The House Of The Loving Dead
You have reached the Nightmare Knights. If your haunting is an apparition, wraith, spectre, revenant or tortured soul, please press one. If your haunting is a demon, phantasm, poltergeist, djinn, oni or ghoul, please press two. If your haunting is not on any of these lists, please press--you have selected: One.
Thank you for your patience. You are--number one--in the queue.
In a large house in the heart of Canterlot, a pegasus frantically paced back and forth with the receiver of his telephone jammed against one of his ears.
He was a fairly well off stallion; born and bred in the capital of Equestria to loving parents with a stable, well paying job and a good mix of friends. Yet, as of recently, he had fallen under some hardship. For one, he had woken up on on this particular morning to find himself unexpectedly married, and two, his new wife appeared to be--for all intents and purposes, and to put it quite simply...
A ghost.
He had determined this by way of how she appeared to always float through the air like she was underwater, her translucently pale skin, her words like a mere whisper on the wind and her habit of phasing through solid objects at will.
For the past few days he had found himself, more or less, a prisoner in his own home, unable to leave from sheer fright. Whenever he dared venture out to the world, before long he suddenly found himself back on his couch with the hooves of his ‘wife’ draped around him, holding him in place while she snuggled against him. Anypony he spoke to--his friends, his co-workers and even his nosy neighbours--all claimed they couldn’t see her. He had begun to lose all hope, when he saw an advert for them of the television, and deigned to call the Nightmare Knights.
Cloudy Haze’s crystal blue eyes were wild and wide, and he kept glancing back through the hall of his house towards the living room and shiver. His pale purple feathers bristled and stretched out, and he brushed a strand of his turquoise mane out of his eyes. “Come on... come on,” he muttered as his tail swished nervously. “Won’t somepony hurry up already...”
Following a longer pause than he dared to consider, a click sounded, and a voice on the other end of the line grumpily answered him.
“Nightmare Knights whaddya want?”
He blinked in confusion for a few moments. The voice was female, and sounded distinctly like she was from one of the boroughs in Manehattan, and just as rude as any from that dreadful city. Before he got lost in his own thoughts, he quickly collected himself and spoke. “Hello? Is this really the Nightmare Knights?”
The voice let loose a heavy sigh on the other end. “Yeah, well done Sherlock Pones, you’re a real Grade-A listener ain’t ya? Whaddya want?”
“I have a, um... ghost problem,” Cloudy answered, choosing to bite his tongue and refrain from commenting on the speaker’s rudeness. “It’s my wife, she... I’m not sure where she came from you see, but she, um... she’s not a pony. She... she glows, and I can see through her sometimes. Oh this is a mess, yesterday was so peaceful and calm, and today-”
“Can ya cut to the chase, buddy? I’m sorta busy here,” said the grumpy mare on the phone with what sounded like boredom mixed with mild irritation in her voice.
“Right, yes, of course, I’m sorry, it’s just that-” Cloudy leaned around the corner and saw the edges of his wife’s silver white mane disappear into the living room. “It’s just... when I went to bed last night I wasn’t married, and now... well... I am. She gets... angry when I try to leave. Please.”
With another sigh the voice spoke again. “I’m sorry, bud, but the Nightmare Knights are ghost hunters, not marriage councillors.”
“No! Please!” Cloudy winced in the panic in his own voice. “Please, she... I don’t know what to do. Nopony else will believe me, so you have to. She’s a ghost I tell you! I swear to Celestia!”
The line held silent for a few moments. Cloudy Haze bit his lip and began to despair, feeling like he was going mad. Perhaps he was. It was just a few weeks ago that ghosts seemed like far fetched stories colts and fillies would tell each other while gathered around a campfire, and then more and more news reports of these supernatural happenings began cropping up around Canterlot and the wider world of Equestria. He never expected he would ever have the need to call such a group like the Nightmare Knights, having dismissed ‘ghost hunters’ as an idle fancy and yet another pet project of the princess.
“Please hold sir,” the mare said. The grumpiness and sarcasm in her voice vanished. He heard muffled speaking coming from the other end. The mare’s thick accent mixing with another, softer yet sterner voice. “Hello?” she said after a few moments of stifled words.
“I’m here,” replied the pegasus with a breath of relief. “Can you help me or not?”
“Yeah, we can help ya. What’s your address, sir?”
