The Return of Prince Grey Ghost

by Grey Ghost

Learning

Grey Ghost came back to the world of the waking with a slight throbbing in his horn. He shook it off, sitting up. “Mother? Aunt?” he asked, looking around.

“I can get them if you want.” Dust was still by his side, looking exhausted, but still at attention. “Is there anything else you need? Are you feeling alright?”

“I feel better,” he said, shaking his head one last time. “Please send for my mother,” he stopped to think. “And go get some rest.”

“I can get your mother, but I’m still under orders to protect you.” Dust answered, taking a scroll, writing a quick note before sending it off with magic. “Not until I can guarantee your safety.”

“Please go get her then,” he said with a frown.

“Understood. Please stay here.” he exited the room, closing the door behind him and locking it.

Grey Ghost laid back down, sighing a bit. He curled up, still rather disturbed about his father’s death.

A few minutes later, the doors swung open, and Luna entered with Dust. “I’ve brought your mother.” he said.

“Good to hear that you’re feeling better.” Luna said softly.

“I-I’m sorry... I lost control... “he responded, looking down, tears welling up in his eyes.

“It’s all right.” Luna hugged him tightly. “Nopony got hurt.” she took a seat on his bed. “Did you wish to talk with me about something?”

“I shall give you two some privacy.” Dust lowered his head slightly before backing out of the room, closing the doors again.

“I’m scared... “ he admitted, hugging her tightly. “Father is dead and... I’m becoming a monster...”

“No, you’re not. You’ll learn to control it. I know you’re strong enough.” she kept him close to her body.

“And what if I don’t?” he whimpered. “I don’t want to be a monster... “

“You won’t be. We’re going to be here for you, the entire time.”
He didn’t say anything, just hugging her tighter. After a few moments, his hungry stomach broke the silence. He blushed, looking down at it.

“Let’s get you some food.” she trotted outside, opening the door. “Dust Storm, do you mind getting something for Grey to eat?”

“Of course.” he answered, setting off down the corridor.

Luna returned to Grey’s side. “Your faithful Guard will return with your meal soon enough.” she said playfully.

“I thought he was my guard now?” he asked, smiling back at her.

“He is.” Luna answered. “He’s already sworn to protect you, no matter what the cost.”

“He is very dedicated,” Grey commented, leaning on her. “I missed you.”

“I missed you very much, too.” she nuzzled him, both of them staying quiet, until Dust returned with a cart full of food.

“I’m not sure what you guys wanted, so I got this from the kitchens.” he wheeled the cart up to them. “I will take my leave, I shall be outside the doors if you need me.”

“Thank you Dust,” Grey said with a smile, turning to the cart. He started to eat, grinning like a mad pony. “Actual food!”

“Good to see you have your appetite back.” Luna smiled as Dust exited, closing the doors.

“I’ve been eating rations for the past few months,” he said, grinning at her. “My compliments to the chef.”

“I’ll be sure to forward your regards to him.” she nodded. “Are you feeling well enough to walk? When you’re done eating, I’d like if Dust Storm could take you to his contact.”

“Of course,” he said taking another bite before pausing. “I’m not going to inherit the empire am I?”

“Well… currently Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor control the Crystal Empire.”

“I see... “ he said, letting out a sigh.

“I’m sorry. I wish we could do more. But politics don’t work like that.” Luna gently stroked his mane.
“I know, and I doubt they’d want the son of their tyrant leading them.”

“Give it time. You’ll show that you can be a proper leader.”

“Thank you,” he said nodding, giving her a nuzzle.

Luna kept him close to her side while he ate, wrapping her wing around him.

He finished up, placing his utensils on the cart. “I believe I have somepony to meet.” he said, getting off the bed.

“Are you sure you’re well enough for it?” Luna asked with concern, getting ready to catch him if he fell.

“I’m fine mother, I am not a foal,” he said, giving her an annoyed look.

“I’m sorry, I just don’t want you overexerting yourself.” she turned to the door, opening it at a distance with magic. “Come on, Dust Storm, he’s ready to see Dusk now.”

Dust trotted in, nodding at Ghost. “If you’ll follow me, Grey, I can lead you to him.”I

“I shall see you later mother,” Grey said with a smile, following after Dust. ”Who exactly are we meeting?”

“His name is Dusk Shadow. He knows more about Dark Magic than anypony I know. It is his special talent, after all.” they stopped at a winding flight of stairs that went up as far as the eye could see. “He’s in the tallest tower of the castle, and enchantments prevent teleportation anywhere near it, so I hope you’re in the mood for a lot of walking.”

