//------------------------------// // Level 22 - Hello, Ground // Story: Dead Heart // by Leila Drake //------------------------------// "Priest! There you are!" Twilight's cheerful voice made Priest stop dead in his tracks. The alicorn ran towards him, Rarity, Spirit and some other stallion running alongside her. Derpy was flying next to them, keeping up with a little difficulty. Spirit was the first one to recognize whom the human was carrying. "Mara! What's going on here? What's happened to you?" The other ponies slowed down as they realized something had gone wrong. Priest wondered why the green earth pony stallion didn't freak seeing a human, then remembered seeing him at the party. He had been standing in the background somewhere. Mara did not reply. Priest looked at the ground, unable to meet Spirit's eyes. He opened his mouth. When nothing came out, he cleared his throat and tried again. "Sh-she tried to talk to the ghost. It kept attacking us." His voice was raspier than ever. He knelt down to put Mara on the ground, then rather collapsed than sat down at her side. Spirit rushed over to them, almost toppling Priest over to get to his marefriend. "Wait!", objected the human, his arm outstretched to keep the stallion away. "She's -" Spirit brushed Mara's mane out of her face and gaped at her in disbelief. He fell onto his rump, his mouth slightly open. Priest could almost see something shatter inside the unicorn. Spirit's lower lip quivered as he kept staring at Mara's empty eyes. Twilight and the other mares gasped in unison. Rarity dashed over to Mara and bowed down to listen for a pulse. "Is she...?" Derpy's eyes started to water up. Rarity shook her head, her face unreadable. She staggered away from the body, her legs shaking. "Oh dear", whispered Twilight, her eyes darting around, looking for help, looking for a clue. "What do we do? What do we do?" Priest, still sitting on the ground, sniffed. "You can leave that to me. If you want." He still wasn't looking up. "You've done enough!", snapped Spirit suddenly as he frowned at Priest, his ears down. Now the human raised his head. He looked directly at Spirit and simply said, "I'm sorry." He knew that nothing he said would be enough but he had to voice his regrets anyway. "Now wait a minute", said Twilight. "Nopony said it was your fault." Even to herself it sounded feeble. "Please... don't make it worse", said Priest and stood up. "I don't know where the ghost is now but she did something to Mara. I couldn't stop her. To be honest, I couldn't do anything really." He sniffed again. There's no use in stalling, he thought. "I better go soon", he added, impatiently removing his bandages. He had enough of disguises. Nightmare Night was ruined anyway. "Gotta see if she is still at the train station." Rarity gasped. "P-Priest, your eyes..." Priest ripped the last pieces of white cloth off and rolled the fabric into a tight ball. He looked at Spirit, guilt etched into his face. When the stallion didn't move, Priest tossed the ball aside and knelt down again – fuck the pain from carrying the body – to close Mara's eyes. He could still feel a gaze boring into his back. Priest turned to see it was Rarity's. "What?" The white unicorn mare trotted over to him. She tilted her head to get a better look at Priest's face. Her brow furrowed as her eyed were fixed on him as if she was seeing it for the first time. She sniffed but could not help but observe, "Did they not glow before? And your complexion! It -" "Who cares about my face?" Priest turned back to Mara, stroking her cheek with his thumb. He's saying Goodbye, thought Rarity. Dear Celestia, he isn't even hesitating to touch her. The human never flinched. The fashionista noticed the ease which only comes to you when you practice a movement many times. His gaze was distant, as if he wasn't looking at Mara but seeing someone else instead. Derpy walked over to the statue that was Spirit and hugged him carefully. She stammered soothing words, trying to make him snap out of his trance. Twilight and Arcus joined Rarity and Priest. "Let us h-help you", said Twilight. "Come on, Arcus..." Arcus simply nodded affirmatively. As expected, mused Priest. Spirit hates me but is too shocked to focus on it, Twilight is promoting the Magic of Friendship and the others try to make the best of it. I guess I should, too... even though I don't think there's a way of making it right ever again. Oh, Light, I can't believe I messed up so bad! There's no way to make up for it. I just wished I could do something to comfort Spirit. He doesn't deserve this... and if I could save Mara... but without your help I'm useless. Just pick her up, then, and get her inside... Why did you leave me? I know I'm not worthy but this is not about me! I don't care what happens to me now but can't you please spare Mara? Priest squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. He shuddered as he realized he could not stall any longer. Focus, get it together... "Fine", he said and tried once again to lift Mara. "Wait, what's this?", wondered Arcus. Priest wiped his face with his left hand, his right arm already supporting Mara, and examined his wet fingertips. "Tears, I guess. Now shut it and help me -" "No, not the tears", insisted Arcus, pointing at Mara. "Look!" Priest almost dropped Mara when a shiver ran through her body. "What's that glow?", Arcus asked again. "It's some kind of magic but I've never seen it before", muttered Twilight. "Priest, is that the Light?" A tiny smile crept onto his face. "Yes." "But... how is that possible?" I don't care, he thought, surprised that it had returned... even though it seemed he wasn't able to focus it actively. "I don't know." The faint golden glow encased Mara's entire body. By the look on the ponies' faces, they could sense its warmth despite it being very dim. Priest felt himself relax a little. He didn't even feel any pain which was most likely the reason he hadn't noticed the Light right away. This could only mean something good. "Thank you", he whispered. Now the glowing warmth left his body as well but a feeling of peace remained. Mara's legs twitched a little; her chest started moving. She was breathing again. Spirit snapped out of his daze, shivering all over. "Mara!", he