//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Blue, Red, and Purple // Story: Our Haunted House // by Iridescence T Wind //------------------------------// “Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche ---∞∞∞---∞∞∞---∞∞∞--- "Come on out!" the Markless ghost of a mare all but yelled across the room, "Come out, whatever you are!" For a moment all was quiet. Very quiet. Except for the noises of the outside as the rain fell and water trickled down the hill in a stream towards Dodge's own flooding riverbank. began to settle down for the night. The source of purple light had been coming from behind a broken tipped over antique table, though she didn't dare go towards it, less it be something that could actually affect the spiritual realms. "Come on out!" she would ask again, louder, trying a bluff, "Or do I have to come and fetch you?" A strangely young yet male voice would answer back though not through vocal words but into her mind, something she could tell the difference of given her circumstances, it said simply, "Go away..." The voice had been a warning, to be sure, though it hadn't hold any malice in it. Instead there had been sadness. She approached a few more steps asking, "Hey, it's alright. Is something the matter?" There was some rustling, and then something absolutely amazing raised up into the air from behind the table. A chandelier of black metal with a light purple stained glass looking panels covering it's central bright glowing flames had risen up. It was turning and she could see two metal arms branching off from under the strange creature, two long slender frames only disrupted as two smaller torches on small arms were held up by smaller variants connected halfway down the magical thing's arms. If the Markless ghost pony was to describe it in one word, she would describe it as, gothic. Though the effect was slightly ruined by the bandage that had been wrapped crudely over one of the chandelier's eyes. The other unveiled eye of the creature was a yellow orb, which was staring at her, "Are you an extra-terrestrial?" she would blurt. The creature would stare at her, in thought for a few minutes, as though wresting with a decision, "In a way..." Though it would comment, "Please... just go away... before you get hurt." His voice was still full of warning, though none of it genuine, while it was alien to the Markless pony she could recognize a conflicted tune in the mental voice. She would ask, unable to not stare at the fire that filled the creature, "You don't seem alright yourself." she would say to him, finding the ever growing depths of the purple spiritual flames that filled it. The flaming being would give her a impatient blank glare, not emitting a word but instead floating around the table and through a joining doorway to another room to go brood elsewhere. As he left the hypnotic effect snapped and the pony's eyes widened as understanding of what just happened flooded to her. Now she was really curious about the strange creature that had tried to shut itself away from her. Though a happy thought made note of itself in her ghostly head, she had something to do. ---∞∞∞---∞∞∞---∞∞∞--- Three days later... ---∞∞∞---∞∞∞---∞∞∞--- This ghost was starting to really get to Soul, at first it had been nothing major on the first day of meeting the ghost pony unicorn. Fang, as the Basilisk had named himself, tried to convince him once more to consume the spirit mare who's heart had been absent of any attempt to defy death's calling, Eat the spirit... Let us gain strength and power as well as silence from this insufferable babble! It's giving me a migraine... Your one to talk, it's my head. Soul would reply, mentally of course. But to be fair it was a tad annoying to have the ghost around, being a ghost alone could label a death warrant for consumption by the few Chandelures that wandered freely back in the world of Pokémon, though he also wasn't going to end another ponies existence, dead or not, if he could help it. Though his opinion of her was slowly changing, in a way she reminded him of Pinkie pie and Fluttershy, her voice was calm and she was rather sincere in her kindness. Though that's where the pinkie side began to come in, thinking back to the first day was a nightmare. The ghost had spewed an endless stream of questions and in hope to stem the tide after the first half hour if only to get her to shut up. It didn't work, instead only making the pile of questions break through the roof in a figurative sense of the words. At least the rain had stopped by the second day and he had the chance to go hunting, gaining himself some peace. Though if the ghost mare was anything like the last few, bound in one place, he would be gone soon enough once he moved on to the next city. But for now the ruined house was the closest thing he could call home without upsetting the ever so delicate