Ghost Squad

by Sollace

Chapter 8

6:45 AM, Apple Orchard Avenue, Sweet Apple Acres

Rainbow Dash was lying with her back to one of the barrels, her pack leaned against her side and a mug tipped over and discarded on the ground. She swayed slightly, with a dumbfounded grin on her face, as she squinted down at the tuft of pink fur sticking out from her chest.

She ran a hoof over her barrel, brushing against the soft fur, and then brought her hoof up to look over the pink splotches covering her body. Somehow, it didn’t seem so bad any more. The smell was gone, at least it seemed like it, and the stains had dried. She barely even remembered how she’d gotten them, or why she was there for that matter.

“Heh,” Rainbow snorted. Snatching the mug up in a hoof, she turned back to the barrel, and had a hoof on its tap about to get another drink, when the portal suddenly changed.

“WEEEEEEEE!”

It vibrated, and a long, high-pitched squeal made Rainbow jump. “Wha—what!?”Her fur standing on end, she dropped her mug and whipped her head around completely forgetting to let go of the tap. As she turned, her hoof jolted her back, and slipped straight off. “Ack—” she flailed her hooves around, panicking, and trying to catch herself as she slid sideways.

Rainbow collapsed face-down next to the barrel, her face buried in the dirt, and groaned.

The portal shimmered one last time, and the squeal concluded with an explosion as Pinkie Pie came soaring out. She glided through the air, her hooves spread eagle, and did a somersault before landing in front of Rainbow with expert precision. “Hey”—she turned around, shouting back to the portal—“Twi, that was pretty f—”

AAAAHHH!!

Pinkie was cut off by another explosion, and Twilight’s screaming as she was spat out behind her. The princess flew out, her wings spread, and somersaulting backwards as she barrelled directly into Pinkie.

They both collapsed into a pile in the middle of the room, in a pomf as Pinkie’s mane flattened under the weight, and more struggling as Twilight flailed. “Oh, no,” she gasped, panicking as she the momentum too her further over Pinkie’s head, “no, no-no-no...”

She slowly started to slide over Pinkie’s head, and instinctively flared out her wings to steady herself. As they flared out, her feathers caught on the straps from Pinkie’s pack, and pulled her further forwards. “Ah—” Twilight’s panicking grew, wriggling and struggling what she could, to get herself free from the tangled web of straps—only making herself slide forwards even faster.

Twilight pitched forwards, her face only inches from the ground, when she suddenly stopped. “Oh,” she breathed a sigh of relief, and relaxed. “Whew.” She turned her head back, straining to look over her shoulder, and lit her horn to begin loosening the straps.

“Mmm mmmfmfmm!” Pinkie Pie mumbled from beneath her, and started squirming. “Mmm!” Her hooves slapped against Twilight’s side, and the princess promptly pitched forwards the rest of the way. Twilight tried to pull herself back, but a hoof caught the straps on Pinkie’s back, and she pitched forwards the rest of the way, face planting in the dirt.

Pinkie Pie squeezed out from behind her, rolling over and gasping for breath. She flopped down onto her back. “Celestia!” She screamed, and held a hoof to her chest, gasping to her breath. “I thought I was going to die!”

Twilight simply slumped forwards, reserved to her position. Her wings relaxing, splayed out at her side, and her body went limp, letting out a long, drawn out, groan into the ground. “Uuuuugh...”

“T—” Rainbow hiccupped “—Twilight!” She stumbled back to her hooves, and rushed over to the princess to help her up. She grabbed Twilight by the forelock and pulled her to her hooves, then pulled the dazed Princess in a rough hug. “That Celestia!” she screamed, tearing up as she rocked Twilight in the hug, “You’re all right!” She wiped a hoof across her face before separating to hold Twilight out at arm’s length. “Where have you guys been?” She asked, “It’s been three days!”

Twilight shook off her daze, and pushed the Pegasus away to give herself some space. “Sorry, Rainbow, it’s just we—” She went silent, glancing back to the pink Pegasus with wide eyes. Her gaze turned into a frown, and she lunged forwards, grabbing Rainbow by the shoulders and holding her in front of her. Their foreheads knocked together, dazing Rainbow Dash, as she screamed, “Three days!?”

Twilight’s immediate panic was cut short when something strong burned in her nose. She was taken aback, and held Rainbow out to hoof length with disgust, and gagged. “Ugh, what is that—” She clasped a hoof over her nose. It was the same smell as before, what she could only describe as the smell of rotting corpses, mixed with the distinct, though equally as sickening, smell of fermented cider.

Rainbow Dash nodded, unaware, “Yeah.” She pointed behind her, to where she’d laid one of the barrel tops down on the ground, and placed an old bottle in the middle to act as a make-shift sundial.

It clearly indicated the time to be... nothing. Twilight facehoofed. “Rainbow Dash, sundials don’t work inside.”

