Growing up isn't easy. Especially when your special talent is being able to see and communicate with ghosts. Now join Eon Spirit on his adventures of helping everypony in Ponyville with their hauntings!
Eon Spirit was born with the gift to see the restless souls of ponies who had passed in most gruesome ways and even seeing the events that led up to their horrible demise.
But When His mentor, Princess Luna, goes missing and a mysterious new pony moves to Ponyville, Join him on an adventure to find the truth on Luna, Blue Rose, and the ghost uprising!
Main character is OC, later there might be some more grotesque descriptions but not enough for a gore rating, and some characters might act OOC sometimes. All kinds of feedback would be greatly appreciated!
Also, this is my first story, so please don't troll, flame, hate, etc.
The purple unicorn looked around as he walked down the stairs, seeing nothing but the emptiness that filled the hollow basement. He moved a few strands of his pink mane out of his eye, only to see bright cerulean eyes staring back at him.
"Sorry! I'm just so excited to meet a ghost!" The pink mare screamed. her poofy mane seemed inflated as it barely moved, which confused Eon.
"Y'know what? I don't think I've ever met a mare so ecstatic to meet a spirit before. You're a real gem, Pinkie." Eon wouldn't admit it, but he actually really liked her bubbly personality. If he was looking for mares he would probably go for her.
"Thanks! I like you're 'spirit'! Get it?" Pinkie Giggled.
Bang
Before he could respond, he shifted his gaze to the basement, hoping that Pinkie didn't make the noise. The last few 'hunts', as Twilight called it(Who is still extremely skeptical about ghosts), had taken over two hours to lure the ghost out. When he started, they would usually take only a few minutes and he thought he was losing his spark. But the day before, he had an idea. why not bring along the pony who had the most experiences in the bakery? So, for the night, The Cakes were staying at the library and Pinkie was thrilled to help. They decided to try the basement first since that was the only place Pinkie actually saw them.
"WHAT WAS THAT!?!?" The bubbly pink mare Screamed, dashing into a corner before coming out with a broom in her mouth. "Nefermund, jwust a brwom!"
Eon shook his head, "You are SO random, You know that?" She smiled before her gaze darted toward a corner even further back. a look of pure terror took hold of her face and when Eon looked, he knew why. Sitting in the corner was a foal. a little older than Pumpkin though.
But she almost seemed scared and her eyes... they were black.
Eon slowly approached the baby, trying to keep him calm while Pinkie just stared in shock, "Hello. What is your name young one?"
".....Pop Rock...."
The voice was filled with a sense of sorrow and Eon couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor soul. The young stallion was now inches from the foal, who looked scared. Eon gave a reassuring smile, which calmed the baby. He lowered his horn, touched its head, and within seconds the room was lit up. the foal was now surrounded by two mares, who were sitting next to the hospital bed which he was laying on. Eon watched as the life slowly left the colt's eyes and the mares break out in tears.
"You may rest now, young foal, for there is a better place for you."
Eon watched as the memory faded and appeared back in the room. The foal's ghost was gone and Pinkie was curiously looking into his eyes with an expression that would even weird Twilight out.
"What happened? I saw you touch the foal with your horn and there was a flash and he was gone but you kept staring at the spot and then i walked over to you-" She was quickly silenced by a hoof being put on her mouth.
"He's in a better place. Although, thankfully, he's had a better death than most spirits I've saved." He looked at the basement window and saw the beautiful rays of Celestia's sun. "Good, another successful passing." He looked over at Pinkie who was passed out on the floor. "Yep, of course."
~Later~
"So how did the hunt go?" Twilight asked as Eon walked into the library. He plopped down on the newly bought couch next to Twilight and yawned.
"Fairly well actually. Now, if you'll read a book, I'll take a nap."
"You're gonna want to stay up. Fluttershy told me that there was a new colt in town that was wanting to borrow a book about ghosts." He looked over at Twilight, and groggily yawned, "He seems perfect for you."
Eon's answer was just a simple grunt before the library's door flung open and in walked Lyra, who kept motioning toward the couch. "Come on, Blue!" A Stallion the size of Eon walked in and looked around the massive library, "Wow, so many books!"
