//------------------------------// // Colts and Hills // Story: The Clash Of Ghosts And Harmony // by EonSpirit //------------------------------// ~Present~ "She seems... shaken." Twilight muttered after they decided to wait outside the room, while Celestia talked with several guards, "I don't think I've ever seen her this way." Eon wiped his cheek and sniffed, "I know how she feels. Think of it this way; You spend every day for 3 years with your sister, who had returned after a thousand year banishment, only for her to seemingly disappear... it was also Luna's birthday two days ago." "What?!" Twilight gasped. She didn't think they were actually born, but just popped into existence. "How does anypony even remember that?" "Dunno." Eon groaned flatly before they saw the guards leave the room. "We should go back in..." "No... listen." Eon said, motioning for Twilight to put her ear to the door. Lullay moon princess, goodnight sister mine And rest now in moonlight's embrace Bear up my lullaby, winds of the earth Through cloud, and through sky, and through space Carry the peace and the coolness of night And carry my sorrow in kind Luna, you're loved so much more than you know Forgive me for being so blind Eon's eyes widened as the unicorns listened to Celestia's song, something clicking in his head, "I know that song!" Twilight bent her neck, staring at him in confusion, "It’s just a lullaby..." She paused, wiping her nose. "A really sad lullaby, but a lullaby nonetheless." "Not just a lullaby... an incantation!" Twilight's confusion deepened as he began to explain. "Luna taught me all about incantations and enchantments. She said that this one, Lullaby of the Moon, is almost like a prayer. When Celestia sang it every year after Luna's banishment, it helped keep the "Nightmare", as they call it, from reaching her." "Nightmare? You mean the thing that possessed her? But, she still came back as Nightmare Moon." "That is because, after 800 years of saying it, she slowly forgot about it." Eon and Twilight were now sitting on cushions they had summoned as he explained the 'lullaby', "The incantation is actually a fail-safe, as it drains the speaker of most of their magical energy, and leaves them utterly exhausted." "That explains why she seemed so tired and depressed." Twilight added in, "She must think that this ‘Nightmare’ is after Luna again." "Well, Celestia already gave us the teleportation crystal, so let’s round up the others." ~~~~~~ "Are you girls ready?" "Eeyup." "Yes, darling." "I'm SO ready for this new place that I SO haven't heard of!" "I could be taking a nap right now..." "Um... I'm ready... Eon..." Eon looked at the group of mares around him, seeing: Applejack who seemed unnerved by the "recent" discovery of a long since abandoned town; Rarity, who looked at this as an opportunity to loot some gems; Pinkie Pie, who was creepily happy about going to a ghost town; Rainbow Dash, who was unamused and seemed rather bored. She never really liked ghosts anyway. Eon thought; And Fluttershy, who was absolutely terrified and Eon questioned why she was forced to come. But of course, Twilight needs the Elements of Harmony. Twilight finally appeared, holding the crystal in a magical grip, "Let’s get going." ~~~~~~ "Now this is.... a little creepy..." Applejack muttered, walking down the street with Rarity, "Just like that time when yer spell backfired and caused everypony in town t' fall in love with each other." "I've told you many times, I did that on purpose." Twilight coughed, attempting to change the subject, "This town seems... quiet." She looked at the several mares around her, all complete with exuberant and estranged looks clouding their faces. The purple mare looked back to Eon who was having a little trouble with being back in his birth place, and had a look of fear on his face. "Eon, come on." "Hey Twilight, have you seen these buildings?" Rainbow Dash roared as she flew over to the two unicorns. "These don't look ten years old... they look hundreds of years old..." "This is a settlement town, Dash." Eon paused; looking at Rainbow whose face currently wore a confused look, "Which means that it was one of the first towns in Equestria." Twilight, who had just caught up after realizing Eon's expression quickly changed from fear to smart-ass, had just noticed that they were now sitting in town square, alone. "Hey, guys... Where did the others go?" "PINKIE PIE! RARITY!" Eon screamed, hoping they were still within earshot. "RAINBOW DASH, DO YOU SEE THEM?" Twilight screamed when she saw Rainbow hovering over several buildings. "NO!" "Well, we're bucked." Eon grunted, lying back on his haunches. Twilight groaned, pacing around the square. "We sure are. Not even here for five minutes and we've lost our friends." Rainbow muttered, flying down and sitting on her haunches next to Eon, "Literally." "Now girls, calm- "Ahem." Eon coughed, glaring daggers at Twilight. "Sorry, I'm just used to being around mares in these situations." She apologized, not daring to look him in the eye. "As I was saying, Calm down. I have a spell that can pinpoint any nearby areas they have been." "And why didn't you use it before?" "If they were nearby enough, than it would be useless." Before the other two could ask why, a bright magenta flash erupted from her horn, blinding them. When the flash finally faded, an entire path of pink footsteps glowed, leading toward a previously ignored large tower. "How did we not check there?"