Of Friendship & Shadow Games

Canterlot High School was no stranger to music. A majority of the student body shows a great appreciation for the art if not outright talent. There was rarely ever a time that the school's music room wasn't occupied by one student band or another, honing their skills and perfecting the melodies of their young hearts.

At this particular Thursday afternoon, the music room was occupied by what was arguably the school's most popular and well-liked band; The Rainbooms.

They were in the middle of playing one of the bands' favourite songs: Better than ever. Together the seven girls all worked in perfect sync, both their instruments and voices working expertly to create a beautiful and catchy piece of music. As a result, they had all ponied-up and each of them was currently sporting long, mane-like hair and a tail along with a cute pair of pony ears. This being with the exception of Twilight, who didn't really mind not being affected by the magic for reasons she kept to herself.

Twilight Sparkle had at first been hesitant about joining the band, as she herself had never had any real music experience. However, after much encouraging from her friends and even a mini-audition of sorts she had joined the band as a singer and actually found herself enjoying it quite a lot.

The Rainbooms even had their own little audience, consisting of a single certain white-haired boy. Yes, Ryou Bakura had been released from the hospital just about two days earlier and had been able to at last join his friends back in school without any real complications. Of course, his left hand was still bandaged but it was healing nicely and proved to not be a hinderance to his daily activities.

It was just another piece of evidence of just how much the boy's life had improved because of his move to the city, the simple fact that he had actually longed to return for another day of academics just so he could hang out with his friends. Ryou still remembered how the moment he had stepped through the halls his vision had been bombarded with confetti and a very big and delicious-looking cupcake, compliments of Pinkie Pie who had wanted to celebrate his return.

Returning to school had actually been quite fun for the boy, espescially when it came to moments like this between classes where he could just enjoy his friends' company, something he had been craving all those lonely days at the hospital. This was actually the first time he was hearing the Rainbooms performing. After hearing of how passionate his friends were about their music, he was happy to say that he wasn't disappointed.

Ryou himself was leaning against the piano, bopping his head and tapping his foot to the beat. The boy was smiling widely, a certain glint of almost child-like wonder in his brown eyes as he watched them play, his eyes going over the girl's transformation.

Eventually, as all good things do, the song came to an expertly handled finish,

🎵We're better than ever🎵
🎵Wah-oh, oh-wah-oh🎵
🎵Oh yeah🎵
🎵We're better than ever!🎵

"Bravo!" Ryou cheered, applauding lightly as he approached them, watching with sparkling eyes as the pony features simply faded away after the song, leaving no trace behind whatsoever, "You girls were great! I can see why you're conscidered to be the school's best band."

While the other girls accepted his compliment with silent and humble nods and smiled, Rainbow Dash scoffed good-naturedly, pointing a thumb at herself, "Well, duh! We're awesome!"

"Way to be humble there, Dash." Applejack snickered, punching her friend lightly on the shoulder while the others just rolled their eyes.

The athletic girl shrugged with a smirk, "Hey, it ain't my fault that we got our very own fanboy hangin' around now."

Said boy looked very offended, "Hey~! I like your music a lot but Ryou Bakura is no one's fanboy!"

Twilight let out a hurt gasp, "Not even of Tolkien!?"

There was a pause, "... Alright, Ryou Bakura is no one's but Tolkien's fanboy!"

Rarity was tittering into her hand, "Forgive us, darling, but it's difficult to interprit it in another way given how you look like a child at Disneyland everytime we pony-up." The smirks and knowing looks the other girls sent him told him they all thought the same.

Ryou blushed before he shook his head with a laugh, that same stupid yet endearing smile on his face as he thought over the whole concept, "Come on. I'm still in the process of taking all of this in, you know." he said, somewhat defensively. Not really knowing any other way to illustrate his point, he gestured towards them all, "Just thinking that I'm standing in the presence of magical horse girls... That's going to take some getting used to."

The seven members of the Rainbooms simply observed the curiosity and awe of the boy with knowing smiles, all of them having grown used to this sort of behaviour ever since Ryou had first found out about them and their dealings with equestrian magic.

Indeed, shortly after Ryou had been released from the hospital and been able to return to school, the Rainbooms had all decided amongst themselves that it had been high time to tell the boy of their school's, and by extension their more mystical and wondurous history. The girls had sat Ryou down and told him everything, about Equestria and how Sunset was originally from there, Princess Twilight, the Fall Formal, the Battle of the Bands and, of course, the Friendship Games.

Ryou had admitadly thought it was part of some elaborate joke at first. A colourful parallel universe inhabited by pastel ponies which one of his friends was apparently from and magic had been leaking out of it into their world? It all sounded rather insane. But after being shown footage, feeling it his heart that his friends were telling the truth and the fact that it would explain why the spirit of the ring had been so interested in the girls, he had accepted it.

He had then become a bouncing ball of wonder every time he saw the magic in action, such as when he was allowed in to watch the Rainbooms practise their singing. After having his limited exposure to the mystic arts being mostly negative, seeing such vibrant and rainbow-coloured powers was a very welcome breath of fresh air. The Rainbooms themselves weren't bothered, instead they found the boy's child-like wonder to be rather endearing. Pinkie Pie had even let him scratch one of her pony ears, and judging from how she had reacted and the various noises she had made it had apparently been a very pleasurable experience for her.

Ryou had refused to touch another pony ear since. Everytime Pinkie asked him to do it he would just blush and try to find an excuse to be literally anywhere else.

But of course, with talks of Equestrian magic and the events relating to it had of course lead to a rather sore spot for one Sunset Shimmer, that being her past as CHS' tyranical overlord. In retrospect Sunset felt all sorts of stupid for doubting the kind boy whom she had so quickly come to conscider to be one of her closest friends. But the fact was that the interdimensional girl had feared how Ryou would react to the sort of person she once was, what she had attempted to do back when she had let her own ambition and arrogance run her life.

Imagine her surprise once Ryou had simply told her with a smile that he didn't judge her for her past, that he only cared about the person she was in the present. In fact, he had told her without a trace of a lie of how Sunset had proved to be one of the best people he had ever known. Ryou himself had then shortly thereafter found himself wrapped in a tight and appreciative hug by the interdimensional girl, who could only whisper a very choked out yet very genuine, "Thank you."

Going back to the present, Twilight concurred with Ryou's statement, "I know what you mean." she said from beside him, a similar smile on her face while the fires of her inquisitiveness burned brightly behind her spectacles, "My mind was basically on cloud nine when I first found out."

"She ain't kiddin'!" Applejack laughed, smirking at Twilight as she nudged her playfully, "We all had to fend off this crazy gal with a stick for a week the way she were houndin' us for testin' an' all dat junk like some sort o' mad scientist."

Twilight blushed, stuttering "I-I was just curious and wanted to know more! You can't blame me for that after having my entire understanding of the universe flipped upside down!"

Rainbow Dash raised a single brow at her, crossing her arms and saying in the most deadpanning of tones, "Dude, you tried to cut off a lock of my hair while I was sleeping. That's just creepy and you know it."

"It was for science! And you deserve it for falling asleep during one of mr Doofenshmirtz's lectures!" Twilight defended herself, causing the others to laugh and the bespestacled girl to pout. But as she was not one to hold a grudge, Twilight quickly found herself joining in on the laughter.

Once the snickering had died down, Ryou was still finding himself smiling in absolute wonder. He put his hand to his forehead while all sorts of thoughts were surging through his mind. Thoughts of other dimensions, ponies and magic, not to mention regarding his own friends and their ability to freaking grow equine features when they play music! "I still have SO many questions."

Sunset gave the boy an understanding smile whilst she put down her guitar, "If you're trying to really understand it: Don't. Trust me, I've tried." she smirked slightly, remembering the numerous disasters of experiments she had conducted shortly after the Battle of the Bands, most of them usually ending with rainbows exploding in her face, "Magic in this world really is nothing short of unpredictable. Trying to understand exactly how it works is the very definition of a suicide mission."

Ryou blinked, "So... You're basically telling me that I just have to shut up and accept it?"

Sunset shrugged unapologetically, "Pretty much."

The boy pouted slightly at the answer, grumbling, "I hate soft magic systems..."

