Give Up Your Ghost

Rarity wanders the forest in her desperate search for firewood, doing her best to steer clear from large clusters of thorny bushes, or just about any form of plant life as the feeling of filthy branches rubbing against her gives her chills. However, she finds herself sinking one of her hooves into a soft patch of mud. "Ugh! Ew-ew-ew-ew!" She whines as she wildly flares her hoof to rid it of the cold, disgusting muck. "That does it! Next time we go camping, I'll be sure to pack my galoshes." A breeze whisks by her face, and a twig snaps somewhere in the distance drawing her attention. She checks her surroundings, but doesn't see anything that could have caused the noise. She shrugs it off, as she knows just about anything could have caused it. Just as she's about to turn and continue her search elsewhere, she notices a set of hoofprints in the dirt that don't belong to her. Another twig snaps, and Rarity cautiously and curiously approaches the source of the sound whilst avoiding having to walk in the dirt. "Fluttershy? Is that you out there?" Rarity can feel something tickling her shoulder, and she dreadfully takes a glance to see a brown, hairy spider glaring directly back at her with it's eight, big eyes. Rarity shrieks, and blindly gallops into the forest. "Ah! Get it off; get it off; get it off!"

She trips over a root that's grown up out of the ground, landing with a thud. She groans as she lifts up her head, noticing the mess her mane has become. "Oooh, no! Now, there's dirt all in my mane!" Rarity cries. "How much worse can this night get?" Suddenly, a growl erupts from behind a mass of tall grass. Through the darkness, a pair of sickly green eyes open up and stare at Rarity with murderous intent. Rarity gulps, and her lip trembles as she is frozen solid in fear. The beast lurking behind the grass sticks one of it's legs through the blades, digging it's claws into the dirt. The rest of the creature emerges, revealing its mangy, pale skin, so oily that it glistens in the moonlight. Its pointed ears twitch, and appear to have been bitten by perhaps another creature it had gotten into a quarrel with. It snarls as it shows off its nasty, pointed teeth, and globs of saliva drip from its mouth. "O-Oh, dear. . ."

"Wow, that's pretty disgusting," says Eerie who's looking on from behind a bush. "If a little spider is enough to freak out this pony, she just might have this in the bag."

The creature roars, and Rarity scrambles to her hooves in a panic. "Ah! This is horrible!" Rarity shouts.

"No way! Did she actually. . ?"

"You poor thing! You look terribly sick!" Rarity pats the beast on the top of its head, as it looks on in confusion. "It's a good thing Twilight reassured me the glowing eyes in the dark was just Opal. Otherwise, I would've ran for the hills at the sight of you! But you're just a poor, ill creature! Not to worry, I know just the pony who can help you. Just wait here." Rarity smiles as she reassures the beast, then turns to retreat back further into the woods. "Fluttershy! Where are you, darling?!"

The beast takes a seat in the dirt, and transforms back into Twilight as she hangs her head low in sorrow. Eerie jumps out from the bush he was hiding behind, and walks up to Twilight bursting with laughter. "I don't believe it! I was starting to think you had that one, but looks I should've known better! I mean hay, that little spider did a better job at scaring her, and it wasn't even trying!" Eerie laughs, but it starts to dissipate as he notices Twilight isn't reacting. "Hey, aren't ya gonna tell me to shut up or something? What's your deal?"

"I don't understand," Twilight mutters. "I . . . I thought for sure it was going to work."

Eerie's eyes awkwardly dart around the forest as he uncomfortably tugs at his collar. "Well, you were close. I'd give that a solid nine outta ten!" He congratulates as he pulls out a white card from his suit with a big, red nine plastered on it. Twilight looks up at him, then back down to the ground without a single sign of anger or irritation. The card combusts into a flame, then into a pile of ashes in Eerie's hoof. "Hey, what's your problem? Are ya gonna be a sad sack from here on out?" Twilight only sighs in response. "Come on, aren't you gonna bark at me some more? Where'd all that confidence go?" Twilight stands, and Eerie is baffled by her depressed expression.

"I only have one chance left, and I need some time to plan it out. If I fail, then . . . I guess you win." Twilight walks passed Eerie, looking for a place far away to collect her thoughts.

"Yeah, well . . . don't forget, you've only got 'til--!"

"Sunrise. I know."

"R-Right! So don't waste all your time sulking! I'll be here waiting, and if you don't show up in time, game's over!" Twilight disappears into the woods, leaving Eerie in an annoyed state. "Ain't no point in giving up now! Ya almost had it. . ! Ahh, what do I care?" Eerie turns, and paces in a circle as he waits. Twilight finds herself a nice open space, then crumbles to the ground. She buries her head beneath her hooves, sobbing from defeat.

