Onryō: A Cursed Haunting In Equestria

by Razalon The Lizardman

Chapter 6

Down the trail Moon Dancer ran, bobbing and weaving around trees, trying to retrace her steps to the spot where she believed she’d seen Swan Song’s corpse. Her job was made especially difficult by the fact that all the trees looked the same without any distinguishable landmarks. But still she went on, scanning the right side of the trail with her horn light, hoping to catch a glimpse of the figure she’d seen earlier in the night.

The silent tranquility of the forest was no longer comforting to her. Everything seemed to be unnaturally still, and Moon Dancer felt more than one chill run the length of her spine at just how… dead everything seemed. Not a single sound of wildlife to be heard, nor the whistling of wind gust through the canopy, shaking leaves loose. It all served to encourage Moon Dancer to pick up her pace, gradually turning her brisk gait into a full-on gallop.

A sense of déjà vu washed over Moon Dancer as her hoof struck something hard, once more sending her flying through the air and crashing along the side of the trail, her glasses flying free from her muzzle. Sharp stings of pain shot all throughout her body, making Moon Dancer wince in agony as she pushed herself to her hooves.

Realization hit her like a ton of bricks. She’d spotted what she believed to be Swan Song’s corpse right after tripping the first time. Quickly, Moon Dancer located her glasses, put them on, and began scanning the surrounding woodwork with her horn’s light. It wasn't long before she spotted it some ways off the trail, hanging underneath a tree with particularly large branches.

Her horn’s light revealed a little more detail of the hung figure than her bare eyes could see previously. Through the trees, she could make out a faint splotch of white against the darkened tree bark, topped off with the barest visible shade of pink.

Moon Dancer wasted no time in running off the trail toward the figure, excitement bubbling within her every step of the way. More details became clear as she got closer. Swan Song’s corpse was wearing a tattered, fancy white dress and a battered, pink feathered hat. Its skeletal face was hidden beneath the hat, while the faint image of its decomposed body could be seen through her clothing in Moon Dancer’s horn’s light. The noose tied around its neck was old and worn, and a rusted stepladder laid on the ground in front of the hanging body.

Moon Dancer switched off her light spell, then wrapped the rope in telekinesis as she began undoing the complicated knot. A century of time exposed to the elements had strengthened the knot’s grip, and Moon Dancer found even her magic struggling to untie the noose. And without a decent source of light to aid her, Moon Dancer found her task doubly hard, but she persevered.

Eventually, the knot came undone. Moon Dancer caught the corpse before it could fall to the ground, making sure the skull was facing away from her as she caught it. She noticed something tumble out of the dress’ pocket onto the ground with a soft thud. Bringing the object up to her face revealed it to be an old-fashioned brass key. She wondered what it could go to, and why Swan Song kept it on her person when she committed suicide. She decided to keep it, figuring it might be important later on.

Putting the key back in Swan Song’s dress pocket, Moon Dancer turned around and made her way back to the trail, before retracing her steps back to the mansion.

It felt so surreal to her, carrying the corpse of a dead mother through a dark forest, back to her home in an effort to appease her vengeful ghost husband. The sheer absurdity of the whole situation would’ve made Moon Dancer laugh any other day, but the sorrow she felt for her dead friends prevented this.

Thoughts of Minuette and Twinkleshine dominated Moon Dancer’s mind all along her journey. Two mares she’d come to accept and love as friends, now gone. Killed in a fit of rage by a vengeful spirit, all because she'd taken away his son. To that end, Moon Dancer couldn’t help but feel responsible for their deaths. She knew she shouldn’t feel so, and yet, the sting in her heart didn’t lessen no matter how much she tried to convince herself. But, deep down, she knew they, wherever they currently were, didn’t blame her for what happened to them. They were true friends to the end.

Finally, Moon Dancer exited the treeline onto the mansion’s front lawn. Immediately, she made her way around the mansion to the east garden, where Snowy Pine’s grave was. Stepping around the corner, however, Moon Dancer was confused to see no sign of Lemon Hearts around the garden. Frowning, she closed the distance between herself and the garden, specifically the grave. It looked exactly the same as when she and Lemon Hearts had left it earlier.

“Lemon Hearts!” she called. “Where're you at!?”

Silence.

She let loose a bout of nervous laughter. “Nice joke Lemon Hearts! You can come out now!”

No reply.

Panic overtook Moon Dancer, and she hurriedly began searching for her friend. She checked every single plausible hiding spot all around the mansion’s exterior: in the garden shed; underneath the back porch; inside the old dog kennel; even the surrounding treeline. Any thought that Lemon Hearts might’ve gone back inside the mansion was quickly cast aside; she'd made very clear her reservations about going back in even with Moon Dancer's company.

Moon Dancer eventually found herself back on the front lawn, exhausted from running around while carrying Swan Song’s corpse in her magic, and chilly from the night air getting to her. She looked to the trail leading to the mansion’s grounds with a look of worry. Had Lemon Hearts decided to abandon her and try to reach the lodge all on her own? Surely Moon Dancer would’ve noticed her friend passing by if she had. Where was her friend!?

“Lemon Hearts!” she called weakly. “Lemon Hearts! Answer me!”

Nothing.

“C’mon, Lemon Hearts, where are you?” Moon Dancer fell to her haunches, the corpse dropping from her magic. “Please don’t… do this…”

She fell over completely, burying her face in her fore hooves, and began sobbing. She didn’t want to believe it, but the reality had finally registered in her mind.

She was completely alone now.

Moon Dancer had truly believed she could save both herself and Lemon Hearts. She’d been willing to banish all her previous skepticism about the existence of ghosts if it meant both she and Lemon Hearts could survive the night against the vengeful spirit of Winter Vista. She’d have even been willing to trade away every single book in her vast collection for a chance to undo this entire vacation, just to prevent both Minuette and Twinkleshine’s untimely demise. But she’d truly believed she could save at least one of her friends.

And she’d failed.

If she couldn’t save any of her friends, could she save herself? Was there even a point in trying? Nopony would believe her ghost story, and the fact that she’d return as the sole survivor would automatically make her the number one suspect to their murders. That was if she even managed to survive the night, the odds of which weren’t looking good. Maybe she should just lay down and let herself die. She’d be able to see her friends again, and she could apologize for letting them down.

… No.

Moon Dancer stood back up. She wiped a sleeve over her face, cleaning away her tears before lowering it to reveal eyes full of resolve. She still had friends. Her sister. Twilight Sparkle. Everypony she’d met and befriended at the last Annual Equestrian Magic Symposium. She had a duty to them to live on. Live so she could see all their smiling faces once again. They all believed in her, and she wouldn’t be a true friend if she completely abandoned them.

Moon Dancer picked Swan Song’s corpse back up in her magic, and strode purposefully toward the mansion’s front door. There would be plenty of time for mourning after she placated Winter’s ghost.