//------------------------------// // 3: Ghost Story // Story: The Successors // by Portmeirion //------------------------------// Geography fascinated Blue Moon. It only made sense, she supposed – her parents were mapmakers, and she picked up a great deal of cartographical knowledge from observing them. She’d follow her father when he made land surveys, watch as her mother drew up charts based on his notes. Inspired, she sometimes made maps of her own, spending long nights sketching landscapes by lamplight. Her parents were always very supportive and encouraging, but they also never hesitated to offer critique when she needed it. Blue was learning fast, but it wasn’t quite fast enough for her; so she had taken to studying maps in her spare time, hoping that one day she might be as skilled as they were. Blue Moon’s favorite place to read was on the far end of her backyard, on a small grassy hilltop crowned with an aged oak. Almost every afternoon she’d be there, resting comfortably in the cool shade with a large atlas or geography book spread open before her. With rapt interest she’d study the book’s maps, reading the detailed descriptions and taking in every feature of every landscape. Occasionally she’d flip the page with a hoof, revealing yet another new realm for her eyes to explore. Today was a particularly pleasant day for outdoor reading. The air was clear and cool, and occasionally a gentle breeze would blow across the hillside, tousling her mane and making the leaves whisper. She would’ve been content to stay there for hours and hours had her sister’s voice not caught her attention. “Blue! Hey, Blue!” Blue Moon raised her head, coming eye to eye with Summer Sun. The afternoon sun shone in her golden mane, and her bright smile had a shine all its own. “What is it, Summer?” asked the dark-maned filly, closing her book and laying it on the grass beside her. “Wanna catch butterflies with me?” she asked excitedly. “Mom brought us some nets, and I got some jars from the kitchen we can keep them in.” “Oh…well, Summer, I’m kind of busy at the moment,” said Blue Moon, turning her head to indicate the book. “I’ve got a lot of reading to do right now.” Strictly speaking, it wasn’t required reading; Blue Moon only required it of herself. But it was still very important to her. “Aw, c’mon, sis,” Summer pleaded. “I just saw a whole bunch of butterflies out in the field. I bet they’ll be gone soon. Can’t you do your reading later?” There was a pause as Blue gave the matter some thought. Chasing after butterflies seemed like a silly way to spend an afternoon, especially when she could be spending it reading instead. She looked again at her sister: that sunny, innocent smile hadn’t left her face. Summer would be so happy if she agreed to play with her…. “Please, Blue? You’ve always got your nose buried in those books. It’s like you’re addicted to maps or something.” “I am not,” Blue protested. “I just want to learn as much as I can. I have to prove to Mom and Dad that I can be as good a mapmaker as they are.” Summer frowned. “What's the rush? You don't have to prove anything to them right now,” she argued. “Besides…I bet you aren’t as good a butterfly-catcher as me. Don't you wanna prove me wrong about that?” Blue Moon sighed in defeat, reaching aside to close her book. Cartography was important to her, but her sister was more important still. “Sure, Summer,” she said, standing up and smiling. “Let go catch some butterflies.” Summer’s smile returned, wider and brighter than before. Blue left her book lying under the tree, and together the two sisters ran back to get their nets. For a while Blue’s studies were forgotten in favor of something much more valuable. Aurora and Corona’s train arrived in Ponyville just before midnight. Though the sky-chariot had been the traditional mode of transport for Equestrian royalty in centuries past, these uncertain times made such open travel unsafe. Instead, a train car had been converted specially for their use. It was a sleeper car, long and wide with bunk-space truly fit for a princess. The carpet was deep and lush and the walls elegantly gilded. Thick dark curtains were drawn over the windows. The trip was not long, but Aurora managed to catch some sleep along the way. She had awoken from her earlier nap feeling less than rested, with the bitter taste of unpleasant dreams lingering in her mind. The prospect of having to face "Nightmare Moon" – or else something that resembled her – had for very personal reasons kept her from restful sleep. Things had only gotten worse after she and her sister had raised the moon; determined not to let a heavy burden fall on Corona again, Aurora had made certain to carry as much of the moon’s magical weight as she could. It had been a terrible strain