"W-What am I going to do?"

"You're not going to quit, that's what." Twilight lifts up her head, and finds herself back in Princess Luna's throne room with Luna looking down at her, concerned, but with a smile.

Twilight springs up, "Princess Luna! Did you find anything in the contract?!"

"Well . . . I've read it through from top to bottom, and I've found nothing that condones what he's done tonight. He's thought this all through very carefully. The only way I could fix this is if I wrote out an entirely new contract, and obtained his signature, but I don't foresee him voluntarily signing any time soon. Not to mention there just isn't enough time for me to rewrite the contract."

What little glimmer of hope Twilight has grasped onto, has slipped from her hooves just as quickly. "That's it then. I've lost."

"What do you mean? Last I checked you still have one more chance."

"It doesn't matter, I never had a chance at winning. I understand everything now. Why he chose me, and why he set up this whole charade of having me try and scare my friends. He knew I wouldn't be able to succeed, and it's all because I undid my friends' fears with my explanations. No matter what, I'm going to lose, and he's only playing this game to entertain himself. Fluttershy's the last chance I have, and I'm sure Eerie isn't worried at all."

"Twilight, just because things appear bleak doesn't mean they have to be. There is a way out of every situation, you just have to be willing not to give up in order to find it. Eerie D'Leery has thought his plan through very well, that much credit I can give, but he's still got one weakness I've noticed over the years."

"Oh, really?" Twilight sniffles. "W-What's that?"

"Being one of the only ghosts in the spirit world, he's developed quite the ego, wouldn't you say?"

Twilight snickers, "Well, that's obvious."

"Believe me when I say that just because that's who he appears to be on the outside, doesn't necessarily mean that's who he is on the inside. So, listen closely, because I've got a few ideas for you to turn this game around." Twilight's eyes light up as Luna leans in closer to whisper in her ear. As Luna feeds her her thoughts, Twilight can feel any stress and self-doubt wash away.

Back in the forest, Eerie impatiently continues pacing the ground, grumbling to himself, "What's taking her so long? She needs to speed this up, so I can claim my prize! Then, I'll congratulate myself on a job well-done! Ain't that right, Little D'Leery?" Eerie whips out a hoof-puppet of himself, listening for a response. "What do you mean? I'm not hiding anything!" He looks to his puppet again, as it looks back with its dead, googly eyes without a response. "Bah, you're talking a bunch of nonsense! Since when did you become a counselor?!" Eerie shakes the puppet a bit, and the googly eyes jiggle ever so slightly. "Do you kiss your Mother with that mouth?! No, you calm down! You think I got problems? Well, yeah, and you're one of 'em!" Eerie strangles the puppet with both his hooves, violently shaking it around as it crazily wiggles in the air.

"Eerie D'Leery!" Twilight stomps, holding her head up high.

"I was not strangling my puppet!" Eerie proclaims, hiding his puppet behind his back.

"Umm, sure--but I'm ready for my final challenge!"

"Well, it's about time! Say, why are you all confident again all of a sudden? Am I being punked?!"

"Not at all; let's do this." Eerie is mystified by Twilight's shift in tone, and although he's more than happy to get things rolling again, he can't shake this uneasy feeling.

Rarity hurriedly guides Fluttershy through the woods, describing everything that she saw in a panicked breath. "You had to see it, Fluttershy! This poor dog . . . cat . . . creature was just wandering about, and its skin was so sickly pale!"

"Oh, my!" says Fluttershy. I hope it isn't as bad as you're saying. If it is, I might have to bring him back to my cottage to nurse him back to health." They both arrive at the location where Rarity had encountered the beast, but the creature is nowhere to be found.

"This is the spot!"

"Hmm," Fluttershy investigates the area, checking behind the grass searching for any signs of the beast. "Umm, Rarity?"

"What is it? Is it back there?!"

"No. Actually, there's nothing here at all."

"Then it must've moved on to someplace else!"

"But Rarity, I'm not even seeing any pawprints."

"What do you mean? I saw it dig its claws into the dirt right--!" Rarity points and looks to the spot where the beast dug its claws, but finds it to be undisturbed. "--there. . ."

"I'm sorry, Rarity, but I'm not seeing any hair either. Cats and dogs that are under a lot of stress or are ill usually shed fair amounts of hair. Now, I'm not saying you didn't see anything--"

"It was right there!" Rarity shouts hysterically, rattling Fluttershy's ear drums. "It was drooling and mewling!"

"I believe you, and we'll keep looking. I just think it's weird that it didn't leave any evidence behind, not even a scent. Maybe we should get the others to help us look?"

