• Published 23rd Jul 2019
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The Ghost of Coltistrano - EthanClark



There are stories children are told of a figure in black, emerging from the darkness to strike at those who threaten the goodness of the world. This creature is the Ghost, but for young Silver Spade, it's his last hope for vengeance beyond the grave.

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Chapter 7: “If you are to inherit anything from me, you must earn it”

-- 4 years after Nightmare Moon’s return --

A gentle breeze drifted through the rows of trees, carrying the taste of salt with it. The sun sat on its midday throne and brought its rays down upon the island. The sound of birds joined the concerto of crashing waves, as all these sensations came together as a form of wild music. Silver stood within the foliage. His weight was shifted to his hind legs, and around his forelegs sat a dark sheet. His eyes scanned the tree before him. It was tall, curved slightly and sporting long, verdant leaves stemming up from its peeling bark. His eyes narrowed. With a snap a host of bananas came down from the tree, toppling over themselves and onto the ground. Silver flicked his hoof back and retracted the cloak.

“Woah,” Silver muttered.

“Indeed.”

Silver gasped in surprise and flailed around, meeting the sight of his mentor behind him. Silver stumbled and took a breath, earning a jubilant chuckle from Darrox as he approached his student.

“Are you having fun?”

“Yeah, I mean,” Silver looked to the cloak around him. “Oh yeah.”

“You have progressed well, though I noticed your hoofwork was slightly too heavy on the right side. You need proper balance, allow me.”

The cloak was pulled from Silver and flung over Darrox’s own shoulders. He adjusted the garment to better fit his thin frame, before whipping it out faster than Silver could follow. His vision found the stroke his master made had not only culled more of the fruit from the tree, but a large gash in the wood had been left behind. Darrox gave a wet cough from the exertion.

“How… how?” Silver was dumbstruck at the sheer force of the impact.

“With practice, my boy. You will find it quite easy once-”

“No, I mean, how?”

Darrox took a moment to look over Silver, then the cloak in his hooves. He chuckled a bit, jostling his black and rainbow chitin.

“Ah, you want to know that, then? Follow me.”

Darrox rolled up the cloak and returned it to his sack. Their walk along the island was the same as any other day, basking in the sun as it shone through the tall trees before meeting the sand with their hooves. The light danced across Silver’s fur, pronouncing just how much the island had changed him. He was thinner, and his argent mane and tail had grown considerably, draping a bit over his barrel. The lash wounds had healed, but in their place was a series of brutish markings. The two largest crossed over Silver’s ribs with one twisting into a terrible curve along his back. The two returned to camp and Darrox lit the fire with his horn. He pulled the cloak out before him.

“Tell me, my boy, what all have you heard of this?”

“Not a whole lot,” Silver began. “Well, I guess I shouldn’t say that. My dad told me stories about The Ghost when I was young. He said you could reach out like a shadow, dragging bad ponies away into the darkness. That you could peer into a pony’s heart and see the evil that lurks there. He even told me once that you could fly. I didn’t believe him at first, but seeing you now I guess that could be true.”

Darrox shook his head at Silver’s words.

“Only partially true, I’m afraid. I cannot see into the hearts of ponies, nor am I some living shade, but there is some truth in the stories. Most of that truth, I confess, comes from this cloak. Can you see anything, anything unusual?”

Silver strained his eyes as he scanned the cloak. It was as black as a starless night and smooth to the touch, but despite its lightness there was still a heft to it. Silver took a part in his hoof and noticed how it seemed to cling to him. Despite this and its sturdiness, Silver had no answer.

“This was given to me by very special underfolk. They are a colony of spiders I saved during a raid on their home. Diamond dogs had broken in and, when faced with a horde of talking arachnids, did what any ignorant creature would do.”

“Run away screaming?” Silver suggested with a smirk.

“Burn it all down. It was early in my career, and these devilish degenerates had just robbed a train car of its valuables. They fled into the caves of Rambling Rock Ridge. Had I not been able to locate the riverbed and open a water channel in the cave, I shudder to think the poor beasts may not have survived. In return, their queen spun me this from her very silk. There is power in this garment, Silver, some of which even I have been unable to discover.”

“You mean like magic?” Silver perked up at the thought. “Real magic?”

“Oh no, my boy. I am afraid the cloak is incapable of casting spells, despite my efforts. It is rather resistant, however, and has served me well as a means of defense. Let me show you.”

Darrox draped the cloak over Silver’s shoulders and took a few steps back. His horn began to glow as he motioned Silver to stand.

“Come now, my boy, this was going to be part of your training anyway.”

Silver took a moment to look over the cloak on his shoulders. His gut tensed, hooves slightly shaking as his stood up and walked away from the camp circle.

“O-Okay, ready.”

The swirling green glow around Darrox’s twisted horn brightened. It was the first time Silver had seen such a display of changeling magic. The aura intensified before condensing around the horn, creating and almost solid sheath of magic, before Darrox released it in a single blast of power. Silver flung his forehooves up on reflex, the cloak clinging to them tightly. To his surprise, though the magic blast certainly collided, Silver felt no pain. Instead, he peeked out from behind the garment to see the sand around him had begun to solidify into glass.

