• Published 20th May 2012
  • 15,005 Views, 136 Comments

Haunting Nightmare - Pen Stroke



What lingers amongst the shelves? What watches from the corners? What is in the library?

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- Signs-

Haunting Nightmare
By Pen Stroke
Preread, Edited, and Reviewed By
Batty Gloom, Applejinx, Cold in Gardez, Isphone, Metajoker, Nightsong
=====================================================================

While cities such as Manehatten and Canterlot were known for their night life and constant buzz, the small town of Ponyville tended to shut down after sunset. The hardworking ponies of the rural community retreated into their homes as the hour grew late, fleeing the chill of the autumn night to relax near warm fires before slipping off to bed.

Yet, on this night, the quiet streets of Ponyville were not empty. A lone figure strode down one road in particular, coming from the direction of the Everfree Forest. It was a figure who had, in the past, sent all of Ponyville running to hide. A pony who was spoken of only in whispers, avoided like a plague, and who possessed haunting eyes that glowed beneath the shadow of her hood.

Continuing along the streets, the figure approached her destination: the Ponyville Library. The library shone like a lighthouse. Its windows glowed, their light interrupted only by the occasional shadow of a pony moving within. Muffled music seeped through the walls to dance on the wind, drawing in the cloaked figure who, upon reaching the door, knocked three times.

The warm light and cheerful music inside the library spilled out across her when the door opened. A single balloon snuck out the door, floating lazily towards the star-speckled sky only to get caught in the library’s branches. “Zecora!” Twilight Sparkle greeted with a warm smile, “I’m glad you were able to come.”

The cloaked figure lowered her hood, the zebra returning the smile. “I am glad as well Twilight, to be joining you this night. It is quite nice to step out of my home, though I do not know why this party was thrown.”

Twilight stepped to one side so Zecora could come in. “Oh, it’s just Pinkie Pie. She’s throwing the party to kick off the season of Nightmare Night.”

Zecora nodded, looking through the door at the party’s ghoulish decorations: pumpkins, paper bats, fake spiders, fabric cobwebs, and everything else a spooky party needed. “A party to start the season of night, to get us all in the mood for a fright.”

“Yep. Now please, come in and let me give you the quick tour,” Twilight said, motioning for Zecora to follow her before pointing around the room. “We’ve got some music and dancing over there, the buffet table is over there by the fireplace, and Pinkie Pie set up a bunch of fun games down in the basement. In fact, she was looking for somepony to play a game with her not too long ago.”

Zecora smiled and turned towards the basement staircase. “If a challenge is Pinkie’s desire, then I shall gladly be her supplier.”

“All right, have fun,” Twilight said before going back to the library door to greet another set of guests. As Zecora made her way across the room, she received warm greetings from a number of ponies. Zecora gladly returned each greeting with a warm smile and the occasional laugh. Still, the zebra did not allow herself to become swayed from her path, keeping her course focused until she passed through the basement door and began descending the stairs.

Upon reaching the bottom of the steps, Zecora saw the full extent of the games that had been setup. There was Pin the Tail on the Pony, but in proper Nightmare Night spirit there were other games too. She saw a barrel filled with green water and apples, perfect for bobbing, as well as a game of Spider Toss.

“Hey there, Zecora, I’m so glad you could make it,” a familiar, energetic voice chirped. Zecora turned at the sound of the voice to see Pinkie Pie bouncing in her direction. “You don’t come to nearly enough of my parties, but that’s okay because when you do come it’s so much fun!”

“I do not come by as often as I’d like, but then again the trip here is quite the hike.”

Pinkie Pie came to a stop beside the zebra. “Well, yeah, that’s because you live all the way out in the Everfree Forest. Why do you live out there anyway?”

“The forest provides rare herbs, roots, and moss, without which I would be at quite a loss.”

“Oh, okay, that sounds like a good reason to me,” Pinkie Pie said with a bounce. The pink party pony then got very serious. She furrowed her eyebrows and put a hoof on Zecora’s chest. “Oh, and I just remembered, you and I have a score to settle.”

A confident smile formed Zecora’s lips as she met Pinkie Pie’s serious stare with her own. “Is this truly a path you wish to pursue? Because I will show no mercy in round two.”

Pinkie Pie nodded, zipping away and returning with a box held in her teeth. “Pick your color,” she mumbled out around the box in her mouth.

“The color I choose is white,” Zecora announced before she reached into the box and bit down on something. When she drew her head back, the zebra gently held a pin in her mouth, attached to which was a white colored paper pony tail, “for I shall not lose this night.”

Pinkie Pie huffed, taking Zecora’s challenge seriously as she went around the room to find more ponies for the game. Soon, a half dozen guests were gathered in front of one wall in the library’s basement, on which hung a poster of a pony that was missing its tail and had a small ‘X’ on its flank. It was a game of Pin the Tail on the Pony, and Pinkie Pie was out to reclaim her title as Ponyville champion from Zecora.

The rest of the ponies took their turns before Zecora and Pinkie Pie. Some managed to pin their paper tails close to the ‘X’. Others weren’t as successful. Their tails ended up on the nose, hooves, and eyes of the pony on the poster. By the time Pinkie Pie’s turn finally came around, a small crowd had gathered. “You aren't going to beat me this time, Zecora,” Pinkie Pie said as she was blindfolded. “I’ve been practicing.”

Zecora allowed herself a single chuckle. “First you should pin your tail upon the wall; then we’ll see who shall be the one to fall.”

With a huff, Pinkie Pie gave a nod, signaling that she was ready to be spun. Yet, despite the disorienting spin, Pinkie Pie was able to make a beeline for the poster. She placed her pink, paper pony tail and pushed the pin in as deep as it would go before she stepped back and removed her blindfold. Once Pinkie Pie registered how well she had done, a broad smile exploded onto her lips. She somersaulted back over to Zecora and pointed a proud hoof at the poster.