While the other girls simply found this attitude to be rather endearing, Sunset walked across the room and placed a hand on the boy's head, patting it almost condescendingly, "I feel your pain, little buddy."

Ryou was not amused, looking at her with half-lidded eyes "Sunset, you're only three inches taller than me and you are the only one here taller than me. Stop acting like I'm a midget."

Sunset just grinned at him, giving his fluffy hair a playful ruffle, "Try and make me, shortstack."

While Ryou simply continued to mildly glare at her, the other girls had found the whole scenario rather amusing, as they had done the other few times this issue had been brought up.

Applejack groaned, though there was no real heat in her tone, nor could she fight the smile off her face as she admonished her friend, "Oh, grow up, Sunset!"

Sunset just shrugged, keeping her hand on the boy's head, "I think Ryou's the one who needs to grow up." while their friends tried desperatly to hold back their laughter, Sunset turned to Ryou with a teasing smirk, "Get it? It's funny 'cause you're short."

The boy let out a huff, crossing his arms and turning his nose up in the air, much to the amusement of the others. The girls had now fallen into a fit of giggles, Sunset included, not even attempting to hide their mirth any longer. However, instead of being cross with his friends for the teasing, Ryou knew that there was no real heat or malice behind it and therefore shortly joined his friends in a good laugh.

This was exactly the sort of thing that both Ryou and the girls had come to appreciate all the more after their victory against the spirit of the ring. For there was now a new air of levity and companionship between them that, depsite the good times they've had before, had only been able to truly blossom after the Monster World-ordeal. At this point there was no real secrets between them, no need from either Ryou nor the Rainbooms to actively hide great parts of their lives from eachother. The great unseen burden that was deciet had been lifted off of everyone's shoulders.

After all, battling the forces of darkness and freeing your new friend from an evil spirit tends to bring people closer together.

Unfortunatley, this good mood was not made to last.

"By the way, any luck with trying to talk to Trixie?" asked Twilight, both her and the others knowing that it had been on their white-haired friend's mind ever since he had gotten out of the hospital.

Ryou's smile fell, immediatly telling the Rainbooms that things had gone badly. His lips instead settled into a morose frown as he shook his head, closing his eyes, "No... She's been avoiding me like the plague. Every time she sees me she just bolts away before I can even say so much as hello."

The girls all frowned in concern.

"Well," said Pinkie, giving him an uneven smile and trying to cheer her friend up, "Isn't she a member of that Tabletop RPG club you joined a few days ago? Can't you two get a chance to talk it out there?"

Ryou could only shake his head sadly, "I asked for her, but Applejack's brother told me she left it as soon as she heard I had signed up."

None of the girls could hold back a wince at that. Even if they didn't know Ryou as well as they did at this point, it wasn't hard to see that Trixie's attitude towards and blatant disregard for Ryou's attempts to talk things out was absolutely devastating the poor boy's mood.

"Why do you wanna talk to her anyway?" asked Rainbow Dash, her tone and expression making it clear that she did not think highly of Trixie Lulamoon. She couldn't help but be angry, angry at the way the boisterous street magician was making her friend feel worse. Ryou didn't need that kind of burden right now. "After everything she put you through, I wouldn't wanna come within twenty feet of her except to punch her in her stupid face."

Though they would have worded it with more tact, the other six girls couldn't help but agree with Rainbow Dash's sentiment.

As for Ryou, he just looked down. When he spoke, his voice sounded so small and so very hurt, "I want to tell her I'm sorry."

Wow. Those words, the way they were said, who was the one saying them, it all just felt like the cold stab of a knife to the Rainbooms' hearts. Even those of them which weren't all that tactful could quickly piece together just why Trixie's rejections were hurting Ryou so badly.

The spirit had gone after Trixie shortly after she had exposed his secret to the whole school, trapping her soul in a Monster World-figurine. Now Ryou was feeling as if he was the one to blame.

"Ryou," Sunset walked up to him, placing her hands on the boy's shoulders in a tight, yet comforting grip. He looked up at her, his brown eyes shining with a sensation of guilt she herself was all too familiar with. She gave the boy a gentle, comforting smile,"We've gone over this; What happened wasn't your fault."

Ryou didn't meet her eyes, mumbling softly, "I know that... I just want her to know that, too."

The girls could only look between themselves with worried frowns, all of them feeling concern over Ryou and his apparent guilt. Though some of them were certainly familiar with feeling guilty over the past, one of them had ever had a situation like Ryou's. For in the case of Sunset and Twilight, it had still ultimatley been them who had made the wrong choice, leading to disaster.

But Ryou wasn't like that. One could even go so far as to say that the poor boy hadn't done anything wrong, he had been forced to be the unwilling vessel of a malicious spirit. Even though they had told their friend time and time again that he had been as much of a victim as they were, Ryou felt responsible for Trixie's fate. This was beyond anything any of the girls truly knew how to fix.

"Aww, don't be sad, Ryou." said Pinkie Pie comfortingly, suddenly popping up from behind him, "I'm sure you two'll patch things up in no-time!"

Ryou did not look convinced, "Maybe." he said before giving his energetic friend the biggest smile he could muster, "Thanks anyway, Pinkie." Letting out a sigh, Ryou then abruptly turned away from the concerned looks of his friends and walked over and picked up his schoolbag, opening it up to dig through its contents.

"Uh... What'cha doin' there, partner?" asked Applejack with a single raised brow.

"I'm craving chocolate." was Ryou's blunt answer, his hands still digging through his bag. "I always have a bar in my bag for emergencies."

While six of the seven girls didn't exactly know how to take this piece of information, Pinkie Pie let out a delighted gasp, "Emergency chocolate!? Ryou, my respect for you has grown!"

Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, snickered into her hand, "Man, you are such a girl!"

Ryou sent her a quick, withering look, "Very funny." he then continued to rummage through the innards of his bag, "Now, where did I put the-" he cut himself of as right at that very moment, out of his bag there fell a very familiar piece of gold which landed unceremoniously on the floor with a single, terrible clang.

The silence that followed was the very definition of defeaning, each and every one of the teens staring at the millenium ring which now was lying innocently on the floor.

Just as quickly, there was a sudden flurry of movement, all of the seven girls letting out small squeaks as they hurried over into a cluster by the wall, leaning back and putting as much distance between themselves and the item as possible.

"What in heaven's name possessed you to carry that awful thing around!?" demanded Rarity, her voice high in both fear and slight anger, clinging to Applejack who looked down at the fashionista in apparent annoyance.

"Relax." said Ryou soothingly, kneeling down quickly to pick it up, holding it casually as if it were any other object, "As long as I don't wear it then it's just an old piece of gold. Not that I'll try tempt fate, though."

"That doesn't explain why you have the item that possessed you and threatened all of our lives in your schoolbag." said Sunset, her expression grave and stern as she disloged herself from her friends and approached the boy with determined steps. Even though she now trusted the boy, she had never been one to take chances. She walked straight up to his face, crossed her arms and leveled him with a demanding glare, "Explain. Now."

Ryou avoided Sunset's intense stare for a moment, fidgeting under it. It didn't last long as he then let out a sigh, realizing that no good would come out of hiding such things from his friends. So he turned to look at not only Sunset, but all of the other girls and explained, "I've been doing a bit of research lately. I have the ring with me because I intended to take it with me to the library after school."

"Doing research on what exactly?" asked Twilight, her tone wary as she had a pretty good idea of what it could possibly be.

"The ring, of course." Ryou answered, not the slightest hint of deciet or and edge to his expression or his voice that the girls had come to associate as a sign of the ring's malevolent spirit.

"But... why?" Fluttershy couldn't help but ask, fidgeting slightly on the spot as memories of the spirit flashed by in her head, "A-After everything that happened, what he did to you, what he has done... I dunno. I thought you would much rather just burry it away forever after all of that."

Ryou just shook his head, suddenly looking very tired, "That's exactly why I am doing all of this research, Fluttershy." he looked down at the artefact in his hands, the thing he had once held so dear, and narrowed his eyes, a deal of different emotions raging behind his usually soft gaze, "This little bugger made my life hell for five years. I want to- No. I need to know more!"

Without really intending to, Ryou began to anxiously pace around the room, troubled and deep in thought, "Who made it? Are there other items like it? Where did it come from? Where did he come from?" he raised the ring upwards, glaring at it as he had found himself doing so many times since he left the hospital.

