Here the sands of the desert were black. There had been a massacre, it was said, that had painted the desert red. Beneath the light of the rising moon however, the sands were as black as tar. The wind howled sorrowfully over the plain. Weathered rock and broken bones littered the dunes. It all combined to create a desolation of both mind and soul as Theia trudged on through the freezing wasteland. Her armor was gone as was her thin assassins cloak. She now wore a long and heavy grey duster draped over her frame, a hood pulled tight around her face. Silver locks of her mane moved gently with each step, brushing across the bandage over her right eye, as her teeth chattered slightly. Frost collected in the shadows making the path treacherous. Once these lands were sun drenched and baking, but now the clear blue twilight above, speckled with stars, only offered the cold glow of the moon.

Pale and extremely clear in the desert sky, the moon was gibbous, almost full. Its light gave Theia great comfort. Her earliest memories were of shivering in the twilight, the new moon dark above her. It was said by older ponies that the moon used to be smaller and that it had moved through the sky much slower, its phases taking a month to change instead of a few hours. It amazed Theia when she watched the moon wax, grow full, and fill the night with its silvery light. As a foal, she thought she could reach out and touch it. It had been the moon that had led to her discovering her talent for charting the stars. They had changed since ages past but could still be used to navigate the wilds if you knew what to look for. The Daughter of the Moon used that knowledge now to guide her steps towards the town of Appleloosa.

Neither Lady Selene nor the Emperor had been pleased by what had occurred at the battle for Chimeron Canyon. So many had lost their lives that for a time the Emperor had thought that it had been but a ploy to cut off the Empire from the rest of Equestria. Oddly it was Gytha who spoke up to deny this charge, and soon all were calmed enough that questions could be asked about the real enemy. She called herself War. Many ponies had heard the legends, some older ponies had even claimed to have seen the harbingers of death before. There were differing accounts. Some said they were four generals who commanded the Legions of Twilight for their Queen. Others swore there were five in total and that the fifth was the true master of the undead legions. Still others claimed there was only one and that this pony was death herself, pulled from the underworld to serve the Twilight Queen. As there was no consensus on who, or even what their mutual enemy was, it was decided that there would have to be a fact finding mission. This was a task excellently suited to the magic and stealth of the Daughters of the Moon. As the Armies of Dawn and the Imperial legion regrouped and reorganized, Theia was taken aside by Lady Selene.

“In the desert, far to the south there is a rumor,” she had said, “of a lone pony, black as night, cloaked in shadow.” Her ladyship had been very careful to make sure there was nopony else in earshot. “Not long ago we were able to confirm these whispers. The Black Death does haunt those wastes and she is no ordinary pony.” Theia had asked her then, what would she have her do with this information. “Why child, I would have you seek her out. I think she may hold knowledge vital to us if we are to have any hope of success against the Twilight Queen. Go alone, as it is said she is a shy creature who stays far away from all signs of civilization. Be wary, for it is also said she can wither ponies with her slightest glance and turn you to dust with but a touch.” There was a time Theia would’ve laughed at such an assertion, but after what she had seen on the battlefield, and especially given that this warning came from Selene, the one eyed pony had no choice but to believe it.

So here she was, freezing in the wastes. Appleloosa was the last known place that the pony called the Black Death had been sighted. Theia longed for the warmth of a fire and the shelter of a cave out of this wind, which seemed to scythe through her cloak and bury daggers of ice in her veins. There was no time for such frivolous comfort however, she had to make it to the town before the moon dipped below the horizon, or she would have to stumble through the desert with nothing but star light. She could manage it, she knew, but though most of the poisonous snakes and insects had long since died off or moved to warmer climes, there were still other hazards and terrors to be found out here on the frontier.

Sudden movement in the shadows of an old canyon wall startled her. Lost in thought, she hadn’t been paying close enough attention to her surroundings. A massive shape loomed in the moonlight, horns curling from its head. Her assassin instincts kicking in, Theia quickly melted back into the shadows as best she could while straining her senses to their limits to try and determine if there were anymore such creatures waiting to pounce on her from the dark. To her horror, she realized she was surrounded. There was no hope of escape. “Peace friend, we mean you no harm,” the voice was deep and resonate. “Our scouts told us you were coming. Please, join us. You are just in time for an early breakfast.” All around her were Buffalo, huge hairy beasts, some decorated with white feathers that glowed in the moonlight. None of them appeared hostile, nor even remotely afraid. The herd looked on her expectantly, and the pony forced herself to relax under their calm gaze. “Of...of course. I would be honored.”

