//------------------------------// // Level 21 - Interview With a Ghost // Story: Dead Heart // by Leila Drake //------------------------------// Priest, his head low, gave Mara a light squeeze. The mare was as cold as as the valleys of Icecrown. A small sob escaped him. He had been defeated several times before but this felt different. It was not about him. Mara had trusted him and this was what she got for it? He had failed her completely. Not only this, he had put her into danger once again, with fatal results! It was not fair! It was not fair for Mara who had been so young, younger than he had been when he had died. It wasn't fair for Spirit and all the friends that got left behind. And it definitely wasn't fair for Derpy who was now left defenseless. With the only pony gone who could talk to ghosts - what were they supposed to do? He did not trust himself to come up with anything anymore and he was not even sure what to say to the ghost. The worst thing was that it reminded Priest of his own loss. Burying his sister had been hard enough and he had thought that the wound had healed a little. Seven years were a long time after all. He had even been able to talk about it for the first time today. It had felt like some kind of breakthrough even though he had been avoided to mention his own name. It seemed he had been wrong. This road was so long he couldn't make out the end. If he had not gotten close to Mara she would probably still be alive. Why did he agree to let her talk to the ghost? What possessed him to trust in someone else's judgement in the first place? He should have just skipped the festivities, gotten the supplies for the exorcism and get it done by himself but no, he had to stay at the stupid library! He knew that the pain would come later. If he was experienced in something, it was in burying people. Right now he just felt numb, exhausted and way too old. Priest shook his head, absent-mindedly rubbing his nose, and staggered to his feet. The stupid bandages started to feel constricting. He impatiently ripped off some of the loose ends. There was only one thing for him to to. He had to get Mara's body back to town. Priest shuddered at the thought of how Spirit would react. He stroked Mara's mane and prayed to the Light, asking it to show her spirit the way. A tiny glimmer of hope glowed in his chest for a moment, then, when Mara did not move or breathe, it died out again. The human grabbed her legs and placed the mare across his shoulders. Her held her in place like a wounded soldier, testing his stance carefully. Mara's head bobbed a little, her mane falling into her face and mercifully hiding her empty eyes. When he was sure that he would be able to carry her, Priest slowly made his way down the road to Ponyville. - - - In the Golden Oaks Library an impatient unicorn, an intimidated pegasus and a determined alicorn sat in the middle of a magical barrier. Rarity tapped her hoof, reminding Twilight of Rainbow Dash. Usually the blue pegasus was the one who wanted action. "Twilight, dear, for how long exactly are we supposed to stay in this circle? It's not that I mind the company of both of you but I am starting to get rather tired and under a table is not where I intended to be for the rest of the night." "I don't know", admitted Twilight, surprisingly calm. "For as long as it takes Mara and Priest to banish the ghost, I think. We have to trust our friends with this one." Derpy grimaced. "Come on, let's sit over here. It will probably be okay as long as we stay within the boundaries of that circle thing. No need to hide under the table." Rarity and Twilight blushed. "Of course", said Twilight. "I'll get some tea." She closed her eyes and they could hear clinking sounds from the kitchen as the alicorn used her magic to brew tea from afar and float it close to them. "Let me help you with this", said Rarity and summoned the teacups. "There, isn't that better?" "Thanks, Rarity. This was starting to get really awkward..." chuckled Twilight. Derpy smiled and accepted her cup. "Thanks." All three of them raised their heads when someone knocked at the door. - - - Mara gapes at Levinia, dumbfounded. "B-but she's my friend!" The room is getting darker. Did the sun go down? No, it's the house itself, Mara realizes. The cloud's shade shifts from white to rain grey; the window is getting narrower with every passing second. Before Mara knows what is going on she is stuck inside a thundercloud. Mara can feel her insides grow hot with anger. Blood rushes to her head as she points at Levinia. "Who do you think you are?! Ditzy is not a filly