and left her feeling even more exhausted than before, but it was worth it to spare her sister the same struggle. Fortunately, the sleep she caught on the train was much more restful, and her dreams more pleasant. Corona woke her again when the train came to a stop. The Ponyville station was small, with a single platform extending from a simple wooden stationhouse – a far cry from the glassy, elegant affair that stood in Canterlot, but it served the town’s needs well. The building was mostly dark, save for a single lit window; normally the station would be closed at these hours, but special arrangements had been made for the princess’s nighttime visit. It was the only way for them to enter Ponyville discreetly, which the advisory council had deemed a safer move than a daylight parade down the main streets. Waiting for them on the platform was Ponyville’s mayor. She was a rather young-looking unicorn, raven-maned with a coat of deep blue. About her neck was a simple gray collar adorned with a black bowtie. She bowed respectfully as the princesses stepped off the train, flanked on either side by royal guard ponies. “Welcome to Ponyville, your highnesses,” she said. “I’m Mayor Tally Mark. On behalf of Ponyville, allow me to say that we are honored by your visit.” “We’re….” Aurora cleared her throat. Her life as a princess up to now had been mostly confined to within the palace walls; this was the first time she’d ever had to address one of her subjects and she wasn’t entirely comfortable. “We’re glad to be here, Mayor.” “Wonderful!” Tally Mark continued. “I can’t begin to thank you enough for coming to address our concerns personally.” “It’s what we’re here for!” Corona chimed in, smiling brightly. “So what do you need us to do first?” “Ah.” The mayor seemed to hesitate. “Well, there is one issue in particular – it’s the main reason we requested your aid, actually.” “The foalnappings?” guessed Aurora, judging by Tally Mark’s darkened tone of voice. “Well, yes,” said the mayor. “But there’s a bit more to it than just foalnappings. Since that message was sent, things have gotten a little more complicated.” “Complicated?” Corona echoed, her expression quizzical. “What do you mean?” “Perhaps it would be simpler if I showed you.” Tally Mark turned about, turning back her head to address the princesses. “If you’ll follow me, your highnesses, we’ve a carriage waiting just outside the station.” Aurora and Corona followed the mayor off of the platform and through the stationhouse, passing quickly through the front doors and onto Ponyville’s dim streets. There waiting for them was a carriage, black and roofless, pulled by four strong earth stallions. The princesses climbed into the back seats, and the mayor into the front. With a small procession of guards following close behind them, the carriage started to move through the sleeping township. By all appearances, Ponyville was decidedly quaint and old-fashioned: old red-brick houses and storefronts lined the cobblestone streets, and here and there gnarled, ancient oaks burst from the ground and towered over the surrounding structures. The moon hung low and bright in the sky, illuminating the courtyards and fountain squares; but all was still and soundless save for the clacking carriage-wheels and the steady hoofsteps of the guards. At last they stopped; they had arrived at the hospital. Aurora and Corona shared a curious glance, then stepped out of the carriage and followed the mayor through the entrance. They passed the front check-in, and Tally Mark asked if they could see “the patients” in so many words. The ponies behind the desk seemed to know what she meant, and allowed them inside after offering reverent greetings and thanks to the princesses. At their request, the guards stayed behind in the lobby. Tally Mark then led them down a long white hallway, explaining the situation as they walked. “A little over a year ago, ponies started to come to me claiming to have seen…something. Most of these reports came from ponies who live near the border of the Everfree Forest, so we assumed they were just unfamiliar creatures wandering out of the woods. It happens sometimes.” “I see,” said Aurora, knowing already where the mayor’s story was going. “But the reports kept coming in, again and again from the same ponies. They were absolutely certain that they had seen a winged unicorn in the forest, especially on stormy nights. And when foals who lived near on the border of the Everfree started to go missing, we knew we couldn’t ignore it any longer. Even Pink Pearl, manager of Sweet Apple Acres, reported a sighting – in fact, she was the only one who ever saw it up close. She claimed that it resembled – ” “Nightmare Moon?” Aurora finished for her. For the briefest of moments, Tally Mark