“Hoo, woah, that was… oh, wow, I…” Silver babbled at the display. Darrox gave a fang-filled smile as he approached.

“You see? Perfectly safe. I have done much testing and I believe, if performed correctly, the cloak is capable of deflecting spells instead of just dispersing them. I’ve never been able to perform the feat, mind you, but it is certainly possible.”

Silver paid this no mind. He was far too busy flipping and flaring the cape around in a mock fashion, giddy from the rush of surviving a magical impact. Darrox placed a hoof upon his student’s shoulder.

“Heh, sorry,” Silver said sheepishly. “It’s just, I never thought I’d be learning how to be… well, you.”

The two returned to their seats, the fire crackling between them. Silver fumbled with the ends of the cloak, still adorned on his shoulders.

“Tell me.” Darrox said with a soft smile.

“I grew up in a not-so-rich town. It’s actually not far from Rambling Rock Ridge. It’s called Coltistrano. You ever heard of it?”

“In my travels, yes. A quaint little place, if I’m not mistaken.”

“Yeah. It’s always been on the poor side. My dad grew up there. My mom’s from Los Pegasus, like the rest of the Card family. I once asked her why we never moved to Los Pegasus like the rest of the family, but I think she just wanted to get away from all the gambling and competing. My dad was kind of a town celebrity. He was always helping out and fixing stuff for everypony. Once, they actually put dad on the ballot for Mayor. He declined. When I asked him he just said he didn’t want it, that power like that was too much for him.

“One day my dad brings home a book from one of the roving traders that came through every now and then. I think he still has it, too, a big leather book full of stories from around Equestria. That where he read me my first story about you. It was the story of how you stopped a greedy mine owner from digging into Canterlot’s gold reserves.”

“Oh, by the Sun!” Darrox hollered, coughing intermittently between bouts of laughter. “I remember that little bout. Bit Pincher, I believe his name was, a proper example of ‘greed’ if there ever was one.”

“That the one! You dove down into the mineshaft and got into a railcar chase with them. It was so cool hearing it as a colt. He told me a new one every night, sometimes the same one if I really liked it.”

“Am I to suppose these stories are what inspired you to a life of service?”

“No… not it’s not. I did that because of my folks. We never had a lot, and there weren’t a lot of opportunities for a pony who was good at card games. I did back alley gambling a few times, but it was never enough. I wanted to help my parents out, so I enlisted. They had a good set up, and I could send part of my salary to them every month. After a year I was able to swing a place for them, since I was still living in the barracks. You wouldn’t believe the look on mom’s face when she saw it.”

Silver’s face became wistful. It had already been four years since he came to the island and no passage of time made the pain easier. Darrox took notice and rose from his seat.

“Come. Fight me”

“What?” Silver looked up, snapping from his sullen mood.

“It has been far too long since we have had a proper sparring match. If you are to inherit anything from me, you must earn it.”

Silver smirked and stood, placing the cloak back into the bag. The two adopted a fighting stance. Darrox had spent considerable time reworking Silver’s fighting abilities, going so far as to even force him to fight on three legs. After a few moments staring each other down they moved in.

Silver opened by bringing his forehoof down onto Darrox, who let the blow flow down his side before following up with a strike of his own. Blocking was the first thing Darrox reprogrammed in Silver’s brain. Instead of blocking, Silver deflected the incoming strike along his other forehoof, curling it up and trapping it over his shoulder. Darrox used the opportunity to employ the second lesson he gave his pupil: use of one’s momentum. He pushed his foreleg deeper into Silver’s hold and, with a strong twist of his midsection, wrapped around his head and flung Silver across the sand.

The argent pony recovered and thrust his hind legs against the powdered earth beneath him. The lunge caught Darrox by surprise, being lifted from his legs and brought back down to the soft sand beneath him. Here, it became a battle of skill. The tussle was an exchange of grapples and limb locks, forcing the two to clamber over each other to control the other’s center of gravity. At this, Darrox began to cough uncontrollably.

“Darrox, are you okay?” Silver asked, snapping immediately from the practice.

Darrox, however, couldn’t stop his torrent of hacking. He toppled over, limbs sprawled across the sand. From beneath the pitiful sight of his teacher, Silver spotted specks of green blood on the sand. He waited no longer, hauling Darrox over his back and rushing to the stern. He kicked open the already broken door of the captain’s cabin and placed Darrox down onto the bedding.

Finally, the coughing stopped, and Darrox looked to Silver wearily.

“Oh… my boy, forgive me. I fear I must’ve got some sand in-”

“How long?”

“Oh, only a few moments, the sand-”

“There was blood, Darrox. How long?”

“Only a week or two,” he said weakly. “Truly, there is nothing to worry about, it comes and goes.”

Silver pulled the covers over Darrox and fetched the canteen.

“Just… just stay here. Get some rest.”

With nothing more said Darrox watched Silver leave, the sounds of the waves echoing in the room.

