//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: Hints of the Past // Story: Phantom Syndicate // by BluePhoenyx //------------------------------// The opened portal allowed Mirage to rush through it before closing again, but when she exited she found herself in the dark street of Fall Avenue. Something was-different, though, The buildings were the same, but they looked older, not broken or run down older but like they had just been built. She walked through the empty night streets until she came upon the lavender shop, but instead of the large bundles of lavender and displays of lavender products outside, there were ponies laughing and talking with mugs of cider in their hooves or wrapped in magical embrace. Something too was different about the ponies; apart from the fact that she didn’t recognize any of them, they were all dressed in old-fashioned clothing, with the mares in long layered dresses and bonnets and the stallions wearing vests with top hats. “Is this Bridle Falls?” Mirage asked herself. She trotted up to one of the ponies outside of the shop. “E-excuse me, do you know the date? I think i’m confu-” As she spoke,one of the ponies seemed to approach her in order to answer her question, but instead went straight through her.  Mirage gasped when she felt him pass through, it was like a cold winter wind chilling her insides, but the stallion didn’t even seem to notice she had been there at all. She turned around to watch him walk away, her jaw hanging open in horror. Was she dead? Was she a ghost now too? Mirage couldn’t accept that--she wouldn’t accept it. She had felt no pain, there wasn’t any struggle to live or even scenes of her life playing out in front of her, she couldn’t possibly be dead. A voice brought her out of her own mind suddenly. “You look a little lost, maybe I can help?” The mare’s voice was soft and warm and inviting, like a mother’s voice telling her it would be okay. Mirage turned back around to see a mare standing in front of her. She wasn’t dressed in any fancy clothing or anything, but that wasn’t nearly as confusing to Mirage as the fact that this mare had her cutie mark. She instantly recognized the will-o-wisp wrapped in a magical aura as her own and was even more confused than before She was tall, a little taller than Mirage but not as tall as say Princess Luna or Celestia, and she was a unicorn at that. She had a beautiful golden-yellow curled mane that cascaded down her back like strings of silk that almost touched the ground. Her coat was a pastel green color that accented her dark green eyes, and a warm, inviting smile that seemed almost sad. “Who are you?” Mirage asked. “That doesn’t matter right now.” The mare replied. “You need to go home.” “But.. I am home- well, I thought I was.” Mirage said taking one more look around. “Everything is different.” “You’re in the past, in the earliest days of Bridle Falls.” The mare answered. “This is where everything began.” She gestured a hoof and Mirage followed the line until she saw another mare walking through the streets, wearing a long, beautiful wedding gown. Mirage recognized her instantly. “Rose Bell? This is the night she went to the falls... the night she died..” Mirage mumbled, his voice catching in her throat slightly. “You have a unique gift Mirage.” The mare continued. “You can see into the souls of the departed, see their past and learn the truth of their death. This is why you’ve always been so good at hearing their voices.” Mirage turned back to her when she saw Rose Bell leave the town, rushing blindly to her death. She had been a better listener than Spirit and even Quill, but many other ghost hunters could hear the voices of the dead just as clearly. “I can what?” She asked. She wondered if maybe she could run after Rose Bell and stop her from falling off the cliff, but if that stallion had walked through her she doubted she could even touch Rose Bell. Wait, what had that mare just say? “How...do you know my name? Who are you?” Mirage demanded, suddenly very unsure of this mare. “I know a lot about you Mirage, and about your friends. It was pure fate that brought the three of you together, and I am very eager to see where your paths lead from here.” The mare smiled down at her. “S-so does that mean, I’m not dead? I can go back?” Mirage asked. She still wasn’t sure she wanted to trust this mare, but she didn’t have much of a choice if she wanted to see her friends again. “You still have a long way to go before you join the dead Mirage,” The mare replied, her horn began to glow as she spoke. “And you have much to learn about your gifts. Trust your instincts, and you can become a powerful Paladin one day.” The mare’s magic lifted into the air, creating a portal above Mirage that seemed to open into complete darkness. Some type of powerful force began pulling her into the air as if something had simply grabbed her and was lifting her up. “W-wait!” Mirage yelled, swinging her legs as if she could gallop away from the magic in mid-air. “Wait, what’s a paladin? How did I get here? What am I supposed to do? Who are you!?” “You cannot stay in one ghost’s memories for too long, you must go or be lost here forever. You will learn more, just trust yourself” The mare called to her. Mirage cried out as she was sucked in through the portal. Everything was black and quiet for a long time before Mirage could finally hear buzzing noises, like massive bees humming above her. The buzzing slowed and she could hear patterns in them, then it slowed into voices. She couldn’t