whispered. "My stars!" He squeezed his barrel between Twilight's and Arcus's, impatiently trying to get closer to Mara. - - - Two mares are falling to the ground from a height of roughly five hundred feet. The air is as cold as ice, draining their bodies of all their heat. One of them is screaming and wildly flailing her legs around. "Levinia, help!", screams Mara over the howl of the wind. "You're a darn pegasus, do something!" "Hold on!", shouts Levinia, struggling to stabilize her own fall with her wings. "I'm trying!" She manages to turn her fall into a controlled dive, flapping her wings hard to get closer to Mara. "I almost got you! Just look at me, muffin!" They are almost down now. Mara is rotating helplessly. As she is facing the ground that is hurling towards her at an incomprehensible speed she can already make out single branches of the trees below. A blinding light forces her to close her eyes. She doesn't really mind. Her throat is raw from the screaming and she really does not want to see when gravity subtracts a dimension from her shape. "Ditzy, NO!", screeches Levinia at the top of her voice and puts all her strength into a last desperate dash. She doesn't make it. Mara can't feel any impact. Instead, the light engulfs her until everything is white. - - - "Oh, Mara, Mara", sighed Spirit. "What are you doing?" Everyone relaxed a little, relief spreading on their faces. The unicorn hugged Mara, crying openly. "You're gonna be okay, sweetie, you're gonna be okay." Twilight stood up and declared, "I'm going to get Zecora. She'll know a brew to help Mara back on her feet." "Wait", said Spirit. "You don't have to." He lit his horn, casting a spell on Mara. "I got this." "H-how...?", asked Derpy. "Something that will lift her spirits. It's my special talent", answered Spirit, a hint of mirth in his teary eyes. Rarity covered her mouth with her shaking hooves. "Thank Celestia, she's still alive! She's alive..." Twilight nudged Priest with her elbow, frowning a little despite the sudden turn of events. "Something must have protected her. Do you have an idea what it could have been?" Spirit's light blue aura encased Mara for a few seconds, then he let go of the spell and it faded again. "There." "...Salt", muttered Priest. - - - The light fades away and Mara finds herself standing on a meadow. The green hills stretch to the horizon, a few trees growing here and there. It looks peaceful and quiet, almost too quiet. No birds, realizes Mara. Something must have startled them. "What?" She turns her head and finds that Levinia is a few steps away from her. The pegasus is sitting on the ground, bending over something Mara cannot see, rocking back and forth. Mara's ears splay back. "Levinia?" She trots over, throwing a glance at her surroundings. She can make out a huge patch of clouds in the sky – Cloudsdale. I'm still not dead, thinks Mara. This is totally something like a dream. Still, I should check if she's okay. "Levinia!", she cries, running over to the weeping pegasus. "Are you all right?" - - - "Excuse me?", asked Rarity. "Salt", repeated Priest, a little louder. "I'm a fucking idiot. I completely forgot the simplest of means to repel a ghost." He shrugged, hopelessly embarrassed. "Tears contain salt." Twilight facehooved at that, shaking her head. After taking a deep breath, she admitted, "Well, I'm glad you remember it now. It looks like it's been a close one for Mara, a really close one. I'm also glad you can cry." He nodded and wiped his nose, smiling a little. "Yeah. Never thought I'd say this, but me too." Spirit let loose a small hysterical laugh. "Awesome." - - - "I'm so sorry", says Mara. She is now close enough to see what is lying in the high grass. Levinia turns her head. "Me too", she says. On the ground lies a pegasus, her neck broken, her right wing and a leg bent at an unnatural angle. Mara recognizes her in an instant. It's Levinia. There are some differences, of course: This Levinia's hair is not floating, the mane ruffled and unkempt from the gusts of wind on the way down. Her features are not blurry at all. She simply looks like a regular pegasus. She is looking rather peaceful for somepony who has just fallen to her death, muses Mara. An unconscious young Ditzy is lying next to Levinia. Her chest is moving, shallow breaths the only noise besides the wind in the grass and the sobs of Levinia's spirit. The grey pegasus has survived the fall. Her mother has not. "How long?", asks the distraught mare, looking up to Mara. "Ditzy's turning twenty-nine in two weeks." - - - "Come on, guys, let's go somewhere warmer", suggested Arcus, stretching a hoof out to Spirit to help his buddy up. The stallion took the hoof, shakily getting back on his own feet. "Thanks, Arc." "Sure. I'm just glad Mara's still alive!" "Or again..." Twilight carefully took Mara into a floating bubble of magic and nodded. "Priest, what do you think?" "Sh-she's looking stable for now. I guess we should just... return to the library and get her comfortable." Rarity and Derpy nodded, still looking confused and shaken. - - - "My filly, my brave little filly", weeps Levinia. "I'm so sorry I dragged you into this, Mara! I had no clue! My little Ditzy - I almost killed her!" Mara hugs her, lost for words, and lets the mother cry on her shoulder. The distraught mare keeps muttering, regret and shame blubbering out as she tells Mara over and over how sorry she is. They stay like this for a while until Levinia has cried enough. Then she leans back from Mara, wiping her muzzle. "Oh Celestia, I'm so embarrassed." The earth pony smiles at her. "It's a little too late for that, I'm afraid. And before you say anything else", she holds up a hoof as Levinia opens her mouth, "I do forgive you. And I'm sure that Ditzy is very thankful that you saved her life that day. She even told me that once. Don't worry, she'll be okay. Time Turner and I will look out for her. I promise!" After a moment of hesitation she adds, "You should see your granddaughter, she makes an awesome Cutie Mark Crusader. She's been wearing a totally cute zombie costume this Nightmare Night." Levinia gives a weak laugh, the first sign of happiness Mara has ever seen on her. "Thank you", she whispers. Mara just nods, feeling exhausted.