tonight and it would be all fine in the morning.
But she licked her dry lips a little, thoughts drifting to a nice cool glass of water. Granny might have added a bit too much salt in tonight’s roasted apples.
With great effort, she got up from the warm confines of her bed. It was simple enough, getting to the sink and quenching her thirst. Granny Smith was just finishing up in the living room, getting ready for bed too. Apple Bloom put down the glass and started heading back but something seemed off.
That darn chill rolled down her spine again, but her ears flicked at a strange sound.
"Ooo~!" it called out in a low moan.
Her eyes went wide, remembering Scootaloo doing the same spooky ghost noise. She started trotting towards it. Her brother's room was open and nopony was in there, but her sister's was firmly closed.
"Ooooo~!" it moaned out again.
"I knew it!" she said to herself. "There's a ghostie in here!"
Quickly as she could, she reached for the door and tried to pull it open. It was locked. She banged on the door a few times, but saw Granny Smith coming up the hallway. "Granny! I think our parents are in the room! I can hear them!”.
Granny Smith came hobbling over and listened for a few moments. "Quiet down!" she hollered as she banged her hoof hard on the door. "That just ain't natural!"
Apple Bloom's gasped. It was supernatural alright! Granny said it herself. "Don't worry, I can help if you let me in!"
"You best get to bed, youngin'."
Apple Bloom stomped her hooves, "But ah wanna see!"
"Not another one," Granny Smith said with a sigh. "No. You get to bed, run along now!" The filly frowned, grumbling as she made her retreat into her room. Granny banged on the door a few more times before the ghostly noises soon quieted down.
Apple Bloom shut the door and plopped herself down into bed again. So close to seeing it, but yet so far. She couldn't believe Granny would stop her like that! She huffed a few more times but started to settle, closing her eyes again and trying to get to sleep, but something kept nagging at her. Almost like somepony was watching her, yet even as she looked, no pony was there.
It wasn't until she felt herself starting to drift off she heard a small whisper in the air, "I love you, Apple Bloom." Quiet enough, that she wasn't even sure she had heard it, but she still tiredly said, "I love you too, Mom." She squeezed her eyes closed again, grabbing the blanket for comfort.
She opened her eyes again and looked at the window.
Turquoise eyes stared back at her.
"W-what?" she said as she snapped up and rubbed her own eyes. But they were gone by the time she looked again, blown away in the small breeze outside.
She jumped out of bed and galloped down the hall. "Applejack! Applejack!" she yelled desperately, pounding on the door until it finally opened.
Applejack's hair was a mess and she looked exhausted. "Apple Bloom, we're busy!" she said harshly, but then softened a little. "And Mom ain't here."
"But she is! Ah saw her!"
"No! You didn't!" Applejack said matter of factly. She pointed down the hall. "Now git on to bed! It's already late and you got chores in the mornin’!"
Apple Bloom stood there with her mouth hanging until her face finally dropped again in defeat, "Yes, Sis..." she said as she went to bed for the final time that night.
Another day, like any other: chores, breakfast, chores, lunch, chores, friends, chores, dinner, chores, bed. She was able to sneak in some time with friends to finally show off their costumes for tomorrow’s Nightmare Night, but her mind was still elsewhere.
That feeling of being watched was only more intense today, and strange things were happening. Not bad, but things were almost lining up into place where they shouldn't have: a missed apple landing right in the bucket, a slip and tumble with her shiny apple costume, but landing right on her hooves. She even found a shiny coin buried deep in the dense grass. How anypony could have found it was almost a miracle in itself. It looked like it could have been there for decades, but she saw the shine just right.
As much as she'd like to pretend she wasn't constantly thinking about the last two nights, she was. She was a lot. She was constantly glancing over her shoulders through the day, hoping to see something. It felt strange, but when she went to bed, she held that coin in her hooves, cuddling it as she drifted off.
"Apple Bloom."