understand them at first, but as she began opening her eyes, she heard a stallion speaking to her. “Miss? Miss are you okay?” The stallion asked. He helped Mirage to her hooves as she finally came to. She was in the middle of the street, right in front of the lavender shop, which was once again selling lavender and not cider, with her cloak on the ground below her. Her head was throbbing painfully like her heart had squeezed itself inside and was trying to pump blood from there. It made her hopelessly dizzy and even a little nauseous. “What happened? Where am I?” She asked. She looked around but the bright sunlight blinded her. Once she regained herself, Mirage looked back at the stallion. She recognized him from around town, so that was evidence enough she was back in her own time. “You’re on Front Street,” The stallion said. “You’re Mirage right? From Phantom Syndicate?” He asked. “Y-yeah..” Mirage mumbled. “Spirit? Where is Spirit? What about the ghost?” She demanded quickly when it all came back to her in a rush. The stallion was a little confused but he tried to answer her questions as best he could. “You mean the ghost last night that caused that flash?” He asked. “Spirit Glider said you were killed by the ghost and vanished” “But i’m not dead.” Mirage groaned, then began to stumble forward. “Take me to Spirit, please,” “Sure miss” The stallion said softly. He let her lean against him and he walked her back to her home. **** Quill sighed as he held up his ink pen to his paper, letting a drop of ink splash onto the scroll and soak into its fibers. How many times had he started this letter? And how many times had he let tears mix with his ink? He had to let Princess Luna know about the ghost, and he had to tell her about Mirage’s fall, but he just couldn’t bring himself to write a single word. He sighed again, for possibly the hundredth time that morning, and looked up to the top of the stairs to where Spirit had locked himself in his room the entire night and had yet to come out. Quill had tried to talk to him at some point in the night, but hearing the muffled sobs of his normally fearless captain made him turn away. He looked away from the stairs and accepted Spirit wasn’t going to come down anytime soon. There was a loud urgent knock at the door, which Quill was tempted to ignore but when the knock persisted, he caved. He walked over to the door and opened it to see an older stallion struggling to hold Mirage up. She was fading in and out of consciousness and limp in the stallion’s hooves. “I- uh, think she lives here right?” He asked. Quill was staring at the pony in such shock and disarray, that his glasses fell off of his face and cracked on the ground. “Mirage!’ He breathed. “Y-yeah bring her in, quickly. Sp-Spirit! Spirit come down! It’s Mirage!” He yelled frantically. The stallion brought Mirage inside and laid her on the couch, which seemed to help her. She lifted her head up when the room finally stopped spinning and smiled up at Quill. “Hey, Quill... I didn’t make you worry too much did I?” Mirage asked, her voice low and distant.  She was exhausted and her head was still throbbing, but she was happy to be in familiar surroundings again and with familiar faces. Quill had to wipe his eyes free of tears. “We thought you were dead Mirage, I was so.. We couldn’t...” He trailed off, unable to full form any coherent thought. Mirage smiled at him and held a hoof out to console him, but stopped when she noticed a form coming down the stairs. Spirit was staring at her, eyes wide and jaw slack in shock. Mirage started to her hooves at the same time the pegasus spread his wings and leaped off the landing, flying straight down for her. He landed in front of the couch just as Mirage finally managed to stand upright, but she stumbled and collapsed into his forehooves, which wrapped around her in a tight hug. “I thought you were-we were so- I couldn’t-.” Spirit struggled through his tears. Mirage held onto him mostly to keep herself from falling, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t happy to smell his familiar mix of natural odor and the smokiness of the magnesium flares that never quite left his soft coat no matter how hard he washed it. “What happened to you anyway?” Quill asked with a hint of bitterness in his voice. Mirage pulled away from Spirit and returned to the couch with some difficulty. “I..I don’t know.. I think I used a spell that put me into Rose Bell's memories... There was a mare there that said I would make a great Paladin someday, it was all so strange.” “You what?” they both asked in unison. Mirage blushed slightly. “Maybe..maybe it was just a weird dream and I used a teleport spell” She mumbled. “Well we’re just glad you’re back, and you’re not Ghost Marked either,” Quill said, looking her over. “I’m just exhausted” Mirage yawned. “You should go to your room, let me help.” Spirit urged. He started to help her to her hooves but Mirage quickly wrestled from his grasp. “N-no!” She squeaked. “I mean, uh... I’m fine here... With you two” She tried to push as much pleading into her voice as she dared so she wasn’t directly asking that all of them sleep in the living room like normal since she was actually very afraid of sleeping by herself. Quill caught on first. “Yeah going upstairs in your condition might be tough. I’ll stay down here and work so if you need anything I’ll be nearby” Mirage smiled and Spirit finally caught the idea. “Oh, yeah, I put my bedsheets in the wash anyway so I’ll sleep in my recliner tonight.” He