It always felt as if that unblinking golden eye was taunting him, bombarding his life with pain and questions only to offer an even greater lack of answers. Once more recieving none, he lowered the ring, a defeated sigh leaving his lips, "I just can't help but feel as if there's been someting huge going on right underneath our noses and it always comes back to this damned little thing... I want some manner of closure, is what I'm saying. I've accepted the fact that I have suffered, but I want to know who or what caused what lead up to it."

Sunset's earlier intensity had evaporated at this point, now understanding the boy's motives. Letting out a morose sigh, her eyes were full of sympathy as she looked over at Ryou, "Too bad there's not any experts on magic here like there is in Equestria." Sunset's tone was sullen, as were her thoughts. She, much like Ryou, had found herself wondering more often than not about the spirit of the ring lately. The demon's very existence was a complete and utter enigma to her, a very frightening one at that.

However, her bitter frustrations were arguably greater, as she was bluntly reminded of the well of knowledge she used to have almost unlimited access to as Celestia's personal student. She wanted nothing more than to rid Ryou of this menace, not only for his own sake, but for the sake of all of her friends. But at the moment, she was at an absolute loss and Sunset hated it.

"Well..." Applejack said, scratching her head in thought, "Dat's not entirely accurate."

Everyone turned towards her, now curious at this vague statement. Seeing the looks her friends were giving her, Applejack knew she had to elaborate. After clearing her throat, the she began to explain, "Two years ago this lady, Zecora Abebe settled here in the city. Most folks thought she was a bit of an oddball, coming from so far away an' all. The fact that she then set up a curio shop with all sorts of spooky stuff didn't exactly help matters but-"

"Wait a minute." Ryou interrupted her. Both his tone and epxression were serious, even looking downright betrayed as he demanded, "Are you girls saying there's an actual Voodoo shop in Canterlot and you never told me!?" What was even stranger was the fact that the boy did not look frightened in the slightest at the mention of such a potentially frightening place. Quite the opposite, Ryou looked downright excited of how there was such an establishment in Canterlot.

The girls looked between themselves, not sure how to react. Some of them even thought for a moment that this was just Ryou playing an elaborate prank on them. Sweet, innocent, kind Ryou Bakura, a boy who wouldn't hurt a fly, who himself had been under the mercy of a malevolent entity, interested in such supernatural and gross things? There was just no way.

"You're saying that you like that kind of stuff?" Rainbow Dash asked, her and the others looking at him as if he had suddenly grown to heads.

Ryou shook his head, though there was a huge smile on his face all the same, "I don't like it, Rainbow Dash. No, I love it, always have! Back home I got my own Ouija board, Tarot cards, a basic alchemy set and so much more! Ever since I was a kid I've wanted to visit one of those Voodoo-shops in New Orleans!"

Ignoring the incredulous looks his friends were senidng him, Ryou then turned towards Applejack, his excitement clear as day, "You're saying that there's a witch doctor like that here in the city?"

Setting her surprise aside for an amused smile, Applejack answered, "Eeyup. Zecora helped this one family with an excorcism about a year ago. After that, she's kinda been unofficially been declared Canterlot's expert on all things spooky."

Ryou's eyes sparkled with intruige, "An exorcism? Really?"

Applejack nodded, "If there's anyone who might be able to help us even a bit with all this ring-business, Ah think Zecora's the best shot we got."

Before the boy could inquire further, Rarity said, "Wait just moment, darling. Are you referring to that unsavoury business with Blanche Burke?"

The name alone seemed to have an effect on most of the girls, their faces falling into varying expressions from troubled frowns to resentful scowls as Applejack nodded in affirmation. As for Twilight and Ryou, the pair could only blink owlishly, not recognizing the name Rarity had mentioned.

"Who's Blanche Burke?" asked Twilight.

Fluttershy answered, "She used to go here at CHS but graduated just last year so neither of you two could have met her. Last I heard I think she managed to get into Harvard."

"Well, good ridance, I say!" Rarity sniffed disdainfully, "I for one am happy that I won't have to endure that unpleasant girl's presence for the rest of my high school days!" Judging from the lack of protests and the mere expressions most of the girls were showing, it seemed as if they all agreed.

Ryou tilted his head, surprised at the mere level of conemt the girls were displaying for this Blache-person, "How unpleasant are we talking here?" he asked.

Shrugging, Rainbow Dash explained it as bluntly as she possibly could, "Think Trixe, but goth."

Ryou winced, though he let out an impressed whistle, "Yikes."

"Anyway," Sunset continued to explain, "When she was still a student here, she wasn't exactly well-liked by, well, anyone, really." It brought the interdimensional girl no small amount of guilt to speak of the Burke-girl like that, espescially conscidering this had been when she herself wasn't all that good of a person, "Though she didn't actively seek out to bully people like I did, she always kept to herself and snapped angrily at anyone who even tried approaching her."

"I remember this one time I tried to give her a pamphlet about volounteering at the animal shelter." Fluttershy practically whispered, trembling at the memory, "I-I was as polite as I could, I-I didn't want to bother her, I though it was innocent enough! But she just yelled at me before shoving me into my locker..."

Ryou and Twilight gasped, the latter saying, "That's terrible!"

Pinkie Pie was next, a frown on her face, "And every time I tried giving her a birthday cake she just threw it in the garbage can! WHAT SORT OF MONSTER THROWS AWAY GOOD CAKE!?"

Sunset nodded solemnly, "She always had this look about her like she thought everyone else was just dirt underneath her shoe. Not unlike myself, back then..." she shook her head, refusing to wallow in her old self-loathing, "Anyway, though she never made friends with anyone, everyone at CHS knew that Blanche was a fan of all things occult. The school term just before princess Twilight came here, Blanche had apparently used a Quija board and-"

"She used a Ouija board by herself!?" Ryou gasped in horror, eyes wide as saucers, "That is, like, the FIRST rule: 'Never play alone'! Why would she do that!?"

Applejack shrugged, "Mah guess is that no one wanted to do it with the gal. Remember, Blanche was a real piece o' work. But, like what Sunset said, after she had done this, Blanche wasn't in school for the next few days afterwards... And that's when real weird stuff started happenin' at the Burke family's house. Ah'm talkin' somethin' major spooky."

"Oh, I remember that!" said Rarity, a troubled frown on her face, "The whole house just seemed to suddenly be so much... colder. You couldn't walk past it without getting some serious goosebumps even though it happened during a rather hot spring! I should know, I pass the place nearly everyday on my way to school."

"It didn't just feel colder." said Rainbow Dash, her face unreadable as she seemed to be searching for the right words, "The whole place just felt... off all of a sudden."

"Don't forget the screams." Fluttershy's words were subdued and even sounded more timid than usual, her eyes looking almost haunted, "E-Every night there were these... these horrible screams coming from within the house. They didn't even sound human just... really, really scary."

"We don't know much about just what exactly happened in there." said Sunset, "All we know is that it apparently made Mr and Mrs. Burke so desperate that they sought out Zecora and asked her help. One night visit later and just like THAT," she snapped her fingers for emphasis, "Everything just seemed to go back to normal. The house was normal again, the screams stopped, and Blanche even returned to school the day after... Though she was still as unpleasant as ever."

Ryou looked impressed, "That sounds incredible!"

"Yeah, maybe a little too incredible." said Twilight, causing everyone to turn to her in puzzlement. Letting out a small sigh, she elaborated,

"Listen, I know we've seen some stuff, dealt with magic, an ancient spirit, and one of my best friends is literally a pony from a parallel dimension, but this just sounds a bit too far-fetched. Sunset said herself that this world was magicless before the other me came here." she shook her head, "I'm sorry, but exorcisms are just as phony as baloney. I'm sure this Blanche-person, if she now is like Trixie, just did this for attention or something like that."

Ryou looked as if Twilight had slapped him. Five of the six other girls looked unsure what to think of it.

However, Applejack frowned at her, crossing her arms, "Ah don't know 'bout dat, Twi, but me an' Granny met the head Burkes at the grocery store while all the hauntin' business was apparently happenin'."