“...oh.”

Silence fell in the room, the moment dragging on with the only sounds that of the portal’s groaning. There was the distinct plop of a drop falling somewhere in the dark, and the portal gurgled behind Twilight. It snapped shut, leaving them alone in the dark room.

“So...” Rainbow Dash began. She rubbed a hoof behind her head and pulled out of Twilight’s grasp. “What did you guys do in there anyway?” She pointed a hoof behind her, towards the window. A howl suddenly sounded from outside, and she add, “This place is going insane.”

“Oh,” Twilight blinked. “Right.” She looked behind her to see Pinkie Pie still recovering, only just getting back to her hooves. “There’s no time to explain.”

Grabbing both Pinkie and Rainbow in her magic, Twilight dragged them behind her as she made for the door. “I’ll tell you on the way. We have to get back to Ponyville, now!”

~ ~ ~

“Wait, what!?” Rainbow Dash screamed. She was flying along the path, hovering next to Twilight as they barrelled down the path away from the farm.

Outside was completely dark, not the slightest hints of the sunrise, or of Luna’s stars. It was as if somepony had draped a blanket over all of Equestria. The only reason they could tell where they were going was thanks to Twilight’s spell. The light she’d cast bobbed and floated ahead, flying off as quickly as they ran to illuminate the path ahead.

“Are you serious!?” Rainbow repeated. Swinging in low, she flipped around in the air to look Twilight in the eye as she flew. “This is all King Sombra!?”

“Yes, Rainbow,” Twilight insisted, rolling her eyes. She’d already explained it three times, yet the pegasus insisted on prodding her with further questions despite the evident urgency. She pushed past her friend, picking up her pace to reach Ponyville as quickly as possible.

Pinkie Pie plonked past, giving a brief nod to Rainbow as she bounced after Twilight. “She’s right, Dashie, all of Equestria might be at stake!”

“But—“ Rainbow Dash groaned, facehoofing, and took after Twilight.

She’d just managed to pull up alongside the mare when she swung in from the side and leaned her head in close to whisper, “But how? I thought he was--” Rainbow faltered slightly, wobbling in her path, and having to adjust her wings to keep low. She gulped, and leaned in closer to Twilight and lifted up a hoof to cover her mouth as she whispered, “...killed?”

“He was,” Twilight admitted, “I don’t know how, but he’s found a way to get back and he’s not happy. That’s why we have to get to—”

There was a loud creak, and a deep, bellowing laugh that echoed through the darkness. The crack of wood splitting sounded from the right, and Twilight screamed out, “Rainbow Dash, look out!” She jumped forwards, knocking the pegasus out of the way just in time.

Winded, Rainbow Dash was flung sideways and tumbled to the ground. She rolled over sideways and came to rest in the middle of the path. There was a loud crunch, and the sound of something shattering, that made Rainbow’s ears perk. She rolled back over, catching a glimpse of a wooden arm reaching out of the darkness.

It had wrapped its fingers around Twilight’s pack, and was hoisting the princess, kicking and screaming into the air. Her voice caught in her throat, “T-”

“Twilight!” Pinkie Pie screamed next to her and leapt forwards, wrapping her hooves around the arm just under the elbow. She tugged on it with all her might, and grunting, and kicked her hooves behind her as it pulled her, too, into the air.

Rainbow Dash remained frozen in place, slack-jawed, and lying on the ground as she watching as her friends being carried away. Something clicked in her mind, and her eyes lit up. “H-Hold on, guys!” she screamed and leapt to her hooves. Bringing the nozzle up from her Harmony Pack, she started fumbling with the switches.

She squinted, struggling to see what she was doing in the dim light. Her hoof caught against something that felt like a switch, and she pressed it down. Nothing happened and, realising she was holding it upside-down; Rainbow flipped the nozzle and pointed it upwards.

There was the crack of magic, a flash, and a magenta explosion form above. The sky was instantly ablaze. A bright, blinding light spread out in every direction, then faded to a more comfortable level as Rainbow’s eyes adjusted.

The whole path and orchard was illuminated in a pale, bluish light. Looking up, Rainbow could now see exactly what it was attacking them. On both side all along the road, every tree from the orchard was snarling down at them with deep black, knot-hole eyes. Their branches twisted up into knurled appendages and roots pulled from the ground as the trees leaned in to reach them.

Twilight glided back to the ground, her horn still smouldering as she carried Pinkie Pie between her hooves. She spun around, angling her glide to whip past Rainbow Dash long enough to scream, “Treants, keep moving!” and she was gone up the path towards the open road.

Rainbow gulped, spreading her wings. “You don’t have to tell me twice!”

