The train ride went smoothly as Spike relaxed against his chair. Turning his emerald green eyes towards the window, he sighed. Watching the world go by so fast on the train was almost soothing, he could look at it all day!

“Next stop, the Crystal Empire!” The train pony called over the intercom, the voice slightly distorted. Next to him, a purple alicorn fluttered her wings, clapping her hooves excitedly.

“Ooh! I can’t wait to Flurry Heart again! I wonder if I’ll even recognize her!” Her eyes shined as she looked out the window as if just waiting for the snow to show up. Beside her, a unicorn rolled her eyes and smiled.

“She’s their only child, Twilight,” Starlight giggled. “I’m sure you’ll recognize her.”

“You never know!”

Starlight shook her head, still smiling. Then she turned over towards the small dragon, who was busy watching the window. “And where is your costume? Since you always wore one...”

“Dropped it,” he sighed, pulling his backpack off his back. “I wanted to, but the Crystal Ponies always see through my disguise.”

“Well...you are ‘Spike the Brave and Glorious,’ I’m sure they’ll recognize their hero.”

“Yeah, but it’s get tiring after a while...”

“I can only imagine,” Starlight shuttered at the thought of ponies following her around twenty-four seven. Blue eyes trailed out onto the clear glass window, and she tilted her head. “How long until we get to the Crystal Empire?”

Spike watched the sunset beyond the horizon, streaky orange and pinks painted across the sky. Tapping his chin, he looked towards the clock.

“We should arrive around ten...ten-thirty? So in four hours.”

Starlight sighed, moving from her spot. She stood onto her four legs, pacing across the floor. “Why are we getting their so late?”

“Twilight was busy packing so we missed our train, remember?”

“Hey!” Twilight pouted, swishing her tail back and forth against the yellow cushioned seats. “I needed to pack everything for my little niece!”

“Yes, like twenty baby teethers, and- wait why couldn’t you just teleport us there?”

The alicorn sighed, shaking her head. “One, because long distance takes a lot of energy. Energy I’d rather spend on make faces for Flurry. Two, teleporting would be informal of me, and as a Princess of Friendship, I should be professional. Three-“

Spike placed a claw to her snout. “How many points did you write?”

A scroll appeared in a flash of magenta, and Twilight let the roll of parchment bounce across the floor. “Forty-three, why’d you ask?”

“Never mind, don’t say anything,”

Starlight laughed at the two, before trotting over towards another seat currently unoccupied. “Well, I’m going to get some sleep before we get there. It’s been a long day and I’m just want to rest.”

“Actually, that’s a good idea,” Spike yawned. Carefully, he placed his backpack against the chair in an angled position. Laying down his head, he stretched his back.

The alicorn levitated a small blue blanket over towards the small dragon, tucking it into his shoulder crevice.

Humming, Spike fell asleep.

The train continued to hobble down the tracks, arriving into the snowy north. Everything became significantly colder, but Spike barley noticed as he snoozed.

As a dragon, his inner fire kept him warm at all costs. Even in the snowiest of snowstorms, a dragon would pull through when a normal lizard would perish. Though he knew his species didn’t have the best reputation, he could be thankful for that.

What he did awake to, however, was horrifying.

A wretched, unbearable, ear-splitting scream echoed from outside the train, making the train’s window tremble. Spike shot out of his seat, falling out and face planting into the ground.

Looking around in a daze, he knew that everyone else on the train cart had heard it. Starlight had been a startled out of her sleep, failing around. Her eyes retracted in fear as she desperately searched for the source.

Twilight was equally disturbed, her eyes wide. Her wings fluttered nervously as she looked up from her book, her mane slightly frazzled.

Then the intercom came on. “We are to inform you that you are in no danger whatsoever. We are arriving to the Crystal Empire in thirty minutes.”

Spike slowly got back to his seat, when his ears perked up. Slowly, he turned is head, concentrating on the source of the scream.

The scream had only lasted a few seconds, but the utter pitiful sobs that came after lasted for what seemed like hours. It was painful to listen to, and made Spike feel a sharp pang of pity for whoever was out in the snow.

“Twilight, what is that?” Starlight asked from behind her, to which the alicorn shrugged her wings.

“I have no idea, I’ve never heard anything like it! It’s never happened any other time we visited...I wonder if the Crystal Library has anything...”

Spike sat quietly, unnerved by the sound. What kinda of creature would make such of sound? That didn’t sound like a pony, and the only other creature that came to mind was the sirens, but those were banished in the Crystal Mirror. Were there any other creatures that scream that he wasn’t accounting for?

Suffice to say, no one was going back to sleep now.

“We have arrived at the Crystal Empire,” Spike pricked his ear fins as the intercom came on. Picking up his backpack and blanket, he followed Twilight and Starlight out the door.

The dragon could’ve sworn he still heard the crying, the creature gasping and sobbing. His steps were quiet, and he alertly looked around. Twilight must’ve noticed the him stiffened, and gently guided him with a warm wing.

“C’mon,” she said quietly, still looking around. “Let’s meet up with Shinning and Cadence, I’m sure they’ll have an explanation.”