Apple Bloom squeezed her eyes tight as she heard it. It was past midnight now, probably nearly morning! Why was her sister calling her? "Nnngh..." she groaned out.
"Apple Bloom."
That didn't sound like her sister, and it wasn't outside. She felt a chill in the air like none other, one that even the blankets couldn't keep out. She glanced at the mare in the middle of the room, and the eyes staring back at her.
Turquoise eyes.
"M-Mom?" she said as a small tear fell down her face.
Her form was ethereal and tinged blue, but the cream coloured fur, and peachy mane and tail were still noticeable. It was almost like looking through the family photobooks of Pear Butter herself, but she was real. "I'm here," she sniffed. "I'm here, Apple Bloom."
The filly couldn't have run fast enough, flinging the blankets to the side and galloping right over to hug her. Her hooves felt fur and she hugged on tightly. "I miss you so much!"
"I know, Apple Bloom," she said, hugging back just as hard. "I missed you too."
The touch felt icy cold, like she'd freeze if she kept holding on, but it warmed her heart too much to ever want to let go.
"You've grown so much."
"I did!" Apple Bloom said excitedly and spun around in a circle. "I even got my cutie mark now! There's so much I want to tell you!"
"That's amazing! I could listen for days, and I hope you tell me all about it soon… but I need your help and I don't have much time. It's the only time of the year I can see you, so you have to listen carefully."
Apple Bloom nodded firmly, but her face was a mix of emotions. It was important, but she was still so excited, yet still had that feeling of dread that this could all be a dream and just fade off at any time. The urge to just jump over and hug her forever was hard to resist.
"There's a few things I had in mind... "
Channeling her best Twilight Sparkle impression, Apple Bloom was able to make a small checklist on a scrap piece of paper. "So... you need me to poke holes in some of my sister's balloons, replace some of her candy, and... give her a potion?" Apple Bloom said back as she went though the list. "That's it?"
"That should be enough!"
"Huh," Apple Bloom said simply, looking over the surprisingly short list. "So, we're kind of just giving them a few tricks on Nightmare Night? Like a bunch of pranks!"
"Um... yes?" Pear Butter said. A small smirk grew on Apple Bloom's face. "Yes! Exactly!"
Apple Bloom was already on board with whatever, but getting back at Applejack for yelling at her yesterday would be icing on the apple cake. "Ah can do that!"
By now the sky outside was starting to get lighter; sunrise was fast approaching. Even though she had barely slept, she felt energy coursing through her as they planned. They even pulled one of the two books that Apple Bloom owned down from the shelf: a large recipe book of several potions that she had been learning with.
"Fertile... lily potion?" Reading was hard, but she sounded the letters out more or less.
"That's right," her mother said reassuringly, as they looked at the ingredients together. They had almost everything except for a rare flower. "I know where that grows nearby."
They both listened as they heard hoofsteps throughout the house. The rest of the family seemed to be waking now. Apple Bloom went to the window, waiting until she saw Applejack and Big Mac heading out to do their early morning chores. "Now's our chance!" she said as she opened the door, but her mother just phased through the walls like they weren't even there. "Wow!"
"Hehe, a little trick I picked up, well... from being a ghost."
They were able to sneak into Applejack's room easily enough. Pear Butter took watch while Apple Bloom looked in the drawer next to the bed. It smelled weird in there, and Apple Bloom looked to her mother, wondering if she could even smell it too in her state. "So, umm... what's it like being a ghost?"
Her mother hesitated for a few moments, her face tense but then softening a little. "It's... well you don't get to come back and see anypony. Let's just say I'd rather have been here. Did you find them?"
"Got 'em right here!" Apple Bloom had the individually wrapped balloon in her hooves, and with one poke of a needle each, it was all done. She could only giggle, imagining Applejack trying to blow them up, but they would always deflate from the tiny hole. The secret stash of special candies were there too, lined up in several rows of seven, but she'd just have to come back here later to replace them after she grabbed tonight’s candy haul. They didn't look tasty at all, but that's probably why they were all fancy and hidden, and whatnot.