The voice seemed to feminine for a colt and after taking a better look, Blue seemed to be a well built Pegasus mare. he walked over to her and Lyra, and stuck out a hoof, "Hi, I'm Eon Spirit! And the egghead that's taking her time to get over here is Twilight Sparkle."
The mare was actually really pretty. Her teal coat intensified the effect of her blue and red mane and would make most stallions not even notice the shagginess that her mane wore. He could tell she had been flying.
She returned the hoofshake with a smile, "I'm Blue Rose and I just moved to Ponyville."
They circled one another as they admired each others cutiemark. Eon bore a clock, which was surrounded in a pink aura; Blue Rose wore two roses, one blue and one red, intertwined.
Lyra broke the silence, "Me and Bonbon have been showing her around town. she has been anxious to get her books".
"Yes, I've pulled out all books that deal with the paranormal," Twilight muttered, walking over to the ponies while carrying a stack of books with her magic. "Supernaturals... Everfree Oddities... Ghoulies 1, 2, and 3... Ghosts and Goblins..."
"I'm pretty sure 'Ghoulies' is fiction, Twilight." Eon interrupted.
She returned a glare, "Everything about ghosts is fiction, Eon."
They were practically at each others throats before backing away quickly after hearing Lyra gulp, "So, since the hotel closed down, Blue is going to need a place to stay..."
"She can have the attic since Eon is currently taking the spare room... although that might change soon." Twilight growled as Eon and Blue sat on the couch.
"Sooo... How'd you get your cutiemark? it seems interesting." Blue asked.
"Well, when I was little, I learned I could see Spirits and even see how they died, no matter how long ago it happened. The first day I saved somepony, I got my mark." Eon looked over to the mare who was playing with her mane, "What about you?"
"Well, when I was a filly, I had a fascination with plants and flowers, particularly Devil's roses. the first one I grew, was odd. It grew intertwined with three other plantsm which fueled it to become bigger. eventually it crossbred into a rose tree and thats how I got my cutie mark." She moved her mane out of her eyes and within seconds Twilight appeared next to Eon.
"SPIKE! Come on, we have to go!" Twilight Sparkle yelled from the base of the stairs, getting a few grunts in return. "Don't you want to be my number one assistant?"
The purple mare stared at the top of the railing awaiting the young dragon, but was met with disappointment when the only thing that came was a nicely aimed pillow to the face. "I thought Eon was gonna help you..."
She looked over to the couch, where two ponies laid unconscious. The night before was a blast. they all went to Pinkie's "Welcome to Ponyville" party for Blue who, with Eon, devoured enough cake to put Celestia to shame. and as it turns out, eating to much cake can cause a seriously big sugar rush, which kept them awake until the early mourning hours. "I really don't think either him or Blue will be of any help. I guess Pinkie really can rub off on other ponies."
"Fine...," Spike grunted, walking down the steps, "So who are we gonna help?"
"Rarity needs help with a couple suits and apparently these stallions are very effeminate."
Spike's eyes widened and a large grin grew on his face as he quickly plopped on Twilight's back, "Why didn't you just say it was Rarity?"
Twilight smirked and left, slamming the door behind her.
~~~Later~~~
"Twilight? Twilight?" Blue and Eon asked simultaneously. they were looking around the library for any sign of her whereabouts because Blue had a dumb moment and lost the attic key. Eon found a note on the fridge that read, "Going to Rarity's, will be back later~"
"Well, she won't be back until later so what do you wanna do?" He yelled for Blue, who was lazily eating a daisy sandwich on the couch. Eon recognized the sandwich and grew furious at the thieving mule sitting in front of him, "What the hay! That was my last daisy sandwich, you lazy cur!"
She chuckled, making small bits of bread fall from her mouth, "I don't even know what that means. And to answer your question, I would like to know more about you, like where you came from." She flashed a smile that even a dragon couldn't stay mad at.