said. Mirage was thankful they let her keep her dignity but still stayed with her. Spirit gave her a few pillows to rest her head against, then brought his favorite Wonderbolts blanket over to cover her. It was thick and warm, and very plush so it provided far more comfort than her usual pile of blankets. “How about some tea to help you sleep?” Quill offered. He had left and brought back a platter balanced on his back with a teapot and cups on it. Mirage nodded eagerly, a good cup of tea was just the thing she needed to get the chill of that other world out of her bones. She started to use her magic to lift one of the cups up, but only managed to get it a few inches above the platter before her magic failed and the cup shattered on the ground. She gasped and flinched then looked up at Quill. “I’m sorry, that was your good set too wasn’t it?” She apologized. “It’s fine, One of the cups was chipped already anyway” Quill replied. He let Spirit pour a new cup and hand it to Mirage, who took it delicately in her hooves. “Thanks” She whispered. She gently blew on the cup to cool it, then took a few grateful sips. It wasn’t long before Mirage was fast asleep on the couch, snuggled tightly in Spirit’s blanket and warmed by Quill’s tea. Spirit watched over her for a few moments while Quill cleaned up the shattered teacup. “Do you think what she said really happened Quill?” Spirit asked. “Mirage has never lied to us before,” Quill answered, but that wasn’t exactly a confirmation or an argument. “What is a Paladin anyway?” spirit questioned. Quill adjusted his glasses after dumping the broken cup pieces into a nearby wastebasket. “I’ll do some research and find out, maybe princess Luna knows.” He suggested. Spirit nodded then used his muzzle to gently push Mirage’s forelock behind her ear. “Maybe she would be safer with Bright Moon..” he mumbled. “What?” Quill demanded. “You can’t be thinking about sending her away Spirit” “That demon is here Quill, I don’t want Mirage to have to go through that again.” Spirit confided. “She’s a strong mare Spirit. “Quill repositioned his broken glasses again. He had a spare set on his desk but hadn’t gone to retrieve them yet. “She’d bite your head off if she knew you were thinking of sending her away.” Spirit lowered his head, letting his nose get close enough to Mirage to smell the sweet scent of lavender she always had about her. “You’re probably right but... I can’t lose her.” “You’re not the only one afraid to lose her Spirit,” Quill responded sharply. “I love her too, you know that you’ve always known that.” Spirit frowned at him. He knew Quill had feelings for Mirage of course and he had to admit they made the better pair; Mirage was calm and level-headed and just as smart as Quill was. They enjoyed a lot of the same interests too like old books and art, but Spirit was clearly the stronger of the two and could protect her better. “Yeah well... Now isn’t the right time for this conversation.” Spirit dodged. “Can you send a letter to Princess Luna about the ghost while I get a medic to come look at her?” Quill huffed in defeat. Spirit knew he’d rather tend to Mirage than argue about which one of them was better for her. “Yeah, Fine.” He replied. “Just be quick” **** The medic had come and gone, leaving them with a favorable prognosis just as the chilly afternoon was starting to see its first snowfall of the winter season. Ghosts liked the cold, and with days shorter and nights longer, that meant ghost would haunt longer and the longer they could haunt, the more dangerous they became. Not the best time for an all-powerful snake-pony ghost to be rearing its ugly head. Spirit worked to keep Mirage warm by providing her with extra blankets while she continued to sleep. The doctor had said her condition was normal, and even to be expected, when a unicorn attempted a powerful spell they hadn’t quite mastered or was too powerful for them to control. It left them with the constitution and strength of a newborn foal, which meant that until Mirage got her strength back, she wasn’t going to be hunting for a while. The medic simply prescribed good food, lots of rest and comfort for the mare before he left and mentioned that she’d be back on her hooves in no time. Despite the good news, Spirit was still concerned. What kind of spell did she cast to make her so weak? “How is she?” Quill asked when he approached with cups of warm cider balanced on a platter sitting on his back. Spirit took the platter from him and set it on the table before taking a cup. “Still sleeping” He responded. “Must have really worn her out.” “I did some research but all I could find on Paladins was some old text about knights and stuff like that, nothing about ghosts,” Quill commented as he sat down in his lounge. “Maybe the library will have something?” Spirit suggested. Quill was about to reply until there was a knock at the door. He set his cup down and walked over to the door, unsure of who it could be. They didn’t have any appointments for the day and they had put up a sign for ‘No Walk-ins Today’ so that Mirage wouldn’t be disturbed. It had to be somepony with an emergency but that didn’t matter to Quill, there were two other companies in Bridle Falls after all. “I’m sorry,” Quill said as politely as he could when he reached the door. “We’re not open for visitors to-” When the door opened, two royal guards were standing tall before him dressed in their usual armor, and behind them, Princess Luna approached from her chariot. Quill dropped to one knee quickly in a