"That's it", said Priest and crossed his arms.
Everypony stared at him as he shrugged and looked back.
Was it too much? I didn't got too much into detail but maybe it was still too gross. Fluttershy is looking a bit too shaken...
Twilight hummed thoughtfully while Rarity had a glance at Fluttershy who was shivering a bit. Rainbow Dash grinned excitedly, Applejack was tapping her chin, her eyes wide, and Pinkie Pie and Derpy were begging for more.
"Come on, another story! That was so intense!", cheered Pinkie.
"I have to concur", said Rarity, smiling at him. "You didn't exactly try to sound creepy or anything of the sort but it was certainly a thrilling tale."
"Tell me about it", added Applejack, "I wasn't that scared really, just excited, and I really thought she'd get away for a moment. That almost sounded as if you'd been there. It was kinda sad actually."
Priest could feel Mara's gaze boring into him. He turned to her and saw a deep frown darkening her expression.
"What?", he asked.
"Nothing", said Mara, averting her eyes. "I just... nevermind."
Derpy beamed at Priest. "That was awesome! Are you sure you don't know any other stories?"
He frowned, keeping his arms crossed. "Nope, no more stories from me."
"Come on, Derpy, I'm sure you've got a story", said Twilight. She shot a suspicious glance at Priest. "I'm sure you can think one up as well."
"'Think one up', huh", mumbled Mara to herself, almost inaudibly.
- - -
The atmosphere grew happier as they approached Midnight. Derpy's story was actually pretty good. It involved some windigoes and a pegasus going on a quest.
When Rainbow Dash stifled the third yawn they decided to call it a night. Most ponies said their goodbyes and left, save for Rarity, Mara and Derpy.
Time Turner came downstairs, confirming that the Crusaders were asleep. Derpy rose to leave as well but Mara raised her hoof.
"Ditzy, please wait a moment..."
"Huh? Sure. What is it, Mara?"
"I'm going ahead, okay? See you later", said Turner and kissed Derpy on the cheek.
"Bye", she said, then turned to Mara.
Mara dug at the ground with her hoof, suddenly embarrassed. "I don't really know how to put this..."
"Pardon me, ladies", said Rarity as she went by, floating an empty tray over to the kitchen.
"I - uh..."
Derpy frowned. "Mara, whatever it is, you know you can tell me. I'm your friend."
The earth pony took a deep breath. "You ever wondered what caused the explosion at the party?"
"Of course I did. I think some spell misfired or something. There were unicorn foals..."
Mara slowly shook her head. "No. It wasn't a spell."
"Come on, just spit it out!", called Priest from the kitchen.
"I was getting there!", snapped Mara back at him. She turned back to Derpy, only to notice that the mare was getting seriously annoyed, indicated by the red and purple aura that engulfed her. "I actually saw what it was, Ditzy, and... it was a ghost."
Derpy rolled her eyes. "The storytelling's over, Mara. I'm not a foal anymore. Just tell me the truth, I won't mind."
"She is", said Priest, bending backwards to look at them through the doorframe. "Telling the truth, that is."
"Cut it out", hissed Mara.
"This is stupid. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate your help, but you don't need to sugarcoat that I was just -"
"Get down!", shouted Mara and pulled Derpy's head down.
The pegasus, a seriously annoyed expression on her face, winced. "Watch the wing!"
"Sorry", said Mara. "But she's here! Priest! Get your human flank over here!" To her relief the ghost had not charged yet. She had somehow expected it to attack them on sight. Instead, the blurred pegasus simply hovered a few feet away from them, gaping at the group.
"Who is here?", asked Rarity, approaching them slowly.
"Not over there!", hissed Mara.
Rarity's eyes widened. "What in the world is going on?" She did listen, though, and joined Mara and Derpy behind the table.
We need to get her away from here now, thought Mara, staring at the spirit. It must look really weird, us cowering under the table with nothing in sight.
She rubbed her neck awkwardly. "I'll just go over to the kitchen for a sec- ah, thank Celestia, you're here!"
Priest hurried over to them, shoving some garlic into their hooves.
"What the hay?" Derpy stared at the bulb in her legs, one eyebrow raised.
"Don't let go of it", said Priest.
"Oookay..."
Mara glanced at her. "You better keep that garlic, Priest knows what he's doing. I think. What are you doing?", she inquired.
Priest produced a piece of chalk and quickly started drawing an accurate circle on the library floor, its diameter roughly half the room's length.
"That... should... do...", he mumbled, adding intricate letters the ponies could not read and gesturing over the circle. It responded with a faint golden glow. "Twilight?"
"Coming!"
With a magical pop, the alicorn appeared between Mara and Derpy, more garlic draped around her neck. Mara stifled a snort.