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The firelight was an astonishing glare after the cool moonlight, but the flames were a welcome sight none the less. Their heat filled Theia with energy she didn’t know she’d lost to the chill and the smell of the food awakened a hunger she hadn’t allowed herself to feel. A bowl of wet mush was pushed in front of the scarred pony, and without so much as looking at it, she began to eat with gusto. The taste was strange, but not unpleasant, almost like oatmeal but it definitely had a taste closer to cornmeal. This place was well sheltered, surrounded by weathered crags that blocked the brunt of the freezing wind. As the flames flickered, casting shadows of the great buffalo all around her, Theia finally had a chance to have a good look at her hosts. Unlike what she would’ve expected, living in this harsh land, they all seemed hail and hearty. Calves, a rare sight these days, played closest to the flames while the imposing warriors she had met before held vigil all around them.

Smoke curled towards the stars, but only thin wisps that would blend easily with the dark sky. This was not just a random tribe of Buffalo, Theia decided. The brave who had first introduced himself told her his name was Stone Heart. He was larger than the others, nearly twice the size of some of the younger bulls, and wore black feathers in his mane. He attended to her every need, even bringing her a small clay cup of water to help wash down her meal. “So, uh, come here often?” Theia thought her attempt at small talk fell flat, but the brave turned to her “Every year. This patch of land is sacred to us. Long ago it was taken from us, but we have reclaimed it as our own. The journey continues.” The pony finished her food and pushed the bowl away. “It must be hard on you out here. A single pony like myself can survive on a little food and water, but a herd this size must need to stop constantly to resupply.” Stone Heart shook his massive head, “Not so, we have traveled this path for years beyond counting. From the last great darkness when all this was ice and snow and the spirits of the ancestors still danced in the sky. We and the land are one. Where others pass away, we Buffalo endure.” He took her bowl and passed it to a nearby calf who took it away respectfully. Stone Heart turned back to her and offered her a blanket for warmth.

“This is all very kind of you, but you’ll have to excuse me if I’m being rude. I don’t think you usually show strangers this level of hospitality, let alone share your supplies. As much as its appreciated, I don't think I’m really here for a warm breakfast and your company.” Stone Heart was stone faced as he stared deep into Theia's one good eye and set down the blanket. “You are correct little one. Our chieftain, White Cloud, dreamed of your coming. We have been camped here for two days, waiting on a cloaked pony with one eye and a broken horn.” He paused, smiling slightly. “Here you are. White Cloud comes soon. It would be rude to ask you to wait without first replenishing you.” Theia glanced around her thoughtfully. “What does your chieftain want with me? I’m nopony.” From the shadows came a rumbling voice deeper than Stone Heart’s, “You are the star who seeks the shadow. You will go beyond death and face what comes after.”

The chief was massive, dwarfing Stone Heart as he had dwarfed the other braves. His fur completely white, feathers of the same color draped across his great humped back and down his mane. His horns were sharp points above two shockingly sky blue eyes. The powerful musk that drifted from him was covered only by the scent of smoke and dust. If anything his look was more severe than the other buffalo. “Wh...what...do you mean?” Theia stammered. “The pale chieftain spoke again, “You seek the Black Death young one. She is no stranger to us. You will find her and we will help you.” The daughter of the moon was dumbstruck, but fascinated. As the chief spoke from across the flames the shadows danced behind him. “She will come to you, in your hour of need, in the town of gluttony known as Appleloosa. Take with you this rope, it will aid you in what you must do.” A thick coil of old rope was set at her feet. It didn’t look like much, but when a bull as massive as White Cloud offered you a gift you did not decline it. “Thank you sir, uh chief. Can you tell me, how is it you knew I’d be coming?” The great white bull rose and turned to walk away. “It was foretold in the stars little pony. It is all in the stars.”