“HA! Bulls-eye!” Pinkie Pie boasted while the other ponies playing cheered. Zecora, however, seem unfazed and maintained her confident smile. She was blindfolded and spun while Pinkie Pie’s tail was removed from the poster so that she would have an equal chance to hit the bulls-eye.

Still, after Zecora was spun, she did not walk forward towards the poster. She instead shifted her stance ever so slightly and brought her head back to one side. She then swung her head forward and threw her pin, with the attached paper tail, into the air.

All eyes in the crowd watched as the tail arched through the air, and gasped when the pin stuck to the posters directly on the ‘X’. It was a perfect bulls-eye.

“How... how did you?” Pinkie Pie asked as Zecora removed her blindfold with a proud smile.

“You’ve practiced, Pinkie Pie... Well, in truth, so have I.”

“Phhhh, that’s not that impressive,” Rainbow Dash said as she came out of the crowd. “I mean, how hard can it be to pin something to a poster?”

“It’s hard enough for you, as I recall. Last time we played you missed the wall,” Zecora said with a small laugh.

Rainbow Dash huffed, not about to back down from a challenge, even when she was the one that had made the challenge in the first place. “Yeah, well, I was just tired last time. I’d been bucking clouds all day, but this time I’m going to beat you both.” With that Rainbow Dash grabbed one of the paper pony tails and secured her own blindfold.

“You sure about this, Rainbow Dash? I mean... you’re not really good at this game,” Pinkie Pie noted, remembering a time when Dash pinned the tail on somepony’s flank.

“Hey, don’t worry, I got this. I’ll even spin myself.” With that Dash hopped into the air, and used her wings to spin herself into a chromatic twister. Then, after spinning herself around at least a dozen times, Dash stopped and wavered in the air before smiling. “All right, watch as I pin this tail right on that poster.”

“But Rainbow Dash-” Pinkie Pie tried to warn. Still, her words came too late. Rainbow Dash soared forward in the completely wrong direction. With a loud crash, Rainbow Dash collided with the basement’s chandelier and then dove straight into the Bobbing for Apples barrel. The impact caused a huge splash, which sent green tinted water and apples flying everywhere. The floor, ceiling, walls, books, and party guests were all doused in the liquid.

A party guest lifted his hoof out of a puddle with a grimace. “What is with this water? Why is it sticky?

“Oh, that’s because it’s green apple punch,” Pinkie Pie answered happily as she lifted some of her drenched mane away from her face. “I mean, what’s more fun than bobbing for apples in green apple punch?”

“Whoa, what happened down here?” Twilight asked, she and Rarity standing at the top of the basement staircase, overlooking the disastrous mess.

Zecora tossed her head in an attempt to shake off some of the green apple punch. “A disaster, both sticky and wet, and to think the night isn’t over yet.”

“Oh... it will take forever to clean all of this,” Twilight groaned before turning her head to the basement door. “Spike, bring the-”

“Oh, Twilight, don’t worry, I’ll take care of it,” Rarity offered politely.

“You will?”

Rarity gave a nod. “I might remind you that you aren’t the only unicorn around. I just happen to know a little spell that can take care of all this. It’s a little something I learned after Sweetie Belle accidentally spilled several gallons of grape juice in my boutique.”

Twilight cocked an eyebrow. “Several gallons? How did she-”

“Don’t ask,” Rarity interrupted.

“Okay... but are you sure you can clean all this up?”

“Oh, of course,” Rarity chuckled confidently. “All it takes is a flick of my horn and...” With that she tossed her head as a wave of light burst out from her horn. The spell washed over the entire room, doing nothing at first. Yet, once it began to recede, the spell drew up the punch and condensed the spilled liquid into a single floating sphere near Rarity’s head.

Twilight looked about the once again dry room, impressed at the spell’s results. “Wow, Rarity, you have to teach me that!”

“I’d be happy to, Twilight, especially since you’ll probably be able to get more use out of it than I can. This spell just takes a little too much out of me to use it regularly,” Rarity answered wearily as she inspected the sphere of collected green apple punch and took note of the dust and black soot that her spell had also gathered. “Now, where is the nearest sink so I can dispose of-”

It was at this moment the lights all around the library went out, causing a few panicked screams as well as a resounding splash. The darkness didn’t last for long. The candles and oil lamps regained their flames quickly, and the library was once again filled with light. The sudden and short lived darkness left almost every party guest mumbling in concern and confusion.

It also left Rarity shaking, though not in fear. In the moment of sudden darkness, she lost her concentration on her spell, dropped the sphere of liquid, and drenched herself with the sticky punch. Breathing tensely through her nose, Rarity struggled not to scream as the green apple punch dripped off her coat, mane, and tail. “Twilight... bathtub... now!”

Rarity’s words snapped Twilight out of her own daze. She looked to the lights, wondering why they had gone out, but then shook her head and focused on Rarity. “Of... of course, Rarity, just follow me upstairs.”

Soon, most of the party goers went back to their games, food, and dancing, but one did not. Zecora made her way to the library’s front door, and poked her head outside while keeping her hooves just inside the door frame.