“260 Princess Way, Canterlot.” Hope began to rise in Cloudy as he heard some more muffled voices. He fluttered his wings in excitement.
“Alright, and your name is?”
“Haze. Mr. Cloudy Haze.”
“Alright, Mr. Cloudy Haze, the Nightmare Knights will be there soon. Please refrain from antagonising the spirit any more and everythin’ll be okay. Ciao.”
Cloudy balked. “Antagonising the spirit? But she-” The line went dead. He huffed and slammed the phone down. “How rude. Well...” He glanced down the hall again, towards where his ‘wife’ was sitting, and winced as he ran a hoof through his mane. “At least help is on its way.” As quietly as possible, the stallion inched his way towards her and swallowed as he crept around the corner.
Her head shimmered as she sat there, staring at the television with a small smile on her face. Her mane flowed out behind her like wisps on the wind. Her pale white body seemed almost translucent in the light shining through the window. She turned to him as she spotted him and her solid white eyes beamed at him.
“Hello, dear. Who were you talking to?”
Cloudy swallowed. “Just, um... work colleagues... darling.” he winced, having never been married before, he didn’t know what to do or how to react. Not only that, but she was simply stunning, too, if not for her spectral appearance. She patted the padded sofa next to her and gestured for him to join her.
“Please, dear, won’t you sit with me? We need to leave soon...”
The stallion’s legs moved as if they had a mind of their own. He found himself sitting down next to her, shivering at her cold touch as she nestled her muzzle into the crook of his neck. The television was blank, nothing but static staring back at him.
Cloudy swallowed nervously, and hoped the Nightmare Knights were as good as they said they were and that they arrived soon.
***
Tempest awoke with a start as a ringing bell sounded in her ears. She quickly jumped up and immediately began to fish her uniform out of her locker. “Get up!” she barked as her fellow Knights also stirred and held their heads.
Tirek reached out with a heavy hand and pressed it into a large button on the wall. The ringing stopped, and with the Knights now awake, they began their daily grind, starting with reluctantly and slowly getting dressed. Cozy yawned and stretched her legs and her wings.
“Do we really have to do this?” she whined as she rubbed her eyes. “It’s so early...”
“It’s 10:30,” Tempest grumbled, glancing at the clock and quickly silencing her. “We have a job to do, so get up and get ready and assemble in the main hall.” She finished zipping up her suit and smoothed her messy bedhead down as much as she could. The light blue stripe going across her chest shimmered for a moment as she gave her body a shake. She grunted in annoyance and swished her tail upon noticing how slowly they all moved. “Move it, Knights!”
They seemed to speed up for a few seconds as they pulled their own uniforms on. Cozy’s was similar to hers, save for a pink stripe instead of a blue one, and Tirek’s resembled a sleeveless vest with red stripes. Chrysalis was the only one who didn’t technically wear a uniform, as a shimmer of green magic appeared around her. One moment she wore nothing but her own chitinous shell, and the next she wore a sleek light jumpsuit like the ponies did. Her stripes were as green as her magic. She flicked her tail and buzzed her wings gently.
“I do not regret many things,” she murmured, examining a reflection of herself in disgust. “But I rue and lament agreeing to wear a uniform. Ugh...”
Tempest rolled her eyes at her. “Suck it up, Princess,” she grumbled. “Remember the deal you made? It’s this and be a Knight or back to stone and collect pigeon droppings. Your pick.”
Chrysalis scowled at her and under her breath muttered something about hating pigeons more than ponies and reluctantly fell in line.
At times, Tempest often felt like she was more of a caretaker than a leader to the Knights. At least, when they were home. On the job they moved like a well oiled machine, with her only directing them with gestures of her head or a swish of her tail, working quickly and efficiently to beat back the spectres that plagued Equestria. At home, during the periods of rest in between jobs, however, she certainly felt like he was dealing with a group of belligerent children sometimes.
Cozy flapped her wings and rose up into the air, coming to a steady hover beside the commander. “Ready, boss,” she said, bringing a hoof to her forehead in a salute.
Tirek snorted and rubbed his back as he yawned and stretched. “I am also ready, I suppose. Although I share in the bug’s sentiment. This is itchy.” he grumbled and scratched at his chest.
The commander rolled her eyes. She swore one day she’d roll them straight out of her head at this rate, and waved her hoof through the air. “Move out. Assemble in the main hall.”