He sat down next to her and teleported the sandwich away with a smirk, "Now neither of us get it!" The stallion's smirk grew wider as he stuck his hooves behind his head and stretched his back, "And I was born in the small lakeside town of Colt Hill, where I also lived for nine years."
"Wait... Colt Hill? I've never heard of that."
"You wouldn't. The place was abandoned two years after I left, so its a ghost town now. Now let me finish." Eon stuck his hoof to his chin in thought, "Now where was I? Oh yeah! Well, a year after I was born, my parents died and I was left with my sister, Soul Flare. Soul was a pretty mare and being only 13 when our parents died, life was tough, But she worked hard and is now the Royal Bishop, serving directly under Princess Luna. Who, By the way, took me under her wing after she was transformed back from Nightmare Moon. I miss her so much... I wonder if she misses me..." He looked as if on the verge of tears.
"She does!" Eon turned his head to see big blue eyes staring back at him, which quickly went back to being lazy on the couch, "I mean... Of course she does..."
He ignored the sudden outburst so he could finish, "Well after moving from Colt Hill, she got a job and a nice apartment in Canterlot. And, when I turned 10, I was accepted into Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. After going there for about 2 and a half years, Luna decided to become my mentor as she saw potential in me. For three years, she trained me in Dream and Occult magics, which help me greatly now, seeing my profession as a Cult Leader."
She just stared at him in fear of being sacrificed, to which he giggled, "I'm kidding! I'm a ghost passer/ the closest thing this town has to a psychologist."
Blue let out a large breath which she didn't even know she was holding, "Oh thank Celestia! My whole view of you was crumbling and I wasn't going to be able to accept it!"
Eon eyed her carefully, "...What?"
"Nothing."
"So, Where did you grow up?"
"Oh... um... y'know..." She looked around the room as she gritted her teeth, trying to think, "I grew up in Canterlot... yeah, I know its odd for a Pegasus to grow up in the famous "Unicorn Capital" but as soon as I was old enough for flight school, my parents picked up and moved to Cloudsdale... and well, I lived there until about a week ago."
"That was a quick summary. The reason I moved to Ponyville was because I had no friends and Luna said I could learn a thing or two from Twilight." He was already pacing around the room. He didn't know why, but whenever he talked about his past, he paced. Constantly. "Why did you move to Ponyville?"
"To check up on- I mean... Well, I love plants and this just seemed to be the best place to study them." Blue was gritting her teeth again.
"Uh-huh.. hey, do you know what happened last night, most of its a blank."
She giggled and gave a wink before pursing her lips, "I remember all of it. You had a little fun with a certain somepony..."
"Who was it?" She giggled even more at his question, "Was it Caramel? Lucky Clover? Oh Celestia, It was Big Mac wasn't it? Applejack is gonna kill him!"
"None of them."
"Was it... a mare?" He cringed at the thought. Sure the mares were nice and were great friends, but he didn't want to do that with them.
~~The night before~~
"Hey Pinkie! This party is so great and the cake was delicious and its so fun and I feel dizzy and is the world spinning?!?!" Eon Spirit blabbered at near pinkie levels of hyperness. "I feel so confident that I could accomplish anything!"
Pinkie beamed as she jumped in place, careful not to bump into anypony. She had thrown Blue a "Welcome To Ponyville" party at the library, but the mare of honor was nowhere to be found. The library was filled with almost everypony that lived in Ponyville.
CRASH
The bubbly pink mare looked at a pile of books beside her, which a blue coated, blue and red maned pony's head stuck out, eyes derped.
"There you are, Blue! Where have you been?" Pinkie asked.
Blue shook her head and cleared her vision before responding, "Oh I just devoured 3 cakes! I feel soooo happy right now!"
Pinkie giggled before turning to look at Eon, who was being escorted to a bedroom by a black coated, light blue maned pegasus stallion. "Who's that with Eon?"
"Hey, that's Thunderlane! Why is he taking Eon into the Bedroom?" Rainbow Dash answered, appearing from nowhere and dashing toward the door the two colts went through. Pinkie and Blue watched as Rainbow peeked in and seeing her expression change from curious to giggly to D'AAAWWWW. She came back with a wicked smile clinging to her mouth.
