//------------------------------// // Chapter Two // Story: Insomnambula // by Charles Xavier //------------------------------// Chapter Two … It was the following afternoon. Twilight escorted DJ Pon-3 and Octavia to her home. Word had passed quickly to her of last night’s haunting at their house, leaving Octavia far beyond distraught. She was so much so that she had trouble describing in accurate detail of the Crimson Spectre’s ghoulish appearance, only remembering that it wore a distinct robe. Although it all may have sounded farfetched, more so something that could have been extracted out of a horror novel, Twilight was willing to give Octavia the benefit of the doubt. And out of favor, she invited DJ Pon-3 and Octavia to stay at her place until they figured out exactly what was going on at their home. It would take a little while to replace all of DJ Pon-3’s records, not to mention getting her a new DJ controller. On the plus side, however, and as luck would have it, Neon Lights was generous enough to buy Octavia a brand new cello from Ponyville’s music store. He even handed it to her directly on that very morning. He’d help however way he could for any friend of DJ Pon-3’s. Octavia protected her instrument as if her life depended on it, ensuring that it was well away from any harm’s way. She was still eager to rehearse… Twilight opened the door to the Castle of Friendship. She welcomed DJ Pon-3 and Octavia to head inside first. Octavia followed DJ Pon-3 in until she stopped in contemplation. “Do you reckon that our house is haunted?” she asked Twilight timidly. She and DJ Pon-3 had lived together in the same house for some time now. It begged the question as to why a ghost would start making its presence known at this precise time when it could have easily done so from the beginning when they first moved in. Twilight pondered for a moment. To her knowledge, she couldn’t recall any particular reason or any sinister history behind the house. “I don’t know, Octavia.” she answered. “But I’m sure I can find out for you…” … So she did. Throughout that afternoon, Twilight stuck her nose in page after page through every relevant book in her library. She was hopeful to find any form of historical record regarding the house DJ Pon-3 and Octavia lived in. Octavia found calm and tranquility in the spacious library. She found so much of it that, much to her astonishment, she was playing ‘Canon’ on her cello to pure perfection, alongside DJ Pon-3’s boombox playing the same piano accompaniment. Even DJ Pon-3 was enjoying the music. She loved it so much that she took the liberty to take out a small tape recorder from her sack and record everything. Despite finding no information yet on what she was searching for, Twilight stopped momentarily to listen to Octavia as well. The tape in the boombox ended. “That’s was fantastic, Octavia!” Twilight praised earnestly. “Every pony in Equestria must really hear you play that!” “Thank you.” Octavia sighed, appearing uncertain. “But I’m sure I could do better.” “No, I’d say that was your absolute best!” Twilight insisted dearly, but then reconsidered. “Although, if you’re really looking to take this a step further in any way, may I make a suggestion? DJ Pon-3. I think she could really heighten the performance with her own personal talents.” “Are you sure?” Octavia asked dubiously. “Hey, there’s no rule in the Ponyville Music Festival saying you can’t have a backup performer, so why not?” “Because her music isn’t always… oh, how to put it, appropriate?” Octavia was frank in her response. “Well, I’m sure you two can work it out and find something you can both agree on.” said Twilight with pure optimism. Octavia rubbed her chin in thought. Just then, Spike entered the library and served Octavia a tray, which included a teapot, a jar of milk, a bowl of sugar and a teacup. Pinkie Pie accompanied him, serving a plate with a slice of dark chocolate fudge cake. They had brought refreshments for the mid-afternoon. Octavia couldn’t have been more grateful. “Oh, you shouldn’t have.” she said with heart. “After all I’ve been through, this is most considerate of you.” “Hey, it’s the least we can do.” shrugged Twilight casually. “You and DJ Pon-3 are welcome to stay here until we find out what’s shaking up your home.” “You know, I have to agree with Twilight here.” commented Pinkie Pie. “DJ Pon-3 would be