//------------------------------// // Chapter 23: The Ghostly Songstress // Story: A Little Girls Love // by darkmage1997 //------------------------------// Having spent the last few hours in the spa, the girls all came out, feeling refreshed, "Did you enjoy yourself, Mavis?" Crystal asked. "Oui, though I felt a bit uneasy about how the attendants reacted to mon fish tail. Not to mention that the water didn't make mon gills tingle," Mavis admitted. "Well, it would be difficult for them to do your feet when your in mermaid form," Charity pointed out. Flashback: Three Hours ago, "Ok girls, we will do your pedicures now. We will need you to exit the pool now," Aloe said. One by one, each of the girls left the bathtub. "Uh, could I get a little help here?" Mavis asked. "Oh, right," Applejack said, lifting Mavis out of the tub, who was still in mermaid form. "Oh my, I wasn't expecting this kind of surprise today," Lotus commented. "Mavis is a Mermaid, so she's part fish," Kelly replied, as the aforementioned girl was laid out on a chair. The attendants still seemed in slight shock, but tended to them, nevertheless. "By the way Mavis, is it alright for you to be out of the water?" Clover asked. "I'll be fine, as long as mon gills are moist," Mavis replied. Real Time, "Well, mermaids aren't native to this world, so seeing one for the first time is a bit of a surprise. After all, that's how we all felt when we found out about you," Twilight brought up. Just then, Spike came running towards them. Seeing a dragon made Mavis' face pale completely, as she froze up. "Twilight! We got bad trouble! I just received word that one of the tunnels leading to the Crystal Empire was blocked off due to an avalanche! The good news is that the Railroad Association has sent a team up to the site to get it cleared out, but they won't have it dealt with until this time tomorrow!" Spike reported. "Hmm, that's not good. Well, thank you for bringing this to my attention, Spike," Twilight commended. "Just doing my duty," Spike replied, It was then that he noticed Mavis, stiff as a statue, "Uh, is she ok?" Spike asked. Twilight looked at Mavis, and sighed. "I think so, but maybe you should giver her plenty of space. She's still not used to Equestria, or the creatures that live here," Twilight advised. "She's probably intimidated by you, even if you are a baby dragon," Rarity added. "Ah, got it! I'll just meet you all back at the castle," Spike nodded, as he turned to leave. "Oh, one thing, could you deliver the message to Nathan too, if you haven't already? He and Mavis will most likely be staying the night," Twilight asked. "Sure thing!" Spike replied. "He and the boys should be at Sweet Apple Acres, in the middle of band practice," Applejack added. Spike nodded, and took off. "Mavis? You ok?" Kelly asked, snapping her fingers, breaking Mavis out of her trance. "Huh? What happened?" Mavis asked. "You froze up when you saw Spike," Twilight replied. Mavis took a moment to remember, and shuddered when she remembered seeing the dragon in question. "I don't like reptiles or dragons," Mavis admitted, twiddling her thumbs. "But you don't have to worry. Spike's a nice dragon, as well as my personal assistant," Twilight informed. Mavis was certainly taken aback by this revelation. A dragon being in service to a pony, and an alicorn on top of that?! Her thoughts were interrupted when Crystal and Kelly began ushering her towards Sugarcube Corner. "Well, for now, why don't we go and get ourselves a little snack? You're probably hungry after our little session," Twilight offered. "Well.... I guess one little snack wouldn't hurt," Mavis replied, as they made their way to the bakery. After placing their orders, the girls were all lounging around, waiting for their snacks to come, "So, Mavis, there's something that Mommy told us about that we want to know for certain," Trinity began. "Oui?" Mavis asked cautiously. She worried that Twilight told them about her Gorgonic Powers. "Is it true that you're being taught by a bunch of Nymphs?" Crystal asked. Mavis mentally breathed a sigh of relief. "Oui. And they are most beautiful! They even taught me some of their beauty treatments," Mavis replied. "That explains why your hair is so luxurious and soft," Charity commented, feeling Mavis' hair. It was then that Brian, Icezer, April, Maria, Lucas, and Simon came into the bakery, carrying several large boxes. "Ok Mr. and Mrs. Cake, that's