She glanced up and down the street, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Zecora shrugged, muttered something under her breath in her native tongue, and turned to rejoin the party, though for the rest of the evening she remained slightly on edge.

~~~

A few days later, Twilight Sparkle stifled a yawn as she made her way down the library steps. Morning light streamed through the windows, and the sweet aromas of breakfast drew Twilight from the covers of her bed. It was unusual for Spike to be up so early, but Twilight wasn’t about to complain once she stepped into the kitchen and saw Spike making oatmeal.

“Morning,” Twilight chimed as she took a seat at the table. It had been set with silverware, bowls, two tall glasses of orange juice, and even a vase with a freshly picked flower. It was a wonderfully laid out table, and at the sight of it Twilight let out a knowing chuckle. “All right, what happened?”

“Nothing happened,” Spike answered too quickly as he came over from the stove and served Twilight a big helping of oatmeal. “I just decided the most magically talented unicorn in Ponyville deserved a nice warm breakfast.”

“Uh-huh,” Twilight said with a disbelieving tone.

“No, really,” Spike stressed. “You study so hard, and you’ve got to eat a big breakfast to fuel that big, smart brain of yours.”

Twilight rolled her eyes, levitated a spoon, and sunk it into her oatmeal. “Spike, there’s no point in trying to butter me up. Now, what happened?”

“Okay, you got me,” Spike admitted in defeat. He set the pot of oatmeal on a nearby counter and nervously grabbed his tail. “Now, don’t get mad or anything, but... I think I forgot to lock the library door last night.”

“What makes you think that?” Twilight asked before she placed a spoonful of oatmeal in her mouth.

“Well, I was coming out of the bathroom and going back to bed when I though I heard something moving around down here,” Spike explained. “You were already asleep, so I thought it might have been Owlowicious. Still, when I got down here I didn’t see anything, except that the door was cracked open. I must have forgotten to lock it and somepony was in here and...” Spike fell silent at this. He rubbed the back of his neck and anxiously waited for his punishment.

Twilight honestly wasn’t that mad at Spike. He was always very good about locking up the library at night, and it was obviously an accident. In truth, Twilight didn’t think locking the door was that important. It wasn’t like there were any burglars in Ponyville. She, however, understood why Spike was so worried about it. Rainbow Dash had scared him with stories about Everfree creatures sneaking into homes around Ponyville. Ever since, despite her feelings that it wasn’t necessary, Spike had dutifully locked the library door every night.

“Don’t worry about it,” Twilight finally answered with a smile. “I know it was just an accident. Still, if you really want to make up for it, you could run upstairs and make my bed for me.”

Spike nodded eagerly, more than willing to accept such a light punishment, “You got it, Twi. I’ll back in a jiffy.”

With that he ran out of the room, leaving Twilight to chuckle to herself as she continued to enjoy the oatmeal. She listened to the sound of Spike’s claws on the library’s second floor until they fell silent, a sign that he had reached and was making her bed. In that silence Twilight let the smile on her face widen. It was the kind of quiet she enjoyed: a moment where she could be alone with her thoughts.

She spooned another bite of oatmeal into her mouth, and was about to take another when something felt wrong. Twilight turned her head away from her bowl to look at the rest of the kitchen. Her ears swiveled forward and she strained her hearing. The library almost felt too quiet for a moment, like she should have been able to hear something.

Letting her eyes slowly scan the room, Twilight tried to find the the source of the strange disturbance. None of the cupboards were open. The sink wasn’t dripping. The only thing not put away was the pot of oatmeal Spike had set down on the counter. Nothing was out of place, yet something was wrong.

Twilight shook her head, trying to banish the strange, sudden paranoia, and returned to eating her oatmeal. She sunk the spoon down into the mush, lifted it up, and after licking her lips placed the spoonful in her mouth.

“Yeeeeeooowwww!”

“Twilight!” Spike shouted as he sprinted down the stairs and into the kitchen. “Are you okay?”

“Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow!” Twilight repeated over and over as she danced on the tip of three hooves while using her right foreleg to fan her open mouth. She grabbed both glasses of orange juice from the table, guzzling down one and then the other as quickly as she could.

“What? What happened?” Spike asked once Twilight finished drinking the orange juice.

“I burned mythelf,” Twilight mumbled as she kept her tongue out of her mouth, letting it cool in the open air.

“On what?”

She pointed an accusing hoof at the bowl on the table. “On the oatmeal! You made it too hot!”

Spike cocked a confused eyebrow. “But... it wasn’t too hot when I left to make the bed.”

Twilight took in a breath to argue, but the words died in her mouth. Spike was right. She was eating the oatmeal before he left without any trouble. That and, upon reexamining the oatmeal, Twilight found it was no longer burning hot. It had returned to its original, pleasantly warm temperature.

~~~

“Oh, Spike, I’m sure you’re just letting your imagination get the better of you,” Rarity commented as she magically plucked a pin from the dragon’s back and used it to secure a piece of fabric. She was working on her Nightmare Night costume, and was sure it would wow and impress everypony... if she could get it done in time.

Spike stood with his back arched next to the mannequin, several pins sticking out of his thick scales. “I don’t know, Rarity. There’s been a lot of weird things happening around the library lately. I mean, first there was the morning Twilight somehow burned her mouth on oatmeal that was barely warm. Then there was the morning we found a bunch of books had fallen off the shelves. Then, last night, Twilight woke up screaming because of some nightmare.”

Rarity removed a pin from Spike’s back and used it to secure a future seam on her costume. “What was the nightmare about?”

“That’s the weirdest thing: she can’t really remember,” Spike answered while Rarity removed another pin from his back. “All she remembers is that it was really colorful and it felt like she was being ripped apart.”

Rarity adjusted a piece of fabric she was pinning into place. “Ripped apart... My, how gruesome, but I still wouldn’t worry too much about it, Spike.”

“Worry too much about what?” a third voice asked. When Spike and Rarity turned to see who had spoken up, they saw Rainbow Dash entering the boutique.

“Oh, Spike’s just fretting about Twilight,” Rarity answered. “Still, I’ve assured him it’s nothing to worry about. Now, what brings you to my boutique, Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow Dash came to a stop beside Spike. “I was wondering if could get some fabric. I’ve got something sweet planned for my Nightmare Night costume, but I need some fabric if I’m going to make it.”

