//------------------------------//
// 212 - Stand With Forefathers 
// Story: Putting on a Silver Robe and Wizard Hat 
// by David Silver 
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“Ya don’t gotta worry none. Ah know the Everfree Forest can be scary ‘n’ all, but so long as we stick ta the path ta Zecora’s hut, we should be fine and dandy.” Apple Bloom smiled reassuringly as she waited for her companion to catch up with her. He musta been quite nervous, since he’d been craning his neck every which way ever since they entered the forest!

Said companion, a human with glasses and dressed in fancy duds, turned his eyes away from the depths of the Everfree Forest to regard her as she spoke. For an instant he looked like he was going to admonish her, but she must have imagined it; his face showed only a polite smile as he spoke. “You’re very kind for saying so. I’m really very lucky to have such a brave filly as my guide.”

“Aw, this ain’t nothin’.” Smiling despite her modest words, Apple Bloom pressed forward. “Besides, ah was plannin’ on goin’ ta see Zecora again real soon anyway, so when ya asked it was really like buckin’ two trees with one kick, ya know?”

When she didn’t receive an answer to her question, Apple Bloom glanced back, only to smirk and roll her eyes. The human was peerin’ at every nook and cranny again, despite the fact that the forest seemed as empty as a schoolroom at suppertime on a weekend. Poor fella must be really high-strung. “Ya know, when we get back ta Ponyville, ah should really introduce ya to mah friend Jake. He’s a human too, and he really knows how ta relax.”

Receiving a noncommittal grunt in reply, Apple Bloom let the matter drop. They were almost there anyway.

A few minutes later, Zecora’s hut came into view. Running up to knock on the door, Apple Bloom called out. “Zecora! It’s me! Ya home?”

A moment later the door opened, and a familiar striped face appeared. “I was not expecting you so soon. What brings you here, dear Apple Bloom?”

“We just needed ta pick up a few more potions fer the farm. Also, this fella here said he wanted ta meetcha.”

Raising her gaze as Apple Bloom waved a hoof towards the human standing behind her, Zecora took in the sight of the immaculately-dressed human, who adjusted his glasses as he stepped forward. “I can see that this is so,” said Zecora as she stepped forward to greet her other guest, “but this face is one I do not know.”

“Allow me to introduce myself,” said the human. “My name is John Smith. I apologize for dropping by unannounced, but I have a favor I need to ask of you…”  





Night reached out and clopped on the door, only for it to swing inwards without resistance. "Nefertari?" she called as she advanced slowly. "We need to talk."

Samantha followed directly behind. "She's in here, I'm sure of it."

The door closed behind them and a paw closed around Samantha's neck from behind, holding her but not restricting her airway. "You are a curious one, always knowing more than you should, but with means beyond magic or spirits both. Tell me, how?"

Samantha tried to turn, but the clawed paw on her insisted she remain right where she was. "Nefertari," she said with grave seriousness. "I would be delighted to compare notes, but only after we have discussed your blatant Golden Rule violations."

Night was under no such physical restriction and turned to face her mentor with a scowl. "Let her go."

"It is time for an important lesson." Nefertari made an odd gesture with her claws and Samantha got out barely a squeak before Nefer was holding an Onyx much like the first. "How to fight a shaman. You know how to put your will against a spirit, but simply wishing me to stop will hardly work." She ducked to the side as Night rushed her and circled around the enraged lunar pony. "And you know I am your physical better."

Night spread her wings defensively, making herself look larger than she was. "You can teach me things without stealing her mother, or her. Give them both back!"

"Make me." Nefertari smiled thinly. "You will succeed, and I will have the honor of truly meeting a peer, one I trained myself, or... you fail, and I take the spirit. It will be mine. Samantha, hmm, she's a bonus prize, to go to the winner in any event."

Surely she couldn't mean... Night's mind whirred with possibilities. Would a diplomat risk something that would get her sent home? Night frantically fumbled through the pieces. "That spirit is either worthless, or beyond value."

Nefer smiled at Night's statements. "Very good, now defend yourself. Make me, or admit failure." Purple energy gathered around her paws as she danced left and right. "How will you fight, student?"

Night's wings wreathed in the same purple. She had learned how to focus the anger of her forebears as Nefertari had done. Would it be enough? She darted in and made a quick swipe, only to be batted away as Nefertari danced out of the way and sent a bolt of pure pain lancing across Night's form, making her growl. The direct way wasn't going to work.

Trying to think instead of act, Night drew out the onyx and threw it to the ground before putting a hoof on it, crackling with purple energy. "I'll smash your ancestor."

Nefertari scowled. "Dirty,  hmm, but valid. But are you ready to make good on that threat?"

Night pressed down on the Onyx, forming delicate cracks over its surface. "Give them back!"

"One spirit among many, and such a lesser one at that..."

"Is still worth more than the living." Night scowled at Nefertari. "Or did you lie about that? We serve the spirits, not the other way around." A lesson she had to learn herself in another direction. 

Nefertari let out a thunderous laugh. "That is a sound argument." She flicked a finger and the stone danced out from beneath Night's hoof, born on a small spectral spirit of a dog that dropped it in Nefertari's waiting hand. "But futile. Still, it is good to know you were listening."

Night's grandfather suddenly bit Nefer from behind, sinking spectral fangs into her neck as he drove her to the ground.

She grunted in surprised pain. "How... You didn't summon..."