stopped in her tracks and stared wide-eyed at Aurora. “Why, yes....” she affirmed, sighing in sad resignation. “Pink Pearl is a good pony, but her report has set the whole town abuzz with rumors that the 'ghost of Nightmare Moon' has returned to haunt the Everfree. Has the word really spread as far as Canterlot now?” “One of my guards is from Ponyville,” explained Aurora. “He told me about the sightings.” “Oh dear. It wasn’t Lantern Jaw, was it?” “Actually, yes, it was,” Aurora replied, confused by the mayor’s tone. “Why do you ask?” The hallway came to a stop before a wide set of silvery-gray double-doors. Tally Mark placed a hoof on the rightmost door and said, “Like I said earlier: it might be simpler if I just showed you.” With that, she pushed the door open. Inside was a long ward, with twin-sized beds lined in rows against either wall with a pony sleeping in each one. Many had breath masks and catheters running into their resting forelegs, connected by tubes to hanging bags of fluid. Teal-garbed nurses moved silently from bed to bed, attending to the patients and sometimes speaking to one another in hushed whispers. All was quiet save for the soft beeping of machinery. In the bed nearest the door slept an aged pegasus stallion, gray-coated with a mane of dull puce. He was unfamiliar to either princess, but after a moment Aurora was struck by an uncanny family resemblance. “That looks like…is that…?” “Lantern Jaw’s father,” whispered the mayor. “He’s lived on the border of the Everfree for many years. He was one of the first ponies to bring in sightings of that…thing, whatever it is.” “What’s – ” Corona started loudly, but then caught herself and lowered her voice. “What’s wrong with him?” “We don’t know. A week ago he simply stumbled into the hospital and collapsed. He’s been in a coma ever since.” She motioned to the other sleeping patients. “The same thing happened to all of them. These are all ponies who live near the Everfree Forest, and each of them claimed repeated, almost regular sightings of that creature. And then they all ended up here – exhausted, comatose, drained like batteries. And all within the last week, no less.” “Do you think this has any connection to the missing foals?” Aurora asked. “Many of these ponies are parents of the missing foals,” said Tally Mark, “but that’s likely just because of their proximity to the forest. Whatever did this to them is probably what took their children as well; we just have no idea what it is.” After that they took leave of the ward. Aurora was glad to put the sad sight behind them; seeing those ponies lying there just made the weight of her responsibility seem much more tangible than before. She knew that her subjects’ lives depended on her, but actually seeing them there, hanging in the balance, was deeply disquieting. Though she said nothing of it, Corona felt much the same way. Her cheerful grin from before had all but dried up, leaving nothing but a troubled frown in its place. She didn’t often give much thought how great her responsibilities as an Equestrian princess were – she was usually so focused on her flight training that the reality of ruling a country didn’t cross her mind. It was a little distressing, now that she really thought about it. But she wasn’t too worried; she was sure Aurora knew how to handle it. Aurora would take care of everything. She always did. At the same time, unbeknownst to Corona, a strange determination woke in Aurora’s heart. Ponies – her subjects – were suffering and afraid, and it was her job to help them. This was her opportunity, she remembered; this was her chance to prove that she and Corona were capable rulers, worthy to sit upon the thrones of Equestria. Saving this town from its ghostly tormentor, whatever it really was, might just be enough to earn their nation’s confidence. She decided at once to focus her attentions on solving the problem as quickly as possible. “Excuse me, Mayor,” she said once they had returned to the lobby. “But you mentioned Pink Pearl earlier…do you think we could meet her?” “Actually,” said Tally Mark. “I was hoping you might ask. I informed of your visit just a few days ago, and she practically demanded an audience with you. She’s staying at Sweet Apple Estates – she refused to be hospitalized, even with a broken leg.” “A broken leg?” Corona echoed, tilting her head curiously. “How’d her leg get broken? It didn’t have anything to do with that Nightmare Moon thing, did it?” “In a sense, yes,” answered the mayor. “But I think you’d be better off hearing it from her. She’s got quite a story about her encounter with it – and she may just be the only pony in town who can help us get to the bottom of this.” With that, Tally Mark made for the door. “This way, your highnesses. I’ll have the