Twilight glared at her.
"Sorry", said Mara, "I know it's for our safety but we still look kind of stupid like this."
"I can't argue with that", admitted Twilight. She turned to Priest. "What now?"
"Uh, you better stay here with Derpy, she'll be safe in the circle."
Mara frowned at him. "What about m-me?"
Priest sighed, his eyes on the ghost. "Let's stick to the plan - watch out, she's moving again!"
Did our reaction confuse her?, he wondered. I bet she thought we couldn't see her.
Derpy turned to Twilight, shivering. "What are you talking about? Is there really a ghost?!"
Twilight nodded, biting her lip. She put a wing around Derpy. "Let's listen to Priest and wait here. He and Mara are the only ones who can see it. This time... I can't do anything", she concluded in a whisper. "I even forgot to get the bell..."
The pegasus raised her blurry forehooves, producing a glowing blue sphere. It grew to the size of a watermelon with a hiss, its heat blurring the pegasus's features even more.
"It's a missile! Move it, Mara, she's aiming at you!" Priest grabbed her hoof and pulled her out of the circle, towards the front door.
The pegasus pointed at both of them, releasing the sphere. It sped towards them, rotating and spraying blue sparks across the library floor. To Twilight's dismay, they burned small brown dots into the backs of several books.
Priest pulled the door open and he and Mara raced out of the tree and into the open. The sphere hit a bush next to them, burning it to a pile of ash.
Mara stared at the stain on the floor. "I dropped my garlic... Can't I stay in the circle?"
"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea... But what else are we supposed to do to minimize the damage?" Priest grimaced with guilt. "Also, the circle keeps her out but not the missiles..."
The earth pony shrieked.
"Uh-oh", said Priest as he looked back at the oak.
The ghost rushed through the library wall, not bothering to use the open door. She glared at the two of them, anger distorting her face.
"We gotta get her outta here!" Priest pointed at the road that led out of Ponyville.
"But where?", shouted Mara, following the human.
"Somewhere without vegetation! Know a place?"
They ran around a corner. Another blue sphere crashed into the road, less than a cart's length behind them.
Priest thanked the Light for the ghost's low speed, rummaging in his bag at the same time.
There it was, the lamp!
"The train station! There's just earth and a...", Mara panted, "a bit of grass. This way!" She took a turn to the right. "It's not too far from here", she added.
"Good", wheezed Priest. "I can't run for much longer."
If I was thoroughly dead, he thought suddenly, there wouldn't be any breathing problems.
The frustrated ghost howled behind them; a screeching hiss that made their hair stand on end.
They arrived on the edge of town, leaving the houses behind. A train track became visible behind a small hill. It was surrounded by short grass, short enough that fire wouldn't be a problem.
"Right, I remember", mumbled Priest. They ran over to the railroad, stopping a few feet away.
"Do you have any fire?", he asked.
"What? No!", exclaimed Mara. "How should I, I'm an earth pony!"
Priest slapped his face. "So no lamp. Uh... what do we do?! I'm out of supplies! And ideas for that matter. Fuck..."
The pegasus loomed over them, growing. A wicked smile split her face.
"We could... talk to her", whispered Mara, her eyes on the ghost.
"Seriously?", hissed Priest. "Look at her, she's pissed! I'd rather exorcise her right away!"
She glared at him. "As you said: With what? Let's try it my way first, all right?" She straightened up, taking a firm stance.
She's got a point. If she buys us time, I might come up with something. "Fine - but get ready to run again."
The pegasus tilted her head, confused.
"H-h-hello", stammered Mara.
Another glowing sphere formed.
"I know we h-had a rough start but mmmaybe", Mara dodged the missile, "could you calm down and tell us what's bothering you? It's probably just a m-m-misunderstanding." She panted, this time out of fear.
The sphere hit the clock of the train station. It melted away, its glass exploding into tiny shards.
Priest who had jumped into the opposite direction and was now further away from Mara gave a thumbs up. She frowned at him, confused by the foreign gesture, then turned back to the pegasus who was summoning another sphere.
He glanced at the ghost. She was still looking freaking upset but at least Mara still seemed to have her attention. "Keep going!", he encouraged Mara.
"Again!", shouted Mara at the top of her voice. "Why are you doing this?! Why are you hurting my friends?"
To her surprise, the ghost answered. The voice sounded as if it came from everywhere at once, echoing in her head.
Not... your friend.
"Yes, she is! Ditzy's my friend", insisted Mara.
The ghost threw the sphere at her, missing her again.
Wow, she has a really bad aim, thought Priest.
Stay away from her!, hissed the ghost.
"No", spat Mara. "I won't let you do anything to her!"
Did... not do anything! The ghost rushed towards her, embracing the terrified earth pony.