“Well we best get walking then yes?” he asked, frowning at the staircase.

“To be honest, you’re probably going to do better than me. I rely on magic for just about everything.” Dust started up the stairs with Grey, both of them having to take a break halfway. “Thing is…” Dust panted. “The teleportation nullification doesn’t work on him.”’

“Of course it doesn’t. Why would it?” he asked, frowning. “Starswirl used to do annoying things like that all the time.”

Dust got to his hooves, regaining his breath. “Come on, we’re almost there.”

It took them some more time, and a lot of heavy breathing, but they finally reached the top, where there was a flat stone wall.

“Really?” Grey asked, glaring at the wall. He walked up to it, knocking on it as hard as he could.

A repulsion spell nearly blasted him down the stairs, if Dust hadn’t caught him in his magic. “There’s a pass phrase you need to get in. In addition, it only accepts a select number of ponies who speak it.” Dust cleared his throat, speaking in the Ancient language. A blue light emitted in the shape of an arch, before a wooden doorway materialised. “I’m one of the few that it’ll accept.”

“I dislike him already,” Grey said, his frown deepening. “Lets just get this done,”

Dust knocked on the door, a few moments later, it opening, just a crack. Grey looked around, before looking down. An eye, below even Dust’s level, was looking up at the two ponies. “Is this him?” the voice was quiet and small.

“Yeah, this is Grey Ghost.” Dust nodded. “He could use your help with what we discussed.”

There was a tense silence for a while, before the door opened, revealing a quite small black pony with deep blue eyes, his mane gray and dark gray stripes, with a lock of neon blue in them. He wore a heavy cloak that covered his hooves, with a horn sticking out from under the hood.

Grey looked him over, scowling even more. “Let’s get this over with,” he snorted, moving closer to the cryptic pony.

He took a step back, regarding Grey warily, body tensed up. Light fell into his dark room, filled with papers, books, scribblings, and various magic items scattered around.

“And… this has gotten really awkward.” Dust muttered, rubbing his neck with a hoof.

“Are we going to begin or not?” Grey asked, giving Dusk a glare.

The pony took another step back, a flicker of fear in his eyes, not answering for a while. “Y-yes…” he stammered. “I… I can teach you what you need to know.”

“Are you alright?” Grey asked, dropping his glare. “I apologize for my outburst, it won’t happen again.”

“It’s… nothing.” he kept his eyes averted. “Anyhow… the issue with your Dark Magic is that currently, it’s piggybacking on your emotions. It’s natural for Dark Magic to do that, but there are ways to separate it some more. There’s also ways to take advantage of your Dark Magic, use it to your advantage.”

“Such as?” Grey asked, sitting down. “I am ready to learn.”

“The thing with Dark Magic is that it’s actually a very powerful form of magic. However, because of those who fear that they can’t control it, as well as fear of those who wield it, it’s given a bad name. It’s impossible to fully control but with proper practice and concentration, you can manipulate it some more. Observe.” he went to an area of his room, which looked like a training field. The area was in a magic barrier box that prevented any other parts of the room from being damaged. He walked in, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, blue-black energy channeling around his horn. Dusk’s eyes opened, shaping the mana into the shape of a hawk, sending it at the targets, causing a massive explosion that filled the entire box. He emerged, coughing. “The trick is… because Dark Magic can manipulate you off your negative emotions, you have to think of something positive when channeling it. It’ll help it keep the magic from controlling you. Think of anything that makes you feel peaceful. The more powerful your magic, the stronger your memory will have to be. Be sure to concentrate. If you lose concentration, or have a negative feeling as you channel the spell, you’ll lose control of the magic.”

“Thats a lot to keep in mind,” Grey said with a frown. “I suppose I best try it.” he walked toward the box, stepping inside.

“Hey, be careful, now.” Dust stepped forward.

“Relax. I’ve got it under control if something goes wrong.” The black-coated pony stepped into the box, behind Grey. “Go on. Focus on a memory that makes you feel at peace. An imaginary place works, too, but memories are the strongest. The Dark Magic will whisper deceptions to you, twisted with your fears. You have to ignore it. Focus on your positive memory.”

He closed his eyes, taking a breath. He chose a memory, focusing on it. His horn lit up with a purple glow, black energy starting to crackle along it.

Dusk watched him carefully, readying a nullification spell just in case.

He opened his eyes, purple smoke emitting from them. He let off the spell, encasing the targets in black crystal.

“Are you all right? Are you still in control?” Dusk asked.

Grey didn’t answer, staring at the crystal, breathing softly.