seven cases of varying fruits, as per your request," Brian said, as the mutants all set down the boxes. "Thanks so much for doing this for us," Carrot Cake said, as he paid each of the mutants. "What was the job you kids were doing this time?" Rarity asked. "We were hired to find a bunch of fruits in an area that was too dangerous for any non-Pegasus pony to access. Needless to say, it was a tad on the boring side, but at least it was easy enough," Icezer shrugged. "We asked Raiden if he wanted to come out on the job with us, but he said he was in the middle of some kind of experiment. Something to do with gorgons, or something," April added. Mavis tensed up at the mention of gorgons. "What're gorgons?" Rainbow Dash asked. "They're a breed of lamia, which are women with lower bodies of snakes, from what Raiden said. They have snakes for hair. They have the power to turn others to stone," Simon replied. Rarity shuddered at the very thought of such a thing. "How dreadful, having snakes for hair!" she commented, appalled at the thought. "I don't know.... it sounds kind of cool," Vibrant admitted. "It is still a it scary though," Mavis mumbled. "You say something Mavis?" Melody asked. Mavis squeaked. "N-non! Nothing at all!" Mavis quickly replied. Applejack and Season Harvest knew instantly was up with Mavis, but based on her mannerisms, they decided not to press the issue. It was then that Eris came into the shop, with Heaven in tow. "Ok Heaven, you go order something small now," Eris said. Heaven went over to see what she wanted, drooling at the sight of everything. Eris went over to the group. Mavis shrunk a bit, seeing the draconequess, "So, Twilight, how's Mavis been?" Eris asked. "She's been an absolute angel! She's made a lot of friends since coming here! Sure, she needed to warm up to them, but she is easily one of the most well mannered of all the children!" Twilight replied. "Wait..... how do you know her name anyhow?" Applejack asked. "I'm... kind of the one who sent her here, after what she's been through," Eris admitted. Mavis was certainly surprised by this. This Eris.... person knew what she was going through? "I see. Well, you certainly made the right choice, especially where you sent her. Cadence and Shining Armor have been such good parents to her. She even has new teachers in the mountains nearby," Twilight replied. "I know. The Nymph magic that she's radiating shows," Eris said, looking at Mavis. Heaven saw Mavis, and instantly became interested in the new friend. She dashed over, eager to introduce herself. "HI!" Heaven excitedly said, making Mavis jump a bit, "Watashinonamaeha Heaven Fujiyamadesu!" Heaven exclaimed happily. "Euh .... je m'appelle Mavis Gustou," Mavis replied nervously, receiving a bit more attention than she really wanted. "Alright Heaven, give the poor girl some space. She's not used to receiving this much attention," Icezer scolded, picking Heaven up by the back of her shirt. "Ā, kōheide wanai! You all got to meet her!" Heaven pouted. "Well, keep in mind. Mavis may have been here only a few weeks, but she's still not used to everyone just yet," Brian stated. "Ok," Heaven puffed up her cheeks in an anime fashion. "Ok then. Now go back and pick something for your snack," Eris instructed, as Heaven went back to the display case. "Sorry about Heaven, Mavis. She get's a little.... excitable when she sees someone new. She's kind of like Pinkie Pie," Brian said to the gothic girl. "Non! Non! It's fine, really!" Mavis argued. "Well, at least she was trying to be friendly. That was a plus, right?" Pinkie Pie asked. "Yeah. Maybe next time they see each other, Heaven can try a little more.... controlled method of introducing herself," Icezer said. It was then that Raiden walked in, looking tired. "Raiden, you look exhausted," Eris commented. "Well, I got caught up in my research, lost track of time," Raiden replied with a yawn. "So, what did you find out about gorgons?" Twilight asked. Once more, Mavis flinched at the mention of gorgons. This didn't go unnoticed by Season. "Well, I have determined that gorgons have an extra layer of tissue in their eyes. It acts as an inhibitor for other gorgon's stone eye thing. This means that gorgons are immune to the eye trick of other gorgons," Raiden replied. "So that explains why the other gorgons never turned to stone when I heard them talking to one another!" Twilight exclaimed. "Yes," Raiden replied. It was then