Applejack took a deep, haggered breath, as if bracing herself for some great trial. Once she spoke, her down-facing eyes looked so very tired, plagued by the ghosts of the past. Her usually easy-going voice was serious enough to capture the attention of all who listened, "Ah've never seen two folks lookin' that terrified in my whole life, guys. They were white as sheets, haggered as if they hadn't slept in days. When Ah asked 'bout Blanche, Mrs. Burke burst into hysteric tears while Mr. Burke... He just dead-stared out into nothin'."

She looked back up at her friends, her expression serious but not without a hint of true fear, "Ah've only seen a look like that once before on Granny this one time she told me an' Big Mac 'bout what she saw durin' the second world war... Dat's the look of someone who's seen Hell." Applejack shook her head, not wanting to fall to far into the dephts of melancholy, "Ah dunno what exactly happened at the Burke's place... All Ah know is that it was somethin' terrible. And Zecora fixed it."

The other girls could only look among themselves, Applejack's vague, yet very telling description not exactly making them feel any less uneasy about heading to the shop of a woman who could possibly have dealt with something so monstrous.

Ryou, on the other hand, was looking postively intruiged, clapping his hands together in delight, "Oh, we just have to go to her ASAP after school!"

Sure enough, as soon as school was out, the group of friends had wasted no time in heading deeper into town to search this local witch-doctor and see if there was anything to do about the ring. Twilight, who had looked up the adress on her phone, was leading the way while the others trudged alongside her. Ryou was looking quite happy for the whole walk, his excitement and curiosity for what they could possibly discover clear as day. It was not a sentiment shared by many of the others.

After a few minutes of navigating through the shopping-centered districts of Canterlot, the kids finally managed to find the shop in question. It was a quaint little establishment, looking almost squished between two larger appartment complexes. The look of the place was rather gloomy with its dark colour and the bizarre, exotic items displayed in the storefront windows gave the place a mysterious air.

"Well, here it is." Twilight announced, a sceptic glint in her eyes as she read the name of the place aloud, "'Zecora's Hut of Oddities'." she scoffed lightly to herself, "It's not even a hut. That's just blatant false advertising."

The others shared a brief chuckle at this, though it died down rather quickly as the slight tredipation of entering the shop began to fester within some of them.

Rarity shuddered just slightly, having walked by the shop a number of times in the past with no intension of entering, only to have to do so now. She turned to her friends, a slightly forced smile on her lips, "Are we positively sure that we have to enter this dingy place, darlings? Can we not simply google 'millenium ring' and see what pops up?"

"I second that." said Fluttershy timidly, seeming to cower away from the sight of the shop, "This place seems... sort of scary."

"I know!" Ryou agreed, though he was full on smiling as he gazed upon the building with wonder and intrigue glinting in his eyes, "Isn't it great!?"

The girls all looked at him as if he were insane.

Sunset sighed, "I'm not crazy about it either, Fluttershy. But this may be the best shot we have at getting some answers about the ring."

Those words were enough to settle almost any and all qualms that the girls had about entering the shop. For no matter what may await them inside, they would head straight on and face it for one simple reason: That inside they might find something which could help not only themselves, but Ryou to move on and gain some level of understanding of the demon who had tormented them all.

With this in mind, the group of eight all went inside of the shop, some more willing than others. The entry bell announced their entrance with a little pling, though it was the only sound to be heard. Indeed, within the shop it was as if all sound from the outside world had been cut-off, creating an eerie silence which only contributed to the already creepy atmosphere.

The shop's owner was nowhere to be seen, nor was any other people beside the group of kids, for that matter. The inside of the shop was sort of dingy, with dim lighting and an odd, but far from unpleasant scent in the close air. The walls were all lined with various shelves, all of which were filled with unique and odd items looking as if they had come from all corners of the world.

"Wowza!" Pinkie exclaimed, looking around the place with a curious grin, "Look at all this crazy stuff!" Without further word of warning, she ran up to a particular shelf displaying tribal masks of some kind, all of them carved and painted into various nasty and frightening grimaces. Not at all frightened, Pinkie immediatly started to twist and pull at her own face in an attempt to replicate the masks' appearance.

While the others shared a chuckle at this, Twilight gazed over some of the other objects with an impressed look, "There must be artifacts from all over the world in here."

"Well, Ah've heard that Zecora used to travel round the world before she settled in Canterlot." said Applejack, both she and Rainbow Dash looking over some antique weapons that were displayed, "She's mentioned that she's collected some things over the years but Ah never thought it was this much!"

Rarity sniffed, clearly unimpressed by not only the store's select stock of items, but the general aesthetic of the place, "Well, I, for one, will never understand how shops like these stay in business, the interior alone is enough to turn away any potential customer!" she gestured towards the wall filled all sorts of odd and exotic objects, "It's ghastly, it's creepy, it's-"

"Amazing!" Ryou exclaimed happily.

Rarity nodded without thinking, "Yes, ama-" she cut herself off as she realized just what her friend has said, "... Wait, what?"

But Ryou was paying neither Rarity or the other girls any heed as he eagerly headed over towards the bizarre collection, his eyes alit with wonder and enthusiasm as he eagerly drank in the sight of every item, "Wow! Not only are there some wicked trinkets here, but just look at some of these artefacts! There's aztec masks, incan necklaces, paleolithic tools and-"

The girls could only watch their friend go at it, observing his sudden flurry of enthusiasm and movement along the shelves with both surprise and amusement.

"Well, Ah'll be." Applejack adjusted her hat, a small smile on her face as she saw the boy fawn over what looked like a Ouija board, "Ryou sure wasn't kidddin' when he said he liked all this weird ooga-booga stuff."

"Tell me about it." added a smirking Sunset, "He's a little kid in candy store... Or Pinkie Pie in a candy store, the more I think about it."

"I heard something about a candy store!" Pinkie exclaimed suddenly, popping up behind her interdimensional friend who jumped in surprise, "Whomst has summoned me!?"

Getting back to Ryou, the boy eventually seized his enthusiastic rant, instead freezing in his surprise, his attention completely consumed by a lone skull like model of clay that looked like it would fit in his hand sitting by itself.

"No. Way." Ryou bent down slightly to get a better look of the small object, "An authentic aztec death whistle?"

"D-Death whistle?" Fluttershy questioned timidly, both her and the other girls looking just a tad unnerved.

The boy simply nodded, his amazed eyes not leaving the object, "Mhm. It's an ancient sort of whistle that gives off a very unique sound. The aztecs used them to-"

"Unique sound!?" Pinkie Pie asked eagerly, suddenly appearing over Ryou's shoulder and, without a warning, snatching up the whistle, "I wanna try it!" she took a great breath, preparing herself to blow into it.

Ryou was not as enthustastic to the idea, "Pinkie, don't! That whistle-!"

His warning fell on deaf ears, as Pinkie then proceeded to blow straight into the ancient whistle with all her might. Though that action quickly proved to be a huge mistake. For instead of the high-pitched and energetic sound that one might expect from a whistle, the old aztec tool instead gave off a very different and very off putting sound.

It sounded like a human scream. Like the loudest, most ear-piercing and agonized scream any of them had ever heard and probably will ever hear. It sounded like a spine-tingling wail of a thousand souls being carried on an unforgiving and cold wind.

Naturally, everyone inside the shop flinched and had to immediatly cover their ears, which did little to protect them from the terrible noise. Fluttershy was worst off of all, shaking and practically cowering right where she stood at the horrible sound.

Quickly realizing that it wasn't just any old whistle, Pinkie stopped blowing air into it, thus marking the return of the peaceful silence, much to the relief of everyone else involved as they all let out sighs of relief.

"What in the heck was that!?" Rainbow Dash demanded, both her and a lot of the others digging around in their ears as it kept on ringing within them.

The girl who had blown the whistle did not seem affected by the horrible noise, instead only looking down upon the object with a confused frown, "That's not what a whistle is supposed to sound like..."

Ryou sighed, "I tried to warn you, Pinkie." he gently took the whistle out of his friend's hands, looking at it in fascination in spite of the horrible sound it made, "You see, historians believe that these things were used in certain aztec rituals and sacrifices, probably those regarding death."

"How barbaric!" an outraged and disgusted Rarity said, and the others couldn't help but agree.