He left as swiftly as he had come, and with that it seemed every bull around her visibly relaxed. Theia hadn’t even noticed the tension in the herd until it melted away. Stone Heart smiled at her as if he could read her thoughts. “White Cloud is revered among our kind. He is a chieftain of chieftain’s and his word is law. If he says for us to help you, we shall. You will be given more provisions for your journey, likely they that will last much longer than the supplies from the Dawn lands.” The one eyed pony was about as surprised as she could get. That these buffalo knew of the dawn lands but still trudged through the twilight here barely registered to her. “I thank you, but I’m supposed to go alone.” The brave nodded slowly, “We know this too little one. Appleloosa is closer than you think. This waste was once their orchard. Once their trees perished to the darkness, the settlers began to die off, until one by one they began to disappear.” His words were chilling in the moonlight, he had been guiding her slowly away from the warmth of the fires to the edge of the encampment. Already braves were moving to break camp, dumping sand over fires and gathering up their supplies. In only a few moments, the herd would be on the move again. “But be warned. Though Appleloosa is a ghost town now, that does not mean it is uninhabited. Be careful moon child.”

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The herd moved off, heading west. As strange as the encounter had been, Theia was sad to see them go. The rope they had given her lay coiled in her pack. It was oddly heavy, but she was concentrating too hard on the chieftain's words to really notice. It was all written in the stars huh? If that were the case, how come she didn’t see it. Theia cast her gaze up at the stars, but the moon was so bright now she could hardly see the constellations. It didn’t help her eyes were still adjusting from the glare of the cooking fires. She tried to let her eyes hover on the horizon, an old trick she’d learned for catching the shifting stars as a few dipped slowly beneath the shadowy line. In the gloom, she could just make out the outline of a few buildings huddled in front of her.

It seemed Stone Heart had spoken true, Appleloosa was indeed close by. All around her old, dusty buildings rose up. Cobwebs were visible behind the fly specked windows, those few that weren’t smashed. Remembering his warning she hunched down and moved silently as she could from building to building. She didn’t quite know what she was looking for, so she headed for the largest building in sight. The town hall looked like it had seen better days. Its clock tower had fallen hard long ago and the splintered wood framed a hole that left the building open to the sky. As she stepped inside the building, the boards creaked beneath her hooves. In the distance a coyote howled mournfully. This was starting to feel like a really bad idea.

That’s about when the shovel smashed into the back of her head.

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Voices faded in and out as Theia’s consciousness slowly rose from the darkness. Her head throbbed horribly, and the angry shouting wasn’t helping.

“I don’t care who ya think she is, we’re not executing her just cause you think she might be an agent of them Twilight folk!”

“So what do ya plan to do with her then Tin Star? Put a bandage on her head and send her trotting back into the wastes with a pat on the back and an apology? Even if she ain’t one of them Twilight folk, there’s something ain’t right with her!”

“Oh and you’re an expert all the sudden Hephaestus? You’re a blacksmith not a doctor!”

“Well I’m a butcher now, and have been for near fifty years, and I’m telling ya she ain’t right! Aside from a few scars here and there she’s the healthiest pony I’ve seen in decades. You don’t wander the wastes unless you’re desperate or one of them dang fool buffalo, and she’s neither. Mark my words, somebody cared for this filly. They fed her well and equipped her likewise. She’s here for a reason, it don’t matter who sent her, ain't gonna be nothing but bad news for us!”

There was a wet thump, like a meat cleaver carving through a side of beef and burying into the chopping block.

“You’re gonna tell me you looked at that filly’s right eye, deep into that black socket, and ya think someone cared for her!?”

“Yup. Somepony sat down with her a long time ago. It would’ve had to have been with a knife, but not a scrap of meat was left to heal. They took their time, slow and easy, and there’s no way she was out the entire time. There’s nothing in that socket but skull now. Even so, that’s a kind of care that’s right at home with them Twilighters. It’s their kind of sick ministrations ta be so loving about carving up the living!”

“Well lets say your right. Why would them Buffalo have anythin' to do with her? You know as well as I do she came from their direction and she was carryin' some of their food.”

“Maybe their workin' with em. You know I always said it was them savages what poisoned the orchard. Maybe they figured we ain’t dyin fast enough and sent this filly to fix us!”

“Either way, what good is killing her gonna do us? We got plenty of meat from that brave we downed last night. His tribe didn’t even seem to notice him missing. We kill her, she’s just gonna rot and go to waste. Best to let her keep for now and save her for the lean times.”