carriage take us to see her.” Without another word, Aurora and Corona followed the mayor back outside and climbed again into the carriage, setting off once the royal guards had fallen into formation behind them. As they left, Aurora cast a single glance back at the hospital, thinking of those ponies that lay comatose in their beds – especially of Lantern Jaw’s father. ‘I was wondering if anything was going to be done…’ “Yes, Lantern Jaw,” she murmured to herself. “Something will be done. I promise.” The carriage clacked along the road. The buildings grew fewer and further between as they passed through the town’s outskirts. Eventually they left Ponyville’s boundaries altogether and entered the open countryside; the cobblestone street turned into a dirt road and the ground became hilly and uneven. Trees sprung up around them, dark and old and twisted but bright-leafed and alive. In the moonlight they could see bold red apples hanging from their aged branches. Then at last, coming over a rise, they saw it: vast, sprawling fields of apple trees, their bright green tops aglow in the moonlight, opening before them as far as the eye could see. In all shapes and sizes they grew, some high and lean and others thick-trunked and ancient, and upon them all bright apples hung gleaming, red and green and gold and pink. Everywhere the landscape was coated with them, from dense groves that gathered in low dales to endless rows that marched across the rolling hills. The orchard extended even to the very edge of the horizon, where tall trees stood stark on distant hilltops silhouetted against the low-hanging white moon. Corona was awestruck. “Is this…?” “Sweet Apple Acres,” the mayor finished for her, with more than a hint of pride in her voice. “The oldest and largest apple orchard in Equestria. Founded over one thousand years ago, and passed down through the Apple family line from generation to generation.” “It’s extraordinary,” said Aurora, gazing wide-eyed across the fields. Tally Mark simply smiled. After passing through a green-painted wooden gateway, the carriage finally came to a stop before a huge white manor-house. On the wide front porch stood a finely dressed servant-pony, who politely opened the doors for the mayor and princesses. “Miss Pearl is expecting you, your highnesses,” he said with a courteous bow. “She’s waiting just inside.” Aurora and Corona exchanged another apprehensive glance. Tally Mark stepped by them, striding through the front door. “Don’t worry, your highnesses,” she said. “Pink Pearl’s nothing to be afraid of.” Corona shrugged in resignation, and without another word the sisters followed the mayor through the door. Inside was a spacious sitting room, beige-walled with a huge red rug spread across the hardwood floor. Fixed in the center of the rightmost wall was heavy marble fireplace, crackling and aglow with heat. An earth pony sat silhouetted before the fire. She rested on a large cushion, her back to the door. “I figured yall’d show up sooner or later,” said the pony. “Come ‘round front, your highnesses. I’d like a word with y’all, if’n you don’t mind.” The sisters stepped hesitantly around the speaker. Once closer, they could make out her features in the firelight: her coat was a creamy white color and her short mane was leafy green. A pink apple-shaped Cutie Mark adorned her flank. “Pink Pearl at your service, your majesties,” she said, nodding her head. “I’d get up ‘n bow, but as y’all can see,” she glanced down at her left foreleg, wrapped in a cast, “I ain’t in any shape to be standin’ up at the moment.” “It’s quite all right,” Aurora assured her, and she really meant it. She was getting tired of ponies bowing to her everywhere she went. “Oh, come now, Pearl,” Tally Mark joked, stepping up beside Aurora. “You’ve never let something as small as a broken leg keep you down before. Why so feeble all of a sudden?” Pink Pearl smiled. “Maybe I’m just humblin’ myself up for the princesses. A pony can afford to do that sometimes, y’know.” She looked back up at Aurora and Corona. “You’ll have to forgive me and Tally Mark. We’re old friends, y’see.” “We like to poke fun,” said the mayor. “It’s a little hobby of ours.” “But I’m right glad to help however I can, your highnesses,” said Pink Pearl with unmistakable Apple-family sincerity. “I’m just as itchin’ to get this case wrapped up as you are.” “Great!” said Corona, smiling cheerfully. The rug beneath her hooves was thick and soft, so she sat down on it, tucking her legs beneath her. Aurora did the same – she was a little uncomfortable towering over the resting earth pony, anyway. Behind her, Tally Mark continued to stand; at her height, she was at eye level with both princesses. “So, um…” Corona started again. “How’d your leg get broken? Mayor