Ghosts of the Past

by Sepulcher

Chapter Nine

Ghosts of the Past

Chapter Nine

---

The Ghost woke up from his dreamless sleep, instantly on high alert. He didn't know what roused him from his slumber, but he knew that something wasn't right.

He sat up, his eyes bouncing from one surface to the next. He spotted a very indistinct blur only a few feet from the only door.

Gotcha, thought the Ghost as he turned invisible and launched himself at the cloaked intruder, ready to subdue or kill if necessary.

The Ghost crashed into his intruder, causing it to yelp. The Ghost quickly found the creature's neck and pinned it to the ground by it's throat.

"Turn off your cloaking," ordered the Ghost.

"I... can't... spell... wears... off... on...own," choked the intruder.

The Ghost let off a bit of pressure on it's windpipe and asked, "Who are you and why are you invisible?"

He felt the intruder squirm from his question. "I-It's me, T-Twilight Sparkle."

The Ghost wasn't convinced with the answer. "Prove it."

"Y-you b-blew a hole in my w-wall," she replied

This is not what I needed, thought the Ghost as he decloaked.

"Why are you invisible in my room, Twilight?" asked the Ghost. He let go of Twilight and stood up, staring down at her.

The pony shaped blur stood up. "Well... you see... after seeing how easy you could get around while you were invisible, I decided to try it for myself." She laughed sheepishly. "I guess I still have some bugs to work out."

Yes, this is definitely Twilight, thought the Ghost.

"You are almost invisible, except for the faint blur that covers your body. It is similar to my own cloaking, except I've had years of practice with mine and my blur is almost nonexistent," said the Ghost.

The Twilight shaped blue raised a hoof to it's head in thought. "So I can only get better with time?" she asked.

The Ghost nodded. "Essentially. Now, why did you choose me to be your test subject?"

The cloaked Twilight shifted uneasily. "Well, I figured that you, more so than anypony else, could tell me how well the spell worked. I also wanted to see how hard it was to sneak up on you..."

The Ghost raised an eyebrow.

The shadow-Twilight cringed a little underneath his stare. "And I wanted to ask you some more questions..."

Why am I not surprised?

The Ghost was in no mood for mischief. "No, Twilight, I'm not going to answer any of your questions right now. I am well aware of your thirst for knowledge, but this is ridiculous. Go back to your room and go back to bed."

He saw Twilight's blurry shoulders sag. "Okay. I'm sorry for waking you up, Ghost," she said as she opened the door and walked out it, defeated and dejected.

What a fantastic start to the day, thought the Ghost as he laid back down on his bed, wondering what the morrow had in store for him.

\\\\\

The Ghost woke to the sound of hooves rapping on his door. Sighing, the Ghost tossed his covers aside and walked over to the door. He opened it to see Twilight's brother.

"Hello, Shining Armor. Is it time for my meeting with the princesses?"

The unicorn was slightly frazzled by the Ghost's response. "How did you know?"

"It was the logical assumption, based on their body language and small talk last night, that they wanted to speak with me in a private, secured location," replied the Ghost.

Sighing, Shining Armor said, "What I wouldn't give to have ten guards as smart as you." He shook his head and added, "Yes, your assumption is correct. If you'd be so kind as to follow me..."

The Ghost nodded and followed Shining Armor to the main hallway where twenty-odd Earth pony guards were gathered.

Smart pony. No matter how complacent the enemy gets, never underestimate them.

The Ghost and his Royal Guard entourage walked through many twisting corridors before finally arriving at what the Ghost assumed to be the Princess' quarters, given that they were decorated much more grandly on the outside.

The Ghost was ushered in the room by two unicorn guards standing on opposite sides of the doorway. The door was closed as soon as he was fully inside.

The Ghost took a moment to observe the room. It was nothing like the outside: there were no ostensible decorations, only practical applications. There were a few bookshelves, some lamps, and a desk with many scrolls and piece of paper sprawled out on it. The walls were a toned down white from the other rooms he had seen.

The whole room screamed efficiency. Even the carpet was a simple white.

On the outside, it gives the impression of illusion and grandeur. On the inside, however, it is simple yet effective. The Ghost was impressed. The princesses do not squander money on unnecessary decorations or trivial trinkets.

"Greetings, Ghost. I hope nopony interrupted your sleep last night," said Celestia, who was sitting behind the scroll-strewn desk.