“Oh, and what are you going as?”

“I’d rather keep it a secret. You know, so it will be a surprise,” Rainbow answered. “So, do you have some fabric I could use?”

Rarity glance away from her mannequin and in Rainbow Dash’s direction. “That depends; what kind of fabric do you need and what colors do you need it in?”

“Don’t really know about the kind of fabric,” Rainbow Dash admitted. “I guess I just need something strong, but I do know I need it in black, purple, yellow, and some white.”

Rarity pushed her lips together and levitated off her work glasses. “My, I can’t imagine what you’d be making with that particular color combination. But yes, I do believe I have some spools I can part with. Just give me a moment to go check in the back.” With that, Rarity turned and trotted into the back of the store, leaving Spike and Rainbow Dash waiting in the front.

“Whoa, Spike, you going to be a pin cushion for Nightmare Night?” Rainbow Dash teased as she playfully poked at one of the pins in Spike’s back.

“Nah, I just came by to talk to Rarity and decided to lend her a claw,” Spike answered. “Trust me, my costume is a lot better than being a pin cushion. I’m going to go as a dragon.”

“But... you are a dragon,” Rainbow Dash pointed out.

“I mean an adult dragon. You know, a dragon with horns and really sharp teeth.”

Rainbow Dash thought about the costume idea for a moment before shrugging her shoulders. “Okay... I guess that could be cool. Still, what were you and Rarity talking about when I came in?”

Spike adjusted a few of the pins on his back so he could stand up straight. “Just some of the stuff that’s been going on at the library lately. Twilight had a really bad dream last night about colors and being torn apart. There was the one morning Twilight’s oatmeal got burning hot, and another morning when a lot of books had fallen off the shelves. I say something’s going on, but Rarity and Twilight keep saying it’s just my imagination.”

“That... or the library’s haaaauuunnnnttttteeed,” Rainbow Dash teased while wearing a mischievous grin and waving her hooves menacingly.

Spike swallowed nervously. “Ha-ha-haunted!?”

Rainbow jumped into the air and began to hover slowly around Spike. “Yeah, I bet there’s some creepy ghost hanging around. Something lurking by the shelves, hiding in the basement, floating across the floor... waiting in the shadows for the perfect time... to strike!

Dash shouted the last part at the top her lungs, causing Spike to leap straight up into the air. He jumped high enough to reach and hang from one of the ceiling’s rafters, trembling like a leaf, while Rainbow Dash broke down into a fit of laughter.

“What is going on out here?” Rarity asked as she stuck her head out of the back room. A few spools of fabric were levitating near her head, none of which were the colors Dash had asked for.

“Rainbow Dash says the library is haunted!” Spike tattled while pointing a claw at Rainbow, who was still laughing her head off.

“Now Rainbow Dash, there is no need to scare Spike like that,” Rarity scolded while she helped him down from the rafters. “Now, I don’t want to hear another word about it or you can forget about getting this fabric.”

Dash wiped a tear from her eye and worked to gain control of her laughter. “Okay, okay, I’ll stop.” Rarity didn’t seem entirely convinced by Rainbow’s words, but she returned to her search for the fabric all the same. That left Spike and Rainbow Dash alone again, and for a time the pair kept to themselves. Dash snickered under her breath while Spike nervously held his tail.

“S-so... do you really think the library is haunted?” Spike asked quietly, unable to get the thought out of his head. “I mean, if it is, shouldn’t we do something about it?”

Rainbow Dash smiled, seeing an opportunity to have a little more fun at Spike’s expense. “Sure, we should have a seance.”

“What’s a seance?” Spike asked, not liking the sound of that word.

“It’s when we try to talk with the ghost and ask why it’s haunting the library,” Dash answered with a hushed voice. “That way we know why it’s there and how we can get rid of it.”

“C-c-can we really talk to spirits?”

