Ghost Squad

by Sollace

Chapter 10

Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash gathered outside the front entrance of the Castle of Friendship, shrinking under its shadow as they slowly drew close. The building loomed, arching its back as it seemingly leaned overhead, filling the entire sky. Other than the colour, it was still mostly the same, moderately approachable, literal fortress of comradely that they knew and tolerated. The only other difference— and what had Fluttershy the most unsure about this as she traced Twilight’s steps towards to the front porch— were the loud, obnoxious howls and laughs of lunacy that emanated from inside.

A stray roll of duct tape wilted, pulling loose from the side of Twilight’s pack and started its slow journey down towards the ground. It was almost all of the way off when Twilight glanced away from the castle, frowning at the offending piece, and hastily slapped it back into place with a flash of her horn.

Unfortunately, Fluttershy’s cottage was a far cry from her own, state-of-the-art, under-library cave of scientific wonder. Even after they’d dismantled the pillow fort in the lounge, and righted all of the coffee table, she was hard pressed to find anything of use there.

But, fortunately, the worst of the damage could be traced back to a simple rupture of the Harmony Containment Cells. They just had to hope that her hoofwork— and Fluttershy’s extra tape —would hold for the time being.

Twilight fidgeted slightly, frowning as she moved her wings against her side, looking for the best position to keep them from chafing against her belt. She settled for leaving them spread at half mast, and glanced to the other mares gathered in front of her.

Rainbow—pinkest racer in Equestria—Dash stood around awkwardly, ruffling her wings as she glanced nervously over Twilight’s shoulder, towards the towering building behind her, and Fluttershy—shaking in her hooves and just barely able to see past her mane.

They each perked up when Twilight spoke. “Girls, are we ready?”

“Ready as I- I’ll ever bed.” Forcing down her stutter, Dash beat a hoof against her chest and puffed out her feathers, putting on a brave face. She flared her wings to assert her dominance. Nope, totally not ready for this.

Fluttershy was a bit slower to respond. She looked up meekly, scuffing a hoof against the ground as she squeaked, “Y-yes, Twilight.”

“Fluttershy...” Lowering her voice, Twilight stepped forward and put a comforting hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “You know you don’t have to this if you don’t want to.” She leaned down, bringing her face closer to Fluttershy, and gently pushed her mane aside so she could see into both her eyes. “Me and Dash can take of everything just fine.”

“Pfft—” Rainbow snorted. She took to hovering and crossed her hooves in front of her as she remarked, “Fat chance.” She rolled her eyes. “We’re totally going to ea—”

Twilight shot Dash a dirty look, the kind of which that screamed, Rainbow Dash! without actually having to say it. Then, her expression softening, she turned back to Fluttershy with a smile. “You can just head back to your cottage, neither of us will think any less of you for it.”

“Oh, no...” Fluttershy shook her head. She stood back to her full height and put on a thin smile despite herself. “Thank you, Twilight”-- she stood firm, puffing up her chest, and took a step forwards, joining Rainbow Dash in trotting closer to the castle. – “but I want to do this. I can’t just stand by and do nothing whilst you two run into danger.”

“Well...” Twilight sighed, “Okay.” She nodded, glancing to Dash. “Then I think we’re ready. We just have to wait for Pinkie Pie.”

“Hey, yeah!” Rainbow Dash shouted. She perked up and glanced around them, suddenly noticing the distinct lack of balloons and party streamers. Knowing Pinkie, she would have already gotten here ages ago and prepared a ‘Storm the Castle’ party, or something. As it stands, there weren’t any signs of the mare anywhere. “Where is Pinkie Pie anyway? I thought she’d be here already?”

Twilight shrugged. “I—”

“Incoming!!!”

Before Twilight could even get her first word out; they were interrupted by Pinkie’s screams, and both jumped with fright. Twilight and Dash both jumped, their manes almost standing on end, whilst Fluttershy flushed pale and seemed to turn to stone before their very eyes. Twilight stumbled and spun around, joining Dash in gawking as they watched Pinkie Pie appear over the horizon.

She galloped their way with reckless abandon, her mane and coat, a scuffed mess with sticks, twigs, and dust clinging all over. In her mouth she carried what Twilight could vaguely recognise as an old juice box, battered, bruised, and leaking behind her as she ran. The occasional piece of citrus jumped from her mane as it bounced, tumbling to the ground and leaving a trail of fruit behind her.