anymore. She can choose with whomever she wants to be, mother or not! Her husband is a really nice pony and her daughter is bucking adorable! So quit your pretense and leave them alone yourself!" Levinia's left eye twitches a little. "What?", she asks in a neutral tone, caught off guard. Her mane is still lashing around her wildly but the pegasus herself is not moving by an inch. "She's an adult!", repeats Mara, a little calmer. "If you really are her mother, you should put more trust into her." "Impossible!", claims Levinia. "She's ten years old! I swear by Celestia's mane!" The earth pony canot help but grin desperately. "You better don't. This is so dumb. Didn't you look at her properly? Seriously, how can somepony confuse a filly with a grown mare?" "Don't you try and play the smart one here, it doesn't suit you!", spits Levinia. "My eyesight hasn't been the best since the last accident." She lowers her gaze. "In fact, everypony is so blurry I'm surprised I can see you this clearly now. And I know how old my muffin is!" She has no idea she's dead, realizes Mara. She thinks she's just gotten bad eyes. Dear Luna! Do all ponies get this crazy when they die? "Last accident? Are you still talking about your husband?", inquires Mara. "What? Yes! No!" The pegasus is confused. Mara steps closer, eyeing Levinia carefully. "What is the last thing you remember clearly?" - - - Priest walked down the main road, Mara's body becoming heavier on his shoulders. The bandages around his chin and cheeks felt oddly cold. He could not take them off without putting Mara down so he tried to ignore the itch and walk on. Nobody else was on the streets anymore. He shifted Mara's weight a little and tried to remember the way back to the library. He had to turn right at the next house. Probably. Priest had not really paid enough attention to where his feet were taking him. What was he supposed to tell Spirit? And Twilight? Would she even allow him to stay? He knew that she was a trusting person but everyone had their limits. He had the feeling he had overstepped his boundaries when he had taken charge and messed it all up. How could it all go so wrong? He had tried to remember what he had learned only to realize that he had completely ignored the fact he could not fall back on his magic anymore. It had always been rush in, cast spells, blast the bad guys and in case anything went wrong, trust the Light to fix it. It wasn't like he had a problem with wounds, food or breathing or-- Damn. I really need to reorganize my priorities, don't I. Priest's feet were starting to get numb. His arms were as heavy as lead. He couldn't even feel his shoulders anymore. Carrying a pony that weighed almost as much as a human for a few miles was not something you pulled off without breaking a sweat, he realized. He had always made fun of the blood elves when they had asked other group members to carry their stuff. The truth was that they were the only members of the Horde with strength comparable to that of humans. Now he was getting a taste of his own medicine. Shame made his insides burn as he realized that he was contemplating something like the weight of a pony's corpse. He should be sad or something but for some reason he kept analyzing everything from a distance, his thoughts going in circles. One more reason for Twilight to kick me out. - - - Twilight opened the library door with her magic. "How did it go - oh, hello, Spirit Rez." The yellow unicorn stepped inside, a wiry, not too slim earth pony in his tow. The new arrival had a coat slightly brighter than grass, a short sky blue mane and tail, and brown freckles all over his body. "Hello, ladies", said Spirit nonchalantly as the two stepped inside. "Uh... why is there a big glowy circle on the floor?" Twilight winced. "It's a protective barrier. You better get inside it until Mara gets back." Spirit and the earth pony looked at each other, then Spirit sighed, a pleading expression on his face. "Please don't tell me the ghost returned." "It did", said Rarity. "Would you care for some tea, Mister – I'm afraid I did not catch your name?" "Arcus Tangens", said the green stallion and entered the circle. He bumped hooves with the three mares like Spirit did, then looked around. Rarity noticed his Cutie Mark was a brown and white triangle, maybe signifying a mountain. "I don't think I've been here for quite some time. Since when has Golden Oaks been this big?" "Since I came to Ponyville, I suppose", admitted Twilight, grinning sheepishly. She left it to Rarity to magic some more teacups from the kitchen onto the table, nodding