Knock knock.
"I am coming, don't you worry." Zeccora said, opening the door to find princess Luna standing outside her door.
"Princess Luna, you look like you've eaten bad curry."
"I have for you a job, Zeccora, but first, read this." She said, sticking a scroll in Zeccora's face. "Out loud."
"For many years I've had this curse, and I thought it could not be reversed. But now a chance to free my voice, my mind now has a choice." A glow surrounded Zeccora, and she felt something weighing her down dissapear. "Thank you Luna! Thank you so much!"
"You are very welcome. As for why I'm here, follow me." Luna gestured to the door.
As Zeccora exited her home she stared at the sight in front of her. It was a caged alicorn stallion, who acted like he was a puppy.
Luna sighed, "This is Rising Moon. You see, as you can tell from his pony skull cutie mark, he is the controller of the spirits of dead ponies. But, it appears he has gotten himself possesed. By a dog."
Zeccora giggled, "Well, this is not what I'm used to but I'm sure I can whip something up.
As the male alicorn heard her speak he turned towards her and his wings went *pomf*. And Luna started laughing hysterically, with Rising sitting there confused. "Arf!"
Zeccora pushed the alicorn inside, blushing all the while.
As soon as Zeccora was inside, she pushed the door close and put the cage near the back, tieing a cloth to his back to cover his wings so no visiting guests would get suspicious. "This is going to be terrible."
TOMORROW MORNING.................
"YOU CAN NOT STOP ME RISING. I WILL DO WHAT NIGHTMARE COULD NOT. I watch from the edges of your mind. I haunt your dreams, cloud your judgement. I will bring an end to Equestria, and you can not stop me!" Haunting Spirit yelled to a chained up Rising Moon.
"NOOOOOOOO!!" Rising gasped as he woke. Well, as much as you can wake trapped inside your own mind. He watched as.... Zeccora was it, right, put together a potion to fix him with.
He had been having the same nightmare for weeks, the same terror as he woke. He knew he had to keep calm, to make sure he wouldn't go crazy like Luna once had.
Zeccora poured some of her potion into a bowl with lettuce and carrots in it. She gave to Rising Moon and he ate it cautiosly. His eyes suddenly glowed white. When the light faded the stallion stood up.
He said in the most laid back voice ever, "I'm the prince of spirits, god of death, blah blah. Bye. I have to go mortify my sister."
Zeccora suddenly heard herself yell, "Wait! Don't go! Ummm...... I still need to make sure your completely healthy! Yeah!"
"Well I guess I can wait to mortify my sister." Rising Moon said, secretly happy he could stay though not sure why. "I guess I should explain my cutie mark and stuff cause your probably curious. First off, do you know the story of Haunted Spirit?"
"No. Why?"
"Well, you see, I am actually much younger than my sisters. Much younger. Because I was not born an alicorn," He waited for her gasp which never came before continuing. "I was born a unicorn. You see, before I was born, my family had....... issues. My mother soon married a new stallion named Glass Cannon. He was an expert at firing magic lasers. When one of my dad's lasers hit a glass door it rebounded straight back at him. When he died, I saw his spirit and he talked to me. I then tried doing something, anything, and before I knew it, I got my cutie mark. I had sent him to heaven. You can also tell why I'm called Rising Moon," he said, glancing at his black coat and white mane and tail. "That's when I got my wings and became an alicorn."
"But if you are an artificial alicorn, how have you survived this long?" Zeccora questioned.
Rising looked away. "That's why I stopped talking. I guess I can trust you, so.... A while after I came across a package outside of the family castle. I was, at the time, older than my sisters education wise. When I looked in there was a crystal inside. When i touched it..... I turned into a ghost, keeping the same age for years. I grew angry and bitter. That turned me into the form of hatred that is Haunting Spirit. Once Luna had grown old enough and found her powers she found me. I was able to finally send spirits to their destinations once more." He shuddered.
Noticing Zeccora asked him "What is so scary about that?"
"You don't understand." He said shaking his head. "You can see how they died. You hear their moaning and wish to help them but can only do nothing. It changes a stallion."