that Mrs. Cake came out, pushing a cart of cakes, pastries, cookies, and other goodies for them. Twilight then helped her to distribute the sweets among her friends, giving a small cookie to Mavis, who took her time with eating it. While she was eating, a stray cat wandered into the shop, causing Mavis to freeze up at the sight of it. "Oh, it's you again," Fluttershy commented. The cat walked around them, looking at the curiously, before stopping at Mavis, who flinched. Without warning, the cat pounced playfully at Mavis. "Isn't that just precious? It likes you," Maria commented. Mavis, however, did the one thing that she felt was appropriate in this situation. She let out an extremely loud shriek, before passing out. "Oh dear, not again!" Twilight exclaimed. "Mermaids just don't like cats, do they?" Kelly asked rhetorically, as Serenity picked up the cat, and took it outside. "N-Now run along, Mr. Cat," Serenity politely requested, as the cat scampered off. "I think Mavis will do a lot better if I just take her back to the castle. She and Nathan are staying the night due to a blockage en route to the Crystal Empire," Twilight said, as she picked up the mermaid girl, who was foaming at the mouth with anime swirls in her eyes. "Well, hopefully she gets better," Rarity said. "Mommy, would be alright if the girls slept over at the castle? We would like to know more about mermaid culture," Kelly asked. Twilight considered what her daughter had requested. She too wanted to know more about the type of place Mavis grew up in, in terms of her mermaid half. That, and it would do Mavis some good to spend some more time with the girls. "Well, if it's alright with the rest of you, then I guess it's ok," Twilight replied. "Ah got no problem with it," Applejack commented. "Nor I," Rarity added. Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash all added their own sentiments of approval. "Ok, then how about 6 o'clock tonight?" Twilight asked. Once more a wave of approvals. With that, they all dispersed. Later that night, Knocking could be heard throughout Twilight's castle, as Twilight walked towards the doors. Opening them, revealed all of her friends, with their daughters in tow, "Hello everyone!" Twilight greeted. "Hey Twilight. How's Mavis after what happened earlier?" Rarity asked. "She woke up some time after we got back. She was still a little shaken up from her encounter with the cat, but she's doing fine now," Twilight replied. "Well, that's good. Now then, Lucky Joy, Clover, Melody, you behave for auntie twilight, ok?" Pinkie Pie said. The others gave similar sentiments to their daughters too. "They're all in good hands," Twilight said. With that, Applejack, Rarity, and the others said good night to their daughters, and took their leave back to their homes, "Alright girls, Mavis is with the others in the main room," Twilight said, inviting each of them into her castle. She then proceeded to show them to their rooms, before taking them to the main room, where Mavis, Nathan, Josh, Kelly, Nyx, Crystal, and Trinity were located. "Hey girls," Kelly greeted. "Hey," they all greeted. "Where's Cory?" Season asked. "He's working on a sculpture in his room. He was asked by Celestia to make something for the upcoming Hearths Warming Ball," Josh replied, as he and Nathan got up to leave. "You two aren't staying?" Twilight asked. "Nah. We'd figure Mavis should try opening open to the other girls first," Nathan replied, as he and Josh went back to their rooms. "Well... alright then. If you girl's will get settled, I'll bring in some snacks I ordered from Sugarcube Corner earlier today," Twilight said, as she left the girls in the room. "So, Mavis, what was it like in the ocean you lived in?" Charity asked. "Well, I actually lived in a nearby town. But as for the ocean, it had the most clear, blue water you would ever see, along with the most beautiful coral reefs," Mavis replied, reminiscing. "What about marine life?" Trinity asked. "Oh, there were lots of fish where Maman and I always swam. Even dolphins came by to play with us. Some of my close friends include dolphins and Scylla," Mavis replied. "'Scylla'? Who's that?" Lucky Joy asked. "Scylla isn't a person. The Scylla are a race of marine creatures that have the upper bodies of a woman and the lower bodies of an octopus. Much like Nathan and the Apples, they tend to talk with, how you say, Southern Accents. The Scylla are very close