Spike sighed when the train finally stopped and he stepped out opening his arms for the surprise hug that Pinkie and the CMC had undoubtedly planned for his homecoming but when he opened his eyes and looked around he felt a little sad to find no one had come. Even Twilight hadn’t even after him being gone for two weeks for Royal Business.
“She’s never missed picking me up before… I bet the princess gig is started to affect her scheduling skills. Still, I wouldn’t have minded talking to a friend on my way back, even Trixie and Starlight would have been great.” He grabbed his bags and dragged them along to the Castle of Friendship which took on an ominous feel under the moonlight and fog that had covered Ponyville.
“And I thought Canterlot was scary at night…” Spike shook his head and walked to the castle doors where he knocked. He waited for a minute before he knocked again harder. “Hey, Twi! Starlight! It’s Spike!” He smiled and opened his arms but the door remained closed. “Hey come on girls! It’s cold out here and I’m hungry!” Still no answer but as Spike beat on the door it opened and he grumbled as he walked in and put his bags down nearby. “You two took your sweet time!”
He turned when there was no answer and found there was nopony around and the entrance hall looked as though his friends had been in the middle of making or taking down a party when they all left. There were balloons and food all ready but another pack of balloons on the ground along with a cake and a banner half hung from the ceiling.
“G-girls!?” Spike shouted to the darkened castle before he examined the food and found it was cold and crisp. “Been here a while…” He walked over to the pack of balloons on the ground and found it half-open. “Pinkie would never have let balloons stay unblown like this…” He walked over to the banner half that was close to the ground, his name was hoof-painted on it. “They were preparing a party for me…” He rubbed his chin getting a general idea of what had happened. The girls had been preparing a party for him when something had surprised them all. It couldn’t have been Changlings as Thorax had become king and ensured that there were only tiny groups that still followed Chrysalis. Not to mention that if it were Changlings they would have tried to pretend to be the girls. No this was an attack of sorts.
“But who could have surprised beings as powerful as Twilight and Starlight?” He heard something nearby and looked around fearfully. “W-who’s there? Come out!” He jumped in fear when he saw the cake move a bit. He carefully tiptoed to it, reaching out a claw hesitantly. “T-Twilight?” His claw touched the cold frosting of the cake when a blue hand erupted from it and grabbed his wrist trying to pull him closer. “N-no! Help me! Let go!” Spike pulled against the hand and blasted the cake with fire as the hand let go and Spike fell on his rear. He groaned rubbing it when he looked up and yelped at the sight of the creature that was in the remains of the cake.
It was a see-through blue specter dragon that turned to Spike and smirked, flying at him with outstretched claws. Spike covered his head when he heard a strange sound that was reminiscent of a vacuum cleaner. He opened his eyes to see the dragon ghost clawing at the ground trying to get away from the suction power of a strange contraction on a nearby pony’s back.
“Never fear chap, I got this departed ruffian!” Spike tilted his head trying to recognize the voice but then noticed the dragon coiling its tail to the other end of the pony.
“Wait! Look out!” The dragon’s tail popped spikes from the tail’s end and cut on of the pony’s legs. He grunted and fell to his front knees allowing the dragon ghost to escape into the ceiling. Spike rushed to the pony and saw him clearly, he was the strange Earth Pony that lived in the old clock tower. “Hey, I know you! You’re that professor pony.”
“Doctor, I am a doctor, not a professor young dragon. Time Turner at your service or preferably Doctor Whooves. It seems like I’m not much of a ghostbuster either. You must take my Specter Sucker and escort me back to my lab!”
“Uhh, okay just never using that name like ever. Where’s your lab and how does that thing work?”
“The Specter Sucker allows you to suck up ghostly entities when you have paralyzed them with the Flash Light.
“A flashlight?”
“No, the Flash Light is one of my inventions that can shoot a powerful beam of light that could illuminate an entire room for a moment and even stop ghosts in their tracks. It also doubles as a flashlight.” Spike fitted the strange backpack to his back and tested out the Flash Light which blinded the doctor. After testing some of the features of the Specter Sucker he noticed something.
“Hey, this is our vacuum! I etched this picture of a jewel into it because I was bored one day!”
“Sounds like you need a hobby, my scaly friend.”
“Not the point! Why are you here anyway?”
“I’ll explain on the way, get me to the door at the end of the hallway to the right.” Spike grumbled but began leading the way. “So a few days ago, Miss Sparkle came to me because she believed that her castle was being plagued by a ghostly presence. Her magic was unable to find the presence so to ensure it wasn’t all in her head she went to me as my colleague and close assistant Ditzy Doo had recommended. I set up a temporary lab here in the castle to run some tests and ended being here when the ghosts made there attack.”
“So do we know anything about these ghosts?”
“There are ten major ghosts that have taken your friends but the main ghost that is running all of this took the princess.”
“So I’ll send a message to Princess Celestia to come and help!”
“No! If one of the ghosts possesses the princess we’ll have a villain with the power to destroy Equestria!”
“So what’s the plan?” Before the Doctor could answer the dragon ghost from before was coming back and Spike pushed Hooves into his lab room. Spike ducked as the ghost slashed at his head. He tried to hit the dragon but found his hands going through its body. “That is so gross.” He was backhanded and landed on his feet before the dragon leaped at him and he aimed the Flash Light up. “Got ya!” He turned it up to max power and the ghost wailed in agony before Spike turned on the suction and it clawed at the ground before trying to do the same thing it had done to the doctor. Spike was ready and jumped catching the tail in his vacuum and finally sucking it up. He spun the nozzle and crossed his arms in triumph.
“Very nice now get in here!” Spike snapped back to reality and ran into the room which had been a small closet but now was a cramped room of technology. “I saw everything from this screen, brilliant fight my friend. You may be just what I need.”
“What do you mean Doc?”
“My friend Ditzy is somewhere in the castle and she has a picture of the ghost causing all this. Find her and bring her back and we’ll be able to start looking for the others.”
“Anything else you can give me?”
“She is somewhere on this first floor I believe. She may very well be in danger I’d exercise caution.” Spike grumbled and began to leave.
“Thanks, Doc.”