Zeccora suddenly noticed little details, like the bags under his eyes, as if he barely slept, and the way his hooves shook at any moan from the wind, as if he heard ponies moaning. Zeccora put her hoof on his shoulder, comforting him.
Rising Moon took a shaky breath. "I am sorry, but I have to get back to the castle." He walked out the door, mumbling to himself about nightmares.
Zeccora watched him go, frowning at herself. 'I shouldn't have asked him that.' she thought to herself.
AT THE CASTLE......
"Brother?" Luna asked quietly as Rising walked in, head down, wings drooping.
He ignored her.
"I'm sorry for distracting you and for laughing at you." She apoligized.
He looked at her, and their was a deep sorrow in his eyes. "It is not you sister, though thank you. I will speak with you in the morning."
Luna detected a hint of a warning in his voice, and suddenly he seemed to have two shadows. She decided not to speak much more. When too emotional she knew the capabilities of her brother. He walked off leaving one thought on Luna's mind. 'My sister needs to know about this. She walked to her sister's room and knocked.
"Sister, I have news." Luna said.
"Can it wait? I'm busy reading a book." Celestia replied, annoyed.
"It concerns our brother's....... mental state." At that the door swung open to reveal a worried Celestia.
"What do you mean?" The sun princess worried.
Luna glanced up at her and uttered, "He has two shadows."
Rising felt the usual swarm of pain, suffering, and sadness as he moved the next spirit through the portal on the left. "You could stop this you know, you could let me take control, and never feel the pain of loss as you guide these spirits." Haunting murmured in his ear.
"No. I know you Haunting. You would simply turn all threats into ghosts and rule Equestria under an iron hoof." Rising Moon replied as he felt the calmness of moving a spirit through the portal on the right.
"I would never....... Whatever your choice, I will be waiting. Do not expect a pleasant dream tonight." Haunting whispered before retreating back into the depths of Rising's psyche.
"I never do....."
Celestia and Luna huddled in their hiding spot behind Rising's door. "You know what to do sister." Celestia muttered.
"Yes, but it pains me to invade my brother's mind." Luna replied miserably. "But I will if it means we can help him.
THAT NIGHT...........................
Luna let herself drift into unconciousness and searched through the many doors of the dream world. Luna searched for a door that told her it was her brother. When she found the door, though, she was terrified to see chains locking the door and screams echoing from inside. She cautiously opened the door with her magic and peered inside. It was pitch black with only a single light source off in the distance. She ran towards it, cloaking herself in shadow so she could watch the dream.
Suddenly she heard a deep voice similar to her brother's, yet full of menace. "This will be your fate, Rising Moon, forever trapped in MY mind, when I finally take over. You can do nothing but watch as all your loved ones dissapear forever."
Luna finally found the mysterious voice and nearly screamed. First, it showed the castle, but in ruins, the walls crumbled and aflame. Second she saw a shadowy version of her brother, with a translucent body. And finally she saw the worst thing. Rising, Celestia, and herself chained together, both her and her sister dead, with their ghosts standing nearby. Luna couldn't stand it, she threw off her shadow cloak and started charging her horn.
"Sister don't it-" Rising yelled.
She let go, hitting the ghostly form of her brother in the chest. When she looked up she saw him draw towards her, no injuries to be seen.
"Why, hello. You must be Princess Luna. Honestly you were much better in your nightmare form. I am Haunting Spirit." he said. "It's great your here, actually. I can show dear Rising here what will happens when you mess with my plans." A pure black glow appeared on Haunting's horn, him charging a spell.
He let the spell loose, yet before it could even move an inch Luna had dissappeared, waking up.
AWAKE..................
Luna gasped and ran towards her sister's room, hooves shaking, tears streaming down her face. She knocked rapidly on the door and Celestia opened it to see her sister shaking in fear, tears covering her face.
"LUNA! Calm down and tell me what happened." Celestia said, drawing her into a hug.
It took 10 minutes before she calmed down, and she told her sister everything. Celestia trembled many times during the story before it was over. "This....... is..... bad......" Celestia said slowly, calming herself. "What do we do?"
They heard the door open and there stood Rising, hooves trembling. "We can do nothing."
