Short Dead Ponies

Chapters

A Tall Tale Heart
Banshee on the Tracks - Part 1
Banshee on the Tracks - Part 2
Bloody Mare Part 1

A Tall Tale Heart

Note: This story was written for Equestria Daily's halloween comp and posted 23th oct. (you can confirm by comments made). This comment has been added on for clarification.
This is actually a ghost story/campfire story. With a twist at the end. After writing this I was asked and inspired to create a series of ghost stories and I have therefore retconned this into a first chapter. If it is difficult to follow what has happened, then the next story in this series will explain most of it.

Please comment or criticize.

A Tall Tale Heart
The mangled and twisted body lay there on the floor in a lost pose. The indented patch of fur showed clearly where the large piece of piping had connected to the back of her neck, with a very satisfying thud and a small sharp crack as bones broke under the force.

I had been so nice to her, just before the end, we had stood in the kitchen together and I had offered her fruit and water.
“The little thieving tramp hadn’t deserved it! Hadn’t earned it!” I reminded myself out loud, staring at her now contorted and twisted face. She lay splayed on the floor like a disjointed ragdoll, legs spread out in the fashion of a wanton hussy.

Her eyes were open, staring at me, accusingly. I frowned and huffed in response - “Don’t you look at me like that you thieving slut! You totally had this coming!” I turned my nose up at her and went to turn away, only to suddenly notice the blood.

“Oh no... Oh no you Don’t! After ruining my food taking advantage of my kindness you are Not going to ruin my kitchen Floor!”

I looked around quickly, I had to stop the little bitch from bleeding everywhere and the only option was to dispose of the body.
“Ew Ew Ew!” I cringed reflexively, stamping my hoof on the floor as my magic lifted the prone form into the air, spluttering from my ivory horn in as nervous a fashion as I was.

“No No No!” Backing away I let her drop. “Your stinking messy blood is getting all over my polished bamboo floors! No no no no no...” I leant against the doorframe to the kitchen and placed a hoof against my forehead.
“I can’t handle this! I simply cannot! I - I need help. I didn’t mean to kill her, I really didn’t!”

The words sounded hollow in my mouth as I spoke them. If I hadn’t intended to kill her, then why had I lifted the pipe. Why had I lured her into the kitchen. Why had I encouraged her to lower her guard and then struck.

“It was, a very satisfying thud.”

I stared at the form, she was staring at me again. Those accusing eyes. She was staring but with a flick of my horn I forced her head to turn towards the sink.
“I didn’t Mean to kill you.” I demanded of her, then swooned against the wall again. “I... I can’t ask for help. Applejack, Fluttershy, My dear sister sweetiebelle most of all - none of them would forgive me.”

Staring at her I frowned. “I have to dispose of the body. Properly!”

Trotting from the kitchen I tried to think. Such a small body, surely she shouldn’t be too hard to hide! It wasn’t as though she were big! But the dripping, the blood on the floor. That would be hard!
“Now let me see!” I entered my studio and looked around. Inside the white stucco studio of my home come shop a mess of materials and objects were available. Bolts of cloth, felt, cardboard! All materials of my craft and designs.
“Surely there has to be something I can wrap that... Thing -” I shuddered instinctively at the thought of her body, “in that isn’t Too expensive! I wouldn’t want to waste the Bits!”

Waving my head as I looked through I cast simple levitation spells on the objects and called them to me or put them away. After a moment I figured out what I was looking for! A Bolt of tracing paper, and some cheap woolen rolags for padding out costumes.
“Blessings that I keep my supplies well stocked.” I prayed and magically cut enough of each material to wrap around the body and mop up the blood.

Returning to the room I worked quickly. Transferring her into the roll of paper and wrapped in the wool I used to clean the floor, I put her to one side.

The stain wasn’t coming out.
“Damn you!” I grunted, never mind the mess - if my friends were to arrive and see this I would be accused, pointed at! They would hate me, and treat me ill! And what was worse, for such a horrible deed I would deserve it! Killing her so casually!

“You didn’t Deserve it! I Didn’t Mean it!” I declared out loud, dropping cotton wool on the floor and bringing my hoof down on top.

“Enough! Come Out! Come OUT!” I no longer cared if the floor got scratched, the expensive bamboo polished floor that cost 4000 bits to install. I no longer cared about my hair or about propriety! Nobody could see me right now!
“Nobody will Know of This!” I swore, getting low with my front hooves and trying to scratch out the stain of my mistake.
“I Will make this go away!”

“Rarity!!!” My head bucked up at hearing my name..
“Oh, Rarity Hello! Are You Home!”

“Pinky!” My eyes went wide with Panic!
“No No no - oh in Celestia’s name please use the door! Don’t come in on your own!” I looked around desperate.

She was small, and I was out of time! Levitating her off the floor I magicked the door to the broom closet and tossed her limp form inside hoping nobody would think to look there or magically attempt to come out of there, then I looked back at the floor.