"That's not what whistles should be used for at all!" Pinkie Pie protested, a sort of, but not really, angry look on her face while she counted off on her fingers, "Whistles are for blowing at trains, parties, soccer games, parties, meetings with my bank teller, and of course, parties!"

Ryou laughed lightly, but just as he was about to defend the ancient item, a new, pleasant and accented voice was heard from somewhere within the shop,

"Sacrificial rituals were not their only use. In war, they made fear easy to induce."

With most of them already on edge because of the shop's spooky atmosphere, the teens all jumped in surprised and turned around to see where they thought the voice had come from. There, standing in the doorway of the room behind the counter, stood a tall woman that was as unique as the establishment they were in.

Her skin was mostly a light shade grey, though it was graced by a number of darker stripes all over her. Her neatly done mohawk was black-and-white and coloured to match the stripes by the sides of her head. Her cobalt-blue eyes were looking over the group of kids with a welcoming, but also sort of mysterious gaze. Dressed in a rather exotic dress which appeared to made out of animal skins of some kind, the woman also wore a lot of golden accesories in the form of multiple bracelets, neckbands, rings, and two earrings.

It was Applejack who then broke the silence, greeting the stranger like an old friend, "Howdy there, Zecora! It's been a while."

The woman, now identified as the shop's reclusive owner, nodded in her direction with a smile, "Applejack, with that I can agree." her blue eyes wandered from the cowgirl and settled on the seven others teens, a delighted and welcoming look on her face, "You have brought some friends, I see."

There was a quick exchange of introductions between Zecora and the teens, after which Rainbow Dash decided to be the one to bluntly ask what each and every one of them had been thinking, "What's with the rhyming?"

The woman didn't appear to be offended, simply chuckling at the girl's words, "You think my way of speaking is unorthodox? Well, you should meet my cousins, Para and Dox." without elaborating further, Zecora stepped behind the store's counter, taking on the mantle of saleswoman, "Now, what can I do for you young ones today? Mayhaps you like what I have on display?"

For a moment there was naught but a silence among the teens, each of them trying to think of a good way to convince this woman that they had a piece of jewelry possessed by a 3000 year old demon without making themselves sound crazy.

Eventually, it was Twilight who said, "Applejack told us you have some experience with-" she coughed into her hand, trying her best to keep the scepticism out of her tone, "The occult."

Zecora chuckled modestly and waved her hand, as if she had just been given a particularly pleasant compliment, "You flatter me greatly, child. My encounters with the supernatural have been rather mild."

If what the girls had told him about the case with the Burke family had even an ounce of truth to it, then Ryou thought Zecora's words must've been the understatement of the year.

"Nonetheless," said Rarity, trying her best to look anywhere other than the store's interior, "We believe that you might be able to help us regarding a certain matter."

Zecora blinked, tilting her head slightly as her sense of curiosity became more apparent, "Your words has my interest growing. Please, keep going."

There was another bout of silence, each of the teens thinking to themselves that it was now or never.

"Well," Applejack started, trying to think of the best way to phrase their conundrum, "There's this... object Ryou has and..." she trailed off. Ryou had no such qualms and picked up the pace.

"It's possessed." he said without a hint of emotion in both his expression and tone, looking dead straight at Zecora.

The woman's inquisitive smile fell into a concerned frown, "Yours is not a claim to quickly dismiss. Are you children sure of this?" recieving eight different nods and noticing the rather subdued air that had settled among the youngsters, Zecora eventually settled for a slow nod, "Well, in that case, do not be shy. I shall examine it with a careful eye."

Ryou hesitated for just a moment, but seeing the enouraging looks from his friends, he knew there was no point in stalling. Taking a deep breath in a vain attempt to calm himself, the boy hurriedly trudged over to the counter and, without as much as a word, swiftly brought out the millenium ring from his bag and placed it within Zecora's view.

As soon as she layed eye upon the item, it was as if Zecora transformed infront of them. The easy-going and friendly air she had been upholding earlier was gone in the blink of an eye, instead replaced by a look of utter astonishment and even slight fear. The woman's lips parted, moving without a noise moving past them. When she spoke, her tone was hushed and dead-serious, "Where did you get this?"

To say that the kids were somewhat spooked by this sudden shift in attitude was a bit of an understatement. The fact that Zecora was no longer rhyming was quite telling of just how seriously she was apparently taking this.

"I-It was a gift from my father." Ryou stammered slightly, still being somewhat unnerved by this new sense of urgency and seriousness the woman was displaying, "He found it in a tomb in the Valley of the Kings five years ago."

"So another one has resurfaced..." Zecora mumbled mostly to herself. None of the teens understood what she meant, only watching as her blue eyes remained fixed upon the ring. Her hand moved closer towards it, elegant fingers dancing just over the golden artifact but always flinching back when they got just a bit too close. It was as if she was afraid to even touch it.

The striped woman then looked up, her eyes those of someone who was taking the matter with absolute severity, "You are saying this item is possessed?"

Sunset nodded, "By a spirit of some kind, a malicious one at that." She hesitated for just a second, looking over at the one whom the spirit had tormented for so long. Deciding that this was ultimatley to help her friend, she told the truth, "He possessed Ryou and threatened all of us about a week ago... and the spirit's been possessing Ryou from time to time ever since he first got the ring."

Zecora gasped, her hand flying to the front of her mouth, her next words barely abobe a whisper, "Oh, you poor boy." It almost looked as if she wanted to hug him, only to ultimatley restrain herself from doing so. Ryou himself didn't exactly know how to react, fidgeting uncomfortably under the woman's empathetic gaze.

Luckily, it didn't last long, as Zecora suddenly took a thinking stance, placing her hand on her chin. The group of eight teens could practically see the cogs turning around in her head. Eventually, she spoke, her tone a strange mix of wary and enthusiastic, "This is troubling... Yet also exciting."

"What do you mean?" asked Ryou, only to recieve a stern and serious look from the striped woman in return.

"If you have truly dealt with a sinister spirit possessing this item, then I believe there is something you should see." Zecora said. She then abruptly turned around and walked, beckoning the youngsters with her hand to follow her, "Come."

There was an exchange of looks between the group of friends before a silent agreement was made. This was their chance, the chance of learning more of their mysterious and sinister enemy... Maybe even learn how to be rid of him for good. Exchanging nods with eachother, they all wasted no further time and followed Zecora into the store's backroom, each of them mentally preparing for what they might discover.

As they entered, the backroom turned out to not be that much different from the rest of the store. It was dimmly lit by a single candle-lit lamp which hung from the cieling, its coloured glass giving everything in the room a green tint. The room itself had a single large table in the middle, of which almost none of the wooden surface was visible because of the multitude of maps and scattered notes scattered all over it. The walls were completely covered in books and scrolls, most of them bound in old black or brown leather.

Speaking of which, the group of friends watched as Zecora rummaged through her walls of books something fierce, whispering titles softly to herself as it was appeared she was looking for something in particular. After a few seconds of this, she let out a pleased, "Ah!" before pulling out a great deal of parchments and books which she hastily pushed down in a black leather bag which she then quickly carried over to and put down upon the table.

"Oooh! Mysterious scrolls and potions!" Pinkie observed with an intruiged grin as she shamelessly began rummaging through the woman's possessions, "Are you gonna tell us that we're finally of age to go to wizard school? Is there an owl in this bag!?"

"No!" Zecora interjected, quickly taking the bag back from Pinkie and securing a distance between the two, "I can assure you that if there is an owl in this bag then he is long dead. No, I have called you children here for something far more important." No sooner than she had said this, she swiftly brought up some of the weathered looking scrolls and books before placing them on the centre table, allowing the eight curious teens there to get a closer look as they approached.

"Are these egyptian?" Ryou asked, his eyes quickly becoming alit with fascination as they beheld some of the pieces of parchment, recognizing some hieroglyphs and even some of the more archaic symbols drawn upon them.

Zecora sent him an impressed smile, telling him, "You have a keen eye, my young friend." Ryou blushed at the praise, his hand moving to scratch the back of his head as he let out a small laugh.

The woman's smile quickly disappeared and made way for a stern frown as she whacked away the eager fingers of Rainbow Dash which had gotten just a bit too close to the documents.

"Youch!" The athletic girl glared at Zecora as she nursed her now red and throbbing hand, "What was that for!?"

