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.
Spike wrapped his woven scarf around his neck three times, enjoying the warmth that it gave. The mint and white patterned fabric was his favorite gift from Twilight, seeing that it was the first gift that wasn’t a book.
The dragon quickly followed after Shinning. The white stallion was trotting around anxiously, his amour clattering against each other. It was clear that he still didn’t want Spike on the expedition, but let the dragon onto the team.
At least the Royal Guards seemed happy with the decision.
“Hello Spike,” one of them greeted, and Spike waved at him.
“Hey...um...what’s your name?” He asked awkwardly, and the butter-yellow stallion chuckled.
“The names Fletcher, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” he smiled, and Spike made a mental note. The sound of approaching steps caught his attention, and Spike turned towards the captain.
“Alright soldiers,” he began, his voice rang loudly for the group to hear. “The creature likes to scream, so if you hear it, report back to me. I’ll be passing out flashlights, as it’s too dark to see clearly. Any clues should be noted before continuing, everyone got that?”
“Yes sir!” The guards said in unison, putting a hoof to their head as they saluted. In an attempt to copy, Spike also saluted, which got a chuckle from the white unicorn.
“Okay, everyone will be split into pairs. Arrowhead, you are with Sky Stream,” a pair of pegasus’s nodded.
“Autumn Fire, you will be with Lance,” a unicorn nodded, turning towards his earth pony partner.
“Tether Rope, you are with me, and Fletcher you are with Spike.”
Spike high-fived the yellow pegasus, mostly because he was paired with someone he knew the name of. Anyone else and he’d probably get confused. As Shinning passed out the flashlight, Spike tapped his claws together.
“What do you think the creature would look like?” He asked his partner, to which the yellow earth pony shrugged.
“No idea, but I expect a big giant monster. What else would make a scream so loud?”
“Shinning said that some of the crystal ponies fear a ghost...why would they think that?”
“Oh, my wife believes that one actually,” he laughed, his chest heaving. They trotted across the street, Shining Armor and his partner in the lead. Metal clinked as they moved towards the outskirts of the Crystal Empire. “She said that as a filly, she heard ghost stories about lost souls that come back from the dead and scream into the night. Started telling them to my daughter, had to calm her down the other night...”
“Hm...” Spike muttered, tapping his chin. He never really believed in ghosts, but he did remember Twilight’s mom loving paranormal activity and horror in her genre of books. Never really caught his attention, but really? When has any book had?
Lost in thought, he realized that Fletcher was still going on about his wife. “-I love my wife but...she’s a bit a stressor. Always paranoid...”
As they approached the border between the Crystal Empire and the Frozen North, Captain Shining Armor stopped in his tracks. “We are approaching the snowy wastelands, everyone stays together. If things get too dangerous, send a signal. Meet back here in an hour.”
The guards saluted, before going off into their assigned routes. Spike treading along the snow, his inner fire leaking into his scales as he adjusted to the change in temperature.
Fletcher peered across the snowy wasteland, wrinkling his snout. “How could any creature live out here...? No food... no water...”
Spike realized what the stallion said was true, no one should be able to live out here for long. The cold would kill you with hypothermia, and if you managed to survive that then you would starve to death out here!
Unless....sweet Celestia, what if the paranoia of a ghost was right?
The wind began to pick up, and Spike began to worry. What if the creature is lurking around to eat us? What if it is a ghost and it’ll haunt me for the rest of my life? What if-
Lost in thought, Spike tripped over something in the snow. Staggering, he looked back towards Fletcher, realizing that the stallion stood in horror.
Warily, he looked down, before shrieking. What he had tripped on, what he thought was a rock, was a body. A...cold...dead body.
Standing up, he pressed up against the guard, who looked over the dead pony. He surveyed the body that was half-buried in the snow, covered in weird, black ink.
“Looks the be a mare,” he muttered, taking a step back. “Her body is still giving off a slight heat, she must’ve died a few hours ago...”
Spike gulped, looking around. Snow-covered the ground beneath him, and he could barely tell where they had come from. Pacing around, he panicked.
A set of hoof prints caught his eyes.
“There’s tracks in the snow!” The dragon called towards Fletcher, who hurried over. They looked like pony tracks, heading the opposite way where the mare laid. Something seemed...off...
“Odd, surely this pony must’ve seen the body because they just walked right over it...”
“There is also a trail of black ink, too,” then a thought came to mind, and Spike breathed in sharply. “Wait...these tracks...seem a little too uneven to a pony’s...”
Fletcher bit his lip but shook his head. “Should...I think we should follow them...send a message and we’ll keep going.”
Spike fumbled with the flashlight, flipping the switch so that the light shined brightly against the blackened sky. The stars were fading from view as the snow picked up, tossed the light source from his claws. It shattered as it hit the ground, rendering the flashlight useless.
“Uh...oh...” he winced, tightening the scarf around his neck. Fletcher's face drained, unsure of what to do.
“Perhaps we should try and find Captain Shining Armor,” he offered. “Tell him what we found before the storm kicks in...”
“Yeah...that’s a good idea-“
“Do not go back that way...” a quiet voice said from behind. The pony and the dragon whipped around, trying to find the source of the voice.
With wasn’t long before he spotted it. A creature of shadows appeared through the snow, its dark color contrasting with the white snow. Its dark eyes watched them both as it hissed.
The translucent wings buzzed against it’s back, and hole-ridden hooves stepped towards the two. Spike’s fear raised beyond its limits as he realized what creature they were dealing with.
Fletcher was the one who growled. “Changeling!”
Author's Note
Oooooo who is the changeling?
Um...by the story tags I think you guys know who.