populace. On the fourth day, the spirit had seemed to learned that bugging him constantly seemed to just make him ignore her, instead settling down for a quiet watch over him. It was kind of creepy in a way, the looming silence as she simply stared at him with a look bordering on boredom and mild interest. His flame was much smaller now, having lacked a rather large supply of souls to drain energy from, though he didn't care. What was there that wouldn't fear him now if it learned all that he could do. He decided to close his eyes, to sleep. Something that wasn't needed for ghost Pokémon like himself, though it was preferred when they had the chance in the long hours of the day and night brought. With an slight change of a vanishing pale blue light he could tell that the ghostly mare had floated away, leaving him to his rest. Though Fang had to comment, Finally... as Soul drifted off to a very unpeaceful slumber on the cold, hard, and rotten floorboards. ---∞∞∞---∞∞∞---∞∞∞--- The realm of dreams was not for him on this night, instead nightmares plagued his dreams. All he could see were the horrified looks as he took judgment upon another fully alive member from his own universe. The look of utter terror and fear as he covered his victims in spiritual flames. removing their souls to burn and be lost for all eternity. The dream shifted, changing and he was once more a Lampent, his prior evolution which had been more of a gothic lamp then a chandelier with a much different roll as well. Instead of being both judge and executioner he had once been one to send a pony off for judgment by his ever gracious lord Arceus; a black lantern with two limbs and the only identifiable face was two orbs that decorated his front for eyes. But he was in the center of an empty town square that looked shockingly similar to that of Ponyville's own. Twilights library was torn in half, destruction having littered the entire town in a straight path into the house. Burns were present everywhere, the bits of metal that may have once been acting as a frame around the house had been warped and twisted beyond recognition. Inside the center of the ruined library was a small piles of six stone statues equating each to a ponies body in size. His dread started to grow, the bodies were crushed but the heads were still intact. Each holding the same horrified expression Twilight sparkle had shown him when he had approached her after the battle, her mouth slightly agape in a small horrified frown. Petrified eyes staring up into something that must of been huge and with ears splayed back against her head in a negative manner which he had came to identify with sadness and more probable...Fear... The word reverberated through him, the world turning darker as clouds filled the sky. A dark shadow loomed over him and he turned around, coming face to face with large, red eyes that had yellow slits all surrounded by pitch black instead of the usual white around the pupil. What was more terrifying was the black scaled monster of a snake that was attached to those eyes. He didn't even have time to react before it lunged swallowing him whole into it's dark poison dripping mouth. Though this was only the beginning of his nightmares. ---∞∞∞---∞∞∞---∞∞∞--- Meanwhile in real Ponyville... ---∞∞∞---∞∞∞---∞∞∞--- It was still surprising to say the least for Rainbow Dash's latest development of speed. During the young fliers competition Rainbow had saved Rarity as well as several of the Wonderbolts (who said Rarity accidently knocked unconscious with her flailing hooves as they tried to save her...) in completion with a scientific phenomenon that defied all of Twilights books. While it wasn't as big as the one that had happened all those years ago, it was in fact, a sonic rain-boom that had occurred. Of course afterwards Twilight had put pause to her earlier studies in order to investigate her friends new latent abilities. The Sonic Rainboom had some rather destructive properties to itself as well, if the spiral ring was anywhere within twenty feet of a cloud, the cloud would be pulverized. With a smaller radius of two to twenty miles recorded in descending order as Rainbow became more and more tired of replicating it. The second was that if the user hit the ground a rather devastating explosion would occur, while relatively small it was able to knock down several of the surrounding trees with the force equivalent of a Ursa Major smashing the ground with both paws. With her study completed and both research and her experimental notes completed, she sent copies of both off to her mentor for review and additions with the help from spike. Twilight couldn't help but frown though, her original research wasn't nearly as fruitful as she had expected. It was impossible to replicate the Pokédex's example with such power as the small red gadget showed her. Unicorn magic was fundamentally