"SOOOOOO, WHAT ARE THEY DOING?" Pinkie screamed in anticipation. Blue watched as Rainbow flew low and whispered into Pinkie's ear, her expressions changing from shock to D'AAAAWWW.
"What were they doing?" Blue flat out asked.
"Lets just say, Two flowers in Ponyville have blossomed." Rainbow said, in a "riddle me this" accent.
~~Back to Present~~
"I don't know him but, Rainbow said his name was Thunderlane." Blue looked at the stallion, awaiting some sort of panic attack but, was met with the exact opposite.
"Really? Thunderlane? Oh this is awesome! I never thought we would actually get together cause y'know, unicorns and pegasus couples are like a taboo and... I can't remember a single second!" He sat back down in shame, staring at the floor, "Well there goes that..."
"Oh don't worry, he gave Twilight his address which, surprisingly, is on the ground." She gave a playful nudge, "So, you said Applejack would kill you?"
"Oh don't worry, she isn't against us, just against taking advantage of mares, er.. stallions." Eon cracked up, "I was about to have a stroke. you almost gave me a stroke!"
Before Blue could even chuckle, Lyra burst through the door, panting. "Did you guys hear the news?"
On the castle's balcony, the two princesses watched as Luna's prized student boarded the train to Ponyville, on his way to learn the magic of friendship. Luna felt doubtful on agreeing with Celestia's decision to let Eon live with Twilight for awhile, and was about to fly down to the train station and stop him, but was halted by a reassuring hoof on her shoulder.
"Do not worry, dear sister. Young Eon will be fine and will gain many friends." Many of Luna's worries were erased as she looked at her sister's beaming smile, "I've already asked that Twilight be there to greet him from the train."
"I know but, will he fit in? He isn't the most normal pony, you know..."
"Neither was Twilight but, look at her now; Five wonderful friends and soon to be six, a great assistant, and even lives and works in a Library."
Luna nodded before turning to look back at the train station. The train was already off, set for a small town at the base of the mountain. "I want you to report at least once a week or any time you need something. Never will there be a need to hesitate." The lunar mare thought.
"Don't worry, Princess, I will." Eon thought back.
She smirked. Luna was glad she taught him telepathy.
~Present day~
Eon was running. He knew where he was headed, too. He needed to find Twilight, who was currently at the Carousel Boutique, helping Rarity.
"Luna? Please answer!"
He kept using the telepathy spell over and over but, there was no response. he tried one last time as the boutique came into view. "Please, Princess!"
~~~
"Spike, sweetie, could you bring me that ribbon?" The fabulous mare requested, which the small dragon happily obliged and trotted over to the ribbon. Twilight had just finished organizing her fabrics and gems, seeing as she almost had a heart attack at how disorganized everything was. "Thank you, dear. You have no idea how long I've needed the Boutique organized."
Twilight nodded, "Sure thing. Even if you hadn't asked me to do it, I would've anyway."
Rarity nodded as the door to the Boutique blew open in a flash. Standing in the doorway was Eon Spirit, tired and exhausted. "Twilight! We need to get to Canterlot, now!"
"Why? What happened?"
He tilted his head in confusion, "You haven't heard?Luna is missing!"
Eon pulled out a flyer and held it out for them, "WHAT?!?!" The mares gasped. Twilight floated the small flyer to her face and skimmed over it. Luna is missing! She thought before galloping toward the door. "Sorry Rarity, could you tell Spike that I'll be gone for awhile?"
"Sure thing, dear."
Eon and Twilight lifted their horns and crossed them, generating enough magic for a long distance teleportation. Twilight was glad there was another unicorn who was skilled in teleportation magic.
A bright flashed filled the room and faded as fast as it appeared, with the two unicorns gone. Rarity went back to work as Spike waddled into the room, holding a ribbon. "Where did Twilight go?"
"Her and Eon had a situation to attend to. Now gimme the ribbon, sweetie."
~~~~~~
In a flurry of pink and magenta light, the two unicorns faded into a beautiful garden. Roses and violets lined the gorgeous white walls and the sun's beautiful rays ignited the life around them.