Theia’s eye opened fully at that. She was in a dingy room lit only by a slit of light coming from a half open door. The stench hit her next. She was in some kind of meat closet. Butchered flanks hung from blood crusted hooks. Some were certainly large enough to be buffalo, but others were much, much smaller. She’d fallen into the clutches of cannibals. Her hooves were tied tightly behind her back, her back hooves tied to them. Trussed up, she lay on her front, all her weapons and supplies gone, mouth firmly gagged.. Even her cloak and eye patch had been taken. If she used her magic to become intangible now, she might be able to get loose of the ropes, but with no weapons there wasn't much hope of getting past two ponies by herself. She'd have to bide her time.

Through the door to her makeshift cell she could see who was arguing now. One was an old pony, thin and sharp with an anvil on his flank. From the sagging flesh on his otherwise thin frame she suspected he’d once been an extremely muscular pony, but deprivation had led his body to feed on itself till there was almost nothing left. There was a cruelty in his eyes and blood on his smock. He’d been dismembering a youngish looking buffalo, barely a half grown calf. The other pony was just as thin, but he wore his ranginess more comfortably. A crude star on his flank, he wore a matching one on his vest and a stetson low over his eyes. With shock Theia realized she must be looking at what passed for the sheriff of Appleloosa these days. As she tried to get a better idea of her predicament she heard the sound of several more ponies coming into the room. One spoke with a long, lazy drawl that sent shivers up Theia’s spine.

“Well sheriff, if’n that’s the way ya feel about it, maybe I got an idea that’ll make everypony happy.”

Tin Star turned to the new comer with a dark look. “I want no more of your shenanigans Billy Zeus. Ye’ve caused enough troubles depositing this filly on our doorstep.”

“Hear me out Sheriff, hear me out. I’m on your side. No good will come of killin the poor filly. Why, just as you say, we have plenty of meat for the time bein'. But I’m thinkin' bout the future. You let me and the boys take her, we’ll be responsible for her. If she’s really a Twilighter, we’ll find out real quick. If she ain’t, well leave her with us anyways. In a few months we’ll have fresh meat and milk as well!” There was a lot of dirty snickering coming from behind that oily voice , Theia didn’t like where this was going at all. The older pony, Hephaestus spoke up, “Like the last filly you boys kept so well? It was a shame what ya’ll did to her. She woulda' been happier on my chopping block than in your filthy hooves!”

With a look of grim resignation, the sheriff seemed to come to a conclusion. “We can’t leave her here. She’s got enough muscle on her if she gets loose even I’d be in trouble. You boys want her, she’s yours , but take it outside. I don’t need any of your filth spoiling the meat!” With a cheer and holler a stick thin pony with a limp greasy mane and a gap toothed smile pushed open the door and gazed lecherously down at Theia. Her revulsion was instantly replaced by pure fear as she saw six other ponies behind him, leaning in to devour her with their eyes. She should have made a break for it earlier when she had the chance.

“Don’t worry girl. We’re gonna take GOOD care of you!”

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They didn’t bother untying her, instead dragging the filly out by the length of rope that still bound her legs. She could feel the scrape of splinters and rocks as they dug into her flesh. Worse, each pony kicked and stomped her as they went. By the time they got to the town square she was bruised and swollen, leaving a trail of blood. The moon had already set and the only light aside from the stars were more of the smokey lanterns the pack of degenerate ponies were using to see. As they came to an old railway station, the gangs leader with the greasy mane jumped on top of an old apple barrel. “Good people of Appleloosa! We, the Black Hill Gang, bring to ya’ll this day a wondrous gift! A filly comely and fair, if’n you ignore the gaping hole in her head!” His partners laughed uproariously at that. “Now, as is our right, we’re gonna take her here first and foremost, but ya’ll line up and help yerselves! There’s plenty to go around and let it never be said that we weren’t kind enough to share!”

All around them from the darkened buildings, thin, emaciated ponies began to peek out. Some were young, others had one hoof in the grave, but they all had the same hungry look in their eyes. “Whoa now, ease up gentlecolts. This one is indeed a delectable morsel but she ain’t on the menu today! Well, not in that way I reckon! We got long term plans for this one, ain't that right boys!?” A few of the ponies hung their heads in disappointment and walked away. Others stood and just watched, though still others seemed to glow with excitement. One such pony stumbled up and gave Theia’s cheek a long, slow lick. He was immediately bucked in the side and sent flying into the side of the railway station. “Wait yer turn fella, if’n ya know whats good fer ya!”