perfect to help out on your music performance.” Octavia was still feeling unsure and held her reservations. She had practiced none-stop for her piece for a while and she usually wasn’t one keen to make changes nearer the day of the event. Yet at the same time, she didn’t want to seem too disrespectful and reject their proposals so soon. So instead she answered fairly. “Let me think about that…” Pinkie Pie nodded agreeably. “Oh, one other thing…” she raised her camera, snapping a close-up photo of Octavia as she was sipping her tea. “Pinkie Pie, I thought you were going to stop that...” Octavia said, mildly displeased. “Don’t you have enough photos of me already?” “Sure, I do, but a last one just for insurance wouldn’t hurt.” was Pinkie Pie’s excuse. “I’m going to have these photos developed tomorrow!” With that said, Pinkie Pie and Spike left to give Octavia her tea break. … That night, Twilight warmly welcomed Octavia and DJ Pon-3 to sleep in her bedroom on a couple of her spare beds, neatly arranged for them. She hated to have her guests feel lonely in her home, after all. The three ponies fell asleep without incident. That was until Octavia was awoken by the sound of her cello being played in the library, where she had left it. At first, she paid little attention, assuming it was purely her imagination. But the music continued to play… play… and play… and it was playing to the tune of ‘Tip Toe Through the Tulips’. Unnerved and unable to sleep, Octavia abandoned her bed and crept into the hallway. The hallway was deserted, with the moonlight offering the only guide of vision for Octavia. She continued to listen to the unsettling tune from her cello. Whoever could be up at this hour, she wondered? She headed into the library… As Octavia stepped inside, her body ran ice-cold, with her skin beating with sweat at what she witnessed. Standing upright on its own was her cello, being played with her bow by some invisible yet unspeakable force. Octavia was beyond words. What disturbed her more, however, was what she spotted on the ground. It was a shadow of humanly figure. On the upper floor balcony, she sighted the Crimson Spectre, waltzing to the rhythm of the music. Octavia’s hair stood up. She blinked her eyes, hoping this was merely a bad dream…. but the Crimson Spectre was still there. This was not a dream at all. Octavia’s bow and cello dropped with a loud thud, averting her attention away from the ghostly intruder for a second’s moment. When she looked back up at the balcony, the Crimson Spectre was gone. She reverted her eyes back to where her cello was. There, right in front of her, stood the Crimson Spectre, grinning ominously back at her. Octavia let out a resounding yelp. The frightened pony spun and fled straight for the open doors. The doors magically slammed shut, sealing her escape. No sooner did Octavia feel something yank on her tail. Then swiftly, two skeletal hands grasped her rear hooves, forcing her to trip and fall. Octavia was dragged ruthlessly across the floor, being held as captive in the clutches of her assailant. Octavia could only scream at the top of her lungs and wail in terror, trying to clasp onto whatever furniture she could reach to save herself. “HELP ME! SOMEBODY HELP ME, PLEASE!” The Crimson Spectre let loose a psychotic cackle, maintaining her hold on Octavia. That was when out from the doors burst in Twilight, DJ Pon-3 and Spike. Immediately spotting the struggle Octavia was in, Twilight took no hesitation to charge her up horn and unleash a beam directly at the Crimson Spectre. The Crimson Spectre was hurled back, releasing her hold on Octavia. Twilight charged up for another shot, but before she could fire again, the Crimson Spectre shrieked, throwing off Twilight’s balance and creating sonic waves that shook the foundations of the castle as bad as an earthquake. With the ponies stunned, she leaped and smashed through the nearest glass window, disappearing into the darkness of the cold night. DJ Pon-3 and Spike tended to Octavia at once. “You all right, Octavia?” asked Spike. “Can you stand up?” Octavia tried to do so but fell, her legs severely scratched, partially fractured even, from the assault. It was no question now that the Crimson Spectre was real, and it was here in Equestria. Worse yet, Twilight realized that it wasn’t Octavia’s home that was haunted… it was Octavia herself…