“What, no breakfast?” Cozy asked with wide eyes. As if on cue, her stomach let loose an audible growl, making her wince and rub it gently.
“No. The bell means we leave as soon as we can.”
“Awww... I wanted pancakes.”
Tempest sighed. She felt her own stomach grumble, and she too could go for some pancakes right now. Perhaps wherever they were going today they could pick up breakfast on the way. For the mean time, she focused herself on her job and shepherded them out the room and down the long flight of stairs towards the main hall.
They rounded a corner and saw Jack munching on some toast, as if to tease and taunt them with food. “Mornin’,” she said cheerfully after swallowing. She batted her eyelashes at the centaur and pushed her glasses “Mornin’ T.”
“Hmph.”
Tirek folded his arms and snorted at her, while Chrysalis grinned from ear to ear at him and then the mare. “Aren’t you going to say hello, Lord Tirek? Why not pursue your admirer? It would be your first after all.”
“Silence insect,” the centaur snarled at her and raised his hand to swat at her.
“Enough you two,” Tempest warned as she pushed herself between them before they could start bickering, pushing one hoof into each of their chests. She looked ahead to the earth pony behind the desk and gave her a friendly smile. “Sorry, Jack. Where are we going today?”
“Canterlot,” said the secretary, looking over the notes she had scribbled down in her notepad as the Knights approached. Her attitude remained undaunted, despite Tirek’s scorn. “260 Princess Way. A stallion, name of Cloudy Haze, went and accidentally married himself a ghost. Says she get aggressive whenever he tries to leave. Also he claims nopony besides him can see her.” She looked back up at them and shrugged. “That’s it. Sounds like a milk run, boss.”
Tempest bobbed her head up and down. “Seems so. Never is with ghosts. Thanks, Jack. Alright Knights, you heard her.” She turned to them as they lined up one by one. “Tirek, I wanna know what sort of spirit doesn’t like people leaving.”
“I’d suggest a wraith,” the centaur offered. “Or perhaps a phantom, as only our client can supposedly see it.”
“Right. Cozy, how do you suggest we do this?”
Cozy furrowed her brow and tapped her chin. “Gee, I--I don’t know, Tempy. It depends if this thing wants to go away willingly or not. We could try speaking to it first, or we could try to trap it using Cloudy Haze as bait?”
Tempest twitched the end of her nose. “A live bait approach? I’ll consider it. Chrysalis?” She looked at the changeling, who scratched at her nose and looked like she wasn’t paying attention. “If this ghost turns hostile I’ll need you to back me up, like yesterday?”
Chrysalis nodded at her. “I suppose I can do that,” she said as she inspected her hoof nonchalantly. “Although I would like to see our dear Lord Tirek use his thick skull for something other than research.”
Her eyes flickered with a hint of something Tempest couldn’t quite place. Glee, maybe? In any case, she was glad to know the queen had her back. “Good. Move out!”
“Hey, since we’re going into Canterlot,” said Cozy as they moved. “Do you think we can go get some pancakes? As breakfast? I know this little place-”
“No,” Tempest snapped.
“Aww please?” The filly made her eyes look as large as possible and stuck out her lower lip. “You wouldn’t want your favourite teammate to go hungry would you?”
The commander tapped her hoof on the ground.
As the Knights left the castle and the heavy wooden doors swung shut, Jack was left alone once more. She let out a contented sigh and picked up her magazine of Cosmare and put her hooves up, idly flicking through the pages. After a few moments of peace and quiet, the phone rang again.
She leaned over and picked it up once again, holding it in the crook of her neck while reading the latest gossip. “Nightmare Knights. Is your haunting an apparition, wraith, spectre, revenant or tortured soul, or--what?”
The secretary’s face scrunched up in irritation as the caller interrupted her to babble about some nonsense. “No. No, we don’t summon dead family members so you can get the password to the safe. Buzz off, bozo.”
Her hoof slammed the phone down again and with a huff she returned back to relaxing and catching up on the latest gossip.
***
The Knights had come to a stop and examined the houses in front of them. 258... 259... 260 Princess Way, there it was. The home of their newest client, located just off the main street of the capital. Tempest craned her neck to size the building up and down. It had to have been three storeys tall, clearly a noble’s house, or perhaps some similarly stuffy upper class cretin. She shook her head and rapped her hoof on the maplewood door.
Her ear twitched. The corner of her muzzle twitched as she waited a few moments.