"Ah Canterlot... its been awhile," Eon gulped, looking up to the grand castle towering above, "Hey, Twilight, how long has it been since you've been here?"
Twilight scratched her chin with her hoof, digging into her memories, "I think it was a month before you moved to Ponyville. I was helping with the Gala preparations." She furled her brow before continuing, "Now that I thank about it, where were you or Luna during the "Disaster Gala" as many called it?"
He giggled, "You mean the one that you and your friends destroyed?" He turned to see Twilight glaring at him, "Well, we were in the Royal Movie Room. We watched a bunch of movies like: Silent Ponyville, a horror film about a pink mare's trek through an abandoned town; and The God Squad, which was a comedy dedicated to the princesses and their many adventures."
By this time, they were already almost to the throne room, passing many guards and nobles. Twilight grinned at how sweet their relationship sounded, "It sounds like you two were close."
Eon smiled as a tear slid down his cheek, "Yeah well, I spent two and a half years with her... I saw her as a mother, considering I didn't see Soul as much as I used to." He stopped and wiped his cheek. As twilight looked, she could see the concern in his voice, "But I know that I'm just a student to her, nothing more."
"Don't say that! You two seem closer than me and Celestia, and she sees me as a great friend, not just her student!" She demanded, shaking Eon and making him snap out of his sadness.
"I'm sorry... lets go!" Eon shook his head as he opened the throne room door. Celestia sat on her throne but, she was different. Her normally long flowing mane, now rested upon her shoulder; Her usually regal and elegant pose was gone as she sat, slumped over her writing podium. The second she noticed the unicorns, she quickly wadded the paper and through it out.
"Celestia, whats happened?" Twilight asked, running up to the princess.
"Oh, Twilight... Eon... I was just... about to write..." The depressed princess slowly whimpered. "Luna has been gone for two... days..."
'Two days? She's been gone since Tuesday?' Twilight thought. 'The same day that Blue Rose moved to Ponyville...'
"Wait... Didn't she teach you teach you telepathy, Eon?" Celestia nearly shouted at the stallion in hopes of finding out where her sister is. But was disappointed.
"I'm sorry, Princess. I already tried that."
Twilight looked between the two ponies, confused, "Telepathy? You never taught me that."
"No, I didn't. To tell you the truth, even I'm not good with it. Seeing as how she was Eon's teacher for nearly three years and to not teach your student your favorite spell would be unwise." Celestia spoke. It seemed that conversing was giving her life as the tip of her mane was flowing again.
The purple mare looked over to Eon, who was rubbing the back of his neck, "If you could just talk to her whenever you wanted, why did you send friendship reports?"
"Because we wanted it to be more formal and...-
-And I wanted to look over his progress as well." Celestia interrupted.
"Celestia, do you think that Luna's disappearance has anything to do with the recent uprising of ghosts in Equestria?" Asked Eon who had solved at least four hauntings in the past two weeks.
"Possibly... All though I don't know where we can even begin to search for clues. Although-
"Princess! We have news from the west!" a large guard-pony informed as he trotted up to the throne. He pulled a scroll from his saddlebag and floated it to Celestia, who quickly read through it.
"Scratch that. I do have a location."
"Yes princess?"
"Gather your friends, Twilight. I'm sending you to a recently uncovered settlement."
Twilight thought of any place she could but, couldn't think of one, "What is this town and What happened that needs investigating?"
"A mysterious pony the size of an alicorn was spotted near there. This town vanished without a trace four years ago."
Eon gulped before retreating to thought, 'Wait a minute... oh no...'
'So this is Ponyville? Quaint.' Thought Eon Spirit as he exited the train. 'Although, after living in Canterlot for five years, it will take some time to get used to.' He eyed his surroundings slowly, trying to pinpoint exactly what he was supposed to do before his thoughts were interrupted.
"Hello! You must be Eon Spirit!" A kind voice echoed through his ears. He looked to his right to see a sweet looking mare trotting up to him, Her eccentric lavender coat was accented by the three darker shades of purple that her mane wore.