“Grey Ghost?” Dusk asked again, getting ready to move.

Grey Ghost snarled, letting out a pulse of magic, shattering the crystals, the shards flying in every direction.

Dusk moved quickly, ignoring the crystals cutting into him, the nullification spell on his hoof as he leapt up, tapping Grey’s horn, matching his magic wavelengths, causing the magic to dispel.

Grey shook his head, groaning a bit. “I lost control, didn’t I?”

Dusk nodded, tears now in his cloak, metal bands inset with jewels now visible on his hooves. “It’s all right. I didn’t expect you to do it on the first try. Your memory must not have been powerful enough, you need to think of a stronger one, or cast a weaker spell.” he seemed rather nonchalant about his lacerations, idly wrapping a bandage around the worst one, ignoring the rest.

“Are you alright?” Grey asked, looking at him with concern.”You should get those looked at,”

“They’re minor injuries, nothing to worry about. I’ve received worse. I was given a task, and I am not one to abandon a duty that was given to me.” he bit off the wrapping, tying it around the cut. “Anyhow… like I said. The failure either came from the memory not becoming strong enough, or lack of proper concentration. Your spell seemed fairly powerful, I suggest starting at a lower level one.”

“I do not know many offensive spells, my talent is defensive spells.” Grey said, motioning to his flank.

Dusk thought for a while. “Hmm. How about this? When you fight, either offensively or defensively, you fight to protect someone, or something, right? Focus on what you want to protect most. Have an image of it in your head.”

“I can do that,” he said with a nod, closing his eyes again.

Dusk readied the nullification spell again, straightening his cloak.

Once again he let his Dark Magic flow, deep in concentration. He put a shield around himself, composed of those same black crystals.

“Are you still in control?” Dusk asked a second time.

“Yes... “ Grey spoke, his voice soft and distant.

“Good. Now it is a good thing to focus on your memories and positive feelings, but if you do that too much, likewise, it will also cause problems, severely weakening your spell. You need to balance out your magic and emotion. Let’s see if you’ve done that.” Dusk readied an offensive spell, magic energy surrounding his body as he charged at Grey, ramming into the shield.

The shield shuddered, groaning but ultimately held under the strain.

“Good.” Dusk nodded, letting his magic fall away. “You’re a very fast learner, Grey Ghost.”

“Thank you,” Grey said, allowing his magic to return to normal, the shield crumbling to dust.

They continued practicing for another hour, until Dusk called it off. “Good work.” Dusk panted. “You’ve made a lot of progress for one day. We shouldn’t push any further for today, it’s not going to be good for you.”

“As you say,” Grey said with a bow, looking rather exhausted from their training.

“Please, there’s no need to bow. Just call me Dusk.” the small pony said, leaping lightly out of the box. His cloak flowed, and for a moment, Grey saw a tattered wing on one side of Dusk Shadow, before the cloak covered it up once more.

Grey frowned but decided not to comment on it. “I believe it it time for lunch, is it not?” he asked, turning to Dust.

“Yeah, just about.” Dust agreed. He turned to Dusk. “No point in asking if you’re coming, right?”

“I’ll be fine right here.” he answered, taking a seat at his desk. “Go on, both of you.”

Dust nodded, leading Grey out of the room. “Not bad at all, for just one day of training.”

“Lets get down there before it becomes time for dinner.” Grey said, creating a platform in the center of the tower. He stepped onto it, waiting for Dust.

Dust stepped on the platform with Grey. “Dusk? Could you lift the transport spell nullifiers for a moment?”

“Yeah.” he answered, his horn lighting up. “Ten seconds. Go.”

Grey rolled his eyes, teleporting them down to the bottom. “He reminds me too much of Starswirl.”

“He just likes to take extra precautions.” Dust answered. “It’s difficult for him to know who to trust or not.”
“Exactly like Starswirl,” Grey said, walking out of the tower. “You’ll have to take the lead from here.”

“All right, then.” Dust made sure Grey was following before heading to the private dining area. “By the way… since Luna wants you to go to Ponyville, along with a few guards. I was thinking my personal unit should stay here, they’ve always preferred Canterlot, and their skills will be put to better use here.”

“Ponyville did seem like a nice town. Besides I don’t think I could handle any nobles at the moment.” Grey admitted, following him.

“I’m glad you’re interested in there. I would hate to have to bring you to somewhere you wouldn’t want to go.” they stopped at an area marked Royal Private Kitchen. “Here. Normally, a pony like me wouldn’t be permitted in, but Luna’s given me special permission. Of course, you being a Prince, you have automatic access.”

