//------------------------------// // Where ponies fear to trot, part 3 // Story: My little Short Stories // by Paradise Oasis //------------------------------// Where ponies fear to trot, part 3 "Those silly fillies!" Applejack snorted angrily. "What've they gotten themselves into this time?!?" The three Fillies had left Dream Castle, and were galloping towards Hollow Shades, as fast as their hooves could carry them. The full moon high in the evening sky lit their way along the northern path, while the sparks that shot forth from the nearby volcano of gloom filled their hearts with dread. "You vould expect ziz kind of zing vrom Gusty und Fizzy!" Gypsy snorted, trying to keep up with AJ. "But Zhady? She vouldn't go near a haunted place if her life depended on it!" "Oh, you know how ' convincing' Gusty can be!" AJ replied in disgust. "She probably roped the others into going along with her harebrained scheme!" "Ladies, could you please slow down?!?" Cheerilee gasped out, trying to keep up with the others. "I'm not excatly as fast or as strong as a Dream Valley earth pony, you know!" "Great horsemaster, girl! What's happening to ya?" The orange earth pony looked back. "You've been slowin down, and packin' on the pounds for the past few weeks! You feelin all right?" "I don't know AJ, I have been gaining a little weight... and had a strange craving for peanut butter and pickles!" A concerned Cheerilee replied. "Wigwam thinks I might be sick or something!" "Look, vou can go zee Dr. Medcin, az zoon az ve get home!" Gypsy snorted at the two of them. "Right now, ve need to conzentrate on rezcuing our vriends!" The three ponies galloped up to a clearing in the trees, where they heard the giggling of three small fillies. "Look girls! It's three more ponies! Maybe they can help us!" "Wait a sec... that pony is Miss Cheerilee! She's come to join the party!" "An' that's mah sister! Ah knew she'd come!" The eerrie voices stopped the mares dead in thier tracks, and The teacher and the one-time apple bucker's faces suddenly went pale. "Applejack...." Cherrilee whinnied, her blood running cold. "I remember...those voices..." "Yeah, from long ago..." The orange mare in denial replied "...it can't be..." The three little spectral fillies glided up to the three mares, Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell coming up to the pink teacher. While Apple Bloom galloped up to Applejack. "Hiya, big sis!" The little filly with the bow in her mane smiled. "What's with the Bow in yer tail? And where yer hat?" "A-Apple- Apple Bloom..." Tears were streaming down the mare's face, her heart a mixture of terror and sorrow. As the mare stepped forward to embrace her long-lost sister, her hooves went right through the glowing shade. "Why so sad, big sis?" The ghost asked her, puzzled. "An' why's yer voice sounds so funny?" Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell poked at the pink mare, confused as thier hooves passed through her. "Miss Cheerilee, how come you're all fleshy?" The spectral unicorn asked. "And what's with the funny pig tails in yer mane?" "Oh, girls..." Cheerilee tried to hold back her tears, as the two hit her with a barrage of questions. "What happened to you?" "Ugh, ladies! Ignore zheze shades!" Gypsy snorted. "Zheze are not ze zpirits of your loved vons! Razer, Zeze are impressions- pzychic recordingz- left vrom Eqveztria's pazt!" The two mares stared at the spectres blankly for a moment, blinking. "So... these aren't real ghosts... like when North Star met Luna..." AJ looked at the shade who so resembled her long-dead sister. Even if it wasn't her, it was still chilling for AJ to see it! "That-that would explain why these three are still fillies!" Cheerilee noted, as the other two phantoms stared at her. "The real girls grew up, and had lives and families!" "Zhey are ztill complex enough to interact vith!" Gypsy exclaimed. "Maybe zhey can tell us vere our vrieands haf gone!" "Ohhhh! You want the other mares who came here earlier?" Scootaloo asked. "We can show you where they went!" "Zhen lead on, little ones!" Gypsy commanded, and the three mares followed the glowing shades on towards Hollow Shades... ... "Girls, make a run for it!" Gusty yelled at the other two ponies. "I'll hold these