"Oh, hello. Um... who are you?" Eon asked, wondering who this mare was, "And how do you know my name?"
"Oh sorry, my name's Twilight Sparkle, and you're gonna be living with me for awhile. By the Princess's request, of course." She replied, shifting her left forehoof behind the right.
"Wait a minute... You're Celestia's personal student!" Eon declared loudly, attracting a few curious glares from passing ponies, "Celestia talks about you a lot."
"Well, that's nice and-Wait... how do you know she talks about me?"
Eon gave her a confused look, the first of many, "Didn't she tell you about me?"
"The only thing she informed me about was that you needed a lesson on the importance of friendship."
'So that's why Luna sent me here. I should have known this wasn't a vacation.' Eon thought before shaking his head and replying, "Well, first of all, I'm Luna's prized student."
"Luna's student? Well we already have something in common: we are both students of a princess! Tell me, what is your special talent?" She inquired. She seemed genuinely interested which made En feel a little happier.
"Well I excel in Spiritual and Time magic. But, in all honesty, I'm not that skilled in other forms of magic." He paused, thinking if he should tell her of his natural power. "My special talent is... communicating with the dead..."
"Dead? But ghosts don't exist."
"In the physical world, no. But in a different reality, yes. Sometimes, if a pony dies suddenly and unexpectedly, their souls can be left behind, although they have no presence on the physical plane." Eon explained. "And my innate power with occult magic is what got Luna interested in me."
"Occult magic? I don't think I've learned many spells in that category."
"Luna says that Celestia teaches cosmic magic, not occult. So I don't think you would." Eon ran a hoof through his mane, "And usually, Occult magic has horrible powers that could be used for evil, if in the wrong hands."
"Anyway, why don't we get you accustomed to the town. Shall we?" She gestured toward the town.
"We shall."
~~~~
"Ah here we go, our first stop." She paused as she motioned toward a gated fence which seemed to lead to a farm. "This is Sweet Apple Acres. My friend Applejack lives here and runs the farm with her brother Big Mac."
"Oh, I love apples, though there aren't many in Canterlot." Eon sighed. 'When I go back, I WILL learn that transfiguration spell.'
"Well howdy thar' Twilight."
Eon shifted his gaze from the orchard to see a golden mare with a blond mane and a cowboy hat. The mare looked from Twilight to the stallion and gave a small curtsy.
"Well, 'ah never seen you 'round here before." She looked back to Twilight, "You finally found yerself a coltfriend?"
"What? No!" Twilight squeaked as a cherry shade swept across her checks, "He's a student from Celestia's school."
"Is that so?" Applejack looked back to Eon, who was just staring into space. She waved a hoof in front of him to try and coax him out of his trance, "Hellooo?"
He jolted back to reality, "Sorry, I kinda weirded out when you implied we were together."
Twilight glared at the colt, "Is there something wrong with me?"
"What? I didn't say that."
"Then why's it weird?" Applejack interjected.
He rubbed the back of his neck, thinking if he should tell him his secret. It took him a couple months just to tell Luna and she was accepting. "I'm not... into mares. I'm a...."
"Oh, you're a coltcuddler. that explains you acting feminine." Twilight smirked. "And you being one will be great for research."
"Research?"
"So Twi, what can I getcha?" The farmpony interrupted, ignoring his question, "You need apples?"
"Huh? oh no, I was just showing Eon around and introducing him." Twilight answered before leaning close to whisper, "Celestia says he's a little socially awkward."
"Awh shucks, don't worry! I'll be yer friend!"
"What did you tell her?" The stallion grimaced as he looked between the two mares, "And what was that about research?"
"I just told her what Celestia told me."
"And that was?"
Twilight giggled, "She said you were socially awkward and didn't have many friends." She paused and winked, "Don't worry, I was just like you."
Eon blushed, "What? I'm not... socially... awkward..." He squealed, not looking either of them in the eye as they smirked at his embarrassment. "Shut up." He was about to continue before his eyes darted to another pony. A stallion with a scarlet coat and a sweaty blond mane. "Who's that?" He asked, mesmerized by the rather large earth pony.
