The Clash Of Ghosts And Harmony

by EonSpirit

Spells and Enchantments

"Don't touch anything, Rainbow!" Twilight screamed as Rainbow Dash was about to touch, what looked like, an ancient vase. "That could be a priceless artifact!"

Rainbow furrowed her brow before smacking the vase. It started tipping over, but when it seemed to almost disappear, they realized it was a cardboard cutout. "I don't think so, egghead." She looked over past Twilight and saw their purple stallion friend, mumbling something, "What are you doing?"

"...sunt rerum..." He muttered loud enough for them to hear.

"Uh... Eon?"

"One sec. Look at this." Eon gestured toward the small part of a wall where he lit up. words were sprawled in a language only Eon and Twilight could actually read. "It reads: "Fallaces sunt rerum species debitum naturae."".

Rainbow just rubbed her temples and grunted, not understanding any of that. "Wait... is this even english?"

"No, Rainbow, it's latin." Twilight replied, thinking of the translation, "It means, The appearances of things are deceptive and that is the debt of nature."

Before Rainbow could ask what that means, Eon spoke up, "It's an enchantment. Presumably set for the entire town. It makes an illusion over set object-er town, and is usually meant for concealing things. But the last thing is what worries me, Twilight? Care to guess?"

"Well usually the end of it refers to the offering that keeps it powered, right?" Twilight started, earning a nod from Eon, "Then "The debt of nature" could mean that a pony was keeping it up, but in death, the illusion wore off."

"Yes! I'm so proud of you! I teach you occult magics and you teach me arcane magics."

Rainbow passed by their line of sight, backing away with a terrified expression, "Uh... g-guys?" They all three gazed at the horrific scene in front of them. With both unicorn's magic lighting the room, the rotting carcass of a pegasus laid sprawled on the floor. Something about it's blue color reminded Eon of a certain somepony.

"Eon... look." Twilight's raised hoof pointed directly over to a translucent figure hovering over the body. Eon instantly recognized her. "Blue Rose... but..."

before he could finish, her apparition appeared in front of him, holding a hoof to his mouth. "Watch..." She lowered Eon's head and twitched as his horn stroked her scalp, which was adorned with several open wounds.

~~~~~

"So, are you sure this will bring him back?" Blue asked as her and a mysterious figure, which who was too dark to see, walked toward a large door adorned with a large clock insignia, with several painted ghosts circling it. "I've given half my life to watching him without him moving... it would be nice to meet him."

"Yes. we haven't seen him smile in over a thousand years."

'That voice...'

"We would like to see him once our return has come, and you have been very faithful." They could finally see an outline of the mare. Not much but the silhouette of a horn and wings were present. An Alicorn. "And since the previous offering has died, you can keep the enchantment powered until he has been freed."

"Yes, you can count on me!"

Within seconds, the alicorn bowed its head and shot a gushing bolt of purple magic at the door, sending currents through it like electricity. It clicked and opened, allowing a bright light to cloud the room and blind the three watchers.

~~~~~

The three snapped out of the memory and looked around, seeing nothing but dust. "That alicorn..."

"I knew something was up with Blue or whoever is impersonating her!" Twilight shouted loud enough to break the tower's windows. "I knew it wasn't just a coincidence that she moved to Ponyville the day Luna disappeared!"

"Wait..." Rainbow muttered before pointing to the window where two black eyes stared back at them. Blue's ghost wasn't saved yet.

"That's impossible... unless..."

"AAAHHHHHHHH!"

All three looked in the direction of the scream, seeing, outside the window and in the town square, Pinkie Pie being surrounded by... silhouettes? "Pinkie!" Twilight and Rainbow gazes darted toward Eon, who was already outside the tower, bolting for the helpless mare. But, before they could follow along, several gratings sealed them in the room, left watching the following events.

"Eon? Help! I thought these guys were you guys but, they weren't so I wanted to befriend them when they scared off Fluttershy and I was left here and now they don't seem to friendly and HELP!" Pinkie roared while a silhouette lunged for her, and almost got her, but in the last second a thick, pink beam of magic shot through it, disintegrating it.

"I'm trying, Pinkie. There's only two left." He yelled, before quickly disintegrating the next, "Make that one!"

"What are they anyway?"

"They look like Reapers, which there were bound to be enough of in an abandoned town." He muttered as he shot down the last one. "And game over, foals!"

~~~~~

"So after catching up with Fluttershy, we were coming back, but we were somewhere else and didn't know where to go so I just winged it and hopped east, where I ended up here and Fluttershy got scared and left and I was hoping to make those ponies my friends but, they weren't to friendly and-" She spurted out in a happy tone before gasping for air, "-You never did tell us what Reapers were, so will you now?"

"Of course... unless you want to, Twilight?"

She put her hoof to her chin, thinking back on her lessons and digging through any of her recent memories as the lesson only happened a month earlier, "Um... I think... no, not that. Hmm." she paused suddenly to gasp as she remembered, "Oh yeah! those are what comes from a pony that dies without love!"

"Well, put in Neighmen's terms, yes. Anypony that has passed away alone and, or without love given to them will usually leave behind harsh traces of hatred which, in a town where no life exists, can gain enough power from sucking life out of the atmosphere around them. This energy gives them enough power to create physical forms."

Pinkie jumped around, oblivious to the fact that they are in danger from Hate Incarnate as Rainbow Dash scoffed, "That is really... dark."

"Why do you think only a protege of the "Dark Princess" knows this? Most ponies can live their life without ever even hearing of one... but, something worries me."

Twilight, who was being distracted by Pinkie's "crazy face", perked her ears and dashed toward the two, remembering the end of the lesson, "You don't think one might be here, do you?"

"Well, Luna always told me that they usually behave like rabid animals and attack everything, including each other. But, if they are working together, something is here and it's controlling them."

"So what? We're the elements of harmony! Oooh I'm so scared of a couple ghosts." Rainbow Dash teased before Pinkie made her jump about 3 feet in the air, "That didn't mean anything."

"Only Alicorns have the power to control Reapers and usually use them as surveillance... wait." Eon's eyes widened as he realized their situation, "If that's the case, then they knew we were here the second we came in and... They probably split us up on purpose and..."

"And?"

"We need to find the others!"