"Careful, girl." Zecora scolded, "Some of these are 3000 years old and I will not have you destroying them with your greasy teenage fingers." The other Rainbooms and Ryou couldn't help but chuckle while Rainbow Dash sputtered indignantly. Before the athletic girl could think of a snappy comeback, Zecora cleared her throat and began to explain.

"I don't know if you children are aware of this, but the history of games can be traced back as far as ancient egypt. Some used games for entertainment, others saw it as a means to predict the future of others." there was a wise and gripping air about Zecora as she spoke, none of the kids daring to make a sound as they were so entranced by her story, "However, a long time ago, when the pyramids were still young, egyptian kings and sorcerers of old played a game of great and terrible power."

The teens all felt a lump for in their guts, Zecora's talk of terrible games raising a great slew of memories from the Monster World-fiasco.

"Do you..." Sunset's words died on her tounge, her mouth suddenly feeling insanely dry as she remembered the phrase the spirit had used to describe the psychotic and twisted game he had put her and her friends through. Gulping softly, she hesitantly asked, "Do you mean shadow games?"

Zecora looked surprised, clearly not having anticipated that Sunset, or any of the children would have this kind of knowledge. She remained in complentative silence for just a moment, before she eventually spoke, "... Yes. These shadow games were fought with real magic and real monsters."

Seeing that the kids did not fully understand her, she brought forth certain pieces of parchment for them to see. They, too, were egyptian, the drawings upon them appearing to be of different humans, all in ornate clothing. But what caught their attention the most was the fact that the drawings also depicted what looked like several bizarre and monsturous creatures being commanded by the humans.

"These look awfully familiar..." Ryou muttered softly to himself, though none heard him. There was a strange sense of Deja Vú welling up within him as he observed a certain few of the depicted monsters. It felt as if he had seen them somewhere before.

"Zecora, are you telling us that the ancient egyptians used to summon real monsters to battle eachother?" asked Rarity, but she quicklt thereafter shook her head, as if giving up, "Sure. I mean, why not?" Her tone of voice was surprisingly calm. She supposed that after everything she and her friends had seen lately, ancient egyptian monster fights didn't seem too out of the ordinary at this point.

Fluttershy whimpered, her mind picturing herself having to face one of these dark creatures, "That sounds scary..."

"Are you kidding, Flutters?" asked an incredolous Rainbow Dash, gesturing towards the ancient illustrations with a grin, "This is so cool! I've always felt that history needed more magic and monster fights!"

"Speaking of, you'd think that the history books would've picked up something of THIS magnitude!" said Twilight, her violet eyes roaming over each and every one of the scrolls she could find. A frown was on her lips, the things that Zecora had told them not sitting well with her usual logical and rational way of thinking.

Then again, hardly any of the recent events in her life hadn't flipped her entire view of the world upside down, much to the girl's amazement but also chagrin. Why should this be any different?

Almost as if she could sense the girl's annoyance at the lack of information, Zecora placed an understanding hand on Twilight's shoulder, "Much that once was in this world has been lost to the sands of time, Twilight." the woman's smile slipped, replaced with a frown as her gaze also turned towards the documents, "But, if I must be honest, I cannot mourn the loss of this particular piece knowledge too badly."

This only served to make the teens even more curious. Sunset asked, "What do you mean?"

Zecora sighed, looking almost sad as she continued to explain this strange mythos, "You see, children, the power of the shadow games were never meant to be wielded by mortal hands. The ancient egyptians were greedy for power, for control, and the magic of the games inevitably escalated out of their control. This inevitably lead into a great and terrible war that threatened to destroy the entire world."

To emphasize her point, the striped woman brought forth another pair of scrolls, these ones mostly illustrated. Painted upon them was what looked like a simple desert landscape but with one notable snag. The land was on fire, the ground littered with bones and what was probably meant to be corpses whilst the skies were filled with shadows of dragons, beasts and all sorts of monsters. It was quite an unnerving image to say the least.

"However," Zecora continued, her lips now lifting upwards into a smile, "When the night was at its darkest, the light of hope still burned in the form of the Nameless Pharaoh." Once more, she brought up a different scroll, this one appearing to be a self-portrait of some kind, most likely meant to be the pharaoh which she was refering to.

As soon as the kids all looked at it, one particular question quickly made its way to everyone's minds:

"What the Hell is wrong with his hair?" Rainbow Dash asked bluntly.

Though in any other situation her friends might've chastized her for such crude language, this time all eight teens found themselves agreeing that the Pharaoh depicted on the scroll had one of the most ridiculous haircuts they had ever seen. It was painted in black and violet colours with a distinct starfish-like shape to it with the addition of several golden spikes reminiscent of lightning bolts pointing upwards.

The question went unanswered, though. Instead, Ryou asked about a rather important detail which he had been quick to pick up on, "You called him a nameless pharaoh, but why is that? I thought the egyptian dynasty was fairly well-recorded."

Zecora shrugged, "The king's name has been lost to time. It seems as the king was quite determined to erase any and all records of his own name, apparently not even some of his closest confidants knew it. Many explorers and archeologists have slaved away their whole careers trying to find it, myself included."

Pinkie let out a horrified gasp, "That's awful! If no one knew his name, what did they yell out when they wished the pharaoh a happy birthday? What did they write on his ancient egyptian birthday cake!?"

"I don't think they had those, Pinkie." Ryou disputed gently, though he was smiling all the same.

This only served to make her all the more horrified, "No birthday cake!? WHAT KIND OF TWISTED NATION WAS THIS!?"

Pinkie's friends could only share a few chuckles amongst themselves while Ryou patted her on the back. Though amused by Pinkie Pie's antics, Zecora ultimatley ignored it to instead recount her tale, "As I was saying, this Pharaoh managed to vanquish the terrible power of the games to save us all. Realizing the threat these powers still posed to humanity, he then gave his own life and locked the magic away within seven mystical artifacts."

"The millenium items." Sunset whispered to herself, eyes going wide in realization. Both she and her friends remembering that it had been the term used by the spirit to describe the ring. Said artefact was still secured in Ryou's grip who was staring down at it with a look of great tredipation.

"So, you mean that my..." Ryou pointedly cleared his throat, as if his words pained him, "This ring is one of them?"

Zecora could only nod gravely, "My guess is that the spirit inhabiting it is most likely an old, egyptian soul who wielded its power 3000 years ago. Wether he sealed his soul within the ring of his own accord or if he was locked inside by someone else I do not know."

All was silent in the store for a good few moments, the pure weight of recent revelations starting to weigh down upon the teens. In a strange way, they all supposed it brought some manner of closure, at least now knowing more of the origin of the wicked powers that had terrorized them in the past. Yet at the same time, knowing that they had all been exposed to the very same powers which had almost destroyed the world 3000 years ago was in no way comforting.

Sunset was espescially thrown deep in thought, remembering the accounts of the equestrian explorers who had come to this world around the same time these shadow games had apparently been happening. She remembered how princess Twilight had described the drawings on their documentations, of the seven depicted items with that same eye-symbol. The pieces she had been struggling to put together for so long were just starting to fall into place.

Eventually, Ryou spoke, his words cutting through the silence like a knife. Without any sort of warning, he simply reached out his right arm, and therefore the millenium ring to the striped woman. The words that left him were pleading, "Zecora, please take it."

All others of the room's occupants could only gape at the lone boy there, not believing what their ears had just heard.

Zecora looked stunned for a mere second, but her expression quickly returned to a stern and very determined one as she gave the boy the honest and blunt answer, "... No."

Ryou shook his head, as if in denial of what he had just heard. He thrust his hand holding the item forward forcefully, raising his voice and narrowing his eyes, "I want you to take it!"

While his friends stared at him in concern, Zecora just closed her eyes and shook her head, a sad frown on her face. Once she opened her eyes, she fixed her cobalt-blue eyes upon the boy with a striking intensity, "Understand, Ryou, the items themselves chose their wielders, NOT the other way around. It is an obligation set in the stone of fate since 3000 years past."

For a moment it looked as if Ryou would explode in a loud rage, the negative emotion clear as day as his face twitched speradically while he grit his teeth and glared visciously at the woman. However, like a passing storm, it seemed as if the intense rage suddenly lifted off of Ryou's whole presence. Instead, he closed his eyes and let out a long, painful-sounding sigh whilst his entire being seemed to deflate before the others' eyes.