The trek throughout the streets was unnerving. Even during the night there would be a couple of ponies wandering the streets, on a midnight stroll or something of that type. Here, though, there was no sign of life, everything was quiet and...dead...

Spike held a breath, daring not to make a sound as the pressed foreword. Starlight lit her her horn, giving some light in the darken street. The unicorn trembled, her fear clear as day in her eyes.

Twilight seemed to most confident of the three. Though she was wary, she didn’t seem to share the same fear they did. “I’m sure there is a scientific explanation for this, perhaps is a new species that just moved to the north,” she said.

“Yeah...I sure hope so...” Starlight muttered, her blue eyes looking around the empty streets. A rush of cold wind whipped against their faces, and the drizzle of rain began to drop from the sky. Hurrying, Twilight levitated Spike on her back and raced towards the palace, Starlight galloping not far behind her.

They arrived at the front door so the Crystal Palace, separated by a large, gated door and two armored guards.

“Halt!” One of them said in a stern voice, pointing the spear at Twilight. “Who goes there?”

“Twilight Sparkle,” the alicorn replied. “Spike and Starlight are with me.”

“Twily?” She perked up when she heard the familiar voice, and smiled. A large, white unicorn stood next to the guards, pushing past them. His horn was lit with magenta magic as he brightens.

“Hey Shinning!” She greeted her brother, trotting towards him. Her feathered wings ruffled as the cold wind blew, and her face became full of concern.

“Twilight, we should get you inside, it isn’t safe right now. Follow me,” he said in a whispered voice, as if not to alert anyone. With quick hoof steps, they made their way into the Crystal Palace.

Spike slid off of Twilights back, the smooth floor cold along with his scales. He looked out the darkening windows, thankfully that the castle had illumination from the chandeliers and torches.

They quickly stepped up the stairway, trekking in the dim-lit halls as they made their way to the throne room. Spike and Starlight stayed silent but glanced at each in worry and fear.

Ascending higher into the palace, they finally stopped at the top floor. Hooves and talons clacked against the crystalline floor, and Spike began to feel more and more uneasy.

Soon enough, they met up with Cadence, who sat on her throne with a worried expression. Her tri-colored mane was frazzled, and her purple eyes were glued to the window as she cradled her sleeping daughter in her front hooves.

The pink alicorn lit up as she saw Twilight, Spike, and Starlight at the entrance of the room. Carefully, she passed her foal over towards Sunburst, who took the little filly into his golden magic.

“Twilight! You came! I was starting to get worried, is everything alright?”

The younger alicorn smiled. “Everything’s fine, just got a little carried away with packing,” she pulled out a tightly packed suitcase, stuffed to the brim with toys.

Cadence laughed, but it felt forced. Before anyone else could speak, Spike piped up. “Are you guys aware of the screaming?”

Shinning nodded from behind, stepping towards his wife. His blue eyes gazed towards the window. “Since your last visit, we’ve been hearing screaming just outside the borders of the Crystal Empire. We think a new monster or creature had recently moved to the frozen north, but we are unsure of what.”

Twilight nodded, her wings twitching along her back. “Have you sent out scouts?”

“We have,” Shinning said solemnly. “Nothing so far, only stray tracks that disappear into nothing. We suspect it probably only coming out at night, so we are sending out a small team to search tonight. Either get rid of it or make it see reason because the citizens are getting paranoid. Rumors have already spread of a ghost haunting them, it’s causing everyone great stress.”

Twilight hummed, dropping her suitcase onto the floor. Worry grew on her face as she turned towards her niece. She softens as she saw the peaceful, sleeping alicorn that laid in Sunburst’s hooves.

“Well, I hope you can find the creature-“

“I can come and help,” Spike offered suddenly, catching the attention of everyone in the room. The guards outside seemed surprised as well, looking into the room.

“Spike, no,” Shinning said firmly, stamping a hoof on the floor. “This is way too dangerous for you.”

“But I want to help!” He argued, clutching his fist. “If that creature screams like that every night, and causing the crystal ponies to panic, then I’ll be more than willing to come along. Plus, as a dragon, I’m less likely to perish in the winds.”

The white unicorn pursed his lips, unsure. He turned to his little sister, and Twilight tapped her chin. “Well...I know Spike is pretty resilient, so he’d be okay in the weather but...are you sure you want to go out? It’s the middle of the night...”

He nodded, leaning against Starlight as he crossed his arms. “To be fair, it’s not like I’m going to get sleep tonight, anyway.”

Sighing, the purple alicorn nodded. “Alright, fine, but do tell me about it when you get back. Oh! And here is your winter wear, just in case,” A magical popping sound came from behind her as she teleported Spike’s usual clothes for the winter, levitating it towards him.

Spike sighed, before taking them into his claws. “Thanks, mom.”

Author's Note

‘Nother story, and I wrote this in two days. To be honest, I’ve don’t have much of plan for the story, just major plot points I’d like to get to.

Like ghosts? Maybe you’ll enjoy this story.