"Good idea! We should all regroup. Funny, it's been a while since we last saw Twilight. I hope she hasn't gotten lost. Or worse! What if she's being chased some horrible monstrosity, or even a . . . a ghost! She'll ruin the manicure I gave her earlier this morning!"

"You . . . you really think there could be a ghost out here?" Fluttershy tenses up at the very thought of the possibility.

"Maybe not just one, but two! Can you imagine two ghosts running amok in these woods?!"

"I . . . I don't want to."

"Oh, it would be dreadful! Thank goodness for Twilight. If it wasn't for her, I'd be trembling at the thought of being chased by ghosts in the middle of the woods--all alone--at night!"

"W-W-W-Well, it's a g-g-good thing we're not alone."

"That's right! We always have each other."

"As long as the three of us stick together--"

"Wait, wait, wait. What do you mean three?"

"Well, there's you, me, and Mister Spider."

"M-Mister. . ." Rarity looks down, and is greeted by what appears to be the exact same spider resting atop her shoulder. "SPIDER!" Rarity jumps and gallops blindly into the woods, screaming at the top of her lungs. Fluttershy watches as Rarity vanishes, and listens as her screams diminish until only the chirping of crickets remain. "R-Rarity?"

Fluttershy creeps through the woods, afraid that even the slightest sound will alert something lurking within the forest. However, she can't shake the feeling that something already knows where she is, and is just waiting for the right opportunity to pounce. Twilight, who's following closely behind Fluttershy, is mentally preparing herself with a long sigh to help ease her nerves. "Well, here goes nothing!" says Twilight. Eerie watches from afar, still a tad baffled by Twilight's behavior, but not at all worried. Twilight stands up onto her hind legs, and spreads a pair of large bat-like wings that grow from her back. The gentle, violet shade of her irises change to a crimson red, and her eyes become crazed. Two long canine teeth pop out from her mouth, and she lets out a loud hiss. The shadow looms over Fluttershy, freezing her in place.

"W-What is that?" Fluttershy nervously mutters. Out from a patch of grass, a brown snake slithers out, and crosses Fluttershy's path. "If that was the sound, then what is . . . no, no, no." Fluttershy shuts her eyes tightly, trying her best to compose herself. "It's just my shadow; it's just my shadow." The relentless trembling in her legs stops; she looks over her shoulder, and gasps. A smile spreads across her face as she finds nothing standing behind her. Happy and brimming with confidence, Fluttershy scampers off into the woods to rejoin with Rarity.

"Oh, no! I think that means I've lost!" Twilight over-dramatically shouts.

"Umm, yeah," says Eerie, approaching Twilight. "I guess ya did."

"I'm so devastated! Now, I'll be a ghost forever!"

"That's . . . right. You know, this ain't really playing out like how I imagined."

"Oh, this is horrible!" Twilight crumbles to her knees. "Whatever shall I do?!"

"Alright, you're starting to weird me out, and that's saying something."

"Please, Mister D'Leery, give me one more chance!"

"One more chance? There ain't nopony left for you to scare, sweetheart!"

"Wrong. There's you."

"ME?!" Eerie bursts into an uncontrollable laughter, as Twilight looks on with a smug grin on her face. "You? Scare me? Oh, you really are too much! Listen kid, I haven't been scared of anything for centuries. You'd just be wasting your time."

"So, since you're not at all worried, do we have a deal?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure. I'll humor you." Eerie nonchalantly closes his eyes and casually crosses his legs. "Give it your best shot, kid."

"EERIE D'LEERY!" an ominous voice roars, echoing throughout the forest sending a jolt through Eerie's body. Dark clouds gather above Eerie's head; thunder crashes and lighting streaks across the sky. The clouds part slightly, allowing a ray of moonlight to shine through, along with the silhouette of an all too familiar figure. Princess Luna flutters down to the ground, glaring furiously into Eerie's fearful eyes.

"P-Princess Luna? B-Boss! What in the name of your sister are you doing here?" Eerie nervously chuckles.

"Did you not think I would catch on to your scheme? I knew you were up to no good, but this is beyond unacceptable!"

"Well, I'd hate to break it to ya, Princess, but there ain't nothin' wrong with what I've done. I've had plenty of time to read through that contract a hundred times over, a pretty boring read if you ask me, but nowhere does it say I can't take another pony's spirit without their permission. She's the one who gave up her ghost, and I'm just reaping the benefits."

"And yet, after a hundred times, you still didn't read carefully enough."

"Beg your pardon?"

Princess Luna uses her magic to poof the contract into existence, and allows the scroll to droop and open up along the ground. "Section four, article C," says Luna. Eerie pulls out a magnifying glass from his suit pocket, one so large that there's no possible way it could have ever fit in his pocket. He hovers it over the article, and reads aloud the text.