----

Silver sat on his haunches, letting the cool ocean water pool around him during late tide. The sun had begun to set over the horizon. It’s light reflected a warm orange glow along the surface of the water. It was a sight Silver was very familiar with, tracing the path of the sun with his eyes as it began to dip below the water. That was when it happened, the sight Silver waited for every night. The warm sphere of light dipped below the horizon, and for a moment its light shot through the tops of the waves, creating a brilliant display along the water. Just as the sun was about to surrender to the coming night, a final flash of green broke out on the horizon, before retreating for good. Silver felt a stiffness in his chest as he struggled to keep his lip from quivering, whispering Abby’s name.

“Spectacular.”

Silver jumped a bit at the surprise comment. Darrox stood beside him, a blanket wrapped around his body and the canteen around his neck.

“Every time I see it, I am always astonished. Such is the beauty of nature, I suppose.”

“Why aren’t you in bed?” Silver asked without looking, having returned to his sullen state.

“Would you believe me if I said I was concerned?”

Silver said nothing, instead allowing the tide to now surround him with each pass. Darrox stood beside him and looked out over the water. His breathing was ragged.

“I’ve lost enough already, Darrox. Without you, how am I going to get off this place? How am I supposed to stop Shield Wall, and how am I supposed to get my life back?” Silver’s voice neared a shout before he caught himself. He sighed and looked to his mentor. “Without you, what’s the point?”

The tide began to recede, the water calming. Darrox took a seat next to Silver. He stuck his hoof into the sack on his side and rummaged for a moment, pulling a small wrapped object from within. Darrox held it for a moment, shifting it between his hooves before unraveling it from the cloth. Silver’s eyes wandered to the object.

“What is that?” The object was a smooth piece of polished stone, thin and with a light blue marking upon its face.

“This is a sending stone, my boy, I have had it in my possession for many years.” Darrox kept his gaze on the stone, avoiding Silver’s eyes. “It can call the owner of its other half to me.”

Silver stood from the damp sand. His face was dressed in a look of incredulity. The wash of emotions inside him forced his muscles to tense, his jaw to clench in both anger and confusion.

“You.. you just had this,” Silver said through his teeth. “All this time?”

“I did.” Darrox’s words were plain, but struck a most sensitive chord.

“You’re serious? Sweet Celestia, you’re serious.” Silver began pacing through the sand forcefully. “You mean I spent years, years, suffering and dreaming and begging for a way off this damn island and you had the answer all along? In your damn bag?!”

Darrox tried to speak, but the sheer volume of Silver’s voice drowned out his attempts at reason.

“Why? Why didn’t you tell me? We could’ve been home already. Shield Wall would be in prison, I would be with Abby, and everything would’ve been just perfect! But no! You decided to sit on it. Why?”

Silver fell to his knees, tears flowing from his eyes. He pounded the sand with a shaking hoof.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because of all you told me.” Darrox began. “I am old, Silver, old and ailing from sickness. I have been on this island for fourteen years, and would spend fourteen more if it meant dying a peaceful death, knowing my mission was done. Then, you arrived and told me Shield Wall still lived. To know my greatest enemy still walked free while I sat old and imprisoned on this island was too great a pain to die with, and to hear what he did to you made it all the worse.

“I kept this from you because I wanted to help you. Do you remember what you were like when you first landed here? Violent, wrathful, so eager to drown your pain in blood. Where you may have once seen purpose, I saw a great pain. This is why I have trained you. I wanted you to be ready for all your vengeance would bring, and to help preserve the pony your family would call their son. That Abby would call her love.”

Darrox joined Silver in the middle of the disturbed sand, kneeling down before him.

“By a cruel twist of fate you have inherited my greatest enemy, my greatest pain. In turn, I wanted you to have all my strength to stand against it. Once you were ready I would use the stone and we would leave, knowing for certain I left Equestria with somepony stronger than myself to aid her.”

At this Darrox’s cough returned. Blood came from his mouth as he moved to cover it with a forehoof, doubling over onto the ground. Silver grabbed hold and carried him once again, almost forgetting the anger he felt towards the ailing changeling. There was no talking on the way back to the cabin. After they ascended the crude ramp leading to the split deck Silver helped Darrox settle in, falling asleep almost immediately upon touching the bed. A few, weaker coughs rose from the changeling’s mouth before his ragged breathing calmed.

Silver exited the cabin, being careful not to slam the door. He took a few steps toward the broken railing and looked out over the ocean. The stars shone, and in his hoof Silver held the sending stone. What he thought would be easy now became nigh-impossible. His mind raced with thoughts about how long it had been, if anypony would even remember or care about him. Darrox’s words about being ready came as well, and on these Silver focused tremendously. He had been trained and knew Darrox’s ways well. The cloak obeyed him, like another limb, and with it Silver knew he could right the wrongs done to him. Those words, though, still brought a painful tingle in his gut.

A single cough from the cabin reminded Silver it didn’t matter if he was ready. He couldn’t bear to see his mentor suffer, and Silver found himself fearing the worst.

“Six years,” Silver declared, swiping a hoof over the stone’s sigil. “Six years is long enough.”

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