Dash gave an assuring nod. “Oh yeah, I got just what we need back at my house. You just make sure Twilight goes to sleep early tonight and I’ll take care of the rest.”

~~~

“I don’t know, Dashie, it sure sounds like Spike’s really freaked out about this,” Pinkie Pie commented as she bounced alongside Dash, the pair making their way towards the library. It was a few hours after sunset. The Ponyville streetlamps were lit, and the two mares were some of the few ponies still outside.

“Yeah, that’s what’s going to make this so awesome! He’s ripe for a good scare,” Rainbow Dash answered with a mischievous grin. “Besides, it’s just a week until Nightmare Night. This is the best time to pull some really good pranks.”

“I guess,” Pinkie Pie anxiously agreed, “but we need to be careful not to go too far. I don’t want to freak Spike out and make him miss Nightmare Night.”

“Don’t worry, we won’t go too far,” Dash promised as she and Pinkie Pie reached their rendezvous point. “And who knows, this might just help Spike get over what’s been happening. We’ll scare him, and then tell him it was a prank. After that, he’ll either laugh with us or be mad at us, but I’d bet my wings he won’t be scared anymore.”

Pinkie Pie smiled. “Yeah, you’re right! So, when do we start the prank?”

“Just as soon as Spike lets us in,” Rainbow assured her. The rendezvous point was across the street from the library, and after standing there for a few minutes they saw the library’s front door open. Spike stood in the doorway and, after glancing around to make sure the coast was clear, waved the pair of mares inside.

“Are you sure this is going to work?” Spike asked once Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were in the library and he had shut the door.

Dash nodded and took off her saddlebags before setting them down on the floor. “Yeah, I promise. Now, is Twilight asleep?”

“Yes,” Spike answered while watching Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie unpack something from the saddlebags. “I made sure she was asleep before I snuck out of my basket. Now, what is that?”

“This is how we’re going to talk to the ghost,” Rainbow Dash answered as she waved a hoof over the item. It was like a large board game, but instead of having colorful squares it was a plain brown color with a bunch of black letters on it. There was also a wooden pointer with a thin glass lens sitting on top of the board.

“It’s called a phantom speller,” Dash explained while she turned down the room’s lights and placed a few candles near the letter covered board. Once lit, the candles created a small pocket of light around the board while casting harsh shadows across the library walls. It was a creepy effect that Rainbow Dash had crafted, and she couldn’t help but smile at her work before taking a seat beside the phantom speller.

“H-how does it work?” asked Spike.

“We each put a hoof, or claw, on the pointer, then we ask the ghost a question and it’ll use the pointer to spell out an answer.”

Spike approached the supposedly mystical board in awe. “Wow... and it really works?”

Rainbow Dash covered her mouth with a hoof to keep herself from laughing and ruining the prank. “Yeah, it sure does. Now come on, let’s talk with a ghost.”

Pinkie Pie and Spike nodded, taking their places beside the board. The two mares and dragon then reached out and touched the board’s pointer, and after a few tense moments Dash asked the first question. “Are there any spirits here with us?”

For a time nothing seemed to happen, but Spike gasped and glanced at Pinkie Pie when the pointer began to move. “Are you doing that?”

“No Spike, we’re not moving it,” Pinkie Pie answered.

“Yeah,” Dash said, once again struggling with her laughter, “we’re not moving it.”

“But that means...” Spike began before trailing off and looking nervously at the board. He, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash all watched as the pointer continued to creep across the board until it finally came to a stop. Through the magnifying glass embedded inside the pointer, the trio could clearly see one of the few words printed on the board.

…Yes…

Spike took his claw off the pointer. “Okay... you know what, I don’t think this is a good idea.” He tried to get up from his seat, but Rainbow Dash used a hoof to push him back down.

“Ah, come on, Spike, you want the ghost to leave, don’t ya?”

“Of course I do!” Spike answered. “What sane dragon wants a ghost in his home?”

“Then you have to stay here and help us. We can’t figure out how to make it go away unless we talk to it,” Rainbow Dash explained while motioning for Spike to put his claw back on the board. It was obvious Spike didn’t like the idea of talking with the ghost, but the prospect of being able to make it go away was tempting. In the end, Spike put his claw back on the pointer.

“Okay, next question: are you a spirit?” Rainbow Dash asked, calling out with a spooky waver in her voice. This time, the board didn’t take as long to reply, the pointer crossing over to the board’s adjacent corner.

…No…

“No?” Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash read together, glancing up at one another. “But I thought we agreed-”

“Come on,” Spike said, interrupting the two mares. “Just ask it what it wants.”

“Okay, okay,” Dash said, trying to calm Spike down, though the smile on her face had disappeared. “What do you want?”

In response to the question, the pointer moved down from the corners of the board. It slid about the letters laid out in the center, pausing above specific characters as it spelled out a response.

…W...H...A...T...I...S...M...I...N...E...

“Whatismine?” Pinkie Pie echoed, tilting her head in confusion.

“I think it wanted to say ‘What is mine,’” Rainbow Dash said. She looked at Pinkie Pie with freaked-out confusion and mouthed silently, “What are you doing?”

“Nothing,” Pinkie Pie mouthed back.

Spike, oblivious to the exchange going on between the two mares, kept his eyes fixed on the phantom speller. “What is mine?” he echoed while his brain turned over the phrase. “Was something taken from you?”

It only took a moment for the pointer to start moving again, sliding back across board.

…Yes...

“Whoa, okay, I need a quick break,” Rainbow Dash said as she took her hoof off the pointer. “Hey, Spike, you mind if Pinkie Pie and I raid the kitchen?”

“No, go ahead,” the baby dragon answered. “I think I could use a break too. I need to, uh... go to the bathroom. Yeah, that’s it.”

The group split in two. Spike crept up stairs to go to the bathroom while Rainbow Dash dragged Pinkie Pie into the kitchen. Once there, Rainbow Dash shut the door and turned to glare at Pinkie.

“What are you doing? This isn’t what we rehearsed,” Rainbow Dash snapped, trying to keep her voice down so they wouldn’t run the risk of waking Twilight.

“Me!? What are you doing? You’re the one moving the pointer!” Pinkie Pie accused.

“I am not!”

“Yes you are!”

“Pinkie Pie, I swear, it’s not me,” Rainbow Dash assured her.

“But, if you’re not the one doing it and I’m not the one doing it... and if Spike’s not the one doing it...” Pinkie Pie rattled off before falling silent, her eyes growing as wide as dinner plates. “Then... oh my gosh, do you think there’s a real ghost?! Oh, that is so exciting! I’ve never talked to a real ghost before!”

“But Pinkie Pie, this is only supposed to be a prank,” Rainbow Dash said before glancing over her shoulder. “I mean, the library wasn’t actually supposed to be haunted.”

Pinkie Pie hooked her foreleg around Rainbow’s shoulders and put on a confident smile. “Relax, Rainbow Dash, nothing’s changed. We’re just doing this for real now instead of pretend. We’ll ask the spirit what it wants, and then help Spike and Twilight get rid of it. It will be just like the time we got rid of that dragon in the mountains, or the time Twilight rocked that Ursa Minor to sleep.”

“But... ” Rainbow Dash tried to protest.

“Come on, I thought you liked being scared.”

Rainbow puffed out her chest. “I do, if something can actually scare me. But ghosts... no, I’m not scared of ghosts.”

“Great! Let’s get back out there before it leaves,” Pinkie Pie said excitedly before bouncing out of the kitchen and returning to her place beside the phantom speller. Rainbow Dash wasn’t as eager. She lingered in the kitchen a moment to take a deep breath. She then flared her wings, put on an air of courage, and strode out into the main room before sitting back down beside the phantom speller.