“Good to know, thank you,” he said with a nod, looking around the room. “To be honest, I’m rather homesick.”

“You know, we can still visit the Crystal Empire if you want.” Dust entered the room after Grey. There was a medium table set up, with two Griffon chefs awaiting orders, bowing once they entered.

“What would you like to eat today, sirs?” one asked politely.

Grey stared for a few seconds before snapping himself out of it. “Forgive me, back in my day we were not on good terms with the griffon empire.”

He cleared his throat, clearly offended, but trying to hide it. “I see, Prince Ghost. Is there anything you’re picky about eating? We know a large number of cuisines.”

“Do you have anything from the Crystal Empire?” he asked, frowning a bit. “Please forgive my previous reaction, I did not mean to offend.” he bowed his head slightly.

“Yes, we can make you a Crystal Berry fruit salad, if that suits your palate. And it is all right, we are treated much worse by the nobles.”

“I would love that, thank you,” he said with a genuine smile.

“And you, sir?” he asked Dust, giving Grey a respectful bow.

“Just oatmeal. Not looking for anything too fancy.” Dust answered.

The chefs nodded and began preparing the meal, Dust waiting for Grey to take a seat before doing the same.

“I cannot believe I did that,” Grey said with a sigh, placing his head in his hooves.

“Hey, relax. You’ll get used to this timeline.” Dust reassured him, setting his swords to lean on the table.

“Are Griffons a common sight here in Equestria?” he asked, turning to look at him. “I would hate to cause offence to any more I come across.”

“Not common outside of Canterlot Castle, no.” Dust answered. “But we do have Griffon visitors every now and then. We’re on good terms with the Griffon Empire as of now.”

“That is good, to know. I will make sure not to make that mistake again.”

Before long, their food was prepared and set down in front of them. “If there’s anything else you need, just ask us.” the Griffon bowed his head. “Seeing others enjoy our food makes us the happiest.”

“Thank you,” Grey said with a bow before taking a bit of his meal. He froze, a smile spreading across his face. “I must say, this is some of the best I have ever had.”

“We’re honored you like it. My brother and I strive to do the best we can for anypony.”

“Excellent, as always.” Dust agreed. “Thank you for your great cooking.”

Grey nodded, starting to eat, barely hearing another pony enter the room.

Dust noticed immediately, whipping around, grabbing a sword.

Standing there was a white unicorn stallion with a blonde mane, a scowl on his face as he looked at Dust.

“Prince Blueblood.” Dust narrowed his eyes, doing his best to hide the contempt in his tone, giving a reluctant bow, rather stiffly.

“Prince Blueblood?” Grey Ghost tilting his head, interest piqued.

“Prince Blueblood, this is Prince Grey Ghost.” Dust spoke in an overly calm manner.

“I was not aware there was another prince.” Grey said, looking over at the new arrival.

Dust didn’t answer, allowing Blueblood to push past him.

“That was extremely rude of you,”Grey pointed out with a frown.

“It’s all right.” Dust didn’t want a conflict, as Blueblood gave both of them a rather contemptuous look.

“So you’re the returned Prince I heard about.” Blueblood had a venomous tone.

“I am,” Grey said nodding, glaring at him.

“Don’t think you can just strut in here and take my place as the best Prince in the castle.” he turned his nose up at Grey.

“I’m sorry?” Grey asked, looking rather confused.

“You think you’re going to come in here like some kind of hero? You show off, appearing out of nowhere, thinking you can get all the attention that belongs to me? You have a lot of nerve.”

Dust mouthed ‘give it up’ at Grey from behind Blueblood, shaking his head.

“I’m afraid I don’t understand,” he said, tilting his head. “What does that have anything to do with being a prince?”

“I’m a better Prince than you. Don’t you dare think otherwise.” he gave a rude look to the Griffon chefs. “Hmph. Featherbrains in the castle. Is nothing sacred anymore?”

“Excuse me?” Grey asked, getting rather indignant now. “One does not speak of their servants as such.”

“Exactly. They’re servants. Here to serve, nothing more. Just like Guards like him.” Blueblood turned his attention to Dust again. “Don’t you understand that we’re better than them? We don’t need to treat them with respect at all.”

Grey glared at him getting in his face. “We live to serve our subjects. We remain in power because they let us,” he said hissed, narrowing his eyes. “You sicken me, Blueblood. Gentlecolts, I thank you for the meal, it was the best I’ve had for a long time. I bid thee farewell.” he said with a bow before leaving.

Dust moved to follow Grey, Blueblood snorting in contempt, pushing past both of them, and trotting at a smart pace off down the hall.