Night stepped forward slowly. "I act in service of the spirits, starting today with Samantha's. He came because I needed him, not because I called him." She lashed out a hoof suddenly, cuffing Nefertari across the snout. "Where is Samantha's mother?" The cuff knocked free Samantha's stone and she gathered it with a quick flick of a wing.

With a riot of energy in all directions, Nefer repelled the spirit on her back and bounded to her feet. "Clever." She spat some blood to the ground. "It looks like you've taken the bonus." She alternated her look between Night and her grandfather's spirit, both looking ready to battle her. "But if you can call an ancestor, so can I." She snapped a finger and a familiar she-jackal appeared.

The jackaless dove for Night's grandfather. "I will show you the power of Anubians!"

Things skewed dangerously, and it looked less good for Night. Who would she call to even the odds? Who could she call? Her grandfather was the only dead person she met personally... She reached out,  hoping something would answer her call.

“I know you… no I don’t…” A pale mist formed into a half naked bipedal form, “You… talked to me once… I wasn’t awake but I heard you.”

Nefer raised a brow. "What's this, hmm, another offering?" She flashed a dangerous smile as the intriguing spirit took form.

"I think not." Night took a step forward. "Spirit, you owe me nothing, but another human is threatened by her, stolen from the grips of her daughter. Help me, please."

“I was not long in this world, nor long meant for it.” The spirit bowed its head. “Did Diane survive?”

Diane? "I will ch--" Night's words were cut off by a brilliant-purple lunge that forced her to dance away from her foe. "Please!"

“Who are you?” The spirit turned to Nefertari.  “I remember you.  The canine wife of the new prince.  Me and Z, we followed the tabloids,” The spirit remarked with disinterest.

Nefer raised a brow. "You've summoned a mad spirit to fight me? It's not nearly mad enough to turn the tides. See how your grandfather withers before real opposition."

Across the room, Night's grandfather attempted to ward off his spirit foe, but he was being blasted and battered without mercy. It was clear which was the spirit with more experience.

“I like you, Nefertari of your people, I really do,” The spirit’s smile split into a mask of snakes, “But I asked only a simple question of you both.  Is. My. Diane. Okay?  I had ONE job.”

Nefertari broke into a laughter, cruel and deep. "It knows me, but I know not this 'Diane'. If you are not here to fight, leave." The final word was stated as a command, the awful pressure of her will behind it.

“Okay, then I’m with the pony.” The ghost of Charlie Madrie grinned broadly.

The fact that the spirit hadn't been repulsed by her mentor's command was encouraging. Night gestured with a wing at the jackal tearing into her grandfather. "Take care of that first." She dove ahead at Nefer, determined to keep her occupied.

“Oh I'm the ghost of Charlie Madrie from the hotel Canterlot!” the spirit broke into song as he assaulted the jackal, “I hate to break this to you but this is gonna hurt a lot.”

It wasn't as if the new spirit was experienced. No energy of ancient power focused around it, only simple rage and determination, but both had weight in the spirit world and were felt as a fist connected with the back of the surprised jackal as she was about to blast the downed lunar spirit.

In the moment of reprieve, he leaped at her and knocked her back into Charlie's grip. "Thank you." He didn't know the stranger either, but he knew when he was being helped.

Night threw down the onyx to the ground as she shouted, "Be free!" She felt the resistance, and it broke. Samantha stood, dazed and confused, where the stone had landed.

The mad spirit's song went on. “Ropes were made for tangling, angles made for angling, necks like yours I notice made especially for strangling!” The angry ghost beat the jackal's head repeatedly with the rage of generations of abused spirits.

Nefertari frowned at how things were going. "I can call more spirits than you dream, little student, more than you could dream!" She snapped her fingers, but none appeared.

Night frowned up at her. "So quick to throw aside your loyal spirit? She suffers for you." Night reared up, balancing with flaps of her wings. "You have failed as a shaman."

"Who are you to speak of me in such a way!" angrily shouted Nefer as she sent a purple sheet of energy flying at the berserk spirit that threatened her own. "Leave her alone, you mad creature!"

“You’re right.” The spirit paused a moment in careful repose.  “This isn’t her fault.  It’s yours…”

The jackaless collapsed to the ground, then faded from the world, gone to wherever spirits go to recover themselves.

Her grandfather looked thoroughly thrashed, but still had determination to stay beside his granddaughter. "Give it back," he growled, moving to approach Nefertari as the room turned against her.

“I will have my answer.” The spirit turned to Night with hopelessness in his heart, “Diane… she’s younger than she might look.  If you see her, the real her, well I think you’ll remember her smile.   Is she okay?  Please tell me.  If you know.  If you see her… tell her...no just...”

Night shrank back a little from the intense aura the spirit was putting out. "What does she look like? Can we, uh, finish t--"

Nefer crashed into Night, tearing into her with wicked claws and equally sharp teeth, only to suddenly stop. She reached back with a quivering paw to wrench free a dart that had embedded itself in her rump. "Wha--" She passed out on the spot.

Samantha sat nearby, looking worried. "I know I wouldn't want to be knocked out, but I had to protect you…"

Night wriggled free from beneath Nefertari. "You're fine, promise, promise…" She sounded a bit harried, as well she was, with bleeding open wounds and tired from the fight. "Now… about Diane?"

“She’s a changeling,” Charlie pleaded, “She can look like anything she wants to.  But when she’s being herself she has jaws like a shark… She’s… I know how it sounds, but she’s Pinkie Pie, if she were a juvenile changeling.  You can’t miss her. If you summoned me you must have seen her?”