stupid spooks off!" As the spirits charged at the three ponies, becoming solid enough to attack them. But Gusty unleashed a powerful volume of wind from her horn, blowing the spirits back, and giving the three a chance to gallop away. The three girls took off from the town square, with the blood thirsty spirits in hot pursuit. Up and down the streets of town they ran, with the ghosts popping out of every door and alleyway. They kept turning and running in every direction, but the snarling, salivating spirits were around every corner. "Gusty!" Fizzy whinnied in terror, as an elderly green mare closed in on the Twinkle-eyed pony. "They're gaining on us!" "We can't outrun em forever!" Shady wailed. "What're we gonna do!?!?" The white unicorn thought for a moment, then suddenly, she looked up at Fizzy's gemstone " Hey! Ghosts don't like bright light, right?" "Yeah!" Fizzy added, still fleeing for her life. "So what?" "Turn and face em, Fizz!" Gusty replied, a great big grin on her face. "Let's shine a little light on the subject!" Fizzy turned to stare down the marauding ghosts, while Gusty cast an illumination spell on Fizzy's twinkle eyes. Twin beams of light shot out from the gemstones, searing the ghosts like flames, and causing them to howl in agony. "Take that!" Gusty yelled aloud, as the spirits were driven back in pain. "What's wrong ghosties, not bright enough for ya?" "Gusty! Fizzy! Shady!" Applejack called out, as the three came rushing into the village. "What the hay are you three doing?" "We're fighting these evil spirits, who tried to attack us!" Fizzy yelled triumphantly, turning her head back and forth to get as many spooks as possible. "Yeah! Why bother giggling at the ghosties, when ya can fry em!"Gusty agreed, concentrating and increase sting the light's intensity. "Come on girlz, ve haff to get out of here qvickly!" Gypsy told them. The three of them broke into a run for the edge of town, until Applejack stopped to stare at a red stallion, with an elderly green mare. "AJ, no!" Gusty yelled back, causing the whole group to stop. "What are you doing!?!" "B-big Mac?" AJ whimpered, staring at the two spirits. "G-granny Smith?" "Come back to us AJ..." The two voices called out to her invitingly. "We miss you sooo much..." "Hey Big Mac..." Cheerilee called out, barreling into AJ. "You may have been a fine stallion once, but now you're all style and no substance! LEAVE MY FRIEND ALONE!" The spectral stallion hissed, as Applejack broke free, and rushed off in a gallop again. All of the mares ran for the town exit, just as clock tower in the center of town, hit the stroke of midnight. "What's happening?" Fizzy asked, as the town and it's ghostly inhabitants began to fade away into nothingness. "Halloveen iz over, darlink!" Gypsy whinnied triumphantly, "zee town iz vanizhing back into zee dark dimension, vere it belongs!" "That means we won, hooray!" Fizzy yelled triumphantly "We beat the ghosties!" ... "So let me get this straight, Gypsy." Fizzy inquired, as they all trotted their way back home. "Those wern't real spooks, just memories?" "Ezentially, Darlink!" She explained. "For example, zhose vere not zee 'Cuite Mark Crusaders', az Cherrilee callz zhem, but instead zhere dezire to earn zee cutie marks manivested!" "And all of those bloodthirsty ponies?" Shady asked nervously. "The ones that were chasing us?" "Zhey are zee bad zides of zee ponies you knew- shed vhen zhey crossed over to zee other zide!" Gypsy replied. "Zhose ohosts are zhier strongest emotions, given physical vorm!" “So those ghost exist, because ancient ponies had strong emotions?” Aj snorted. “But why do they appear?” “Zhat, darlink, iz zometzink ve many nevr know!” Gypsy admitted openly. "Well, real or not, we sure showed those ghosts who's boss!" Gusty strutted in front of the other mares. "When it comes to Dream Valley's ponies, I'm the bravest mare of them all!" "BOO!" Cheerilee yelled out, sneaking up on the unsuspecting mare. "Aieeeee!" Startled, the normally unflappable Gusty was nearly sacred out of her horseshoes. "You better be careful, Gusty!" AJ told hime with a chuckle. "This holiday really is to die for!" All of the mares burst into laughter, as the welcoming sight of dream castle drew closer on the horizon.