"Oh that's Big Macintosh. Why don't you go start up a chat while me and Applejack talk." Twilight said as she turned to face Eon, who was already standing next to the stallion, at least 30 feet away. "That... is almost Pinkie level speed..."
"So sugarcube, what can 'ah do ya for?" the Apple mare asked, tilting her stetson hat.
Twilight's horn glowed as a scroll appeared in front of her and slowly unraveled itself to Applejack. She started to skim the calligraphy that graced the parchment, reveling the the Princess's handwriting:
Dear Twilight Sparkle
I request that you show a rather talented stallion around Ponyville. His name is Eon Spirit. He has a tendency to be socially awkward and shy, so he doesn't have any friends. To my knowledge, Me and Luna are the only ponies he talks to.
I would like you and your friends to show him the true magic of friendship. I also request that you provide a place to stay and, if you can, a job.
Your Friend and Mentor
Princess Celestia
"So, she wants us to be his friends? That 'ain't no problem!" Applejack laughed, looking over at the two stallions, who seemed to chatter away. Well, Eon did. "What do ya think thar talkin' about?"
Over in the orchard sat Eon as he intently watched Big Mac, who seemed to easily buck apples with no problem at all, "Wow, you are strong."
"Eeyup."
"You don't talk much, do you?"
"Nope."
Eon was quiet for a second before speaking up, which seemed to break the awkward silence, "That's kinda hot."
Big Mac craned his neck and looked at the purple stallion, whose face had a beaming grin plastered upon it. Big Mac couldn't help but smile back before sitting down and taking a break, "You're an odd one, aren't ya?"
Eon giggled as the thought of his flirts working entered his mind, "Eeyup!" He mocked.
The unicorn scooted closer before beginning again, "So, how did you grow so strong?"
"Working the plow and bucking does a lot to help in muscle..." Big Mac started, eyeing Eon's slim body, "...Which you need a lot of help in."
"Well, maybe sometime you could help me?" Big Mac smiled again. The unicorn started to paw at the ground as a blush grew on his face, "So is Applejack your sister?"
"Eeyup. And I have another, Applebloom, who's the sweetest little filly. Our granny also lives with us."
"So do you... y'know... have a special somepony?"
The big apple looked down and saw the cherry blush that graced Eon's cheeks, "Nope."
By this time, Twilight was right behind the tree and had been eavesdropping for the past five minutes, before she finally spoke up, "Okay, time to go!"
"Oh Celestia!" Eon was so surprised he had grasped onto Big Mac, who didn't seem uncomfortable, "Twilight! Don't scare me like that!"
"Its time to go."
"Fine. Can I come back tomorrow, Big Mac?"
"Sure." He muttered before getting up and dragging the barrel of apples away.
"Twilight."
"Yes?"
"You did that on purpose."
~~~~~~
"Here we are. Sugarcube Corner."
"This looks like a life size gingerbread house, Twilight."
Twilight cocked her head, "It kinda does."
"So, which of your friends lives here?" Eon asked, starting to think there is a witch that eats children in the building before him.
"Oh, you'll get along. greatly. She makes it her obligation to befriend everypony in Ponyville." Twilight paused as a fluffy pink mare bounced down the street, toward them. "That's her now."
She bounced happily, having no care in the world. well, until she got to the unicorns. "Oh my, Wow! Are you new here?"
"Yeah, I just moved from Canterlot- where'd she go?" Eon answered when he realized she had literally disappeared the second he closed his eyes.
"She seems... shaken." Twilight muttered after they decided to wait outside the room, while Celestia talked with several guards, "I don't think I've ever seen her this way."
Eon wiped his cheek and sniffed, "I know how she feels. Think of it this way; You spend every day for 3 years with your sister, who had returned after a thousand year banishment, only for her to seemingly disappear... it was also Luna's birthday two days ago."
"What?!" Twilight gasped. She didn't think they were actually born, but just popped into existence. "How does anypony even remember that?"