“If the client’s already dead, can we go and get some food now?” Cozy lightheartedly and jokingly asked, hovering behind the commander.
Tempest turned her head slightly to give her a filthy look and banged her hoof on the door again. “If this is a waste of time remind me to blacklist this guy,” she muttered.
It wouldn’t have been the first time they received a bogus phone call from an anonymous tip. It infuriated Tempest to no end when creatures didn’t take her seriously. Whether it was because she worked with a bunch of delinquents or whether it was because of her broken horn, she didn’t know, but it infuriated her all the same.
Again, her knocking echoed through the street, and she grunted as she grabbed the handle. It of course, was locked, so she took a step back and lowered her head.
Tirek, Cozy and Chrysalis all covered their ears, seeing what the unicorn’s plan was.
Lightning spilled forth from her broken horn, and with a flash and a bang the door handle was blasted to kingdom come. Tempest raised her head back up and pushed against the door, where it then fell over with a heavy clatter into the pony’s home.
“Cloudy Haze?” she repeated, peering into the darkened house. She didn’t like this. She didn’t like ghosts in general, viewing them as far too unpredictable for their own good, and prepared herself. The heckles on the back of her neck stood up, and an unnaturally cold shiver ran down her spine. That signified one thing, and one thing only.
This house was haunted.
As if a spectral vision himself, a youngish pegasus stallion appeared, waltzing out from the darkness with a worried frown and large eyes. His mane was messy and unkempt, and a fine layer of stubble grazed his chin. “Hello? Are you-” He stopped and noticed the smoking door laying on the ground, the one Tempest was standing on. “My door! I hope you’re going to pay for that!”
Tempest snorted and gestured behind her. “Take it off the bill. You called about a ghost problem?” She stepped forwards and entered the house, looking around for anything out of place. The chill grew, and she saw her own breath as she breathed. Freezing temperatures, a sure sign of a haunting.
The Knights also followed her, and soon enough they all stood in the narrow hallway, with Chrysalis and Cozy looking around like tempest. Tirek’s horns lit up with the light of his magic as he picked up the door and fastened it back onto the frame. He nodded to himself and dusted his hands before he cast a wide glance around.
The pegasus nodded, trembling in fear as the four villains examined his home. “I--I did, yes, you’ve come to, eh... fix it for me?”
The unicorn nodded. “Tempest Shadow. This is Tirek, Chrysalis and Cozy Glow.” She gestured behind her to her companions.
He swallowed and trembled under their gaze. “Cloudy Haze,” he said, holding a shaking hoof out. “It’s, uh... a p-pleasure to meet you all. Thank you for coming.”
Chrysalis snorted. “Yes, yes, dispense with the pleasantries.” She rolled her eyes and fake-gagged at a picture of a loving family. “Is this ghost of yours dangerous?”
“Uh, well, no--but she doesn’t like it when I try to leave.”
Cloudy pawed at the ground and turned his ears down.
Tempest firmly nodded her head. She reached into one of the pockets on her jumpsuit and pulled out a small electronical device and proceeded to wave it around the room. One of the LED lights on the end flickered briefly. The Knights watched her calmly and quietly, and as she pushed it in one direction it began to beep very loudly.
“Level five...” she murmured.
Tirek nodded and cleared his throat. “With your permission, Commander, I’d like to ask our host a few questions.” He inclined his head towards Tempest as she nodded back at him and gestured for him to go on. “You,” he snapped, suddenly and abruptly turning to Cloudy.
“M-Me?” he whispered. The pegasus squeaked as Tirek put an arm around him and practically dragged him forwards.
“Yes, you. Tell me more of this ghost. When did it first appear?”
“Uhhh, w-well it was this morning, I, um, we--she’s married to me... somehow...”
“I see. Has she made any demands of you? Any hint as to why she would be haunting you?”
Cloudy and Tirek’s voices became muffled as they moved through the house. “You two,” Tempest barked, rounding on Chrysalis and Cozy. “Keep close. If this thing gets aggressive we need to keep Cloudy safe.”
The changeling reluctantly nodded her head. “I understand,” she grumbled. “Although I’m not happy with it.” Her eyes shifted over to a painting of a family portrait hanging on the wall and she gagged again. “Ugh. I hate ponies.”
“If it helps, Chryssy, we don’t really like you either,” Cozy piped up, whether genuinely trying to help or antagonising her further it wasn’t clear. “But don’t worry because I do!”