Spike came back from the bathroom a few minutes after the two mares had returned to the board. His face was dripping with water, but he acted as if nothing was amiss. He simply sat down. Even as water dripped to the floor, neither Pinkie Pie nor Rainbow Dash pushed for answers. Instead, the trio turned their attention back to the Phantom Spell and replaced their hooves and claw on the pointer.

“Okay,” Rainbow Dash breathed, trying to calm the quiver in her voice, “can you tell us what was taken from you?”

For a few moments the pointer remained still, like the spirit had left, but then the pointer twitched once. That twitch was followed by movement as the pointer crossed to the upper right corner of the board.

…No…

“You can’t tell us what was taken?” Pinkie Pie asked, echoing the spirit’s answer. “Then... can you tell us who stole from you?”

…Yes…

“Oh, who was it?” Pinkie Pie chirped all too eagerly. The pointer began its reply as soon the question had left her lips. It spelled out the spirit’s answer while she, Rainbow Dash, and Spike leaned in to watch with anticipation. Each worked mentally to keep track of the motion. Rainbow Dash even mouthed the letters to herself.

…S...H...E...T...O...O...K...H...E...R...

“No no no,” Pinkie Pie said while shaking her head at the same rhythm. “I asked who was it? Who is she?”

…S...H...E...T...O...O...K...H...E...R...

“No, I asked who is she,” Pinkie Pie corrected again. “I mean, it’s not that hard of question. All I’m asking for is a name.”

…S...H...E...T...O...O...K...H...E...R...

“Uh, Pinkie Pie, maybe we should-” Dash tried to interrupted, but Pinkie was too intently focused on the board to hear her.

“Oh come on, won’t you please tell me who she is? Pretty please with sugar on top?” Pinkie Pie sang, as if asking nicely would entice the spirit to give up the truth.

…S...H...E...T...O...O...K...H...E...R...

Dash abruptly took her hoof off the pointer and stood up from the board. “Whoa... okay, would you look at the time? I got someplace to be. So... ya, see you two later.” With that Rainbow Dash quickly made her way to the library door, only for Pinkie Pie to speed ahead and block the exit.

“Come on, Rainbow Dash, don’t go yet. I mean, this is so fun! We’re actually talking to a spirit!”

“Sorry, I’d... uh, really like to stay but, you know, I’ve got some clouds to clear.”

“In the middle of the night?” Pinkie Pie questioned.

“Uh... yeah, in the... middle of the night,” Rainbow Dash assured Pinkie with a weak smile.

“Aw, Rainbow Dash, you don’t have to be scared. Just remember you have to ~giggle at the ghostly, guffaw at the~”

Rainbow Dash stuck a hoof in Pinkie Pie’s mouth, ending the song before it could continue. “I am not scared,” she said firmly, “and don’t sing. Do you want to wake Twilight up and get us caught?”

“Uh, girls?” Spike tried to interrupt to no avail.

“No,” Pinkie Pie replied once Rainbow Dash had lowered her hoof, “but I’m just saying it’s okay to be scared. I mean, that’s what this part of the year is all about; it’s fun to be scared.”

“I told you, I’m not scared!” Rainbow Dash snapped.

“But then whey do you want to leave so bad?

“It’s because-”

“Girls!” Spike shouted. He had gotten up from the board and walked over to where the two mares were arguing, ensuring he was heard.

“What is it?” Dash asked, obviously wanting to get back to her argument with Pinkie Pie.

Spike pointed back at the board. “It’s still going!”

The two mares turned their heads, and saw that Spike was telling the truth. The pointer was still moving, sliding between letters even though there was no pony or dragon touching it.

For almost a minute none of them approached the phantom speller. They remained rooted to the floor, watching the pointer slide from a distance. The first one to shore up enough courage to move closer was Pinkie Pie, though the expression on her face made it clear that she wasn’t enjoying the ghostly encounter any more. Pinkie’s courage let Rainbow Dash and Spike approach the board as well.

The pair followed behind Pinkie until all three of them were close enough to read what the pointer was spelling out.

…S...H...E...T...O...O...K...H...E...R...
…I …W...A...N...T...H...E...R...B...A...C...K...
…S...H...E...T...O...O...K...H...E...R...
…I …W...A...N...T...H...E...R...B...A...C...K...
…S...H...E...T...O...O...K...H...E...R...
…I …W...A...N...T...H...E...R...B...A...C...K...
…S...H...E...W...I...L...L...H...E...L...P...M...E...G...E...T...H...E...R...
…S...H...E...W...I...L...L...B...E...M ...I...N...E...

The pointer came to an abrupt stop, leaving the last letter magnified in its lens as the room fell into an uneasy silence. Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Spike all stood, eyes locked on the phantom speller. None of them dared to move or even breathe as they watched and waited to see if the spirit would continue to speak.

“Is... is it gone?” Spike asked quietly several tense moments later.

“What are you three doing?!”

Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Spike all jumped and screamed at the top of their lungs. Spike bolted to hide under the library’s reading table while Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash hugged each other for dear life. It was then the lights around the room came on, magically lit by a very angry and tired Twilight who glared at her friends from the base of the staircase.

Rainbow Dash put a hoof to her chest as she tried to calm her pounding heart. “Oh...geeze, Twilight! Don’t do that!”

“What, come downstairs to find out what all the shouting was about?!” Twilight snapped at her two friends. “And what are you two even doing here?”

“Twilight!” Spike wailed as he ran over and clung to Twilight’s leg. “Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie said they were going to help get rid of the ghost and-”

“Spike, I told you, there are no such thing as ghosts,” Twilight lectured.

“But Rainbow Dash said-”

“So it was Rainbow Dash,” Twilight grumbled as she turned her glare on Rainbow, who put up a hoof defensively.

“Okay, I know what this looks like, and I’ll admit Pinkie Pie and I were going to prank Spike, but-”

“Ha! See, Spike? These two were just playing a trick!” Twilight said while pointing an accusing hoof.

“We were going to play a trick,” Pinkie Pie corrected, “but then something actually started to happen. We actually got to talk to a real ghost. It was so scary, but so fun!”

“Oh yes, I’m sure it was,” Twilight sassed in disbelief before returning to her serious, scolding tone. “I can’t believe you two. I know you two like to pull pranks, but scaring Spike like this is going too far.”

“But-” Pinkie Pie tried to protest only for Twilight to cut her off.

“No, Pinkie Pie, I don’t want to hear any more.”

“But Twilight, there really is something-” Rainbow Dash tried to stress, but Twilight didn’t give her a chance to finish. With her horn glowing, she opened the library door and pointed at it with a hoof.

“No, you’ve had your fun. Now I think it’s time you two went home.”

“But Twilight,” Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash said in unison, only to fall silent at the stern, unforgiving glare in Twilight’s eyes. Unable to face their friend’s gaze, Rainbow and Pinkie made a quick retreat, running out of the library and to the street outside.

“Good night!” were the final words Twilight yelled to her friends before she slammed the library door shut and set the locks. She then released a tense breath before shelving her anger and looking down at Spike. He clung tightly to her leg, looking around the room with wide, terrified eyes.

“Look, Spike, I promise nothing is here,” Twilight said as she tried to comfort the baby dragon. “Those two were just playing a trick on you.”

Spike nodded, stepping away from Twilight and looking around the room. “O-o-okay, but what about Rainbow Dash’s...”

Twilight followed Spike’s gaze, trying to find what he was looking at. “Rainbow Dash’s what?”

“Rainbow’s phantom speller, where did it go?”

“I’m sure she took it with her when she left,” Twilight answered while she moved towards the stairs. “Now, come on, you’re up way past your bedtime.”

Spike nodded, but remained standing where he was for a moment, staring at the place where the phantom speller had been. He tried to remember if he had seen Rainbow Dash grab the board when she left, but he couldn’t recall seeing it in her hooves. Still, something like that couldn’t just up and vanish... could it?