“I reckon none of ya know what’s good for ya.” The voice was quiet and low, but it had a harsh echo in it that swept through the town. Immediately everypony in ear shot ran for cover. Everypony but the gang that had Theia captive. Their leader hopped down and walked toward the new comer. “Well what have we here? Another pretty filly to help us poor settlers pass the time?” It was true, though she was dressed all in black from her hooves to her hat, she was definitely female. A black bandanna hid most of her face, but her blond mane spilled from her hat, it and her tail tied firmly to one side. Her eyes were living coals, the embers of hatred smouldering deep within. “I reckon not Billy Zeus. If ya had the sense you were born with, ya’d ask why the other settlers have all run off. If ya had a little more sense, ya might also ask yerself why it is the closer I get to ya, the hungrier you get.”

It was true, the closer the pony in black came, the more a gnawing hunger filled Theia’s belly. It was a burning torture, almost worse than her cuts and bruises. The ponies spread out, forming a wide horseshoe around their captive and the new comer. “What’s your business here stranger?” Pawing irritably at the dust, the pony in black glared at the gangs leader. “Ya know why I’m here,” she said, “I’m here because of what you did to that filly that ran into the wastes. You butchers claimed ya were just tryin to survive and I looked the other way. But what you did to her... She didn’t even remember her own name in the end . She only remembered one name, “Billy Zeus”, and I’m here ta see that no one else hears that name ever again!” Billy laughed, “You spose’d ta be some kinda bounty hunter? Whats yer name?” Mane whipping in the wind, she spoke low and angrily as she crouched into a fighting stance. “They used ta call me Applejack, but there ain’t no one alive what that name would have any meaning to. Folks round here just call me the Black Death. The Twilight Queen called me Famine.”

Theia’s head jerked up as the Black Hill Gang backed away. It could have all ended differently there and then if their leader hadn’t shouted, “GET HER!” Two of the ponies charged at once. One was bucked so hard he crashed through the side of the railway station, while the other found himself on his back, being stomped in the face. He struggled to get out from under her, but the more he did the more places her sharp hooves found and before long he was nothing but a bloody mess in the dirt. Three of the other gang members charged the Black Death, each trying to bite into the black ponies flesh as they rushed her together. Suddenly the darkness around her came alive, great black shadows rising up from her feet and chomping down on her attackers hooves. The tendrils of shadow whipped the remaining gang members around like limp toys before hurling them in various different directions. One pony managed to smash the Black Death in her face with an errant hoof, knocking her bandanna loose. Beneath the scrap of cloth the ponies face wore a cruel rictus, her smile frozen where the sides of her mouth had been inexpertly sliced open and sown back. “Now that’s not exactly neighborly of ya, is it fella?” That pony was flung so hard and far he drifted out of the town and into the desert. If he lived it would be a miracle.

With his gang defeated in only a few minutes, Billy Zeus cowered, with his eyes wide as the Black Death bore down on him. “Whats the matter Billy? Ya ain’t got no brave words now yer gangs had their worthless flanks kicked? Don’t cry Billy boy. It’ll be over soon.” She loomed over him, then lent down and kissed Billy Zeus full on the mouth. At first the greasy pony was shocked, then slowly his eyes rolled back in his skull. Black lines of corruption swam from his lips as the flesh beneath his skin wasting away before everyponies eyes. All his hair fell out and even his skin began to dry and flake, crumbling away, leaving nothing but bone and sinew. When Billy Zeus fell at last he looked like a centuries old corpse, desert bleached and sun dried. The pony who claimed to once be know as Applejack spat disgustedly, clearly disliking the taste in her mouth.

“Now why’d ya have to go and do that for?” It was the sheriff, the sound of the commotion must’ve brought him out. The blacksmith pony crouched behind him looked apprehensive. “Tin Star,” the pony in black said, “You knew about this business didn’t you? We had a deal, remember? I look the other way and you folks eat.” The sheriff pawed the ground angrily. “You call this looking the other way!?” Applejacks voice was low and cold as she gestured to Theia still tied up on the ground, sides bloody and bruised, “You call this killin' to survive? I might be part of the reason its come to this, but I thought I made it clear ya’ll weren’t ta be eaten folk that didn’t die on their own or offered themselves willingly. Now I find out you’re not only killing the unwilling but ya planned to rape them too!?” Hephaestus spoke up then, “It weren’t our fault miss! What can we do against ponies like the Black Hill Gang when we ain’t hardly got strength enough to get out of bed in the mornin'? The sheriff was only doin' what he could to keep the peace!”