“Oh good, we shall have to practice our secret friendship hoofshake!”
Chrysalis scowled at her and let her sarcasm speak for itself. Tempest couldn’t help but smile and shook her head as they walked through the old and dusty house. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted movement and stopped. For a split second she saw a wispy trail of hair breeze passed her, and she had the distinct feeling she was being watched as another chill ran down the length of her spine.
“I felt it too,” Cozy whispered as she came to a rest on the commander’s back, perching like a parrot.
“So did I,” Chrysalis echoed, narrowing her eyes.
“Jeez I hate ghosts, why do they have to be so creepy?”
Tempest shrugged. “Did you think ghosts would be as colourful as we are?” She sniffed and suddenly sneezed as some dust infiltrated her nostrils. “Sorry,” she apologised as the Knights readjusted themselves. “This place is dusty... too dusty...”
“What do you mean, Tempy?” Cozy asked with a tilt of he head. “This place looks just like an old house to me.”
“That’s what I mean... don’t you think it’s odd?” Tempest continued, making note of the cobwebs on the ceiling. “A stallion, I’d say mid twenties, living alone in a big house like this?” She rubbed the back of her neck and winced. “It doesn’t sit right with me, is what I’m saying.”
Chrysalis glanced at her worryingly. “You suspect there is something else at play here?”
“It’s a possibility I wouldn’t rule out.”
Cozy frowned. “But like what?”
Tempest shook her head. “It’s hard to say for certain. I want to search the house. I’m sure our host wouldn’t mind if we found the fetter that’s keeping the ghost here.”
“I agree.” Chrysalis nodded her head beside her. “Where do you want us?”
“Cozy, you take the first floor, I’ll take the second and the attic. Chrysalis, you check the basement. Big old houses like these always have basements.”
“Understood.”
“Good. Move out. Let’s find us a ghost.”
With that, the three Knights dispersed. Tempest and Cozy began ascending the great flight of stairs heading upwards, while Chrysalis continued to poke around on that floor, following the commander’s instructions to the letter.
***
After nearly forty minutes of searching, Tempest had found not a single thing that radiated with ectoplasmic energy. Every now and then, her EMF--Electro-Magnetic Field--detector would go off, but other than that she found a big fat zero. She poked her head over the corner of the stairs and called out to Cozy. “Anything?”
“Nada,” came the voice of the filly floating back to her from the floor below. “I don’t think Chryssy or Terry have either.”
“Hrrrmm. Alright, I’m about done with this floor so I’ll check the attic now.”
Tempest brushed another cobweb away and coughed again. The house was indeed old, and the air itself seemed to be caked in a fine layer of dust. It still seemed very strange to her that a stallion his age would be living by himself, and as she looked at another family picture, it dawned on her that Cloudy Haze wasn’t in any of them.
“Strange,” she murmured, and looked up towards where the attic door was, and the small bit of string that hung down from it. She lamented not having a working horn again and not being a pegasus. Really, she should have sent Cozy or even Chrysalis up here.
“Hindsight is always 20/20, Fizz,” she begrudgingly told herself. Instead of choosing to continue bemoaning her situation, she crouched low to the ground and leapt upwards like a pouncing cat, just barely nabbing the little piece of string with her teeth.
She hung there for a moment, like a dark, angry piñata, and with a creak, the attic door began to swing open, forced down by the pony’s weight.
Tempest released her hold and landed with a quiet thud. The nimble unicorn quickly stepped back before the foldable stairs crushed her, and with a snort, she ascended them, taking careful steps on the creaky wood. Exploring old houses was something she had gotten used to in her time as a Knight, although that chill she felt when they had first entered still persisted on her spine and made unease grow in her stomach. Even after all these past few weeks, she still felt unsettled when the dead were shy.
She gritted her teeth and poked her head up through the attic entrance, looking around. It was dark, despite the light spilling in from the floor below. It provided some light at least. The Knight sighed and pushed herself up and off of the stairs, stooping to not bump her head on the low hanging rafters or wayward beams. Whoever designed these old houses in Canterlot needed a good kicking in the flank.
“Now let’s have a look around, shall we?”
Tempest looked around as her eyes began to adjust to the darkness and spied a large series of boxes, one of which was labelled simply ‘WEDDING’ in big block letters. She frowned. “I thought he said he woke up married?” she murmured, remembering the pegasus’s words. “If that’s the case, then why...”