~~~

“Thanks again for helping out, Applejack,” Twilight said with a weary smile. She stood on the porch of the Apple family farmhouse, unloading several items from her saddlebags and setting them just in the door. The sun was setting in the distance, just minutes from disappearing completely.

“I’m always happy to help out a friend in need, Twilight, but you mind tellin’ me why you want Spike to spend a few nights here?” Applejack asked as she watched Twilight continue to unload blankets, pillows, and the occasional gemstone. “That letter you sent earlier didn’t say that much.”

“I’m sorry, I meant to explain everything but I was in a hurry this morning,” Twilight apologized. “The reason I want Spike to spend a few nights here is because he hasn’t been able to sleep at the library. Ever since he, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie were playing with that stupid phantom speller, he’s been having really bad nightmares.”

“Did you try tellin’ him there’s no such thing as ghosts?” asked Applejack.

“Of course,” Twilight answered defensively. “I’ve probably told him a hundred times, but it doesn’t help. He hasn’t been able to sleep for two days, and when he’s awake he’s constantly on edge; he’s just so scared.”

“He isn’t the only one, Sugarcube. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie came by here and told me what happened, and they were pretty spooked too.”

“Good. Maybe that will teach them it isn’t a good idea to scare your friends so badly,” Twilight seethed coldly.

Applejack reached out a hoof and touched Twilight’s shoulder, offering a sympathetic expression. “Now, Twilight, I know you’re mad at Rainbow and Pinkie for scarin’ Spike, but don’t be too hard on them. From the way it sounds, they didn’t mean for things to get so out of hoof.”

“I know,” Twilight admitted with a sigh as she turned to look at Applejack, “but I’m just worried about Spike. He’s just a baby dragon; he needs his sleep.”

“Well, don’t you worry none about that, Twilight,” Applejack said with a reassuring smile. “We’ll make sure he gets a good night’s sleep tonight.”

“Thank you, Applejack. I’m hoping that a change of scenery will help, and having so many other ponies around should make him feel safer as well. Still, I’d keep him away from Apple Bloom. I wouldn’t want him to tell her about what happened and give her nightmares too.”

“We’ll keep that in mind. Shoot, maybe you’d like to spend the night too. You’re lookin’ awful tired, Twilight, and we’ve got more than enough spare bedrooms.”

Twilight finished unloading the last of Spike’s things. “Thank you, but no thank you. I’ll admit, because of Spike’s nightmares, I haven’t been able to get as much sleep as I normally would, but I refuse to be driven out of the library by something that doesn’t even exist. Besides, I’ve got some reading I want to get done.”

“Well, all right then, if you’re sure.”

Twilight gave a nod and turned to leave. “I am, and thank you again. I really do appreciate this. I’ll come back tomorrow to check on Spike.”