He opened his eyes once more, but instead of anger, those brown orbs were filled with nothing but pain, exhaustion and desperation as he looked at Zecora. "Please." he pleaded, his soft voice sounding small and tired in a way no human being his age should. "It hurt me, it hurt my friends and God knows how many others!" Ryou felt the familiar sting of tears in his eyes, but he didn't care. He let the tears fall as he practically ran up to Zecora, grabbing her shoulders, "D-Don't let him take me again, I beg you!"

"Ryou..." Twilight whispered in concern, the hearts of her and her friends aching something terrible as they saw their friend being reduced to such a pitiful state. Though they all knew that their experiences with the spirit had scarred Ryou in more ways than one, this was one of those moments that made them truly understand the tragic magnitude behind it.

To see Ryou, the sweet and kind boy who had so quickly become one of their closest friends, practically breaking apart like this was nothing short of devistating.

As for Zecora, she simply let out a small sigh. Then, she gently reached up with her hands and lifted Ryou's own pale ones off of her shoulders. She then made a point of not releasing his hands, instead taking a gentle hold of them before leveling the weeping boy before her with a pitying and mournful gaze, "It matters not how much I myself would love to liberate you from this burden. I cannot deny that I have long dreamed of possessing one of the legendary millenium items."

For the briefest of moments, Zecora looked over at the millenium ring with a hungry look, a gleam of desire burning within her blue eyes. But just as quickly as it had appeared it was gone with a shake of her head before she focused on Ryou once more, "However, should I have tried to take this ring from you, even just to keep it safe, it would have found a way to strike back at me with a terrible vengeance. Such is the nature of the millenium items."

It was with no joy that Zecora told him this unpleasant truth, but it was the truth nonetheless, "As much as you may loathe it: The ring is yours, as it has been since the moment you first touched it."

Ryou couldn't keep himself form scoffing bitterly, glaring over at the item, "It was never mine. It's always been his! I would much rather be rid of it."

Zecora frowned, though she looked no less sympathetic, "I'm afraid it doesn't work that way. For no matter the nature of your bond with the ring, it is a bond nonetheless. Should you attempt to rid yourself of the item... I assure you it will always find its way back. One way or another."

Ryou's breath hitched, the woman's words felt like hot-flaming knives to the boy's heart. The implication that he was forever tied to that monster made him feel as if he was about to vomit. Ryou let out what sounded like a choked whimper, his lips trembling as fat tears streamed down his face. It just wasn't fair.

Before the boy could break down completely in his own missery, Ryou suddenly found himself wrapped up in a tight, comforting hug on the behalf of Sunset Shimmer. The girl was rubbing calming circles on the boy's back, not being able to stand seeing her friend in such a miserable mood. The other girls had wanted to comfort their friend as well, Sunset had simply been the one standing the closest and thus was the first to reach him.

"It's gonna be okay, Ryou." Sunset gently tried to comfort him, yet the words felt hollow and bitter on her tounge. However, she knew better than anyone that it did no good to simply keep one's emotions bottled up, and sought no reason to not let her friend express his feelings. "You're gonna be okay."

"Are you telling us that there's nothing we can do?" asked Rarity with true desperation in her voice and expression, her and the other girls wanting to assure Ryou and even themselves that not all was lost.

"Yeah, can't you make that meanie go away like you did with the Burke's spooker-wooker?" asked Pinkie.

Zecora shook her head, though her eyes darkened consciderably when Pinkie had mentioned the Burkes. "That situation was different." she said, "The phantasm that plagued that family was a bitter and low-living soul. Wild and sadistic, but not too difficult to exile. The dark magic of the millenium items is beyond even my knowledge. However," she stopped to scratch her chin in thought, "I do know a man who is well-versed in the workings of these artefacts. Yes, Shadi was his name."

"Shadi..." Ryou whispered to himself, his eyes going misty as he at last disloged himself from the concerned Sunset's caring embrace, the girl keeping her hand on his shoulder. Deep within his mind, the bells of familarity rang for reasons he did not know.

"Then, um, can you please take us to see this Shadi-person?" asked Fluttershy. To be perfectly honest, she was terrified of the prospect of meeting a person who knew more of the cursed kind of magic that had tormented both her and her friends, espescially after what they had found out about the magic's true origin. However, she would face this person, or all sorts of other dangers for that matter, all for the purpose of helping her friend.

It felt like a punch to Fluttershy's gut when Zecora only shook her head, "One cannot simply find Shadi, rather he finds you." an emotion ranging somewhere between nostalgia and exasperation appeared on Zecora's face, "That man cannot be contacted in the traditional sense, but goes wherever he feels he is needed. Besides, I suppose calling him a man is not quite right. He is something else."

"Th-Then-" Ryou cut himself off, embarrassed over his own stammering. Taking a deep breath and gulping softly, he continued, his eyes whole demeanour looking utterly defeated and his voice sounding so very tired, "What can I do? How can I be free of him?"

Surpisingly enough, Zecora actually managed a small smile as she said, "You have already taken the greatest step you can take, Ryou. All there is now is that you continue on as you have since you and your friends last defeated the spirit."

To say that the group of youngsters were surpised was an understatement. Ryou blinked, his lips moving up and down without a sound leaving them as he could only stare at the woman in bewliderment. "Wha- What do you mean?" he asked at last.

Zecora gave the boy a grave look, lifting stern finger as she spoke in a tone of utmost seriousness, "If you truly wish to be free, then you must never, EVER, put on that ring again. Though the spirit may indeed be powerful, he requires a host to act freely on the physical plane. Keep the ring out of sight and the hands of others. Keep it away from from unwanted eyes, including your own."

Ryou was quiet just a moment, feeling strangely frightened at the small, yet warm sensation of hope starting to spark within him. Could he do it? Could he really dare to hope that it was that simple? Realizing that he might've remained silent for just a second too many, he cleared his throat and asked, unable to keep the frail hope out of his tone, "If I do this... H-He can't touch me again?"

Zecora gave the boy a warm and wise smile, "Even beings such as him have their limits, child. The spirit's greatest strength was that you did not know of his existence. But in his eagerness and arrogance he revealed himself to you and stripped himself of that same advantage. Now you can take the precautions to ensure that he can never take hold of you ever again."

"Really?" asked Twilight hopefully, her and the other Rainbooms all starting to smile at this welcome piece of news. She excitedly turned towards the boy, practicaly beaming as she asked, "Isn't this great, Ryou!?" However, both her smile and that of the other girls slowly faded once they got a good look at the white-haired boy.

Ryou tried to smile, he really did, but it quickly fell into a frown as more morose thoughts inevitably followed, "But what if this isn't enough?" he asked mostly to himself, keeping his head down as he did so, not thinking of how everyone else also heard him. After everything that he had seen in his life, everything he had lost, there was a part of Ryou that felt as if all of what Zecora had told them was too good to be true, "What if he finds another way? What if he comes back someday to finish what he started? What if-"

He was held back from continuing his frantic and pessimistic rant by the feeling of a strong, yet comforting squeeze of his shoulder. Turning, he saw that it was Sunset who had done it, a confident smile on her face that Ryou couldn't help but feel assuring. She said to him, without even the slightest hint of doubt, "IF that monster ever shows himself again then we'll be ready."

For a moment Ryou almost let himself snap at the fiery-haired girl, frustrated by such blind optimism. And yet, nearly every bit of frustration, those small surges of helpless anger the boy had felt building up because of this whole situation felt as if it just left him as he fully turned, thus letting him to get a good look at the seven girls who in such a small amount of time had come to mean so much to him.

"D-Do you really mean it?" Ryou found himself asking.

The seven expressions of utter kindness and resolve he recieved from his friends was all the answer he would ever need.

Sunset gave his shoulder another assuring squeeze, her eyes alit with a conviction to protect those she held dear, "We will never let him touch you, Ryou. And that's a promise."

There were still a few tears running down Ryou's cheeks, but not tears of sadness or frustration like earlier. Rather they were tears of joy, falling because of this one simple act of reassurance that he wasn't alone from those seven amazing people he called friends. Managing to summon a geniune smile, he let out a very heartfelt and appreciative, "Thanks, girls."