Pressing her hoof against the box and giving it a hard shove, the contents spilled out to reveal a groom’s suit and bridal gown nicely and neatly packaged up in plastic wrapping. She stepped around them and fanned her hoof in front of her face, waving away the dust cloud kicked up by the movement.
“Why would he have these?”
She pushed them around with a hoof and glanced into the box. There was nothing besides the clothes and a large black binder, of what she assumed was a wedding photo album. Thinking it might have held some clue to the strange circumstances she was in, she fished it out and held it open, blowing away some of the dust that sat on top of it.
Even in the low light of the attic, as she flicked through the pages her bepuzzlement grew. Picture after picture of happy couples of all sorts, earth ponies, pegasi, unicorns, all mingled together with friends and family, but nopony she recognised. She rubbed her nose and sniffed, the dust once again infiltrating her nostrils and closed the book. “I need to show the others this,” she murmured and held tit close to her chest. “Hopefully Mr. Haze can gleam some sort of information from this.”
As she turned and made towards the square of light that was the attic entrance, a voice like a whisper on the wind suddenly spoke as clearly as if there was somepony whispering in her ear.
“Help him...”
It took a second for her to register the sound as a voice, and when she did, Tempest froze in her tracks and cocked an ear out, listening intently to the soft, incredibly sad sounding voice. “Help who?” she asked. “Cloudy Haze?”
“We shouldn’t be here... please...”
The Knight thought for a moment while all the pieces of the puzzle suddenly clicked together in her head, and her heart began to sink. She flicked open the photo album again and had another, thorough look. She paused and eyed the photo on the page she had it open at and let loose a heartfelt sigh. There, in the photo, was a bright and happy looking young mare, roughly in her early to mid twenties, surrounded by friends and family, wearing the same dress that was neatly packaged and forgotten in the box. Beside her stood an equally happy looking pegasus stallion of similar age, wearing a dark suit and planting a kiss on the mare’s cheek, frozen forever in a moment of eternal bliss.
Underneath the photo, Tempest read a single sentence out loud.
“Cloudy Haze and Misty Frost at their wedding. 1910.”
She stared at the date, bringing it closer to her eyes to see easier. 1910. That was... one hundred and ten years ago, making the stallion downstairs either very good looking for his age, or perhaps this house had more than one ghost occupying it.
Tempest assumed the latter and closed the book, holding it to her chest as she returned to her comrades.
***
Tirek, Chrysalis and Cloudy haze all looked up curiously as Tempest entered the room with a grim look. Cozy sat munching on a biscuit, one of the many--now few--snacks their gracious host had left for them.
“Oh hiya, Tempy!” she cheerfully cried through a mouthful of jammy dodger. “We were starting to wonder where you were.”
With a light thud, the commander dropped the photo album on the table in front of them, making the plates jingle and clink against each other. “Found this in the attic,” she stated with a curt nod of her head towards Cloudy. “Hope you don’t mind.”
“Uh, bu--sh, uh--sure, I guess,” the pegasus stammered, looking quite distressed and disorganised. “I-if it helps with getting rid of this ghost, then-”
Tempest held up a hoof to silence him. “Tirek. Open it and turn to the last page. Tell me what you see.”
The centaur leaned over and flipped open the book, following her instructions while she locked eyes with the client. His own eyes widened and he whistled as he examined the page.
“Well now. This is interesting, isn’t it, Queen Chrysalis?” he chuckled grimly after second’s pause.
Cozy’s moved her gaze between them with her cheeks stuffed with biscuit. “Mmf hm?”
Chrysalis grasped the book in her magic and dragged it towards her. Her eyes skimmed the page, reading the words, looking at the photo, and a smile began to dance across her face. “Oh my. It is indeed, Lord Tirek.”
“What is?” Cloudy asked, looking at them all fearfully. “That’s just an old book of photographs, it doesn’t have anything to do with... whatever’s happening to me.” He frowned and tapped his hooves together nervously, like a foal in front of a Santa Hooves impersonator. “Does it?”
Tempest sharply inhaled between her teeth and glared at the Knights for acting like this was some surprise birthday party. “I’m not sure how easy this will be to hear. It’ll be easier if you sit.”
The pegasus’s lip quivered. “W-What do you mean?”