thankfully. Arcus frowned. "I don't mean any disrespect, Princess Twilight, but I'm a bit surprised to find you..." "In a library?" He nodded, blushing a bit. "Please, call me Twilight. You see, I initially moved to Ponyville to study friendship and I love books and learning. This is also a great place to invite friends so I accepted the Mayor's offer to stay here and work as a librarian." "Ah", said Arcus, glancing at Spirit. "I haven't been in town much lately so I guess I missed some of the bigger news. Just knew a princess was in town but no specific details." "Sorry to interrupt", said Derpy, "but don't you guys think we have other problems right now?" "Right", Twilight called herself to order and straightened up. "In fact, the ghost did return. Mara and Priest lured it outside--" "What?!", blurted Spirit, dropping his cup as his magic fizzled out. The dish fell onto the carpet, leaving a nasty green stain. Rarity twitched, trying very hard not to rush to the kitchen for tissues. "I don't know what to say", stammered Twilight. "They told us to stay here and simply rushed out. Priest said to stick to the plan... but I have the feeling he wants to wing it somehow." "Oh great", groaned Spirit, covering his face with both front hooves. "Where are they now?" Twilight's ears splayed back. "I... I don't know. We'll have to wait for them." "No way in tartarus!", stated Spirit. He turned on his heels, ready to leave. "Thanks for the tea." "Wait!", pleaded Twilight but he was already out of the door. "What do we do now?", asked Derpy, turning to the princess. Twilight frowned, looking at Rarity for advice. "We cannot let him go without backup", said Rarity in a businesslike tone. She rose to her feet, a determined expression on her face. "That's true", agreed Twilight. "I don't expect you to accompany us, though", she added, turning to Derpy and Arcus Tangens. "Seriously?", said Arcus, concern in his bright yellow eyes. "Rez and I are best friends, Twilight Sparkle." The alicorn nodded. That was enough of an explanation for her. "Let's go", said Derpy. - - - Levinia walks up and down the dark cloudy room. To Mara's relief, there is hardly any wind anymore, no lightning nor thunder either. It is just raining a little. "I think we had a party. There were a lot of guests, friends and neighbors and lots of fillies and colts... it was Ditzy's tenth birthday!" Mara nods, encouraging the ghost to go on. "I was inside the house, chatting with... uch, I can't recall his name, some purple stallion with a rainbow mane... anyway, there's this sudden scream so we hurry outside to see what's happened", remembers Levinia. She frowns, turning to Mara directly. "My little Ditzy fell off the yard." Mara's eyes go wide. "Oh my goodness." Levinia nods. "Naturally I dived after her to catch her. I only managed to get her just above the ground." She smiles widely. "There wasn't a scratch on her. It was the shock of my life." "What about you?", probes Mara. "Hm... I can't really seem to remember", says Levinia and shrugs. "But I'm fine now so what's to worry?" Mara shakes her head. "I don't think you are fine", she explains slowly. "So that's the last thing you remember clearly?" "Yes, I already said that", hisses Levinia impatiently. The rain is getting heavier. Mara tilts her head upwards, the water dripping onto her muzzle. Some of the drops get onto her lips and she licks them off. They are salty. It is raining salt water. "This can't be right", mumbles Mara. "What is this?", demands Levinia. She is wincing every time a raindrop hits her. Her tail is flicking irritably. "What are you doing?" "It's just rain", says Mara. "It's admittedly a bit salty but it's not like it's going to hurt us or anything..." "No way. It's like the sky is crying..." Soaking wet, Levinia spins around and around, trying to figure out why the drops are hurting her. "Mara, please stop it!" "I'm not doing this!", claims Mara. "I'm an earth pony, I can't make it rain! I can't even walk on clouds... M-maybe it's because this is a dream!" "It's not a dream!", snaps Levinia. "It hurts like fire! Make it stop! Please!" Tears are streaming down her face. The pegasus is shivering in her desperate dance, her eyes wide with fear. "I'm sorry! I don't know how! I'm sorry!" Mara looks around. "Please, somepony help...", she mutters. She tries to walk towards Levinia but she can't. The cloud is getting thinner. "Uh-oh", mutters Mara, realizing that the rain has come directly from the cloud they are standing on. She can already see some green and brown patches shimmering through the mist beneath her hooves.