Ghostly Glam

by EpicSmiley13

Chapter 03

Sweetie Belle’s pupils shrank to the size of dimes. She clutched the sheets close to her with her forelegs. The filly by her dresser finished materializing, but a bit of mist continued to swirl around her. She had gotten a little more opaque; revealing her coat and horn to be marshmallow white, but Sweetie could still see the other side of the room through her body. Her mane was the same as it had been at the lake, and hanging from her neck was the eighth note necklace.

The strange unicorn filly had a downcast expression, and when she opened her mouth, small strands of vapor flowed out.

“Sweetie Belle…” Her voice was soft, lilting and whispery. “Please…help me…”

“Wh-who are you?” Sweetie Belle stammered. She drew back as the filly stretched her front left hoof out at her.

“Please…you’re…the only…hope…we have…”

“W-what are you talking about? Leave me alone!” Sweetie raised her voice in fear. The other filly lowered her hoof, her expression sad.

“You must help…for all…the lives…for Equestria…please, help me, Sweetie Belle…we must stop her…”

“H-her?”

“Ghostly Glamour…she must be stopped…we must stop her!”

“W-Who’s Ghostly Glamour?”

“She is evil…evil spirit…a demon…stop her! We must stop her!”

“An evil spirit?” Sweetie blinked in confusion.

“She-?" The filly stopped suddenly and looked behind her. She turned back to Sweetie Belle, her sad expression replaced by fear.

“She comes…I must go…Sweetie Belle…we must speak later…use the necklace…” The filly started to fade away.

“W-Wait! Who are you!?” Sweetie asked.

“Melody…Chimes…”

With that, the misty filly disappeared completely. The mist disappeared, and Sweetie’s room was just as peaceful as it had been when she’d gotten in bed. Visibly shaken, Sweetie Belle pulled the covers over her head and curled into a ball. She slept fitfully, continuously fading in and out of strange dreams with eighth notes, lilting chimes, and high, cold laughter.

The next day was Saturday, which meant no school. Sweetie Belle slipped out of the Carousel Boutique after breakfast. She headed straight to the lake, the eighth note necklace bouncing around her neck. Little did she know, two other particular fillies were following her.

Sweetie Belle sat down by the lake and began to toy with the necklace. Use the necklace…what had that filly…Melody Chimes meant by that? What was she supposed to use it for? And what did she want her to do to stop this supposed “evil spirit” Ghostly Glamour? Why did she need stopping? Sweetie Belle put a hoof to her head. These questions did nothing for her but bring her headaches.

A sudden rustle from behind her made Sweetie Belle tense up. Turning around fearfully, she saw a tall black and white figure-

“Oh! Miss Zecora, you startled me.” Sweetie Belle sighed in relief.

“Please accept my apologies, dear. Tell me, what brings you here?” the kind zebra wore a saddle bag stuffed with some type of plant, and she spoke in her usual rhyme.

“I have a bit of a problem, but you probably won’t believe it…” Sweetie sighed. Zecora frowned for a moment.

“I’ve seen and heard many things, Sweetie Belle. What makes you think I won’t believe your story as well?”

“Well…okay, I’ll tell you.” Sweetie Belle took a deep breath.

“Two days ago, I found this necklace, the one I’m wearing, right next to this lake. When I put it on, it felt like somepony was watching me, and I heard this whispery voice. It said ‘the melody will chime’. Then I heard somepony whistling a tune that sounded really familiar. Then that night…”

Sweetie Belle proceeded to tell Zecora all of what happened the past two days, including her spooky encounter the night before. When she was done, the patient zebra closed her eyes and put a hoof to her chin. After a while, she looked at Sweetie Belle with solemn eyes.

“It seems to me, you’ve met a ghost. And that necklace is its host.”

“G-g-ghost!?” Sweetie exclaimed. “You mean this necklace has a ghost attached to it?”

“That is really quite the case. And about this demon she wants you to face,” Zecora lowered her voice slightly. “She is undoubtedly an evil one. She could cause all life to be undone. Melody Chimes wants you to help out, but only she knows what it’s all about.”

“But how can I contact her?” Sweetie asked. “She said ‘use the necklace’…but what does that mean?”

“The necklace is an artifact, only it can bring her back.”

“But how?”

“Contacting the dead is no small feat, but I know what to do for it. To perform a ritual at night, then just wait; oh, and we’ll need a group of about eight.”

“Eight? Why eight?”

“This spirit could be a tricky thing. Who knows what surprises she may bring? It is best to make a large group of friends. Then we can protect each other to no end.”

“Okay…” Sweetie Belle rubbed her head. “So, we need eight people to get in touch with this ghost…how about Rarity and her friends? With you and me, that’ll make eight!”

“A very wise idea, my dear,” Zecora smiled. “With all of us, there’ll be nothing to fear.”

Zecora talked to Sweetie Belle some more. They decided that they would both go into town and inform everypony about what was going on. As they walked back toward Ponyville, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo emerged from the bushes.

“Wow…Sweetie Belle’s being haunted by a ghost!?” Scootaloo gaped. Then she broke into a big grin. “Maybe we could get rid of it for her! We could be Cutie Mark Crusaders Ghost Hunters!”

“But didn’t you hear about that evil demon ghost?” Apple Bloom said. “It sounds ta me like the other ghost wants Sweetie Belle to beat the evil one. Maybe we could help her!”

“Yeah!” Scootaloo clapped her hooves together. “Cutie Mark Crusaders Ghost BUSTERS!”

“We should go to the meeting they’re plannin’ tonight. Then we’ll really know what’s goin’ on!”

The fillies nodded, then took off toward Ponyville.

Aaand there you have it!
Zecora was a pain to write X(
Now, for your viewing and listening entertainment...
Thanks for reading!

Comments

[EpicSmiley13]

959215
Thanks for the feedback, I'll try to slow it down.

[Wumz]

If this is your first story, it's wonderful . You successfully slowed down the pacing, and the story is turning out good, well done !