“Mmmmh-mmmh!” Pinkie Pie mouthed as she approached, almost running Twilight over as she skidded to a halt.

The mare hopped in place, shaking and looking around nervously as she mumbled past the box in her mouth. “Mmmmmf!” she pointed.

“Pinkie Pie, what is it?” Twilight grabbed the mare to steady he between her hooves, only to find herself shaking just as violently. “U-u-u-sss W-w-w-” With a grunt, she steadied Pinkie Pie, halting the shaking so she could get word in edge-ways. “Use words, Pinkie!”

“Mhm,” Pinkie Pie nodded and, removing the juice box, she deposited it in her mane, pushed Twilight’s hooves off her shoulders, and ran past her greeting every mare she passed on the ray. “Hey, Twi, Dash, Shy—” she darted between them—“Nice to meet you, sorry I’m late”— and made a beeline for the front of the castle –“but I ran into some ponies and we really need to get inside, like—” Pinkie paused at the door, half way through to lean against the frame with a hoof and looked back to the tree confused mares outside. “Right now!” she screamed, and quickly ducked out of view.

“Uh...wha?” Twilight raised an eyebrow, looking back to Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Both equally as confused, Fluttershy offered a slight shrug.

Twilight looked back to where she’d last seen Pinkie, opening her mouth to ask what the hay she was talking about, when she was pre-empted by a distant rumble. The ground shook, barely moving at first but quickly growing stronger as the rumbling approached, taking the form of stampeding hooves.

Rainbow Dash instantly went pale, Fluttershy blanching beside her and seemingly turned to stone as they both stared. Their mouths dropped, eyes going wide, as they both stuttered together. “T-t-t-t—”

“Twilight!” Rainbow Dash finally spat out. Running forwards to grab the mare by the shoulder, she spun Twilight around and pointed. “What is that!?”

“Rainbow Dash,” Twilight began, her eyes rolling, “What are you t—” She went silent, cutting herself off and turning almost as pale as Rainbow Dash. Her ears and jaw dropped as she set eyes on the source of the rumbling.

Ponies.

Lots, and lots, of ponies.

Possibly the entire town, all different shapes and sizes; mares and stallions, fillies and colts, every single one hobbled and stumbled with a limp. They dragged their legs almost in slow motion, and yet ran like a galloping champion at the races.

The drooling lips, wall-eyed gazes, and the occasional moan that reached her ears all screamed one word inside Twilight’s head.

“Zomponies!! she screamed, cracking a window and almost falling over Rainbow Dash as she backed away. She spun on her heel, suddenly realising what Pinkie was talking about—“Everypony inside!” and grabbed the Fluttershy statue in her magic.

All three of them piled into the castle— kicking and screaming— they squeezed through the gap and slammed the door with moments to spare.

Seconds later, the world around them exploded into the cacophony of grunts, snarls, groans and filly squeaks as the zombie hoard descended upon them. Hooves battered against the door, echoing, and rattling the stone in its stone hinges.

There was a croak as the door bent, cracks forming around the edges and the tips of hooves reaching through the tiny gaps. Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie took up station trying to hold them off, each on their own side of the door, barricading it with their bodies. Twilight glanced to the mare beside her. “Pinkie Pie!?” she screamed.

Between them there was a tiny squawk, and green, glowing eye peeked through an opening between the doors. It peeked around, before ducking out of sight and being replaced by a single grey-white hoof reaching through for the handle. Twilight gasped, and slammed her back against the door, rattling it and scaring off the filly.

The hoof vanished, and Twilight continued. “Pinkie, what the hay did you do!?”

“It wasn’t my fault!” Pinkie screamed back, squinting and gritting her teeth. A bead of sweat trickled down the side of her head, and another orange toppled from her mane as she pushed the door back, sealing it. “I didn’t do anything! I just borrowed some oranges and they were like that when I got there!”

“But you had to h—” Twilight facehoofed, “Did you have to lead them to us!?” she snarled. If they weren’t friends, and she weren’t the Princess of Friendship, she would’ve strangled Pinkie long ago.

Heck, if she didn’t need both her hooves to block the door, she’d probably do it right now. Although... She does have a h—

“Everypony back up!” Rainbow Dash screamed.

Rearing up, she took a stance between them with her pack at the ready and a wild looking her eyes. She flicked a wingtip across the switch on its side, and the device sprang to life, rumbling and sparking, and forcing Twilight and Pinkie Pie to jump for cover as she directed the business end of her nozzle their way. “I’m gonna shoot!”