Does she know about Twilight, or is she guessing? While the Ghost didn't approve of Twilight sneaking around in the middle of the night, he didn't want her to get into trouble because of it. After all, he was the cause of her late-night test.

"I slept fine." The Ghost looked around the room for the other princess. "Where is Luna?"

Celestia smiled and said, "She should be here any min—"

Celestia was interrupted by a brief flash of light and the appearance of the Princess of the Night.

"—ute. Perfect timing as usual, sister."

Luna smiled at the compliment. She turned to the Ghost and addressed him, a look of concern on her face. "We didn't harm thou when we arrived, did we?"

Sighing, the Ghost replied, "No. No you didn't. I haven't felt any psionic twinges since I woke up in this palace."

"What would be the cause of that?" asked Celestia.

"Well, after you both pulled the 'teleport out, teleport in' stunt at the library, I assume that you literally blew those receptors in my mind that alerted me to psionic presences with the sheer mental feedback."

Celestia and Luna both shared a look. "We are terribly sorry for doing that, Ghost. Hopefully you can see why it was necessary," said Celestia.

The Ghost waved it away with the flick of his wrist. "I understand why you did it. While I don't necessarily approve of your method, I can't argue with the results. Besides, I don't think I'd want to have a pain in my temple everywhere I went."

The princesses nodded in approval. "The reason we called you here today was to discuss the implications and protocols regarding you, an alien visitor. The only problem is that... no such protocols exist and we can only begin to think of the implications caused by your arrival."

They are handling this much better than I thought they would.

"Very true. How many ponies know of my existence?"

"Us, the bearers of harmony, and the Royal Guard. We have ordered nopony to speak of your existence to anypony outside of the few who know," replied Celestia.

"So how is this going to work? Are you going to 'announce' me as a foreign dignitary or as a space-faring alien ambassador?" asked the Ghost.

"We... haven't decided upon the course of action as of now," said Luna. "We were hoping that thou could assist us in determining a proper decision."

They want me to help them decide how to reveal my presence?

The Ghost was unsure. "Before I can help decide that, do you know what I am going to do? I can't just sit here in your palace twiddling my thumbs."

The princesses looked at him in confusion.

The Ghost raised one hand and pointed to his thumb with the other. "This is a thumb. 'Twiddling one's thumbs' is a metaphor for not getting anything productive done."

Which is exactly what I've been doing.

Confusing metaphor explained, Celestia answered the Ghost's question. "We were planning on putting you on parole. You're actions regarding Lumen Shield have helped plead your case, but until we're certain that you mean no harm to anypony, we can't in good conscience let you roam free."

The Ghost nodded, pleased with their decision. "I agree. That would not be a wise decision, letting me go without consequence."

Celestia and Luna both looked surprised. "You... agree?"

They weren't expecting me to accept their plans? Intriguing.

"Yes, I agree. While it is in my best interest to be free, it wouldn't be freedom if it was just given to me, would it? I have to earn your trust and my freedom," stated the Ghost.

"We... are glad that thou sees things our way," said Luna. "Your parole would be in the form of living in Ponyville with one of the bearers of harmony."

Now it was the Ghost's turn to be confused. "What? Why?"

Celestia said with a warm smile on her face, "For starters, they are concerned about you, Ghost. They only want to help you."

"Alright, let's assume that. Why Ponyville?" said the Ghost.

"Ponyville has been through more strange occurrences and shenanigans than anywhere else. While the residents may be wary of your presence for a little while, they will accept you, given some time," said Celestia.

The Ghost mulled these facts over in his head. He grudgingly accepted the princess' explanation.

"What am I going to say when they ask what I am or where I'm from?" asked the Ghost.

"You can tell them that you're a Terran, but please refrain from discussing how... populous your race is. As for where you're from, you can answer truthfully: I don't know."

Clever, clever.

"Fine. So who will I be staying with?" asked the Ghost. Please don't let it be Pinkie Pie, he silently pleaded.

Luna answered with a grin, "Thou will know when we gather the bearers of harmony to tell them the news."

The Ghost grimaced. They don't even know yet? I feel that this will not go over well...

\\\\\

Fifteen minutes later, the Ghost and the princesses were joined by the six bearers of harmony. Princess Celestia briefly went over what the three of them had discussed previously, leaving the Ghost's parole specifications for last.