As quietly as they came in, they left and made their way outside. "Hehe, they won't even know it was us at all!" Apple Bloom cheered as they trotted down the road into the trees. Well, Apple Bloom trotted, her mother floated above her.
"You did such a good job! I knew I could count on you!" Pear Butter gave her a small icy pat on the head as they continued on. But the place they were going to was getting more familiar, right until they arrived at a beautiful clearing in the middle of the forest. It was almost magical with the centerpiece: two swirled trees: one of apple, and another of pear. Several orange flowers grew around it.
"This is where you and Dad got married!" She stared in awe as she looked around. Her mother only caressed the back of her head. "And the flowers!" She ran over, eagerly picking them up. "How did you know they were there?"
Pear Butter couldn't help but give a sly smirk. "I have my ways."
They trotted back the way they came. With the two Apple siblings out in the field, it was easy to get around without any pesky questions. It didn't take too long to make the potion with her kit at home. The potion gave a pleasant fizz as the flower was added; the last special ingredient. It turned into a bright pink, before cooling off into a sweet orange colour; a great addition to some sweet apple tea for Applejack's lunch.
"Apple Bloom! Where are you?" she heard a call from outside. She looked out the window and it was Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle walking down the road in their costumes.
"Mom! It's my friends!" She bounced excitedly. "You have to come see us and meet them! They'll be so amazed!"
Her mother didn't share the same enthusiasm, looking more forlorn than anything. "I..." Apple Bloom's face started to drop. "I can't. I can only see you, and..." She looked out the window at the approaching fillies. "I can’t be here for that long."
"N-no..."
"I love you so much, Apple Bloom! I wish I could." She grabbed her tight, hugging as hard as they did when they met in the early morning. "I wish I got to spend more time with you, with all of you."
Apple Bloom felt a pit in her stomach, realizing she was the only one who even got this gift. "W-wait! You can't stay just a little bit longer? See Applejack and Big Mac again? Granny Smith? Just stay for brunch!" she said with eyes that could melt a ghost's heart.
"It'll be ok, but I have to go now," she said as she floated out of the hug, smiling even if she looked just as pained. "I'll see you soon, again next year. I promise."
"No! Don't go! Why can't you st-"
"Apple Bloom!" the two fillies cheered as they burst through her bedroom door. She looked back to her mother, but all she saw were those turquoise eyes disappearing in an ethereal breeze.
It was hard not to break down in front of her friends, even as they went out to get candy later in the day. It was a record haul they brought in, which seemed luckier than any of them thought possible. But the day came to an end, and she was left alone in her room, tears flowing until she went to sleep that night.
And the next.
And the next.
True to her word, she finished helping with the plans. Those candies were swapped out, and Apple Bloom diligently prepared Applejack a glass of sweet apple tea until the special potion ran dry. That checklist would have been done if she actually got around to marking it off, but it laid in the corner as a reminder. The hauntings in Applejack's room seemed to continue, even though her mother never came by again.
It got better over time, but there still was that hole that never healed. Her tears dried by the time it was Hearth's Warming, and when Applejack had let everypony know they were expecting.
"Do you think ah can name the filly?" Apple Bloom asked as soon as she heard.
"What makes you think it's going to be a filly?" Applejack and Big Mac asked with an amused smile.
She just knew. Something in her said it had to be.
A small tear fell from Applejack's eye as soon as she heard the name.
Little Apple Butter was born in the fall. Apple Bloom knew her mother kept her promise when the little filly looked up with those turquoise eyes.
Author's Note
The first two suggestions on Shakespearicles's list kind of stuck with me for most of the month, and it quickly turned into this story! Also, remember not to follow the plans of ghosts as they may have their own agenda and could lead to unexpected consequences. If you like this story, please like and let me know with a comment!
This fic was written for the Cloptober Wincest Contest