“WAAAAIT!!” Before she could even get a shot out, Rainbow was tackled to the side by a yellow blur. Her aim of Rainbow’s hoof flinched and fired off an odd shot, ricocheting across the room, and smashing a window as it flew out into the night. “Don’t do it, Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy cried, rocking Rainbow in her hooves as she forced the mare to the ground beneath her weight, tears streaming down her face.

“Flutters—” Grunting, Rainbow turned her head and pushed Fluttershy away from her so she could breathe. – “‘Shy, what are you—” she grunted, “Get off!!” She pushed Fluttershy away from her, finally wrenching her hooves free so she could return to a sitting position.

“They’re Ponies, Rainbow!” She screamed, still livid as she threw herself at Rainbow Dash, squeezing the air out of her as she squeezed the pegasus beneath her death grip. “You can’t hurt them, Dash!”

“A’ck—” Rainbow Dash gulped. For once in what seemed like forever she was starting to look her normal colour, although not in the way she would’ve preferred. “Fluttershy...” she struggled out, “...what...” With a huff, she pushed Fluttershy back and gasped, returning to her semi-normal pink self. “What are we supposed to do!?” she screamed back, holding Fluttershy up between her hooves, shaking her angrily, “Let them eat us!?”

“Dash!” Twilight spoke up, pulling everypony’s attention back to the immediate issue. Both Dash and Fluttershy paused, their ears perking as they turned to face Twilight who, together with Pinkie, were up to their necks in trying to make sure the door doesn’t cave in between them. They both sweated profusely as Twilight gestured to the door with her head. “In case you two forgot,” she ground her teeth, “We have a bit of a predicament and I—” She drew a breath, gritting her teeth as she pushed back against the door, forcing it back closed—“I hate to admit it, but I agree with Fluttershy. Derpy—“

“Ditzy!” Everypony corrected.

“Ditzy brought it up to me as well and, full disclosure, I don’t know what it’ll do to them.”

“Then what do we do?”

“Just—” Twilight took a moment to facehoof, gesturing to the room around them, and at the various pieces of furniture strewn about. “Somepony, find something to block the door, quick!”

Jumping to action, both mare’s flashed a quick salute—“Aye-aye, ma’am!” –and set to work gathering items to pile in front of the door.

Twilight and Pinkie were almost crushed, forced to jump aside as the first avalanche of furniture hit the door. Led by Rainbow Dash with an upturned sofa, Fluttershy flew in and gingerly propped a single vase atop the pile. She then went back to grab the carpet whilst Rainbow Dash darted forwards, huffing and gasping, arching her back under the weight of a coffee table.

After several crashes and clangs, both ponies regrouped at the far end of the hall to grab a bookshelf between them. Rounding it, they heaved the shelf into the air and flew with it over to the door.

“Wait!” Twilight screamed and jumped forward, blocking them moments before they could dump the shelf onto the pile.

Both mares stopped cold, frozen in mid air, and watching as Twilight stepped up between them. With a flash of her horn, she levitated the books free from the shelf and stacked them safely aside, and out of the way.

“Okay,” she nodded, and stepped aside. “You’re good to go.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. ...egghead. She glanced to Fluttershy, and the shared a nod, then tipped the shelf over, dropping it onto the pile and blocking the door once and for all.

As they stepped back, everypony watched with bated breaths as the pile shuffled and slid slightly, each item settling into their own places. The door continued to shake, the banging echoing through the hall, and several more moans and groans came muffled from outside.

At length, the sounds slowly grew quieter, eventually giving way to complete silence. Twilight let out her breath—“whew.” She slumped forwards, relaxing in time with the other three ponies around her. Pinkie flopped against her side, whilst Rainbow and Fluttershy crumpled behind them, and all four slumped together into an exhausted heap in the middle of the floor.

Twilight pressed a hoof to her chest, glancing to Pinkie Pie, and then to Dash, and waited. She listened for a moment, focusing on the pounding in her ears, and distant moans as they slowly grew further and further way.

She smacked her lips, and stumbled back to her hooves. “Well...” Twilight shook herself off, straightening out a few lasting split ends, and paused to re-tape the edge of her Harmony Pack. “That was...” she coughed into her hoof, “close.”

“Ugh...” Each pony agreed with a collective groan, and a slight tilt of their heads.