"...And after thinking things over, Luna and I have decided to send the Ghost to Ponyville to stay there for a while and learn about the elements of harmony."

Pinkie Pie started to bounce up and down in excitement. "Oh, pick me! Pick me, pick me, pick me! I want to keep him!"

A very uncomfortable Ghost looked at Celestia and silently pleaded, Please, anyone but her.

"While we appreciate the enthusiasm, Ms. Pie, we have already decided who will watch over the Ghost, if they are willing," said Celestia.

"Well, come on now, don't leave us the dark!" said Applejack.

Luna looked at Celestia, who nodded. "We have decided that Rarity shall be the one to be Ghost's warden, if she is willing."

All the ponies and a Ghost looked at Rarity. Slightly perturbed by all the attention, she stammered, "Oh! I—I'd love to! I—I mean, I'd be willing to be the Ghost's cortege for however long he is to stay with me."

"That's not fair!" cried Twilight.

"Yeah, why don't we get a say!" added Rainbow Dash.

Are they arguing over where I stay? thought the Ghost absentmindedly.

After several more ponies voiced their opinions, the Ghost said, "If you would all be so kind as to let the princesses explain, I'm sure you will see why their choice is the most valid."

Luna gave the Ghost a silent thank you as the ponies stopped their in-fighting.

As soon as the ponies quieted down, the Princess of the Sun explained her reasoning. "We determined the warden by the process of elimination. We first asked ourselves, 'Which ponies have the proper accommodations for somepony of the Ghost's size?' We are sorry, Rainbow Dash, but the fact that you live on clouds made it impossible for us to pick you."

Sighing, Rainbow Dash said, "Well, I guess that makes sense. Ol' Ghostie here can't walk on clouds."

Walk on clouds? thought the Ghost. This was immediately followed by, Great, now I have a pet name.

Princess Celestia continued her explanation. "The next question we asked was, 'Which ponies would have the spare time necessary to watch over Ghost effectively?' We thought for a while about this question, but it narrowed our search down to three."

Celestia turned to Applejack. "Applejack, we didn't want to overburden you, since you and Big Macintosh are the only ones in your family capable of running Sweet Apple Acres."

Applejack nodded. "Ah guess you're right, Princess. Me an' Big Mac have our work cut out for us, even without havin' ta watch over Ghost."

Glad that Applejack understood her reasoning, Celestia turned to Pinkie Pie. "Pinkie Pie, your accommodations and job will prevent you from keeping an eye on Ghost."

The Ghost swore that Pinkie Pie's mane deflated a little bit and a slightly insane look appeared in her eyes. He later decided that it was just his imagination, because she seemed to bounce back nigh-instantly.

"Okie-dokie-lokie Princess!" said Pinkie Pie. "I'll still get to see him in Ponyville though, right?"

Celestia nodded.

"Yay! I already know that we're going to be the bestest friends! Right, Ghostie?!" said Pinkie Pie as she bounced in place.

The Ghost, not wanting to see if his hypothesis regarding the inner psychopath inside Pinkie Pie was correct, said the only thing he could.

"...Sure."

Princess Celestia continued after Pinkie Pie stopped jumping in place. "That left us with three choices: Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy." Celestia walked over to the timid pegasus and bent down to speak with her face-to-face. "Fluttershy, we couldn't in good conscience assign the Ghost as yet another creature for you to look after. While the Ghost is more than a match for most ponies in single combat, we felt that you were the most delicate as well. We also don't want the Ghost to reside too close to the Everfree forest."

"Oh, umm, how kind of you take that into consideration," said Fluttershy in her quiet voice.

Celestia nodded, glad that nopony had disputed her decision as of yet. She walked over to where Twilight was glowering. "Twilight Sparkle, my most faithful student—" began Celestia before she was interrupted by her.

"Is it because I tested my invisibility spell last night?!" she blurted. "Because if it is, I—"

"What invisibility spell?" interrupted Celestia.

Twilight's face grew red. She glanced over at the Ghost who raised an eyebrow in response. "I... never mind. I'm sorry for my outburst, Princess. Please continue."

Celestia glanced over at the Ghost and raised an eyebrow. He mouthed the word, What?

Shaking her head, she continued where she had been cut off. "Luna and I were going to pick you to watch after the Ghost, given that you had the space and time necessary. We decided against it, however, based on a two important facts: one, we have no idea how Spike would react to the Ghost, and two—I'm sure that you're aware how... obsessive you can get, Twilight."