“All right, see you tomorrow then, Sugarcube,” Applejack said, waving goodbye to Twilight. She remained on the farmhouse’s front porch, watching Twilight until she had reached the farm’s front gate. Once Twilight had turned and started heading in the direction of Ponyville, Applejack slipped inside the farmhouse to help Spike get settled in.

~~~

There was a deep frown on Twilight’s face as she tapped on her bedroom window for what was the third time that evening.

Since her return from Sweet Apple Acres a few hours before, Twilight had been trying to read her book on illusions spells. She blazed through the first chapter without any trouble at all. Yet, upon trying to start the second chapter, Twilight found herself unable to concentrate. She began feeling a draft: a cold chill on one side of her body. Now, feeling a draft in the library was no strange occurrence, and Twilight had a properly prepared checklist for taking care of a draft whenever she felt one.

And she went down that checklist almost an hour and a half ago. First, she made sure all the windows were closed. Then, she placed a quick charm on the windows so they were better insulated. Then, as a final touch, she started a small fire in the fireplace. She hit every point on her checklist, and as expected she couldn’t feel the draft anymore and was able to return to her reading.

At least until the draft decided to return. Just as Twilight reached the bottom of the page she was on, the right side of her body was cold again, and it baffled her. She had gone down her checklist. She hit every point. There was no possible way she could still be feeling a draft. Yet the cold sensation on Twilight’s right side was evidence to the contrary.

So Twilight went down the checklist again. She checked and enchanted the windows before throwing a fresh log into the fireplace. She stayed close to the fireplace, soaking in the heat from the flames until the cold sensation was gone. For a second time, Twilight was sure the draft was defeated, but the moment she tried to go back to her reading the chill returned.

Mind flaring with determination, Twilight embarked on a crusade to defeat the strange draft that kept her from reading. She triple checked the windows, checked to make sure the draft wasn’t coming from the front door, and, as a final touch, took her book off her reading desk and brought it over beside the fireplace. She laid down with her right side facing the flames, smiling smugly at the room as if daring it to try and make her feel cold again.

It was a dare the library accepted. The moment Twilight returned to her reading a chill crawled up her spine. Her right side was cold again.

“Oh for Celestia’s sake!” Twilight bellowed out in aggravation as she jumped to her hooves and stomped upstairs. She didn’t know what was going on or where that draft was coming from, but she wasn’t going to let it keep her from her studies any longer. With a violent tug, Twilight took the blanket off her bed and draped it across her back. She then stomped back downstairs, laid back down by the fire, and wrapped the blanket around her body as tightly as she could.

“There; now there’s no way I can be cold,” Twilight stated firmly, every part of her body, except her horn and eyes, cocooned in her blanket. Still, instead of going straight back to her reading, Twilight decided to sit and wait for a minute and see if the draft returned. When it didn’t, Twilight let herself smile and revel in her triumph over the draft as she levitated up her book, intent on picking up where she had left off.

but the bitterness in the young one's heart had transformed her into a wicked mare of-

Twilight blinked, closing the book and checking the cover. It was not her book on illusion magic. Instead, Twilight found herself holding a book about Equestria’s history: the same book where she had first read about Nightmare Moon and the Elements of Harmony.

Twilight cocked an eyebrow in confusion and tossed back the part of the blanket wrapped around her head. “Where did this come from?” she asked herself as she cracked open the book again. She quickly flipped back to the passage where she had been, her eyes focusing on the two illustrations that were visible to her. The one on the left was a depiction of Luna and Celestia standing on a pair of clouds, Luna’s head turned away from Celestia. The image on the right side page was of Nightmare Moon, rearing back in a frightful pose.

...Mine...

Twilight turned her head abruptly and glanced around while her ears swiveled forward. She then shut her book and stood up, keeping the blanket wrapped tightly around her body as she took a few steps away from the fireplace.

“Hello, is somepony there?” Twilight called out to the empty library. She strained her ears listening for the slightest whisper of a reply. The silence, however, persisted. The only thing that Twilight heard was the sound of her own breathing mixed with the crackling of the fireplace.

After listening intently for a few minutes, Twilight huffed and shook her head before turning back in the direction of the fireplace. “Come on, Twilight, pull yourself together. The front door and windows are locked, Spike is at Applejack’s, and there is nopony else here. Just go back to reading your-”

Twilight stopped, her voice falling silent and her eyes focusing on the section of the floor where she left the book. It had disappeared, and in its place was a letter covered board with a pointer: a phantom speller.

A shiver ran down Twilight’s spine and she grappled with the fear that was growing in her chest. She didn’t own a phantom speller; it was just a silly board game with no foundation in real magic. Yet, as Twilight approached the board, she couldn’t deny that it was there. She even reached out a hoof and touched it, proving to herself that it was physical and real.

Inching closer, Twilight craned her neck over the board and focused on the pointer. It was positioned over the upper left hoof corner of the board, the small embedded glass lens directly above the word “Yes”. The sight of that word magnified in the pointer’s lens made Twilight feel uneasy, and she retreated from the board. She then took in a deep breath and shook her head.

“No, there’s no such thing as ghosts. I’m just... I’m just tired,” Twilight told herself, her mind latching onto the admittedly weak explanation. “Yes, I’m sure I just dozed while I was reading and slept walk. Also, this phantom speller, I bet it’s Rainbow Dash’s. She probably left it here after I made her leave the other night.”

Upon saying her explanation out loud, Twilight realized how far-fetched it sounded. She, however, forced herself to ignore the weaknesses in the argument. She walked back up to the phantom speller, and without giving the board or its pointer a second look, put it in a drawer.

Twilight closed the drawer with a firm push of her hoof. “There, out of sight, out of mind. Now, where did my book go?”

It took some time, but Twilight was able to find her book on illusion spells and return to her place by the fireplace. Yet, as Twilight tried to focus on her reading, she found the silence of the library had become uncomfortable. It was just too quiet, and the strange happenings of the evening were still lingering on the edges of her thoughts.

Despite her every desire to keep reading, Twilight could tell her efforts that evening would be fruitless. She heaved a sigh of defeat, and after tossing the book onto her reading desk, retreated upstairs to the bedroom. She shut off the lights, laid down in her bed, and grumbled under her breath as she closed her eyes for the night.

“There are no such things as ghosts.”