Ghost Stories

by PrelateZ

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

A New Friend

"Where is he?"

The anxious Lightning Chaser continued to look outside the house through the small window, turning to face any slight movement that might signal the return of her missing son. The colt had promised to come back by 1:00 p.m., in time for lunch, but had, as foals often do, lost track of time. He could be anywhere, either playing at the house of one of his friends, or flying around town in search of make-believe quests to fulfill or villains to capture.

"Alright, enough of this!" she decided. Marching to the door, she swiftly unlocked it, exited the house and re-locked the door. Taking a deep breath and spreading her wings fully, she took off. Her path quickly gained altitude, reaching a near-vertical climb as she soared upward to get a better view of the area. The mare's eyes missed nothing: everything was easily spotted by her perfect vision, down to each bird resting on the roofs of Cloudsdale's residential section. Everything except the speeding colt directly behind her.

The collision sent both pegasi spiraling downward, heading toward the roof of the house below at alarming speed. The mare recognized her son had been the one to crash into her, and started berating him even as she righted them both and turned away from the roof. "Rain Runner, what have I told you about looking where you're going? You could have hurt somepony, or hurt yourself. You really should be more careful next time, or I can't keep letting you go out to play with your friends like this."

"Sorry, mom." Rain Runner replied, his head drooping as he glided home beside his mother.

"Where are your friends, anyway? I thought they would be somewhere nearby, unless you're all finished with your game."

"Yeah, she left. She said she'd back tomorrow, so can I please go out again? I promise we won't go too far from the house this time."

Lightning Chaser slowed down slightly, realigning herself to point directly toward home. " 'She?' Well, now… I thought you were still afraid of playing with fillies. You're just growing too fast for an old lady like me to keep up with." she laughed.

"Aw, mom, you're not old. When I'm done with flight school, that's when you're old."

"You'll know I'm old when I start filling the house with pet birds or something. I might even start trying to teach them tricks, too."

---

Once they both arrived home, Rain Runner explained tomorrow's schedule while his mother prepared dinner. "She says she has to leave soon, so tomorrow will be the last time we get to play."

"Leave? So her family's moving?"

"Family?" Rain Runner looked up from his meal with a confused expression. "She doesn't have a family. It's just her."

"What do you mean she doesn't have a family? You mean she lives all alone?"

"Yeah, she gets really sad and lonely a lot. That's why I went out and played with her all the time. It's okay, though. She says we can go visit her someday."

"That's nice, dear. Now, finish your dinner before it gets too cold. Bedtime's in a few hours."

---

A bright half moon shone in the sky as Rain Runner leapt into bed, losing his balance and nearly falling off the other side.

"Good night, mom. Can you wake me up early tomorrow? I want to get up at dawn to get as much time as I can playing."

"Of course, I'll get up in time to make sure you have all the time you could want with your friend. Good night, Rain Runner." Quietly closing the bedroom door, Lightning Chaser thought aloud, "Strange friend he's met. What kind of filly would live alone like that? I hope nothing terrible happened to the family. I should make her something nice to send her off. That should help at least a little. Now, let's see…"

---

Lightning Chaser woke just before the sun rose the next morning. To her surprise, she found that Rain Runner had already gone out, leaving a small note on the front door to tell her where he was. She quickly finished her light breakfast before wrapping up her gift for Rain Runner's friend: a basket of breads and pastries filled with various cheeses and fruits. They would resist minor impacts, and would not spoil for days. It would be a perfect present for a hungry traveler, Lightning Chaser thought as she headed out the door.

She gasped as she saw the pony in front of her. It was not a pegasus standing on the cloud that made up yard, but an earth pony. Her fur, pale blue in color, was also slightly translucent, allowing Lightning Chaser to see straight through her. The filly looked up at her and smiled.

"Thank you for the present, but I can't really use it," she explained. "And thank you for letting Rain Runner play with me the past few days. It really cheered me up, and I'll never forget you two."

Lightning Chaser was awestruck. "Wait, are you…"

"Thank you," the filly repeated. She turned and jumped away, fading into the air until she vanished completely.

---

Twilight Sparkle picked up her cup at her side and drank the remaining water, parched from the long story. "So, was that alright? I don't know much about ghost stories, but…"

Pinkie Pie jumped. "That was great, Twilight! I mean, sure it's not the usual 'Boo, I'm gonna get you!' kind of ghost, but that was fantastic! Wow!"

"Yes, it was a marvelous story," Rarity added, "You've set the bar quite high for the rest of us, Twilight."

"Thank you both. Now, who's next?"

"That'd be me, Twilight." Rainbow Dash assumed a dramatic pose, attempting to look intimidating. "Prepare to be amazed, everypony, as I begin my terrifying tale!"

The timing of her pose was perfect; a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky just as she finished speaking, lighting up the window behind her and producing an impressive, if not intentional, effect. "A group of young ponies was playing one day, a simple game of Truth or Dare, until one brave colt dared his friends to enter the Everfree Forest."

Good start, Twilight thought as she listened. That forest is home to all sorts of myths and superstitions. I wonder what Rainbow Dash has planned for this.

---

The small treehouse at the Apple Family farm was filled with the excited voices of the three fillies within. Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell had planned their own activities for this night. Sweetie Bell had brought a length of black cloth, and was busy cutting it as the other two talked.

Scootaloo peered out the window, ignoring the light rain falling into it. "This is gonna be great! There's nopony awake to stop us now! It's the perfect time!"

"O' course it is!" Applebloom replied cheerfully. "Now that everypony's asleep, we can go anywhere and do whatever we want. We're sure to find our talents tonight, soon as Sweetie Bell's finished with those hoods."

"Almost done with the last one," the unicorn filly said as she made a few quick cuts to the black cloak. The material slipped, resulting in a jagged cut across the middle of the hood, just where it would have connected to the neck of the garment. "Oh, dumb fabric. Just a little longer, okay?"

In a few minutes, the cloaks were completed. The three fillies exited the treehouse, pulling their hoods up to protect from the rain. Applebloom stood in front of other two. "The Everfree Forest has all kinds o' ways we can find our talent. It could be somethin' with the weird plants all over, wild animals, or just bein' brave explorers and facin' unknown danger. Ah can't wait! Let's go, Cutie Mark Crusaders!"

Together they took off down the path, toward the entrance to the mysterious forest. As they trotted down the dirt road, slowing down as the rain started turning the path to mud, they soon reached the border of the Everfree. The sky disappeared behind the thick, tangled branches of the trees above. The fearless fillies did not notice the pair of eyes watching them intently, or hear the light steps behind them over the sound of the rain and the cries of nocturnal creatures.