“Ya’ll do what ya have to ta keep the peace. I’ll do what I have to as well.” A massive black shadow spread from her then and pooled beneath the sheriff. A massive pair of jaws opened in the earth and swallowed him whole. On the sand where he stood, nothing but a small smear of bloody sand remained. The smithy quivered in fear. From behind the black clad pony one of the gang members loomed with a long cruel blade clenched in his teeth. Theia responded on instinct, a spark of magic transforming her body into living shadow. Her ropes fell away and she was free. Charging one of her would be rapists, she yelled "Look out!" just as the bandit took a swipe with his knife. The blade cut deep into the Black Death's torso, but not a drop of blood was spilled. Theia bore the thin colt to the ground, putting him in a choke hold that quickly caused hi mto black out. She thought about snapping his neck, but she was so weak from their abuse she wasn't sure she could do it. Instead she just got up shakely to her hooves.

Applejack's black eyes shown with something close to satisfaction as she looked on Theia. She shouted over her shoulder to the smithy as she pulled the useless knife from her flank with a wet sucking sound.“Get this filly her kit, and don’t ya dare be doing any more harm to her. She’s had a long day and its barely noon.” The pony all in black turned away and walked to the train station platform. In the distance a long mournful sound floated over the desert. A train whistle? Surely there hadn’t been a train here in decades. From the south came a locomotive drawn by what looked to be skeletal ponies. A harsh red light filled the night as the train roared into the station. As the engine ground to a halt, the skeletal ponies snorted what seemed to be a greeting to the Black Death. Her smile broadened and threatened to pop a stitch. "Long time no see boys. Care to give an old mare a lift?" Slowly she opened a door in one of the side cars of the ghost train and made to climb aboard.

“Wait!” Theia gasped, “I’ve come all this way, wound up in the hooves of these maniacs, just to find you! Please don’t go!” The pony all in black turned to her, tying her bandanna back into place over her mouth. “Shoot sugercube, what could you possibly want to see me for?”

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It was strange on the ghost train. Though it made all the sounds you’d expect, it drifted smoothly over the tracks without so much as a bump. The star strewn sky out the window whirled passed, yet was barely worth trouble to glance at when you could see everything through the slightly transparent floor and walls. It was disconcerting at first, but Theia had seen stranger things in just the last fifteen minutes. The cream colored pony felt a lot more confident with all of her kit and supplies back, but she still felt naked until she had her bandage back in place over her empty eye socket. She sat in what looked to have been a sleeper car, across the aisle from the pony known as the Black Death. She explained what her mission had been to the pony, and as she told her story her host looked more and more weary. Her ears drooped as she took off her black stetson and set on the bed next to her.

“It’s a long, sad story you’ve come into sugercube. I’ll tell ya right now, I’ve got no love for my former friends, least of all the one putting on airs and callin' herself the Twilight Queen. But I can’t stand against them. That don’t mean I won’t help you by telling you what I can. Its the least I can do after the hospitality those boys in Appleloosa showed ya. So what do you want to know?” Theia told her, as best she could, that they needed to know. Who they were fighting and anything important about them, anything at all.

“Well...where to start? I don’t know the particulars, but... We were all friends once. One by one though, we were killed off by one of our closest friends. When she got to the last one of us , Twilight Sparkle we used to call her, something went wrong. Oh she died alright...but then she came back! She wasn’t our Twilight anymore. She was something... Heck, someone else. That's when the Twilight Queen first set hoof in our world. The first thing she did was to start pulling her friends back as well, even me, though I'd been dead and gone for months.”

“Now, the one you fought was named Rarity in life. She was always elegant, beautiful but now she uses that beauty to wrap warriors around her hoof. She’s probably the most dangerous pony in that she can cause entire nations to rise up against ya, but her powers aren’t that different from what she had in life. I have ta warn ya though, you didn’t beat her like ya thought ya did. From the sound of it, it's likely she may’ve taken a liking to ya. Chances are she’s hold up somewhere healing up so she can come back and fight ya properly. Ya best be on the look out for that one.”