"I, Eerie D'Leery, will also never--under any circumstances--trick slash convince any pony, griffin, yak, dragon etcetera into relinquishing their own spirit. Otherwise, it will be in violation of the contract--now wait a minute!" Eerie tosses away the magnifying glass, flabbergasted by the words that had just left his mouth. "That's impossible! I would have remembered seein' something like that! This can't be the same contract!"

Luna levitates the contract, showing him the bottom section with the dotted line where his signature would be. Surely enough, Eerie sees his very own writing scribbled across the line the exact same way he wrote it all those years ago. "That is your signature, is it not?" Luna asks.

Eerie backs away, as a feeling of dread washes over him, "I-I don't understand. This can't be happening!"

"And since you've violated your contract," the scroll then ignites, and turns to ash. "You must be prepared to face the consequences."

"Oh, come on, boss! This was just a little practical joke is all! I wasn't 'really' gonna keep her captive, I mean come on! What kind of ghost do ya take me for?"

"Soon, there won't be an ounce of fear for you to feed off of, and you'll become nothing more than a bad memory!"

"W-What?! No, please, don't do this!" Eerie falls to his knees, groveling at Luna's hooves. "I messed up, I'll admit it! I shouldn't have done it! I'll send her back right now, and this won't ever happen again!"

"I've had enough of your games, Eerie. This all ends now."

"Please, what do ya want me to do?! Beg? Alright, I'm beggin'! Just give me another chance!"

"Before I erase you from Equestria, tell me, do you feel scared, Eerie?"

"Am I scared?! Yeah, I'm scared! What else am I supposed to feel, huh?!" Princess Luna grins, then chuckles. "Hey! What's so funny?" Her chuckles turn to an uproarious laughter, disturbing Eerie even more so.

"Then it looks like I've won." The storm clouds disperse, and Luna shrinks down to the size of an average pony, transforming back into Twilight. Eerie's eyes widen as he checks nearby where Twilight was once standing, but finds that she of course isn't there any longer.

"H-How did--? Y-You just--! No! This ain't how this ends!"

Eerie stomps his hoof onto the ground, creating a series of cracks and crevasses that spit out roaring flames. The moon turns from pure white to blood-red, and as the forest is now washed over with crimson moonlight, Twilight stands her ground. "You think you've won?!" Eerie's voice distorts, and echoes throughout the forest. "You haven't!" Eerie's body elongates, and a long, colorfully-striped, forked tongue slithers out from his mouth as he shows off his jagged teeth. "You're in my world! Where I make the rules!" Another set of legs grow from Eerie's sides, and he approaches Twilight like an insect. Roots break out from the ground near Twilight, and wrap themselves around her hooves. A new pair of eyes open up in the center of Eerie's forehead, and he stares intensely at Twilight who still is unalarmed by this series of events. "You're the one that's afraid! Not me! And you're going to be trapped here forever no matter what you do!"

"Sorry, Eerie, but I'm not afraid," says Twilight. Eerie sucks back in his tongue, stunned by her calm nature. "You're the one who's really afraid. You feast off of other ponies fear, and not only could you not get any of it from my friends, you'll never get any out of me." Eerie's body shrinks, and his newly formed limbs and eyes retract. "But I don't think you're evil, you're not even close." The moon returns back to it's natural, heavenly glow, and the roots release Twilight's hooves. "You think you only wanted me to work for you, become your servant to help spread your reign of terror, but that's not really it, is it?" Twilight steps toward Eerie, who has returned back to normal size, and is clearly agitated. "You taught me your ways; you encouraged me when I was down. Deep inside, you wanted to see me succeed. You won't admit it, but after being alone for all these years, you just needed a friend."

"Nooooo, shut up, shut up, shut up! Please, save the friendship spiel for somepony else, huh? Sheesh, at this point, keeping you here would be more of a punishment for me!"

"Eerie, just set aside the ego for a minute. I can help you. We all can."

"No, thanks. I know what I am; I know what I want, and I don't want no friend, got it? Look, we made a deal, and you beat me. Woo--yay--we're all impressed. Now, get out of my sight." Eerie then raises his left hoof. "I, Eerie D'Leery, hereby give you, Twilight Sparkle, back your ghost." The glowing tether clamped around Twilight's hoof appears, and she feels it starting to pull. "Can you make me one more promise? Don't ever call me your friend." The tether forcefully yanks onto Twilight's leg, bringing her to the ground and dragging her across the forest floor. Eerie watches her scream and yelp as she vanishes behind all the flora, and he notices a thick fog rolling in to surround him. "Oh boy, here we go again." The fog whirls around him, consumes him, and he disappears from the forest.