The blue glow flared up and enveloped Mara like a blanket. Their features blurred together until the blaze made it impossible to distinguish between the two.
Priest wrung his hands, staring helplessly into the blinding light. It was the kind of thing you should not look at but aren't able to draw your attention from.
Oh Light, what the hell did I think? I have no plan, no weapon, no -
He took a deep breath and clenched his fists.
What do I have? I wish I could just summon the Light and do some righteous smiting right now...
The blue light faded, releasing Mara. She toppled over and collapsed on the ground.
"Mara!" Priest hurried over to her. He knelt down at her side and touched her shoulder to turn her head around.
I shouldn't have listened to Mara, he thought desperately. We should have tried and exorcised the ghost right at the start!
A shiver ran down his spine when he saw her face.
The pony's mouth formed an odd expression, as if surprised. A little frown was still visible on her forehead. Her eyes were half open, staring lifelessly at something Priest could not see.
No.
How could this happen so fast?
He started stammering incoherently, gently slapping Mara's cheek, then listened for her pulse. He prayed, stroked her mane, talked to her, not even aware of what he was saying, hoping for a response of any kind. He checked her pulse again.
Nothing.
The ghost was nowhere to be seen. There was just the girl he wasn't able to protect.
Priest dropped his hands. He suddenly felt very small.
Unable to utter anything anymore, he hugged Mara's limp body tighly, rocking her gently.
- - -
Mara is standing in a white mist.
She turns her head. "What is this? What's happening? - Priest?"
There is no answer.
Mara looks at her hooves. She can't see the ground, there is only the white fluffy something that surrounds her.
"Is that... a cloud?"
She takes a few steps. The cloud shakes a little but she does not sink in or fall through it.
"This is amazing, I'm not even a... pegasus..." Mara's eyes widen.
"Is this a dream? Princess Luna? Are you there?"
"You won't find her here", says someone.
She spins around.
A pegasus looks at her, her long yellow mane and light blue coat faintly reminding her of Derpy.
"Please, tell me what's going on", pleads Mara. "How come I can walk on clouds?"
The mare approaches her, her mane floating a little like the Celestial Princesses' manes. Mara catches a glimpse of the pegasus's flank and notices a Cutie Mark that looks like a lightning bolt surrounded by three stars.
"It is because I can", says the pegasus.
"Why -"
"Stop asking questions!", snaps the mare.
Mara's ears splay back. "Tell me who you are!", she demands.
The pegasus glares at her with pale orange eyes.
Mara holds the gaze, sweating. She can't see the pegasus's aura. She has always been able to see them, getting an indication of what the others are feeling. Now, here, it is gone and Mara finds herself astounded by the fact that she misses her ability. She doesn't know whether the pegasus is angry or afraid. It's probably a bit of both.
Then, to her surprise, the strange mare lowers her head and looks away.
"My name is... Levinia."
She turns to Mara, confusion on her face.
"How could I forget?", she whispers.
Mara smiles shakily. "So you do remember now?"
"Yes", says Levinia, slowly stepping closer. She is now only a few noses away from Mara.
"This... is not just a cloud. It's my home."
She spreads her wings. The fog around them clears, revealing that they are standing in a room which is completely made of clouds. Mara looks around and recognizes a cloudy bed, a table, a cupboard and even a cloud bookshelf. She has no idea how the books stay on the shelf but remembers she had heard something about it when she had been a filly at school. Everything has a superior air to it, maybe because of the curls and ornamental shapes.
A large window takes up almost the entire side of the room.
Mara walks over to it, shaking a little.
She looks outside and can see a town made of white shapes. The beautiful houses tower above her, stretching as far as the eye can see. Cloud roads cover the space between the intricate structures. Pegasi walk on the fluffy roads, talking and going about their business. Mara spots rainbow colored waterfalls here and there.
"Cloudsdale", she realizes.
"This is how I remember it", says Levinia, stepping to Mara's side. "This is where we lived..."
"What happened?", asks Mara.
The pegasus frowns. "There was a day... when he didn't come home." She turns away, pacing in circles. It reminds Mara of Twilight. "They said it was an accident. They said that something of the sort hadn't happened in years."
She is silent, staring at the opposite wall.
Mara waits.
"My husband", continues Levinia. "He worked at the Rainbow Factory. The didn't even bother to retrieve his body. Said it had been 'lost'." Her voice is harsh, she spits the words out like poison. "Then, only a few days later, I almost lost my daughter, too. But it won't happen again. I will protect her from anything!" Her hair starts flowing more wildly as the pegasus's temper rises.
"I -", begins Mara, but Levinia interrupts her, her face red with anger as she comes nose to nose with her.
"Don't you dare to come close to my Ditzy ever again!"