~ ~ ~

“Wow, this place really doesn’t look all that different, does it, Twi?” Pinkie Pie observed, trotting with a spring in her step behind the princess as she led the way deeper into the labyrinth that used to be her castle.

“Just darker,” Rainbow Dash added, hovering immediately behind with her pack at the ready.

“...and more scary.” Lastly Fluttershy, shivering like a leaf, whispered as she backed up the rear.

All four of them slowly crept along at a snail’s pace behind Twilight, watching as she trotted from one door to the next, opened it, peeked inside, and frowned at the assortment of buckets and mops that fell out. She’d then close it, forcing the cleaning implements back into their normal place, and continued walking. “I know,” she nodded, “It’s actually kind of disconcerting. I expected there to be more—”

Each in turn, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy each went pale, their eyes going wide and mouths dropping as they started to stutter. “G-g-g-g—”

Pinkie Pie was the last to respond. She glanced to the other two, raising an eyebrow, and was about to ask what they were doing when her eye drew to something behind Twilight and she joined in. “G-g-g- Ghost!” they each screamed in unison.

“Yeah,” Twilight nodded, “tha—”

“No!” Rainbow Dash shouted. She leapt forwards, putting a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder and spinning her around to point. “Look!”

A distant thrumming, low and consistent, almost like the beating of a heart started up the passage and slowly drew closer. Rainbow shot her hoof forwards, gesturing to the farthest end of the passage where an eerie green light flickered on, and a shadowed appeared around the corner. “ Ghost!”

Twilight’s heart stopped, her breath catching in her throat. She gulped and jumped to action, looking around them for any signs of an escape. “Uh—uh—uh—” Her mind worked double time as it raced for a resolution. She couldn’t let them be found out now, they had to find somewhere to—“Quick!” She grabbed a nearby door handle in her magic and flung it open, gesturing towards it with a hoof—“In here!”

Everypony piled in with nearly a question to ask, and Twilight pushed in last, closing the door behind her and leaving only the slightest crack to see outside. “Ow, Pinkie”— Rainbow Dash whispered at her side, squirming in the confined space— “Get your hoof out of my—”

“That’s not me, Dashie,” Pinkie Pie whispered back, accompanied by the clatter of pans. Somepony’s face pressed up against the back of Twilight’s head as the changed positions, and a hoof batted passed her ear.

“Um, sorry,” Fluttershy squeaked beside her, “but could you please, I mean, if you don’t mind, get off of my—”

“Shhhh,” Twilight snapped. She shushed the other mares, and quickly turned back to looking through the gap. She watched with bated breath as the enemy—or at least one of them strolled by.

The rhythmic clomping of hooves joined Twilight’s beating heart. She held her breath as an armoured minotaur trotted bye, a heavy battleaxe and shield hanging heavy in his hands. He shimmered with a deep green light and, as he turned, Twilight caught a brief glimpse of his face: nothing but a black void, with glowing green eyes set deep within the depths of his helm.

The apparition paused outside the closet, his rippling muscles mere inches from Twilight’s face. The seconds drew on as he looked to each side. There was a faint snorting, almost like he was sniffing for something, and then the minotaur carried on.

As the glow slowly faded and gave away to darkness, Twilight let out her breath and relaxed. “Whew...” She sighed, wiping a hoof across her forehead, and almost slumped to the ground. “That was—”

Glancing to her side, Twilight suddenly noticed something was different. The other girls were suspiciously quiet. She no longer felt any hooves or flanks pressing against her side, nor did she see any brooms and mops. In fact, the room was strangely well lit for a closet.

She turned around, looking up to find where she’d normally expect the back wall of the closet, instead a clear view into what looked like the castle library. Shelves of books lined on either side of her, with a path down the middle leading towards the exit in ahead.

The bookshelves each shivered, their contents seeming to jump to life as several books took flight. They each jumped across the aisle. Flying in swarms in quick succession, each book jumped from one shelf to the other, landing with the flutter of pages and a resounding thud.

Twilight, her expression completely blank, took a step back. She spun back around on her heel to go the other way, only to find the door replaced by a solid wall.

“...oh, for buck’s sake,” she swore, kicking at the ground and almost punching herself in the face as she flailed angrily.

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Why does unwarranted use of the word 'fuzzy' necessitate a teen rating?

[Sollace]

8149964
Pone fuzz is a very serious matter. The other two are probably legit, tho