~ ~ ~

7:00 AM, Ponyville, Ponyville

Twilight and Pinkie bobbed and swerved as they tumbled through the air. Twilight was heaving and wheezing as she struggled to carry both herself, Pinkie, and the combined weight of both of their Harmony Packs. On top of that, she was a complete mess, with sticks and twigs stuck to her mane and coat, whilst Pinkie seemed entirely untouched and was actually enjoying the ride. “Woo-hoo!” She cheered, “Yeah, Twilight, you’re awesome!”

“I appreciate the—” Twilight groaned “—encouragement, Pinkie, but I can’t—” They both suddenly dipped, dropping several feet and missing the ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ sign before she was able to catch their fall.

With one final, mighty effort, Twilight dropped Pinkie safely next to the road, and collapsed next to her—exhausted. “That was...” She slumped forwards, letting herself crumple into the ground whilst her wings relaxed and spread haphazardly at her side, “...too close.”

“Yeah,” Pinkie Pie agreed. Swaying slightly on her hooves, her mane suddenly deflated and her legs turned to jelly. She crumpled next to Twilight letting out a long, drawn out, sigh, and flipped over onto her back, to glance the way they’d come.

The spell was still burning bright in the sky, casting shadows all around. It flickered and blazed above Sweet Apple Acres like a weird, purple sun, and didn’t seem to be fading any time soon. “It’s good thing you had that spell, Twi,” Pinkie commented.

“Mhm.” Too tired to even lift her head, Twilight settled for a subtle nod.

Silence fell between them, drawing long and filled with Twilight’s sighs as she slowly recovered. The faint buzzing of insects, and howls who knows what in the darkness.

She shifted slightly, picking up one wing and returning to its position at her side. There was a loud chink as something metal shifted behind her, and several tiny, metal shards slid off her back from her pack. “... my pack’s broken.”

“Yeah,” Pinkie nodded. “Is that bad?”

Another nod, “...I’d say so...”

At length, Twilight gritted her teeth, and gathered her strength. She pushed up against the ground, and moved into a sitting position. As the fogs rose from her mind, Twilight raised an eyebrow and looked around them. “Where’d Dash go?”

“Out of my way!”

Rainbow’s voice screamed from behind, making them both jump. Twilight and Pinkie sat up, and looked back towards the forest. There was a distant rumble, the breaking of twigs, and the brush suddenly shook.

Rainbow Dash burst through the tree line, trailing broken sticks and leaved behind her, and pulling on several vines still clinging to her coat. She flew wide, gaining altitude and taking a moment to kick away the last remnants of the forest, and then came back in for a hot landing.

She skidded to a halt in front of Twilight, beaming confidence. She bore a smug grin, and held her wings out in triumph whilst a few stray leaves floated from her mane with every step. “Hah!” She scoffed, and brushed a hoof through her mane to clear it out. “Did you guys see that? I totally—”

“No,” Twilight deadpanned, making Rainbow’s face dropped.

“As I was saying, this has gotten way out of hoof. There’s no way we can handle King Sombra along, not without the rest of the elements.” Twilight indicated over her back. “But if we hurry, we might still have time to get a warning out to the princesses before it’s too late. All we have to do is get back to my—” Twilight turned around, waving a hoof behind her, intent on pointing back to her castle when she froze. Her mouth dropped open as she laid eyes on the scene.

“Um,” Rainbow frowned, and shared a look with Pinkie Pie. She stepped forwards, moving up past the sign to stand next to Twilight. “Twi? What were you—” Following Twilight’s gaze, Rainbow’s eye went side, and she, too, went silent.

Pinkie Pie was the last to join them. Eyeing her friends, she squinted, regarding them critically, and waved a hoof in front of each of their faces. “Hey, what are you—” Without so much as a single word, Twilight raised a hoof and brought it to Pinkie’s chin. She turned the mare’s head forward, and pointed ahead.

Pinkie’s eyes went wide, realisation dawning on her, and she uttered a single, “...oh.”

From this position, atop the hill overlooking Ponyville, anypony could see across the entire town on a clear day. This day happened to be one of them, albeit dark. Pinkie, Twilight, and Rainbow could see all of Ponyville played out in front of them.

Normally, it would be filled with a commotion, either the everyday lives of ponies going about their business, or the pained shrieks of ponies fearing for their lives. This day, however, the whole town was eerily quiet.

Every house sat silent, completely dark save for the ones Twilight and her friends had had a hoof in destroying. Those ones still stood, beacons in the night, either smouldering or glowing, or doing both as they crumbled to the ground.

Even Town Hall seemed to have fallen victim, though there was no telling from this distance. They could have all hidden away inside.

But still, among all that, there was one thing that stood out above all else, one thing that scared Twilight the most.

She gulped.

“Is that...” Rainbow Dash started, her dumbfounded expression only just starting to wear off.

“My castle,” Twilight whispered, shaking, beneath her breath, afraid.