different then a Pokémon's. Maybe she was being too narrow or maybe there was someway she hadn't thought about. But who would be of help in this scientific topic? No pony was nearly as educated as she was in research or Unicorn magic. Rarity certainly was great at what she did, sure, but that was a specific blend of magic meant to make fashion... Who could she go to who was near ponyville for an open view. Somepony who knew more then the average pony about this stuff... A quiet glee filled Twilight as she realized there was actually one pony who could help, a certain Zebra who would want to ensure the Equestrian nation's safety. With target in mind and the evening moon rising in the sky, Twilight prepared to visit someplace she hadn't had visited since Soul had left. A certain hut in the Everfree forest. Little did she notice the team of ponies that still quietly stalked her throughout the world, even going so far as to clear the way of any hostile creatures that Twilight would of run into in her reckless beeline to Zecora's. ---∞∞∞---∞∞∞---∞∞∞--- Western Canterlot Gardens... ---∞∞∞---∞∞∞---∞∞∞--- It was lovely to see that something never did change besides her sister in the thousand years of banishment she had taken. The western wing of the Canterlot Gardens, as it was called in this era, was still full to the brim of night blooming flowers and lightly glowing plants which decorated the place. It was almost like a fairy tale. As she trotted the age old cobble pathway lined with ever so delicate and beautiful flowers known as 'Heaven's mirror'. While they wouldn't bloom until much later into the night, Luna didn't mind. It would be well worth it as she watched other flowers slowly blossom into their nocturnal states and dominate the garden in an breath taking display. Though the flowers weren't the only thing on her mind. As the Princess of the night she often found it a duty of hers to visit the dreams of others and make sure they slept soundly. As a result she would be hunting for nightmares that would plague the minds of ponies and other animals and sooth their worries, fears, and grant them a true nights rest. Though that was only part of the reason she was so quickly scanning dreams and nightmares of late with such fast pace. She had to check a massive population compared to the old days, so many more ponies now existed then there had been back when the kingdom was recovering from Discord's rule. What used to be a single night to take care of the kingdom was now several to take care of one town. Not only that but after three months of searching she could still not find the Soul burning Criminal known as 'Soul Light' despite searching Equestria, and it's neighbors twice. Somethng was missing. A signature of spiritual energy as large as that couldn't hide itself so well. Her sister was of no help at all, claiming to be patient. After all there was only so many hiding spots in the world where something as strange as a flying chandelier of purple fire could hide without drawing notice. None of those in society either. However it still frustrated Luna to no end, being unable to take any further action to protect their citizens. Especially with one who knew forbidden magic. It wasn't helping that her power over nightmares had diminished in comparison to the realm of dreams of which her mind currently wandered(1). She would stop here and there to apprehend a nightmares as she saw them. Though they tended to deal with more mundane problems of daily living then what she was searching for. A few one's did stand out however, a stallion who was worried about his particularly well known mare-friend's affections towards him, and a particularly unlucky mare, whom she had visited constantly since her return, over her fear of social activities(2). Luna couldn't help but smile though at how peaceful every ponies dreams were as a whole in comparison to a thousand years ago. Discord and Sombra had made such a mess of things both physically and spiritually back then. Though now she had to worry more about every ponies safety. Much had changed in the thousand years, and every ponies ability to think in a unusual situation has made a lot of ponies outside the royal and night guards more timid then rabbits at an abrupt change. As hours progressed the garden became more and more full of gently glowing plants of all shapes and sizes in a masterpiece of gardening. Each flower intricately grown and the singular tree that decorated the center of the garden, where she rested under it's hanging branches glowing of a midnight cherry blossom whose petals slowly drifted away in the gentle cool night air. The only way the night could be more perfect would be if a gentle song had been playing ever so softly to complete the mood. There amongst the plants of the night she stared at her own sky and relaxed in the peace of her garden of night.