“As to the others, well, there’s not much I can tell ya. One of em, Rainbow Dash, didn’t really seem to come back all the way. She..she died first, and it put her closer to the land of the dead than any of us. That makes her extremely powerful. Be careful of that one too. If I touched you for long enough your body would eat itself alive. If she touched you, there’d only be a fraction of a second until you died. There are places in Equestria now where its considered a bad omen to see a rainbow. But I dunno the particulars of where Dash is, or what she’s been up to.”

“The same goes for Fluttershy, to an extent, but there are a couple of important differences. Like me she didn’t seem none too happy to be brought back. She turned her back on the Twilight Queen before I did and headed into a place called the Everfree Forest. I couldn’t tell you for sure, but I'm guessin' she may well still be there, and if there’ somepony that’s been kept in the loop as to whats going on it’d be her. She always had a way with animals... Now she has eyes and ears all over Equestria.”

“The last thing I’ll tell ya is a bit of advice. Stay as far away as possible from Ponyville. You don’t want to see whats become of it or whats living there now. The further away you are the better.”

Theia took a moment to take everything in. It was a lot to process and yet she felt like there was still a lot this pony was holding back. As the train sped steadily to the north, another thought occurred to her. If they were so powerful, was there no way to defeat the Twilight Queen and her resurrected friends? The pony who had been Applejack seemed to be smiling beneath her bandanna. “The Twilight Queen has made herself the central hub of all magic in Equestria. I don’t know what she’s planning, but I know each of us she brought back is important to her plans. There’s an ancient... force I guess, called the Elements of Harmony. We were able to harness them once, when we were still alive, and use them to defeat a great evil. Now I’m afraid she’s planning on using that power to do something worse. Each one of us you can kill will make her weaker. You’re gonna have to finish each of us off before you face her or you’ll have no chance of beating her.”

“We don’t die easy either. If ya died once, it's kinda hard to do again. Believe me, I’ve tried. I spent a few years of my new ‘life’ trying to end it. But I think I may know the way now. Let me see that rope ya said the chieftain of the Buffalo gave ya.” Theia opened her pack and took out the length of old rope. The Black Death reached out her hoof and took it, murky tears welling up in the corners of her coal black eyes. “I thought so. Haven’t seen this in years. My old lasso. Thought I’d lost it a long time ago. It... It brings back memories.”

The ghost train suddenly started to fade. They’d been traveling for a long time, but now it seemed that the journey was at an end. As the train ground to a halt it faded out from beneath the two ponies. Wrapping the lasso around her shoulder, the black pony began to walk away. “Follow me if ya like. I’ve got something ta show ya.” Everything felt like a dream to Theia, but she followed the dark pony into the twilight. They didn’t walk far from the ruined railroad tracks before they came to a wide, dark field. Thousands of tree limbs clawed the sky, long dead sentinels still reaching for a sun that hadn’t risen in decades. They stood on a hill overlooking what appeared to have once been an orchard. A lone tree grew here, far away from its fellows. Applejack leaned against it and began to speak again, voice barely a whisper.

“When I came back it gave Granny Smith a heart attack. She died with a look of fear in her eyes I never wanted to see there. Applebloom probably had the most sense. She ran off as soon as she saw me. Probably thought I was a ghost. But not Big Macintosh. No matter what anyone tells ya about him he wasn’t stupid. Stubborn, but never stupid, with his big heart and his fool love for his sisters.”

“We watched the orchard die. One by one the apples turned black and the leaves fell like rain. This was before Twilight did , well, whatever it is she did to the sky. All around us, old friends were dying, going hungry, turnin' on one another. I knew I was the cause. I could feel this dark power creeping out of me like a sickness. I had to go, I had to get as far away from everyone as possible. But Big Mac wouldn’t hear it. If I was heading out into the desert, he was coming with me. Well, I couldn’t stop him could I? I was just his sick little sister... and besides, the orchard was dead and dust. There was nothing keeping him here but me.”

She made a loop in the lasso and began to tie a knot with her hooves. It was slow work, but she kept at it, just staring at the ruined orchard the entire time.

“That's how we ended up outside Appleloosa. We were gonna try and get help from my cousin Braeburn, but those folk knew trouble when they saw it. By that point the sky was going dark, and, of course , they blamed me. They probably weren’t far off. Braeburn tried to make the towns folk let us stay, but it would’ve done more harm than good. So we thanked him kindly, took what we could carry and headed out into the badlands. Big Macintosh never complained once, not even when the blazing heat turned to freezing cold, such that what little water there was turned icy under the stars.”