The castle stood there, towering over Ponyville. Instead of the usual blues and purples of its gem exterior, it had turned a deep black, and was glowing with the blood reddish hues of dark magic. Even from all the way out here, Twilight could feel it radiation off the structure, tingling her horn, and burning her nose with the— “Ugh!”

Twilight heaved, and shoved Rainbow Dash away. The pegasus looked to her with a raised eyebrow, slightly offended, but dropped it when she saw Pinkie Pie glaring at her as well. “Uh...” A beat of silence, as Rainbow looked awkwardly between her two friends. She blushed slightly, and took a step back, pointing over her should. “I’ll just... be over here.”

Twilight sighed. She rubbed her nose with a hoof, and turned her attention back to the view with a frown, lapsing into silence as she thought. Every now and then, a flicker of motion would catch her eye—a long ghost drifting down the quiet streets, or a pony fleeing towards the last building to have any light on, town hall. The castle still loomed over head, with a sickly glow emanating from its windows, and the alternating movements of spectres inside.

She groaned, facehoofing, as the puzzle pieces finally came together. Suddenly it all made sense. “That’s how...” Twilight voiced underneath her breath, silently berating herself for not realising the connection at first.

Its roots carry for half a mile.

Just from one building, Sombra would have access to everything in the surrounding area. It was also the tallest building around, the perfect focus for any sort of summoning spells. Heck, it was even made of crystals. The place was practically a Sombra magnet. She facehoofed again, slightly harder this time, and let the numbing pain comfort her. “...I should have seen this from the beginning.”

“Seen what?” Rainbow shouted from her spot several paces away. In the time Twilight had been thinking, Rainbow somehow decided it was best to keep far, far away. Even now, she continued to back up, and now stood clear across the road, downwind from her friends and wearing an awkward grin.

“Nothing, nothing,” Twilight waved a hoof, “It’s nothing, Rainbow Dash.” With a flicker of her horn, she used her magic to push a loose strand of hair from her face, and clasped her hooves together. “Okay.” Twilight put on the best smile she could, trying her best to suppress her urges to begin twitching. “New plan!”

She pointed to Pinkie Pie first, and the mare perked up on the spot. “Pinkie Pie; go wake up Rarity. I know how ‘important’ her beauty sleep is, but I think the immediate extinction of Equinity might be a little more important. Plus, I have no idea how the houses might be affected, so it’d be best to make sure she’s all right.”

“Aye-aye, Twi~lie,” Pinkie Pie sprung to her hooves, saluting Twilight with the end of her nozzle. She put on her most serious face—relatively speaking, with a lot of tongue—and watched as Twilight trotted past her to address Rainbow.

“Dash” Rainbow’s ears perked, and looked up to see Twilight approaching her with a look of conviction. The princess pointed to her with a hoof. “You’re with me. I want to see if we can coax Fluttershy out of her cottage.”

She then turned around to address both mares, looking to Pinkie, and then back to Dash, asking, “Is that okay with everypony?”

Pinkie Pie nodded— “Mhm” —already setting off on her way towards the boutique. “You can count on me, Twilight!” She waved a hoof as she passed.

Rainbow Dash simply raised a hoof, and asked, “Um... What about AJ?”

“I’m sure, wherever she is; Applejack has far less to worry about than the rest of us.” Shifting her pack slightly, Twilight turned towards the path leading down the Everfree Forest, and motioned for Dash to join her. “Now come on.”

~ ~ ~

6:45 AM, Las Pegasus Police Station

“Ah’m sorry, officer, but Ah’m not quite sure I understand.”

Applejack was sitting in a small, uncomfortable steel chair, in the middle of windowless cement room. Her brother stood behind her, clearly intoxicated, and wobbling on his hooves. He leaned against Applejack’s chair, and used the back of if as a make-shift crutch to keep from falling over.

Across from them, on the other side of the desk sat, and stood, two burly, grey stallions in uniform. The first bore a wide frown, his grey moustache quivering on his muzzle as he looked over the file between his hooves. The second stood behind him, holding Granny Smith, her hooves cuffed, at his side.

The first stallion grumbled something under his breath, and set the file down. “Madam,” he repeated, “Your grandmother got a successful payout from five different slot machines in a row”—

“Well that doesn’t sound so—”

– “By kicking them.”

“... Oh.”

Comments

[Sollace]

7894913 7975531
I've probably no excuse for ignoring/forgetting comments. Whether I have a response or no, it's rude.

So I'm going to respond now (9 weeks later) just to say thanks y'all for the comments.

The image of spirits flowing up to black crystal roots is a powerful one.

Indeed it was, I'd been waiting a long while to use that.

[mwclaud]

Great chapter the last part about the slot machines was the funniest part.

[Ri2]

Why are they so surprised Sombra's back after being killed? They're dealing with ghosts. WHERE ELSE WOULD HE GO?