A warm gush of wind flows through Applejack’s fur as the mare returns to her senses. As she awakes and her eyelids become light and flutter open, a golden gradient of white and dark blue can be seen on the black horizon. A small tingly feeling can be felt in her knees, her back hoof, and her belly, soon bringing back the memories of what happened to them yesterday. Her throat promptly becomes dry and her stomach begins to rumble as if on cue. The mare groans in irritation to her body and slowly lifts her head from the dusty rock where it rested. Her mind retraces what has happened to her as she stretches, back to the point where she was on the plateau looking up at the night sky, before being interrupted by a sharp pain in her head.

“Ow,” she moans, “my head…”

“Figures,” a stallion’s voice replies from behind, “you nearly died after hallucinating for a good couple of minutes.” Applejack leaps forward in fright and turns around to the origin of this new voice, ready for a fight. Upon looking around, she sees a stallion slightly larger than her, draped head to hoof in black clothing, standing only a few centimeters from where she slept. She’s unable to see what he looks like underneath because of the darkness of the night and the shadowy clothing he wears on him.

“Wh-who are you?”

“Name’s not important. Just refer to me as the stallion that saved your life.”

“What are you? The Ghost Pony I presume?”

“The Ghost Pony?” A dry chuckle belts out as the mysterious stallion’s body shivers in laughter. ”They still use that name for-haha! I would’ve thought they’d change it by now…”

“So, are you him?”

“Well, that depends. Do you want me to be him?”

“What does that mean? Are you the legendary Ghost Pony or not?”

“What gives you the idea that I am the Ghost Pony?”

“I don’t know, you did save my life.”

“Hahaha!”

“What’s so funny now?”

“Can’t a pony do some good these days and not be labeled a ghost? If that’s the case, most ponies better be off dead than alive-HA!”

“Quit makin’ fun of me! You just seem to come out of nowhere and rescued me for no reason. The most logical conclusion is that you are him.”

“Logic huh? Trying to tackle paranormal ideals, or any ideals of that matter, with logic? What a laugh. If I was a logical pony at this here point, I could very simply kill you in this weak and pathetic state, take all of your valuables, and none would be the wiser. The world isn’t a very logical place my dear.”

“Well, fine, I can see it like that. But if you aren’t the Ghost Pony, what are you even doing here in the first place?”

“What are you doing out here, if you’re not the Ghost Pony?”

“Looking for him.”

“Why?”

“I have my reasons that you don’t need to put your nose into. How about you?”

“It’s a long story. Let’s just say that I have some unfinished business to take care of out here, I’m tied to this here land so to speak.”

“What business?”

“Helping idiots like you not die out here for one.”

“Excuse me? What gives you the gall to call me an idiot?”

“Well for starters, the shoddy work on your preparations. How long did you plan on staying out here?”

“A day and a night.”

“Are you serious? With this setup, I expected an hour or two at most.”

“Look who’s calling the kettle black. I don’t see any fancy schmancy gear on you except for that little canister on your flank.”

“I never really needed much food or water. I’ve grown used to the barren desert so to speak. Want some water?”

“Really? After insulting me, you’re expecting me to just take your generosity?”

“Well, if you want to be dehydrated for the rest of your time here, be my guest.”

“…Fine...” An orange red aura glows around the black canteen on the stranger’s body and begins to hover towards the orange pony. The lid unscrews as the water canister is caught in Applejack’s hooves. Lifting the very warm metal canteen to her lips, water then pours into her system. It is warm as well, but Applejack doesn’t mind, as her body once again rejuvenates and her mind begins to clear up. “Sorry I drank the whole thing, I just,”

“It’s fine. You’ll need every drop if you’re going to make it back to that town alive.”

“Appeloosa?”

“That’s the name of the town? I see.”

“Well, do you mind pointing to me the right direction?”

“You have a compass with you. Are you saying that you don’t know how to work the thing?”

“…Yes…”

“Gah, idiot…” At black figure lifts a hoof to the right of Applejack’s head. “That way. About a four hour walk in your condition. Not a hoof left nor a hoof right.”

“Thanks.”

“Is that all?”

“Wait a moment,” Applejack quickly snaps her head to her knees to find them barely scarred, as if her previous injuries vanished overnight. “How did you even…”

“A lot of things can be accomplished with a little bit of magic and secrets of the desert.”