"Dunno." Eon groaned flatly before they saw the guards leave the room.
"We should go back in..."
"No... listen." Eon said, motioning for Twilight to put her ear to the door.
Eon's eyes widened as the unicorns listened to Celestia's song, something clicking in his head, "I know that song!"
Twilight bent her neck, staring at him in confusion, "It’s just a lullaby..." She paused, wiping her nose. "A really sad lullaby, but a lullaby nonetheless."
"Not just a lullaby... an incantation!" Twilight's confusion deepened as he began to explain. "Luna taught me all about incantations and enchantments. She said that this one, Lullaby of the Moon, is almost like a prayer. When Celestia sang it every year after Luna's banishment, it helped keep the "Nightmare", as they call it, from reaching her."
"Nightmare? You mean the thing that possessed her? But, she still came back as Nightmare Moon."
"That is because, after 800 years of saying it, she slowly forgot about it." Eon and Twilight were now sitting on cushions they had summoned as he explained the 'lullaby', "The incantation is actually a fail-safe, as it drains the speaker of most of their magical energy, and leaves them utterly exhausted."
"That explains why she seemed so tired and depressed." Twilight added in, "She must think that this ‘Nightmare’ is after Luna again."
"Well, Celestia already gave us the teleportation crystal, so let’s round up the others."
~~~~~~
"Are you girls ready?"
"Eeyup."
"Yes, darling."
"I'm SO ready for this new place that I SO haven't heard of!"
"I could be taking a nap right now..."
"Um... I'm ready... Eon..."
Eon looked at the group of mares around him, seeing: Applejack who seemed unnerved by the "recent" discovery of a long since abandoned town; Rarity, who looked at this as an opportunity to loot some gems; Pinkie Pie, who was creepily happy about going to a ghost town; Rainbow Dash, who was unamused and seemed rather bored. She never really liked ghosts anyway. Eon thought; And Fluttershy, who was absolutely terrified and Eon questioned why she was forced to come. But of course, Twilight needs the Elements of Harmony.
Twilight finally appeared, holding the crystal in a magical grip, "Let’s get going."
~~~~~~
"Now this is.... a little creepy..." Applejack muttered, walking down the street with Rarity, "Just like that time when yer spell backfired and caused everypony in town t' fall in love with each other."
"I've told you many times, I did that on purpose." Twilight coughed, attempting to change the subject, "This town seems... quiet." She looked at the several mares around her, all complete with exuberant and estranged looks clouding their faces. The purple mare looked back to Eon who was having a little trouble with being back in his birth place, and had a look of fear on his face. "Eon, come on."
"Hey Twilight, have you seen these buildings?" Rainbow Dash roared as she flew over to the two unicorns. "These don't look ten years old... they look hundreds of years old..."
"This is a settlement town, Dash." Eon paused; looking at Rainbow whose face currently wore a confused look, "Which means that it was one of the first towns in Equestria."
Twilight, who had just caught up after realizing Eon's expression quickly changed from fear to smart-ass, had just noticed that they were now sitting in town square, alone. "Hey, guys... Where did the others go?"
"PINKIE PIE! RARITY!" Eon screamed, hoping they were still within earshot.
"RAINBOW DASH, DO YOU SEE THEM?" Twilight screamed when she saw Rainbow hovering over several buildings.
"NO!"
"Well, we're bucked." Eon grunted, lying back on his haunches.
Twilight groaned, pacing around the square.
"We sure are. Not even here for five minutes and we've lost our friends." Rainbow muttered, flying down and sitting on her haunches next to Eon, "Literally."
"Now girls, calm-
"Ahem." Eon coughed, glaring daggers at Twilight.
"Sorry, I'm just used to being around mares in these situations." She apologized, not daring to look him in the eye. "As I was saying, Calm down. I have a spell that can pinpoint any nearby areas they have been."
"And why didn't you use it before?"
"If they were nearby enough, than it would be useless." Before the other two could ask why, a bright magenta flash erupted from her horn, blinding them. When the flash finally faded, an entire path of pink footsteps glowed, leading toward a previously ignored large tower.
"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..."