The Nightmare Knights gathered around him. Cozy flapped up and peered over Chrysalis’s shoulder, looking at the photo with a frown on her face. “What does that mean?” she asked.
“It means, Little Pony,” Tirek sneered with a grin on his face. “That our client, Mr. Haze here, is in fact the very ghost he hired us to get rid of.” He looked at Cloudy and snorted at the stallion’s pale expression. “Although I fear he may not even know it himself.”
Tempest nodded in agreement. “Wonderful tact, Tirek, but yes, that’s what I’ve determined.”
“No, n-no it can’t be, I’m... I’m not dead!” Cloudy cried, stepping away from them. “No, you--you’re all villains!”
Chrysalis stepped closer to him. “We may be. But we are Nightmare Knights, and we take our job very seriously.” She raised a hoof at him and swished her mane out of her eyes. “And you sir, are dead and have outstayed your welcome in this world.”
Cloudy fervently began to shake his head. “No! No! No!” His head, like the rest of his body began to shake and tremble. “Stay back! Stay away from me and get out of my house!”
“Cloudy,” Tempest said calmly, reaching out a hoof to him. “I understand this is difficult-”
“Difficult?!” the pegasus roared in her face. “I practically beg you all to come here and help me from whatever’s haunting me, and you inform me I’m dead?!” He stamped his hooves and flared his nostrils. “Get out. Out of my house, out of my life, this instant!”
He pushed himself up and puffed out his chest, glaring at Tempest mere inches away from her face. Slowly, his eyes drifted over to behind her, just over her shoulder, and his lower lip trembled as he looked at something. Or rather, someone.
“She wants us to help you, Cloudy,” Tempest said quietly, lowering her voice, knowing he was looking at the spirit of his wife. “She’s waiting for you.”
“Who is she?”
“She’s your wife, you dolt,” Chrysalis snapped at him, ignoring the pained expression on his face. “See?” She pointed at the photo album, at the two ponies very clearly very much in love. “This is you, and this is her.”
Cloudy looked at the photo and tears welled up in his eyes. “Why... don’t I remember her...”
Tirek cleared his throat, drawing the attention of the room to himself. “If I may? Some spirits who linger find they have difficulty adjusting to their new ‘un-life’ in the realm beyond. They delude themselves into thinking they are alive, and alter their own memories to coincide with stories they create for themselves.” He twiddled his thumbs together casually. “Every memory you have of your time here, in Equestria as of recently, is a figment of your imagination. Think of it as a... bad dream, if you will.”
The pegasus looked utterly crestfallen as he continued staring over Tempest’s shoulder. “Misty...” he whispered. “I...” He looked down and held a hoof in front of his face.
To his surprise, and before the Knights’ very eyes, it shimmered and appeared translucent for a moment. Cloudy’s eyes watered and he released a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. “I... I think I remember now. Oh... Nightmare Knights, I... I’m sorry for wasting your time.”
Tempest shook her head. “Don’t. The Nightmare Knights, while our clients may usually be living, protect both worlds as best we can. We separate the monsters of our worlds and guide each wayward soul back to where it belongs.” She smiled at Cloudy as he looked at her sadly. “So don’t apologise. You needed help, even if you didn’t know why.”
Behind her, the Knights nodded their heads in silent agreement.
He looked up again and the corners of his mouth tugged--the signs of a smile began to dance on the sombre pony’s face.
“I... I have to go now don’t I?” he murmured.
Chrysalis nodded. “Better late than never.” She stepped aside and waved a hoof upwards, towards where he had been looking. Tirek inclined his head ever so slightly, while Cozy watched carefully.
Tempest straightened her neck up. “Yes, you do, Cloudy. Go, join your wife. Be happy in the next realm and leave this place behind.”
He looked at them all in turn and stretched his wings, becoming more and more translucent and spectral as the seconds passed. “Thank you, Nightmare Knights. I wish there was some way I could repay you. Tempest Shadow. Cozy Glow. Chrysalis and Tirek. I’ll always remember your names.”
It was then that Tempest realised they wouldn’t be getting paid for this job and silently groaned to herself. “You take care now,” she said, biting her tongue and smiling all the same. “Just... don’t come back here again, okay? We’d have to force you to leave, and you’re a nice enough guy. It would kinda suck to do that to you.”
Cloudy smiled and nodded his head. “Oh, I believe you, Miss Shadow. I believe you...” He turned away and closed is eyes for a moment. “I’m... Misty?” The chill that lingered on the Knights’ backs moved further up their spines. “You’re as beautiful as the day I first met you...”