“Okay…”

“Just don’t strain yourself, I’m not too sure if I was able to get rid of all of the glass in your hoof and heal it, so take caution. There also maybe some snake poison still in ya.”

“Okay. Thanks again. Seeing as you’re not the Ghost Pony, I won’t bother you and leave you be.”

“Who said I wasn’t the Ghost Pony?”

“So you are?!”

“Who said I was?”

“Hey! Are you or are you not? It’s that simple of a question.”

“Why do you want to know?”

“Why do you have to keep it so secret?”

“I don’t know, maybe you want to exorcise me if I am him or rob me if I’m not. It’s that simple of a question.”

“Grr…” Applejack grits her teeth in frustration, now being locked in a questions game that she can’t escape from. “Fine. My brother and sister back home were fighting over whether or not the Ghost Pony exists or not, so I set off to find the answer, come back home, tell them the truth, and finally get some decent sleep as part of our deal.”

“I see…”

“Can you please just answer my question?”

“I could, but would you actually believe my answer.”

“Oh my… Enough of these riddles! Can’t you just give me a straight answer?!”

“Sure I can, but what’s to make you think that your kin will believe in ya? What’s to make ya think that you’re not just hallucinating at this point and that what you just drank was your own urine?”

“Well, I…”

“You believe?”

“Well…”

“Your brother and sister can believe whatever they want, you can’t fight that.”

“Then what am I going to say to them when I get home? Any smart ideas?”

“Maybe I can’t help you with your siblings, but maybe I can help you with your sleeping problems. How do you sleep at night? Are you comfortable, cozy, no nightmares?”

“I have a nice bed, and life back home is safe, so I have nothing to really have any bad dreams about.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, from what I can tell during your little trip several hours ago, I could hear you mumbling to yourself about something you might have done in the past. Something you regret is haunting you both at night and day it seems.”

“I rest assure you, I was just tired.”

“…You seem like an honest pony, I can see it in your eyes. I can see that you would rarely ever lie to anypony. However, from what I see, you lie to yourself with your pride, and you buy it.”

“No I don’t. I am completely hundred-bonified-percent honest with everypony including myself. And what gives you the authority to tell me what’s real or not?”

“You’re right, I don’t have the authority. And yet, you still give me it.”

“Well maybe I’ll stop it and be on my way.”

“You won’t, you need to give me authority. ‘Cause inside, you know that something’s wrong, and only I am the pony you feel that can help you. I know how you feel, I’ve been there. I know how it felt to have those dark memories haunt you for days and nights, maybe even years. But I never had a shoulder to cry on and accept what had happened, and it took me a near eternity to come to terms. Let me be your shoulder to cry on. I don’t want you to suffer.”

“W-Why? What did you do?”

“Committed a few crimes, murder, robbery. Nowadays I’ve managed to get over it and move on.”

“How did you feel?”

“I was pretty much good as dead during those times of my crimes. Considering you have a family, and are not a lone-wolf like me, I see it best you tell me what happened. Please.”

“Well, if you really want to know,” before continuing, Applejack lies down onto her belly, followed by the stallion, “Fine.”

“…”

“It was all ‘bout a decade and a half ago. My brother, ‘my lil ‘sis, and I were just little foals at that time. Our parents were taking us to Granny’s place for vacation. On the way there, there was an ol’ wooden bridge that extended across a large ravine, with the only things keeping the thing up were some stone stacks and stakes at each end of the chasm. While we were crossing the bridge, my brother and I had started to bicker and fight, oblivious to how unstable the bridge truly was. My ma and pop tried to break up the fight, telling us that we were making the baby, my little sister, cry. In hindsight, I know that they knew the real reason, but they didn’t tell us to keep us from worrying.”

“Your parents, what were they like?” Applejack’s eyes start to water a small bit as memories of her parents run through her mind.

“Well, my dad and mom ran an apple cider factory back in our town. They weren’t all that famous, but they did have an easy life raising us.”

“I mean, what were they like themselves, how did they treat each other and you?”

“I don’t really remember that well. I wouldn’t be able to give a good description for ya.”

“Still, I want to hear.”

“My father was a little cynical, and my mother was always a bit clingy to us. But overall, it was all in good love for me and my kin, like all parents, you know.”

