Requiem for a Ghost

by ChronicleStone

Chapter 1: A Haunted House

Outskirts of Vanhoover
September 29, 4:44 PM

The old building was the focus of dozens of rumors from the locals. They often mentioned that it was haunted by a singular ghost who had lost everything and never found fulfillment in this life. A tormented spirit whose ties to the past and unwillingness to move on kept the house locked up so that the ghost could never escape. As such, no one had ever visited the creepy old building. The rumors would suffice in place of the truth.

No one, that is, save the one sky-blue pegasus who stood at the front door. He knocked twice and sighed. It’s a shame…those ponies’ rumors couldn’t be more accurate even if they knew the whole story.

He waited for a solid minute with no response. The house seemed to stare down at him, its windows full of disapproval towards an unwelcome guest. But Sky was undeterred. While he may have been uninvited, it would have been incredibly naïve to think that he was unexpected. He had basically made his intentions known several months ago.

Finally, there was the sound of a faint click from the other side of the worn wooden door. Sky slowly leaned into it, causing it to open slightly, though nothing inside was visible: everything seemed to be draped by a shadow, or the lighting was just rather dim.

He took a deep breath and spoke softly into the opening. “Ghost?”

He waited for several seconds in silence before he heard a tired sigh. “You sure don’t know how to take no for an answer, do you, Blitz?”

“I guess not,” Sky answered with a shrug. “May I come in?”

There was a moment of hesitation before the door opened wide, where a rather disheveled and haggard-looking Ghost stood in the doorway. “It’s not like I could stop you,” he muttered, turning away and trudging back down the foyer.

Sky frowned. While the fact that Ghost was actually willing to speak with him was progress, it was apparent that the bitterness he had harbored for years was still festering within his heart. Not only had he been defeated by Sky, Princess Luna, and the spirit of Storm Emblem, but his horn had been broken, crippling his ability to use magic. When Sky had first seen Ghost open the door, it had been the first thing his eyes focused on. It was almost as though he couldn’t help it.

Sky stepped inside and shut the door behind him with his wing. It was an odd feeling—he had grown used to using magic for many minor tasks (like opening and shutting doors)—so much so that actually physically performing any of them felt awkward. Magic had become a part of his daily life. But now that Ghost couldn’t use magic, it would probably have come across as a slap in the face.

And that was the last thing that needed to happen.

“So, how have you been?” Sky asked, trying to brighten up the mood.

“Cut the formalities, Blitz.” Ghost was still plodding down the dim hallway. He hadn’t even looked back when he had responded to the question. “Just state your business and leave me alone.”

“I can’t do that,” Sky answered, throwing a little weight into his words. “I won’t. I’m not willing to let you just wither away in your anger and bitterness. You’re capable of so much more.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t let that bother you,” Ghost replied, and the caustic tone of his voice lit a small flame in the back of Sky’s mind. “I’ve only been living with anger and bitterness my whole life.”

Sky landed in front of Ghost before he could take another step. A familiar light flickered in his eyes as he opened his mouth. “Then leave it behind. There’s more to you than just resentment. I know that.” He relaxed slightly and stood up straight. “I think you know that, too.”

Ghost snorted and stepped forward, shoving Sky aside in the process. “Sure sounds nice in that fairy tale you’re living in. But here in the real world, things aren’t as simple as you seem to believe they are.”

Sky was straightening his wrap when he noticed Ghost’s eyes locked in on his own. “You wanna believe that there’s more to me than being sour and angry for my state of affairs? That’s your business. And you know, I’ll even admit that you might be right. Who knows; I’ve lived through crazier,” he added with a shrug. “But if you think that it’s so simple to lay aside literally the only thing I’ve ever known—the thing I was taught to cling to for my entire life—then you’re delusional. Your past follows you. It’s not something you can just let go of. It’s like a bear with a chestnut bur. Sure, when the bear grabs it, he’s holding it, even though it hurts him. But when he lets go, the bur grabs back. It sticks to him. The past doesn’t like being left behind, Blitz,” he growled, starting back down the hallway before casting a quick glance back at Sky. “I figured you’d understand that better than most.”

“I do understand that,” Sky answered softly. “But just because the bur sticks to the bear’s paw doesn’t mean that the bear can’t get rid of it. He can still pull it off. And yeah, it hurts. It probably hurts even more when he pulls it off. But the bear is better for it when he’s free of the bur.”

Ghost stopped in his tracks and stared into the darkness of the hallway beyond. “That’s all I want, Ghost,” Sky continued. “I just want you to be free of the pain you’ve endured for so long. There’s more to life than what you’ve been led to believe.”

Several moments of silence passed, and Sky actually felt himself wishing that Ghost could still use magic, just so he could try and pick up something from the unicorn. He was so good at hiding his emotions…even Scope had a hard time reading him.

Finally, Ghost let out a long sigh. “You’re the Princess’ perfect little helper. You’re always so willing to save the empire and do whatever it takes to protect everypony. It wouldn’t surprise me if they gave you a halo at some point, just to drive home the point.”

“OK, that’s enough of th—”

“No!” Ghost interrupted and turned back to face Sky, still seemingly calm, but now a steady fire was burning in his eyes. “You’re the hero, alright? You get to be the savior. But never forget, Blitz: every hero needs a villain. And I’m that villain. And there’s nothing that changes that. You won. Whenever Equestria thinks of you, they’ll think of me. And they’ll remember me as the bad guy who lost to the perfect little hero.”

Sky could only watch as Ghost pushed open a doorway and stood in the opening. “So, if you like being the hero, then you’d best stop trying to ‘save’ me. Because if there’s no villain, then there’s no hero.” With that, he stepped into the room and shut the door behind him, leaving Sky standing in the hall.

He remained there for a solid minute, slowly arranging his thoughts before closing his eyes and letting his head fall. He saw the face of Storm Emblem before him, and he heard the fateful words of the pegasus echo in his mind:

“Sky Streak, promise me…promise me you’ll save him. Promise me you will save him from his own darkness.”

“Who cares about being a hero?” Sky whispered. “I’m not here to save a villain.”

“I’m here to save a friend.”

Author's Note:

NEW STORY!!!

If you look at the dates on this story and those on Tales of the Sentinels, you'll see that these two stories are semi-concurrent. And don't worry: they'll come together in the end.

Several months have passed since the Battle in Canterlot, and Sky can't shake the final words of Storm Emblem. So he's come directly to Vanhoover to see Ghost and try to reason with him. Doesn't look like it's going to be easy, though...

If you look at the tags for this story, you'll see that I've included a new one that I've not used before: "Sad." This story, while hopeful, is intended to be rather sorrowful as it deals with difficult subjects. But in the end, there is one principle that rules over them all, and sadness is no stranger on the road that principle has paved...

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

How many stories will be in this series?

[ChronicleStone]

7635643 Technically, this is the seventh story of a much larger story that starts with Roots of Fear. But in the strictest sense, this story is the capstone of the plot set in play in Oathbound. There's a lot of stuff referenced in here that happens in previous stories, so I'd encourage you to read those if you want the complete picture. But to understand just the main points, Oathbound is really all you'll need. Thanks for the comment, though, and I hope you enjoy!

...And it's at this point that I realize that I have entirely neglected to answer your original question.

So, as it stands, there are ELEVEN stories in all slotted to be in Sky Streak's adventures--five complete, two in progress, four to go. The current two (Tales of the Sentinels of Harmony and Requiem for a Ghost) are more like bridge stories to tie up loose ends and bridge the gap between the larger stories. But keep your eyes peeled! Within both of the current projects, there are little snippets of foreshadowing about the next big thing!

Thanks again for the comment!