“He is lucky I have an ounce of self control, otherwise I would have put him through the ceiling,” Grey snorted, clearly upset over the meeting.

“Actually, he pretty much jumped Dusk the first time they crossed paths. Dusk blasted him through a solid wall. Can’t believe I was on a mission outside of Canterlot, I missed it all.” Dust tried to lighten the situation.

“I would have paid a lot to see that,” Grey said smiling slightly.

“I usually do my best to avoid him, but he goes out of his way to push his contempt onto others.” Dust shook his head.

“I dislike him immensely.” Grey grumbled, looking around. “where are we headed now?”

“Well, I’m your personal guard, so wherever you want to go.” Dust answered. He stumbled a little, still not having slept.

“I want you to get some rest.” he said looking at him, a stern look on his face.

“But what if you’re attacked or endangered when I’m asleep?”

“I will be with Celestia, no harm will come to me.” he assured his companion with a smile.

Dust hesitated, but then nodded. “Thank you, Grey.” he departed for his room, teleporting away.

“And now I’m lost... “ Grey said with a frown, face hoofing. He moved over to a servant, clearing his throat. “Would you mind taking me to the throne room?”

“Of course, my Prince.” the servant, a beige Earth Pony male answered. “Please, follow me.”

Grey Ghost nodded, following after him. He looked around, taking in both the layout of the castle and the architecture.

“Over here.” the servant spoke up after some time, at a set of giant double doors.

“Thank you for your assistance.” Grey said with a bow before moving up to the doors. He pushed them open, peering inside.

Luna was the only one there, watching the kingdom from the balcony.

“Good afternoon mother,” Grey said with a smile, moving over to her. “I was expecting to find Celestia here.”
“She’s gone on a political trip to another empire. She’ll be back later tonight, it’s only a lunch to improve our relations. How are you doing, son?”

“A lot better than I was in that cave,” he said with a smile. “Though I met that detestable Blueblood.”

“Oh, I was hoping you could avoid a run-in with him. He’s a bit difficult to control, he won’t even listen to Celestia.”

“He sickens me.” Grey said, spitting off the balcony, a frown replacing his smile.

“Easy, we have ponies walking below.” Luna giggled. “If you’re going to do that, wait for Blueblood to be underneath.”

Grey couldn’t help but chuckle at that. He let out a sigh, looking up at her. “How did you deal with it?”

“Deal with what?” she asked, frowning a little.

“All of this.” he said, gesturing around them. “How did you deal with being forgotten?” he asked, his voice dropping to a whisper.

“Well… it wasn’t easy at first. But the Elements of Harmony helped me. They helped me find friends.” Luna sighed. “They were the ones who rescued me from the Nightmare Miasma, too. I owe them all so much.”

“I wish to meet them,” he said looking up at her. “I want to thank them for bringing you back.”

“You can see them when you reach Ponyville. Twilight Sparkle has her castle there.” Luna ruffled his mane. “We plan to send you there tomorrow, and to continue your training, Dusk Shadow will visit you every other day.”

“I’m not sure about him, he reminds me way too much of Starswirl. It’s rather creepy.” he said with a shudder.

“If you’re uncomfortable with it, you don’t have to continue.” she assured him. “But... I think you and him have a lot in common. You should look up the history of the Obsidian Empire when you have the time. It’s in the Class-X restricted section of the library.”

“I will do that,” he said with a nod, watching the ponies moving about in the city below.

“You should probably get some rest directly after dinner, we plan to send you out early in the morning.”

“Why so early?” he asked, tilting his head.

“Well, I figured that there was a lot you wanted to do, so I wanted to give you a head start on things.”

“I can not argue with that,” he said with a nod, leaning on her.

She laid a wing over him, watching the kingdom in silence with him.

Comments

[Darkheretic]

Saw the title a instantly thought ofi.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTYwMFgxMDg1/z/b8gAAOxy4dNSx0yF/$_35.JPG

[Grey Ghost]

5069616 He's actually named after a Batman character.

[Darkheretic]

5069666 huh learn something new everyday. Is he like a one off character in batman or a recent one? Because I've not heard of him

[Grey Ghost]

5069996 He's from an episode of the animated series, played by Adam West. He was like... prototype Batman. The episode is "Beware The Grey Ghost"

[Darkheretic]

5070157 oh there's my problem I've yet to watch the 90's batman and superman series but through the magic of the internet I have heard of that episode from time to time

[Blaze the draconic mage]

This I like yay to hating blueblood the goober ass need more :)