“…”

“Right?”

“In truth, I never really did know my parents that well. My father, he died in the coal mines back in the day, a common yet very unfortunate event they said.”

“And your mother?”

“She also worked in the coal mines, even shortly after giving birth to me and my kin. My mother, she’d always break up the small quarrels me and my siblings had when we were foals. I’m still surprised she was able to both manage work and us for however long she lasted.”

“What do you mean?”

“While my siblings and I were still very young, she died of sickness, most likely from the mines.”

“Oh… I’m so sorry for ya, not know what having a pa and ma feels like.”

“Don’t worry yourself over it, you have far more important things at hoof. So, about that there story?”

“Oh, w-well, right…”

“…”

“We were at about over the first rock support of the bridge, and me and my brother were still fighting despite our parents’ warnings. At one point, I tried to shove my brother away from me, only to miss and trip myself onto the rope ledge. The force of my fall caused part of the cliff where we came from to fall off, almost ripping the bridge at its seams and tearing at the other edge as well. The panic and fear struck us all in a millisecond as our parents fanatically tried to usher us to the other end. Yet, I was too scared to leave the support of the first rock stack. I was incompetent! So my dad stayed behind for me while my mother escorted the others across. When my mom, my brother, and my sister made it to the second stack, the bridge split in two, separating me and my dad from the others. Mom then shooed my siblings to the other side just before the edge of their cliff crumbled down as well. At this point, there was no bridge and the only things that remained above the ravine were the stacks, but even they began to fall apart as the parts of the cliffs that fell off bashed into the skinny towers. I was scared beyond all comprehension, but not even close to the level my parents were experiencing. Time was running short and all hope was nearly lost, so my parents did the only they could, save me. My Daddy, he, h-he…”

“…” Rampant tears begin to spew from Applejack’s closed eyes with the mysterious figure watching in silence.

“He looked at me, he looked at me with his deep green eyes. He looked at what seemed to be hours, silently wishing me good luck. He then gently grabbed me with his hooves and threw me to my mother, who caught me without any fault. She-she then also looked at me in her hooves. Even at my extremely young age, I knew what was going on. I tried to tell her not to die, not to leave us, not to let me sad, but I and they knew it was unavoidable. She kissed me on the forehead before also throwing me towards my siblings on the edge. It was a rough landing, but I managed to recover quickly and turn around to see it.”

“It...”

“I-I-I saw the stacks fall with my parents. All three of us younger ones screamed and cried at the chaotic and disastrous sight. The screams of our parents rung out from the falling rock and debris all the way to whatever bottom the abyss had for them. Oh Celestia, the screams! I can still hear them! They will never leave me!” Applejack brakes in a second and buries her face in her hooves and the sand below as she loudly weeps. As she weeps, a warm, comforting cloth tickles at her exposed right cheek. She opens a green eye upwards to the shadowy pony now above her with his hoof touching her soaking cheek.

“Don’t worry. Just cry, it is only just you and me in this crazy world now.”

“A-and after that, we waited for them, hoping they’d return. They didn’t. Granny then came along, we told her everything. I can still remember the look on her face… She then took us in, and the rest of our lives to this day, we’ve tried to move on and live our lives at Granny’s farm… However, I don’t think I ever will!” Applejack then buries her head even further into the dirt. Her body shutters and shakes as she cries uncontrollably as the series of unfortunate events replay in her head.

“I see. You’ve held onto these emotions for years it seems, destroying you from the insides. From what I see of you now, you have built a wall, a barrier of pride and stubbornness, not allowing anypony past and interfere with your life.”

“I-I just don’t want anypony to get hurt due to me again. I was the one who was responsible for my parents’ deaths, I’m a murderer! It feels horrible, knowing how I killed two ponies, ponies with families I know, I’m in them!”

“You’re right, for the most part. You are responsible for their deaths-” Before the cloaked pony can continue, a loud scream muffles from the sand. “However, you are no murderer. You never truly intended to kill. Me on the other hoof, ha… I’ve killed with intent, I practically am a murderer. To make matters worse, I knew the ponies and the families I had destroyed much more than you knew your own kin. Suffering in Tartarus is what my fate should be at this point, my life of innocence ended a long time ago. Miss...” The black figure then gently grabs the mare’s messy blonde mane with his hoof and lifts her face from the ground. A small grunt and a snort escapes from the Earth pony before the stranger continues.