Before them, the light shifted and a pegasus mare appeared, hovering lightly off the ground without moving her wings. Her long mane flowed out behind her. Her hooves were as see through as the rest of her, and her eyes shone and sparkled with droplets of tears. She reached out to her husband and their hooves connected. She looked up at the Knights and beamed at them.
“Thank you...” she breathed. “Cloudy, my love... come with me... we have to go.”
Cloudy looked around at the Knights one last time and smiled at them. He rubbed his eyes and began to rise into the air, his wings as motionless as his wife’s. “Goodbye, Nightmare Knights,” he said. “And thank you.”
Without further ado, he and his wife disappeared with a shimmer. The chill that came from a haunting vanished and the old house remained silent, save for the breathing of the Nightmare Knights.
Chrysalis placed the photo album gently on the table, as a final reminder of the love of two ponies bound in death as much as they were in life to one another and tenderly stroked the cover. She turned and locked eyes with Tempest, who simply nodded approvingly and led the way out. One by one, they silently marched out of the room, into the dusty corridor and out the front door, leaving the dusty old house to collect further dust.
As they reached the street several ponies gave them a wide berth, pretended not to care or look like they were spying in any way shape or form, or flat out turned the other direction and walked away.
Tempest rolled her eyes and yawned.
“So much for the milk run,” Chrysalis said quietly to her, drawing out a light hearted laugh from the scarred unicorn.
“You’re right.” The commander looked at them all in turn and smiled. “That was nice work in there, everyone. Quick and clean. Piece of cake.”
Cozy held her hoof up and widened her eyes. The corners of her mouth began to turn into a smile.
“Yes, Cozy?”
“Speaking of cake, I was thinking... could we get some pancakes now?”
Tempest scratched her muzzle and grinned. “I suppose we could, as long as you get the tab. You know where we’re going?”
“Yuh huh!” The filly eagerly bobbed her head up and down and flapped her wings, rising herself into the air. “Just follow me!” She suddenly stopped and turned around. “Wait, what tab? I don’t have any money.”
The Knights laughed at her and moved together, eager to get something to eat while they had a moment of peace.
Stats
Page generated in 0.041 seconds
Total duration
1,025 users online
2,073,052 hits today, 1,996,409 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Nice chapter.
to
10527882
cheers
No matter how many times I scour the page for a mistake there's always one
10527892
I just wish I was good at picking error in my own texts
This is very nice. I wasn't expecting the thing with the Stallion, but that's pretty cool. I like very much.
10528390
In the words of R.L. Stine (Portrayed by Jack Black, so not really words by R.L. Stine).
“Every story ever told can be broken down into three parts. The beginning. The middle. And the twist.”
Great story. Added to my read list.
10533040
Thanks!
Wait...if he died like nearly a century ago, why did he have a working TV? And why was his house still abandoned? It's Canterlot, I'd have figured they'd snatch it up and put it back on the market right away.
Well, that was a bittersweet ending.
10539795 Well, there are cases when buildings are abandoned at some point, even in very expensive areas. Last will or ownership disputes, lack of living relatives, etc. Or, if his descendants are very rich, they could simply not care enough to do anything with the house while they live in an even more opulent mansion.
'shimmered for a moment as she ave her body a shake' - gave
I liked this twist. Not much action, but plenty good character interactions and a decent little mystery. I do enjoy how each case so far differed from each other.
Well, she is actually dealing with one at least.
"She hung there for a moment, like a dark, angry piñata..."
That has to be the absolute BEST description of Tempest I have EVER read...!!
If the customer turned out to be a ghost who died 100 years ago, then where does he get a TV and a telephone from?
10954298
Technology in Equestria is wyrd at times lol what can i say. They could have had big chunky tellys and old rotary phones back then
Aww, that was really sweet. Didn't expect the client himself was the ghost!
10527893
I find reading it out loud from a printout helps make my brain see it afresh. I have also heard of people reading the last sentence from start to end, then the second to last sentence, etc.
Even just reading it aloud, or MAYBE temporarily changing to a different font might be enough to induce the effect to a lesser extent.
A delay of a month between the final plot and characterization pass and the last grammar pass might work, but that has some obvious drawbacks...
11383310
Cozy Glow predicted the client would dead.