Tally Mark said it had something to do with that…um, thing that you saw.” The earth pony’s face darkened. “As a matter of fact, yeah. It did. And it’s gonna pay for it next time I see it! I won’t be ready to get back to applebuckin’ for weeks, the way this here leg is broke – and I don’t take kindly to bein’ put outta work.” “Now now, Pearl,” Tally Mark chided gently. “Don’t get overzealous. Just tell the princesses what happened.” “Right, right. Sorry, Mayor, just ventin’ a little. Can’t help myself sometimes.” Pink Pearl then sat up, repositioning herself on the cushion to meet the princesses’ eyes. Her grim face glowed in the flickering firelight as she began her story. “Now I’d seen that critter about a dozen times beforehoof – I thought it looked a mite like Nightmare Moon, but I never got a good enough look at it to be sure. But just a week ago, when folks started turnin’ up at the hospital, I knew I just couldn’t sit around on my rump anymore – I had to do somethin’. Whatever the hay that thing was, I’d had enough of it stealin’ foals and puttin’ ponies in comas.” “So,” Tally Mark interrupted, “without telling anypony, she charged into the Everfree by herself. No map, no idea where she was going, no backup – ” “Hey! I’m tellin’ this here story. And it’s just fine without any commentary, thank you very much,” Pink Pearl said with mild indignation. When the mayor fell silent, the earth pony began again: “So yeah, I kinda ran in there all by my lonesome. But I knew what I was doin’! I’d been out in those woods a whole bundle of times before and I knew my way ‘round.” She looked aside solemnly. “Except that night. That night things were different. “I got lost. I ain’t sure how, but I did. Maybe I was just so dead-set on findin’ that thing that I didn’t pay much heed to where I was goin’. So I just sorta wandered around, hopin’ to find a way out – or better yet, to find that nightmare critter so I could give it what for. After about an hour I found myself in the middle of a whole bunch of old burned-out houses, like some kinda town in the middle of the woods.” At this point, Tally Mark stepped in again. “In the past, ponies have tried to ‘tame’ the Everfree – small communities have sprung up in the woods, but they never lasted very long. I imagine those were the ruins of just such a village, long-lost and forgotten.” She smiled at Pink Pearl in apology. “Sorry for butting in again, it just seemed important.” “Aw, it’s all right, mayor,” said Pink Pearl, dismissing her concerns with a waved hoof before turning back to the princesses and continuing her tale. “Anyway, that was when I heard it: some kinda screechin’, howlin’ sound. I ain’t gonna lie, it chilled me right to the bone. Then from out behind one of the old buildings comes this…thing. It was tall, taller even than y’all, your highnesses. And there was no mistakin’ it – the horn and the wings, the helmet, that shark-toothed grin. It was Nightmare Moon, as I live and breathe.” There was a pause. Aurora and Corona shared an uncertain glance. “You don’t…you don’t think it was the real Nightmare Moon, right?” Corona asked after a long silence. “I mean, she’s mostly just an old mare’s tale….” “There was only one ‘real’ Nightmare Moon,” said Aurora. “That was Princess Luna. And she’s….” she trailed off, finding it difficult to finish her sentence. “Gone. Yeah, I know,” Pink Pearl finished for her, sullen-voiced. “But I know what I saw. It was Nightmare Moon, or else somethin’ that looked just like her. Maybe a ghost…if y’all can believe in such a thing, of course.” “What happened next?” asked Corona. “Well, needless to say, I was…well, I was a little spooked. And for a second, her horn lit up with a weird green glow. Then…then, I’m not totally sure what happened. I started feelin’ funny: I got a bad headache, and I felt a mite tired, and kinda woozy. But then I planted my hooves and stared her down, and looked as fierce as I could. Whatever she was up to, I wasn’t just gonna let her have her way with me. “Well, she didn’t like that. Her horn quit glowin’, and she sorta screamed at me – no words or anything, just noisy shriekin’. And then she charged at me. Now, starin’ down Nightmare Moon is one thing, but starin’ down a Nightmare Moon that’s runnin’ right at you is another thing altogether. So I, uh….” Pink Pearl looked down, her face flushed. “So I ran, okay? Just took off through the woods. I think she was chasin’ me, but I didn’t look back. Then I tripped over a big rock and fell on my foreleg real funny – it hurt like hay, but I managed to haul myself outta the Everfree. When I got back, I got some farmhands to take me to the hospital and the doc told me it was broken.” For a moment all was silent as Pink Pearl’s story sank in. Corona wasn’t sure what to