“…”

“Things happen, either it be by our own design or by our own mistakes. Both can be devastating, and can leave a lasting negative impression on your life. However, there are a multitude of solutions to you problem. You can either label yourself a criminal and shame yourself as such, or, you can accept what has happened and better yourself upon these experiences.”

“How do I do that?”

“Your parents are dead, and there’s nothing you can do about it. How they died was by mistake, you were never truly guilty for it.”

“But my fighting was the reason-”

“Shut up, you didn’t intend to kill your parents. What happened was a mistake. Was it a mistake?”

“Well, yes. But still,”

“But still what? You have no room to blame yourself. However, that doesn’t mean you’re scot-free. There is still a lesson to be learned here. If you were to replay that moment of your life once more, what would’ve you done different?”

“Not fight with my brother.”

“Listen. Don’t be wrapped up in whatever you’re trying to prove and listen to reason. Your parents knew better about reason than what you did as a filly. You not listening to reason is also the reason why you’re out here in the first place without having enough knowledge to prepare yourself. Your life is still young and innocent, don’t destroy it over your own pride.”

“Oh, I guess you’re right. I think I do need to break those barriers, listen to other ponies, and let them help me through my problems.”

“Correct.”

“So, did you learn anything from your experiences?”

“Quite frankly, I never truly did learn anything. I’m still figuring it out, it’s complicated to say the least. I’m hoping that on my road to redemption, I can learn from the ponies I’ve helped and find a way to better myself from the crimes I committed o-so long ago…” At this point, Applejack has stopped her sobbing and is now only sniffling off a few more tears.

“You already have, based on what I have heard. You’ve gone from a criminal to a hero, how is that not bettering yourself?”

“That’s mighty kind of you to say miss,”

“Applejack, call me Applejack.”

“Applejack, thank you for the compliment, but I’m afraid that I’m not quite there yet to fully bettering myself.”

“What do ya mean?”

“Let’s just say I haven’t moved on yet. I still have some loose ends to tie up, still gotta find my path.”

“Well, good luck on that Mister…”

“Eldur, just call me Eldur, or the Ghost Pony if you so desperately want.”

“Eldur, that’s quite a unique name, I like it.”

“Haha, I’m glad you think so.”

“So, where again to I go?” Once again, the stranger lifts his hoof in the same direction he did before.

“Not a hoof left-”

“Not a hoof right.”

“Catch on quickly I see.”

“So wait, before I go, I just want to know. Are you truly the Ghost Pony? And can you please just give me a straight answer? A lot has happened over the past hour.”

“The funny thing is…”

“Oh dear-”

“The funny thing is, there isn’t really a Ghost Pony. The Ghost Pony these days is more of a title that the good ponies of these here deserts badge themselves with. The Ghost Pony is seen as a positive influence to all, and the good ponies that travel under his name make up that influence. So I guess, by definition, I am the Ghost Pony. Now, whether or the ‘original’ one, being the flaming skeleton Ghost Pony, exists or not… In this crazy type of world we live in, one with so much magic and mystery, I wouldn’t be surprised if he were amongst us at this very moment.”

“I guess so. Thank you for everything, I’m not sure how I’ll be able to repay you.”

“You don’t need to Applejack. Thank you for letting me help you despite our past quarrels. Have a safe travel back.”

“I will Mr. Eldur. Oh wait!” Applejack hops onto her hooves and dashes to her saddlebags. She pokes her head into them in search for the last two apples she had. “Let me give you an apple, I have two so we can share one each!” Applejack’s eyes finally find the pair of red fruits and she picks them up with her mouth. Lifting her head from the bag and turning her head back to where Eldur was standing, the mare finds that he has disappeared without a trace. Dropping the apples in shock, Applejack snaps her head from left to right, searching for her new friend. “Eldur? Where are you?” A bright light pierces the corner of her eye, causing her to wince. She turns to see where the light is coming from and sees the sun rising from the horizon, beaming its early rays of morning. “Is he… No, I’m going to have to think about it later. For now, I better head back home as he suggested.”

“Good luck Applejack…” Next Chapter: Real or Unreal Estimated time remaining: 8 Minutes