Twilight cringed sheepishly.

Celestia continued. "We don't want Ghost to get aggravated based off of your insistent need to know. And that's why, Twilight Sparkle, we chose Rarity."

"I... you're right. I can get a bit carried away sometimes," said Twilight.

Celestia addressed Rarity herself next. "Rarity, we chose you based on the fact that your store is also your home, therefore allowing you to watch over Ghost whilst being able to work. I also know that you have several spare bedrooms. The only thing that we were worried about was how Sweetie Belle would react."

Rarity laughed. "Oh, I'm sure Sweetie will react just fine to having a guest as interesting as Ghost."

The Ghost had to ask one question that had been burning inside for a while. "Can I have my suit back—"

The Ghost realized he had to add something to the end.

"—please?"

Celestia looked at him wryly. "I'm sorry Ghost, but no. In time, maybe. But not now. The residents of Ponyville will have enough difficulty adjusting to you without your suit."

The Ghost grumbled inwardly. It was worth a try. "Fine."

Celestia smiled. "Now, my little ponies, the next train for Ponyville is leaving in about an hour. I hope you all enjoyed your stay, regardless of what caused it."

As the ponies filed out of door, Celestia added, "Oh and one more thing: I still expect friendship reports from all of you when you discover something!"

Once again, the Ghost was left alone with the two princesses. "That was handled well, in my opinion," said the Ghost.

"It went better than I thought it would," agreed Celestia. Changing topics, Celestia said, "You remember when Shining Armor mentioned the wedding, right?"

"Of course," said the Ghost, a bit miffed that Celestia would even consider him forgetful.

"Well, he asked, and I have agreed, to offer you the position of Security Consultant come wedding time."

This dumbstruck the Ghost. "Why? Don't you have someone more capable than me?"

"We thought we did, but seeing as how you single-handedly managed to outmaneuver almost the entirety of the Royal Guard and still manage to make a good impression on our Guard Captain, we figured that you were more than deserving of the job offer."

These ponies continue to astonish me with their decisions. They take the 'Today's enemy is tomorrow's ally' saying far to seriously, thought the Ghost.

"I accept the job. I don't care about the terms, I just want something to do," said the Ghost.

Celestia laughed. "Your enthusiasm is admirable, Ghost, but the wedding isn't for another month at the very least." Celestia's face grew darker as she said the next sentence. "We have to prepare for several unpleasant guest first."

The Ghost didn't know what she was referring to, but decided to not ask.

The dark look vanished when Celestia said, "Oh my goodness, look at the time! You must leave at once if you are to catch the train! Captain!"

Shining Armor poked his head in. "Yes, Princess?"

"Escort the Ghost to the train station. On the way, you should tell him about the duties and responsibilities of his new job." Celestia had put extra emphasis on 'new job,' causing the Ghost to realize that his soon-to-be position was still a secret.

Shining Armor nodded and motioned for the Ghost to follow him.

"Goodbye, Celestia. Goodbye, Luna," said the Ghost as he exited the door.

"Farewell, Ghost," said the princesses in unison.

\\\\\

The Ghost found himself sitting in the window seat in a private carriage of the train along with the six bearers of harmony. He had learned a great deal about his future position from Shining Armor during their walk to the train station. Apparently, as Security Consultant, he didn't actually have any authority amongst the Guards. What he did have, however, was the princesses and the Captain of the Guard's permission to enact emergency takeover should something catastrophic happen.

He pondered this as he stared out the window and into the mountains beyond. Several of the employees of the train station had nearly had heart attacks when they saw the Ghost and the Captain. Only after confirming that he wasn't going to eat them did the ponies reluctantly allow him to enter the train. He had been stared at during his walk to the carriage which held the bearers of harmony, but the Ghost didn't care. He knew that he was bigger, stronger, and probably smarter than the majority of ponies that he passed.

Almost all of the bearers had attempted to strike a conversation up with him when he entered the carriage, but he brushed them aside saying, "You'll have plenty of time to talk to me when I'm in Ponyville."

With a sigh, the Ghost watched the scenery pass by as he brooded about the future.

Comments

[Mooncrash]

[Omega Infinita]

<-- That is my face every time i hear "wedding" and "security consultant"