say. Hearing about what she and Aurora might have to face was a little distressing; she hoped that Aurora might decide to put it off until the end of their visit, after they had addressed Ponyville’s other, smaller problems. In the meantime Aurora sat quietly, running through the details over and over in her mind. At length she looked again at the farm pony. “This ghost town you saw…do you know where it is? Or how we might find it?” “Well…not exactly, your highness. I know it ain’t too deep in the woods, but I wasn’t really payin’ too much attention while I was runnin’ back out. Fortunately,” she glanced at Tally Mark, “I’ve had a little help figurin’ things out.” “We keep some old maps of Ponyville in the town archives,” explained the mayor. “Some of them are over a hundred years old, and have those abandoned woodland communities marked. I let Pearl borrow one of them….” “…and I’ve been lookin’ over it, tryin’ to pinpoint just where I was when I saw her.” Pink Pearl then turned her head, staring pointedly at a tall wooden bookshelf across the room. “It’s sittin’ on that shelf over yonder. Tally, you mind gettin’ it for me?” “Certainly,” said Tally Mark. The unicorn trotted away from the hearth, scanning the shelf for a moment before seizing a thick roll of map-papers in her horn’s magical grip. She returned to the fireside, unrolling the crinkly parchment and spreading it on the floor before the princesses. “Ooh, maps!” said Corona excitedly. “Blue is – er, Aurora’s really good with maps. Right, sis?” “Our mother is a cartographer,” Aurora explained. “And our father is a land surveyor. We grew up working with maps – well, I did, at least. Summer wasn’t – er, Corona wasn’t quite as interested, but I learned a lot.” “Well then, lookie here, your highness,” said Pink Pearl, pointing with a hoof to a spot circled in red. “I’ve been lookin’ over these here maps for a couple days now, and I think I got it narrowed down to two spots: here….” She moved her hoof, pointing to a similarly marked spot. “…and here. There’s only one track that goes through the Everfree, and these two lil’ towns are on either side of it.” Aurora took a closer look: indeed, there appeared to be small villages marked on the map, alone and isolated in the middle of the dense forest. Each one stood less than a mile distant from a long, winding dirt pathway that cut through the woods. “This looks promising…” she said softly, then turned back to address Tally Mark. “Mayor, do you think we could investigate these towns tonight? I’d like to get to the bottom of this as quickly as we can, and they seem as good a place as any to start looking.” At this Corona’s eyes widened in surprise. Aurora really wanted to go into the forest tonight? She bit her lip nervously, but said nothing in protest – Aurora knew what she was doing. Usually. “Certainly, your highness,” answered Tally Mark, failing to notice the worry on Corona’s face. “The Everfree Forest is just a five-minute’s carriage ride from here. We can set out at once, if you like.” “Good,” said Aurora, rising to her hooves. Using her magic, she picked up the map and rolled it back into a scroll. “Thank you so much for your help, Miss Pearl,” she said to the farm pony. Corona stood as well and nodded happily in agreement. “Oh, it was my pleasure, your highnesses,” replied Pink Pearl. “Y’all just take care, y’hear? And if you do find that thing…whoop up on her for me, will you? Kick her flank real hard. A whole lotta folks are in bad shape because of whatever the hay she did to ‘em, and a whole lotta parents are worried sick about their missin’ foals.” “We won’t forget,” said Aurora, once again remembering the sight of those poor ponies in the hospital. “Believe me, we won’t.” Carrying the rolled-up map with her, Aurora and her sister returned with the mayor to the waiting carriage. Tally Mark instructed the earth ponies to take them to the border of Everfree, and soon they were off again. The royal guards followed close behind them, stern and silent as ever. “Blue?” Corona whispered to her sister. “Are you sure about this? Couldn’t we…I don’t know, couldn’t we inspect the town hall first, or something? Why do we have to do this tonight?” “Because it’s the most important issue,” replied Aurora, softly but firmly. “It can’t wait. Lots of ponies are depending on us – we have to get this done as soon as we can.” She looked aside, eyeing the passing apple trees as she spoke. “Besides, this is our chance – a perfect chance to prove that we’re capable leaders. We have to take advantage of it.” “Oh...okay.” Corona turned aside as well, watching the dark landscape pass before her eyes and trying to ignore the knot that was forming in her stomach. She didn’t realize it, but her sister was doing exactly the same thing.