bow when Luna finally reached the doorway. “I have received your letter, Mystic Quill.” She announced. “Please, your majesty, Quill is more than necessary” Quill said when he rose again. He turned back to see Spirit walk up beside him and bow as well. “We’re honored by your visit princess, but one of my teammates it very weak at the moment and shouldn’t be disturbed,” Spirit said firmly. Quill nudged him with a back hoof. “This is Princess Luna you idiot” Quill snapped in a whisper. Spirit was about to argue him until Luna cleared her throat. “Quill has told me about Mirage’s experience as well, and that is why I am here,” Luna said. She turned back and nodded to another pair of guards that seemed to struggle with a large box of books. “These are ancient books from the Canterlot Library, along with some that Princess Twilight Sparkle said could be useful to our research.” Quill pranced in place as he looked at the books and tried to hold back a squeal of delight. “These are from Princess Twilight Sparkle herself?” He buzzed with excitement. He barely waited for the box to be set down to rip it open and, quite literally, dive in. “Forgive me for saying Princess, but if you read our letter then you know this ghost is very powerful. Why not get Princess Twilight and her friends to put an end to it? This is clearly out of the hooves of normal ponies.” Spirit remarked. Quill popped his head out of the box, balancing a book on his head while he had another in his mouth. He spat the one in his mouth out when he heard Spirit address the princess so harshly. “Spirit shut up!!” Quill snapped. Princess Luna smiled at them. “It is alright, I understand his concern.” She replied. She nodded to her guards who closed the door behind them so they could have their privacy. “I fear this creature may be too much for even Twilight Sparkle and her friends to deal with. Their powers of friendship and harmony are of no use against the dead.” “Then why can’t you or Princess Celestia stop this creature?” Spirit demanded. Luna didn’t seem entertained by his questioning but she also understood his concerns so she swallowed her distaste and answered anyway. “My sister cannot see the dead. I can see them, but only because I rule the night and my magic isn’t meant to destroy-” Luna cut herself off as if her next word would condemn her for some crime. Which, in a way, it would have. All knew about her time as Nightmare Moon, and some ponies even speculated that she had brought the ghosts into their world, but again ancient texts suggested they had been around for much longer than her. Spirit nodded slowly, and they both looked at each other knowing that he hadn’t really meant anything by it, he was just worried. He whipped around quickly when a soft groan from Mirage caught his ear. He rushed to her side and smiled at her when she opened her eyes to him. “Hey Spirit” She mumbled tiredly. “I’m starving” “I’ll get you something to eat. Look who’s here to visit though,” He replied and turned a little so she could see Princess Luna. Mirage gasped and tried to struggle to her hooves but Luna brought her own hoof up to stop her. “Please, continue your rest, I do not need such ceremony.” She urged. Mirage nodded and carefully laid back down. Spirit left for the kitchen while Quill cleared off the recliner for Princess Luna to sit in. When she was comfortable, Spirit returned with a platter of fresh fruit vegetables and tea cakes, along with some of the finest tea they had. “It probably isn’t the fine tea you're used to, princess, but it’s the best we have to offer,” Spirit said after pouring her a cup. “I rather like a wide variety of teas” Luna answered. She lifted the cup with her magic and took a grateful sip, her smile showed she did, in fact, enjoy it. “Now then, I think we should get down to business.” “Yes of course” Spirit replied then turned to Quill, who was nose deep in a book and scribbling frantically with his pen on a notepad. “Well, it looks like he already started” Luna hid a chuckle behind her hoof then cleared her throat. “I have asked my sister if she knew anything of Paladins, however, she had no more information than I did.” Quill looked up from his readings and adjusted his glasses. “There is an old journal here by one of the first ghost hunters” He announced. “It’s written by a mare named Safflower Spell. She says she’s been studying ghost behavior and psychology, and she has a note here saying she thinks that destroying their Tethers may not be the answer to solving the problem but-ugh it’s so smudged and stained- but something-something about talking to them instead” Luna frowned at the mention of Tethers not being the answer. What other courses could there be? “Does she mention Paladins at all?” “Well,” Quill continued. “Yes and no, She says something about trying to find Paladins and bringing them back to Equestria, but she’s not clear about what that means.” Spirit huffed. “Of course not, that would just make this too easy” he muttered bitterly. “I’m sorry Spirit but it’s all I can find right now” Quill spat. Luna looked between the two of them with some concern. “Sorry, Princess,” Spirit mumbled. “Safflower Spell...” Mirage piped up after being quiet for so long. “Does she mention her cutie mark at all?” Quill flipped through some pages of the journal, then paused on one page with a look of confusion plastered hard on his face. “It..it’s... yours.” He sputtered and set the book on the table so they could all see the drawing of a will-o-wisp wrapped in a magical aura...