The Anthro-Phantom

by JesterOfDestiny

Chapter 2

The conference hall was empty. The only ones still there, were the scientists up on the stage, packing up their stuff and Twilight frantically looking through her pictures. I looked over them and there was a strong sense of defeat among them. Lyra looked the most let down. As excited she could get, as crushed she was at the moment. Franz was similar, but he took it way better. I could tell he was extremely disappointed, but he decided to not show it as much. But I saw the opposite on Marge and Hazel, who were talking to each other. They seemed downright excited.

“Did you see that?” Hazel gushed redundantly. “There’s no way ponies are going to ignore anthropology now!”

“Yes, I think this going to go very well for us.” Replied Marge.

“Uh, excuse me,” I said as I approached them, “how come you two are so enthusiastic about this?”

“Why wouldn’t we be?” Answered Marge. “This is the most attention the field will get in years.”

“With more researchers,” Hazel added, “we’ll finally get to the bottom of this.”

I shook my head. “Wait, I don’t understand... Are you saying, that an ancient evil spirit is the secret to a field’s popularity?”

“Don’t you see?” Hazel answered. “Most ponies aren’t interested in some old skeleton. But they’ll certainly going to be interested in a cursed skeleton.”

“Well, I’m afraid I’ll have to ruin that fun myself.” Franz interjected. “I don’t think I want to deal with ancient curses. I’m putting this thing back into the ground.”

“Now hold on just a tick!” I exclaimed. “I think I know a better solution!” Then I turned my attention towards Lyra, I knew she wouldn’t accept defeat this easily. So I approached her.

“Hey Bon Bon.” She said melancholically, as she shut her box full of research. “Did you enjoy watching my career collapsing upon itself? It was quite the spectacle...” She talked in a way I really hate to hear her talk.

“Come on, Lyra. You’re not the sort of pony to give up without a fight.”

She sighed. “What’s the point? Even the most brilliant mind in the field is giving up.”

“Come on,” I tried to get her spirit back, “don’t you think something seems a bit fishy about all this? Just think about it: You’ve desecrated the dead many times now and it backfires, right in the most detrimental point of your career?”

She didn’t answer.

“And I don’t remember you finding anything about magic among humans. In fact, I distinctly remember you mentioning, that they had no magic.”

She didn’t answer.

I thought for a moment. “And you noticed how it appeared, right as the projector was supposed to be turned on? And the voice sounded like it came from somewhere else.”

She didn’t answer.

“...Like it wasn’t even real...”

She didn’t answer, but I saw her expression change. It wasn’t one of pure disappointment, but one of indignation. “This is bullteeth! It can’t just end like this!” That’s what I saw written all over her.

“I for one, am not surprised at all!” Persy’s obnoxious voice could be heard. He was talking to a journalist. “I, Nitty Persnicket, predicted this long ago!”

Lyra grew more furious as she listened to that.

“I’m personally, am glad to finally see this pseudoscience burn away in flames.”

Finally, Lyra surged up. “Now wait just a smelly second there, Persy!” Her voice echoed through the hall. “First of all, you’re saying you believed in humans all along and somehow you knew it was going to end in the ultimate proof!”

He was getting visibly uncomfortable. “Well, I’m only saying,” he tried to scramble for his words, “it would be foolish to keep going after this.”

“Second,” Lyra continued, “I can’t believe somepony as pedantic as you are, can’t see the painfully obvious!”

“What do you mean?”

“What I mean is,“ she paused for dramatic effect, “ the curse is a hoax!”

That got everypony’s attention. It was no longer just Lyra angrily yelling at somepony, it was the start of something big. And the potential saving grace for the entire field. I for one was pretty proud of how fired up she got.

The scientists were amazed, Twilight jolted up from her camera, the journalist started scribbling frantically, even Persy was taken aback.

“Oh I see what’s happening.” Persy said after chuckling pompously. “You’re in denial, because you know this is the end of anthropology. You just can’t give up, can you?”

“Oh, so you’re saying the ghost is real and in addition, humans are real too.” Said Lyra with a cheeky smile.

Persy was confused for a moment. “Well, of course not. That would be preposterous! And I’m gonna prove it to you. I’m gonna prove that the ghost is a hoax and prove that humans aren’t real!”

“Alright!” Lyra said, finally as enthusiastically as I like her. “And I’m also gonna prove that it’s a hoax and save anthropology!”

And with that, it was time to start investigating.