Recieving many warm grins and nods in return, Ryou then turned towards the one who had at last shed some light on one of his live's greatest mysteries. "Thank you, Zecora, for helping me understand." he said, meaning every single word.

Zecora simply chuckled as she waved a dismissive hand, "Oh please, I hardly did anything."

"I wouldn't say that." Ryou argued with a smile, though it fell slightly as he remembered what he had done in his earlier desperation, "I'm so sorry about trying to force the ring on you. You were right, it's my burden to carry."

The woman shook her head, "Nothing to apologize for, my boy. However, might I give you one last word of advice?"

Surprised, Ryou and the girls nodded all the same, "Of course."

A grave frown suddenly settled on Zecora's face, her cobalt-blue eyes hardened and serious, "Throughout my travels I have found that all burdens weigh heavy on those who live without the warmth of love and companionship." However, her lips then tilted upwards as she continued,

"Just as much, all burdens weigh lighter on those surrounded by people who care about them." She sent a poignant look over at the seven Rainbooms, a knowing smile on her lips, "A single drop of water is not mighty, but with others it can form a great ocean."

While Ryou absorbed this in contemplative silence, Sunset couldn't help but smirk, "Do you always talk in wise old woman-speech?"

Zecora let out a hearty laugh, shaking her head fondly, "A habit one picks up when dealing with too many stubborn teenagers. And I'm not THAT old!"

Said teenagers couldn't help but join in on the laughter, such a break from the previously heavy atmosphere and subject-matter being a most welcome one. One the laughter had subsided, the kids all decided that their business at the curio shop was all but finished. They had come for clarity and clarity they had recieved.

After Ryou had securily tucked the ring away Zecora led them all outside, standing in the doorway as she gave them one last goodbye, "I wish you luck, children. And remember, my door is always open." Ironically enough, she then closed the door.

For a brief moment the teens simply stood their, each and every one of them thinking long and hard of what they had just learned. It was Rainbow Dash who broke the silence, her usually confident eyes filled with nothing but genuine concern as she and her friends turned their gazes upon Ryou, still unsure of how their friend had processed all of this, "How d'you feel?" she asked him as casually as she could, causing the boy to tilt his head slightly.

"I feel..." Ryou trailed off, his eyes begining to cloud. He took a few steps forward, hiding his expression and having his back face his friends as he pondered that one, rather simple, question.

How did he feel?

For the last five years of his life, Ryou had always felt as if there was a cloud hanging over him, poisoning his life and everything he sought to do. A cloud that took away the people he loved, something that ruined each and every attempt he ever made at having a normal life and moving on by ripping it away just as he believed it to be within his reach.

Only now, he knew it was not a cloud, but a spirit. An ancient and malevolent entity from the ancient age of the Pharaohs, inprisoned in an artifact he had previously believed was a harmless golden trinket, but now he knew it contained a dark and ancient magic that had once threatened to destroy the whole world.

There was still a lot he didn't know about the spirit who had tormented him so, and there were still a great deal of fear plaguing his every thought. The fear that the spirit would return one day to once again take away his chance at happiness. By all rights, he should be feeling pretty bad. Terrible, even.

And yet... Ryou didn't.

He turned around, seeing how these seven girls, his friends, all were at him with such concern, such compassion. Knowing that they all looked out for him, cared for him, it was all he needed. For when he saw the way his friends looked at him, all the horrors he had seen, the things he had experienced, the people he had lost, all of that concern and angst that used to constantly weigh him down was lifted off of his shoulders.

Ryou's lips lifted upwards, at last feeling as if he had an answer,

"Lighter." he said, a wistful smile on his face, "I feel lighter."

Except for perhaps Sunset, none of the girls looked as if they really understood what he meant. To be fair, Ryou didn't really think he understood it either. It was made all the more clear when Rainbow Dash bluntly said, "That makes, like, no sense."

The boy simply laughed, shaking his head fondly, "I know, Dash. I know."

Though they did not all completely understand his words, the simple fact that Ryou was standing before them, smiling and laughing was enough to get the Rainbooms smiling as well, knowing that this visit to Zecora had truly accomplished something.

Before anyone else could get another word in, a sudden, lond and deep growl was heard. Everyone of the girls could only turn their heads and stare at the source: Ryou's stomach.

Blushing, Ryou turned towards his friends who were now giving him knowing smiles. With a sheepish look on his face he placed a hand on his offending stomach, “Well," he began, doing his best to keep his cool, "I don’t know about you girls, but I think this whole thing has gotten me very hungry.”

“Oh, I understand completely, darling." said Rarity, she, too, feeling rather peckish, "Fighting the forces of evil really builds up one's appetite.”

Fully embracing this new sense of levity among their group of friends, Sunset knew just the perfect way to end this whole happenstance. Looking over the seven other teens, she asked, “You guys down for some pizza? I'm buying.”

“Now we’re talkin’!” Rainbow Dash cheered, both her and the others brightening up at the prospect of pizza, “I'm getting pepperoni! I'm guessing that goes for you too, Rares?” the fashionista in question smiled and nodded.

“Ah want sausage on mine!” Applejack exclaimed, clapping her hands together and rubbing them excitedly, "Now that Ryou's tummy rumbled it made me realize that Ah'm hungrier than a kid on their third day of fat camp!"

The eight teens shared a good laugh at that. Twilight smiled adjusted her glasses, glad that such an easy air had settled among their group, “I for one think I’ll just have a four-cheese.”

“Same." said Ryou, his mouth watering just thinking about it. He turned to the two girls to his left, "Sunset? Fluttershy?”

“Some mushrooms and green peppers for me.”

“Um, I’d like that, too, please.”

"Ooh! Ooh!" Pinkie was eager to ad her own wish of topping to the list, "And I want peanut butter, clams, and hot fudge!"

Instead of the exclamations of agreement she had been hoping for, all she got from her friends were seven different looks of confusion and mild disgust. Defensive over her prefered types of pizza, Pinkie crossed her arms in a defiant manner, "Hey, don’t knock it till you try it!”

And so they all began to treck down the street, their conversations filled with laughter and talks of pizza. Ryou found himself smiling like a fool, only now feeling at ease once more.

Was he still worried about the spirit? Absolutely.

Was he so hopeful that he thought everything would be smooth sailing from here? God no.

In spite of that, the boy who had once been so lonely walked beside his friends with an easy strut to his steps, taking part in the wacky conversations as they made their way to Soos' Really Great Pizza Place! Is That A Good Name? Does It Have To Be A Pun Or Whatever?. And yes, that was the restaurant's full name.

He was able to put aside each and every one of his inner doubts and worries, instead only focusing on the joy which was now fluttering within his heart. For Ryou knew that whatever might await him and his friends in the future, wether it be ancient egyptian evils or frighteningly exhausting exams, one thing was clear beyond all doubt:

They would face it together.

How easy it was for mortals to think they were safe because of one meagre victory.

Humans were never safe. Not from him.

Through his entire existence, he had never found something quite so comforting as the darkness.

The pulsing and utter blackness, the dark rage and endless hate constantly enveloping him, his mind, his vision, his essence... His everything. Yes, he thrived in the dark and the chaos it brought. Really, his whole being was the darkness. All of his power originated from it in some way. It was the main reason he hadn't been particularly worried of being banished to the shadows after his defeat to those pesky wenches.

It is hard to feel punished when you embrace evil as tightly as it embraces you.

In darkness he was and in darkness he would wait. For though some meagre bumps on the road might set him back, he was the very darkness itself, the personification of the cold, unforgiving void. Though he was weakened at the moment, he had other, more unorthodox ways of returning.

After all, he had learned a very long time ago that the minds of mortals are such fickle, puny things. They were naught but playthings for a being such as him.

Eventually, his time would come. The time to tear down all that the host thought he had secured. The time for when the events 3000 years prophesied would at long last come to pass, and all the world would be buried in eternal darkness.

He would have to wait, of course, if his other means of gaining leverage on the physical plain was to ever be properly acquired. And though tedious, the long wait would ultimatley be worth it all in the end. For bloodthirsty as the spirit of the ring may be, he was patient.

He was always patient.