friends of mermaids," Mavis explained. "I see. What do mermaids think of sharks?" Clover asked. "Well, Maman said they are the degenerates of the sea, and that I should stay far away from Great White Sharks. Other kinds of sharks like Hammerheads are ok," Mavis replied. "What about piranhas?" Kelly asked. "We don't talk about them," Mavis solemnly replied. "Oops. sorry," Kelly replied. "One final question. What are your thoughts on 'The Little Mermaid'?" Melody asked. "Oh, I just love that movie! I loved all the musical numbers, especially Ariel's song about wanting legs, and Monsieur Crab's song about being under the sea," Mavis replied. "Ah, a Disney movie. Though I never actually saw it, I did hear the dialogue, and I quite liked it too," Kelly commented. Twilight then returned with a bowl of popcorn. "Now girls, don't stay up too late. I expect you all to be in bed no later than 9:30," Twilight said, as she left the girls to their own devices. From then until the appointed time, they continued asking each other questions, mainly about Mavis' life where she came from. Mavis told them all about the social structure of marine life. Fish and crustaceans were ranked as common folk, octopus, squid, dolphins, and whales were treated as upper class individuals, and Mermaids and Scylla were viewed as royalty or even deities. This Q&A session went on for about an hour, when it was time for them to turn in. Kelly and Crystal helped Mavis to her room. Once inside, Mavis got into her PJs, and crawled into bed with her stuffed animals, and her Pokémon to keep her company. A few hours later, A ghostly, chilling singing could be heard, echoing through the halls of the castle. Nathan and Josh, who were both having trouble sleeping, were trying to figure out what that singing was, "What do you think it could be?" Josh asked, as he and Nathan wandered the corridors of the castle. "Ah don't know. Ah heard something like this back in the Crystal Empire last night too," Nathan replied, as they tried to find the source, only to find that it kept moving around. They weren't the only ones who were trying to find the source. Twilight, Cory, and the girls were all up, trying to find the source of the singing. Serenity was latched tightly to Charity, as she was scared of how eerily it sounded. "It sounds so beautiful," Kelly commented. "I don't know. It sounds s-spooky," Serenity commented, as she clutched her teddy bear, while also holding onto Charity. "Now don't worry Serenity, I'm sure there's nothing to be scared about," Charity reassured. "Yeah, it's probably Spike's record player, and he probably just forgot to turn it off," Vibrant theorized. "Not possible. Spike got rid of his record player last month when it broke," Nyx replied. "If that's the case, then what could it be?" Trinity pondered, as the singing closed in on them. It was then that they met up with Josh and Nathan, who were both trying to find the source of the singing. "Y'all tryin' to find that singin' too?" Nathan asked. A wave of nods was what he got for a reply. "It sounds like it's right around the corner," Cory commented, as he peered around the corner. The answer to their curiosity was in the form of Mavis, as she appeared to be walking in her sleep, while singing. "Oh, it was Mavis who was singing!" Josh exclaimed. "Must be a mermaid thing," Kelly commented. "Well, at least it wasn't anything dangerous," Twilight said, as she went to wake up Mavis. "Hang on, you ain't really goin' to wake Mavis up?" Nathan asked, his tone sounding genuinely concerned. "Of course," Twilight replied. "But Ah was told that if ya wake up a sleepwalker, they'll go nuts," Nathan argued. "First of all, that because it's dangerous for the sleepwalker's life, second, that's a myth. It's been scientifically proven that waking a sleepwalker puts them in no danger whatsoever. It's just the same as waking someone who isn't sleepwalking," Twilight explained, as she gently nudged Mavis' shoulder. This action made Mavis shriek, as she jolted awake, "Mavis! Mavis! It's ok! You're still in the castle!" Twilight quickly reassured. Looking around, Mavis had a look of confusion on her face. "Uh.... why are we in one of the halls?" Mavis asked. "Don't worry about it... now let's get you back to bed now. The same goes for the rest of you!" Twilight said to the other kids, who dispersed back to their bedrooms, with Twilight personally escorting Mavis back to her bedroom.