The Black Death took a deep shuttering breath, and let it out as a long soulful sigh.

“He was so strong. Ya shoulda' seen him. But I watched him fade day by day. No matter how much he ate, he just couldn’t keep any muscle on him. And still that stubborn, beautiful fool just wouldn’t leave me alone. When it was finally clear he was near the end I held him in my arms and cried. He looked up at me, and he said ‘Don’t be cryin' over me little sis. I did what I wanted to do. You just need to take care of yerself when I’m gone and I’ll be happy.’ He was so small by then, just a little thing quivering in my arms. I stayed with him till his quivering stopped. I built a little carne of stones over him. It was just...a pile of rocks out in the middle of nowhere, no memorial, no loved ones left to mourn him but me. He deserved better.”

She threw the rope over the lowest bow of the tree. One end she tied tight around the trunk. The other ended in a noose.

“All these years , I tried to keep my promise to him, but I see now I was going about it all wrong. Running and hiding in the wastes, it didn’t do any good. Innocent people were still getting hurt because of me, still starving, still dying. I didn’t notice until I started finding pony bones dumped outside of town what had happened in Appleloosa. Don’t think too harshly of them folks. It’s not their fault, not really. If anything the blame lies with me, for not doing this sooner.”

Famine nudged an old empty apple crate beneath the noose and jumped on top of it. It wobbled a little on the uneven earth, but she still managed to stand tall and proud as she slipped her head into the noose.

“The only way to end us, sugarcube, is to kill us with something from our past. Remind us of who we used to be...and then, well, I think you know the rest. I can tell by your kit your a warrior of some kind. I know I don't deserve it, but will you help me? I don’t belong here anymore , haven't for a long time now. I’m ready to go.”

The scene blurred for Theia as she blinked back tears. This was her enemy. This was one of the ponies that was standing in the way of the world being the way it should be. She was already dead for crying out loud! But in the short time she’d known her the Daughter of the Moon had grown to respect and even admire this brash country filly. She’d saved her from death, and probably worse and she didn’t have to. She should’ve left her to the cannibals of Appleloosa, or stomped her head in when she was still laying in the dust. Instead she was asking her to end her life with those huge coal black eyes. All the hate and anger replaced with a sadness, tempered with determination.

“Don’t cry darlin'. This is my choice. If this is the only way I can set things right, so be it. You just promise me, you take care of yourself when I’m gone, you hear? Don’t let me down. Make it, make it so the trees bloom again.”

She couldn’t see as tears rolled from her one good eye, but she leaned up and hugged the pony who had been Applejack fiercely. She smelled of dust and old leather, and though she could feel herself wasting away in her embrace, she sobbed openly as the dead thing that had been so kind to her returned her hug with a tight squeeze. Theia turned, facing in the direction the stars told her lay the Everfree Forest. Hating herself, the world, but most of all the Twilight Queen, she turned and gave the old apple crate a sudden kick. The barrel tumbled away, the rope audibly grew taught just before giving a sharp snap as it took Applejack's weight. The sound was loud enough to send a flock of crows wheeling into the sky, cawing. Theia blinked away the tears streaming from her good eye, not noticing the blood oozing from her empty eye socket. She didn’t look back, but forced herself to take one agonizing step at a time away from the thing that had been her friend and towards the Everfree Forest. More than ever she knew she had to set things right. For the living and for the dead.

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On a hill top, not too far from Ponyville, a solitary tree stands. A rope hangs tattered and frayed from its stoutest branch, one end tied firmly to the trunk, the other tied in a noose. Ashe and dust blow through the empty field below, but on the hill top, the old tree began to bud for the first time in nearly a century. The apple blooms were a gentle pink, reminiscent of the dawn.

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Dear Princess Celestia,

Today I learned that it doesn’t always pay to be honest. If we’re completely honest with our friends and family we’ll only end up hurting them. If we don’t hold a little bit back from the world, we leave ourselves open to all sorts of evils. There’s always some pony out there just watching and waiting to take from you.

If we’re truly honest with ourselves, we’d realize that we have to lie, otherwise we’d end up breaking. We’re never as truly good, strong, or wise as we pretend to be. The deadliest truth is the one that banishes these illusions and shows our lives for the miserable, tragic, pointless failures that they truly are.

So lie. Keep up the charade. Pretend that you have a chance.

Even though the truth is, its utterly hopeless...