I Gasped in horrified breath, not only was the stain not gone but it clearly looked like somebody had been spreading it around with cotton wool!

“A Rug! A Rug!” I rushed to act quickly - bolting into the room and grabbing the first piece of cloth large enough to cover my crime - not even caring that it cost 800 bit a meter.
Dashing back to the kitchen I quickly threw it on the floor and turned back, this time heading for the door.

“What cha Doing!?”

I almost screamed and fell over. She hadn’t waited! Turning around partway down the hallway I looked frantically to see Pinky Pie’s head conveniently sticking out of a bookshelf. The shock had me run smack into the wall as I stared at the little pink haired lout with a relieved expression. There was no way she could have seen my offence, she had only just appeared.

“Pin-ky.” I responded with false modesty, struggling to find a facial expression. “I see you already came in. You really should wait until you’re invited you know!”
Pinky seemed to hesitate, “Damn Rarity, that look just now could almost kill!”

My mouth dropped open and my brain raced. ‘Had she Seen?’.
‘No. No - it was just a turn of phrase.’ I reassured myself, ‘Just a turn of phrase!’
“Don’t be silly!” I forced my mouth to move, hoping I hadn’t given myself away. Pinky was being too, well, her. With some effort she was tugging herself out from between the books on the shelf and a split moment later she fell, half the books falling on the floor with her.

I grit my teeth and smiled.
“How, how can I help you dear?” I asked politely.

Pinky was picking herself up again, “Oh it isn’t me who needs help! Fluttershy was standing outside your door!” My heart skipped a beat, “Calling really quietly.” she continued, “Fluttershy seems to want something from you so I’m helping her!”

“Ohhhh...hehehe...” I choked down a giggle that was trying to force itself hysterically up my throat and firmly planted my hoof on it.
“I, I see! Shall we go let her in then, then?”
“Abso-fruity-luuty!” Pinky responded with an annoying bounce, heading off ahead of me in the direction of the door.

I scowled, but followed at a more demure pace that was appropriate for a pony of my standing and authority. “After all,” I muttered, “Fluttershy Is my friend.”
She could never know what I had done.
‘Someday?’ a rogue thought interjected. ‘No. Never. She would never forgive me.’

Dear fluttershy was definitely waiting at the door when Pinky popped it open. Being fluttershy however she was looking at and talking to the small beds of flowers, carefully watering them with a pale. Seeing me she nodded and talked around the handle in her mouth.

“Ohn rarnitty! Derr ru ark!” I rolled my eyes.
“F-Fluttershy, my dear, good a-afternoon!” I responded, looking at my awkward friend affectionately. Somehow she could always make me feel happier!
“Can I do anything for you?”

“Now, now, now Rarity! Manners!” That irritating Pie pushed me aside and out of my door roughly, smiling her incessant self interested grin and what she said next made my jaw drop.
“Come in Fluttershy - I’m sure Rarity has some cakes, or pop, or tea or maybe even Candied Fruit she will share while we talk - Don’t you Rarity!”
I went to object only to have my “No!” spoken over. Before I knew it Pinky was up on her hind hooves and physically pushing myself and Fluttershy into my living room.

I cringed.
“Oh, yes. Cake. Please come in, please come in!” My mouth felt dry.
Walking into the living room I looked nervously to the kitchen door, my mind raced at a galloping pace.

“Please stay here dears, I will be back in a moment!” I ducked into the kitchen quickly.
“Caaaaake!” I thought, checking the cool cupboard. There was half a cake left, one Pinky herself had given me the other day. Caramel frosted!
“This will!” Putting it out on the table I lifted the kettle using my magic and put it on the stove to boil, then - absentmindedly pulled out a draw and fetched a knife...

I looked at the knife with shock, then laughed it off with a quiet “He he he” telling myself “Don’t be silly!” And began to cut the cake.

That was when I heard it.
Thu-thump...
Thu-thump...

Eyes wide I turned my head, drawn to look at the cupboard door.
Thu-thump...
Thu-thump...

“No... No, It can’t be.... She’s!” My voice caught in my throat and without realizing the knife slipped from my hoof, embedding itself in the floor beneath me.
Carefully I levitated it out and poured a pot of tea, levitating it in front of me as I walked shakily back to the living area where Pinky and my dearest Fluttershy were waiting.

“I - I have the tea!” I informed them redundantly.
“Awsome!” In a heartbeat Pinky was off her seat and snatching the tray from the air!

Thu-thump! The heart beat again in the kitchen, making me gulp.
Thu-thump, thu-thump, thu-thump!

Was it getting louder!?
Knock Knock Knock!

The ratting at the door made me jump but I sighed a sigh of relief. Had Pinky not taken the tray the sudden drop of my magic would inevitably have resulted in a ruined carpet and table.

“Oh my...” I claimed without thinking, “That bang came as a shock... Thankyou Pinky Dear!” I caught my breath.
“I won’t be a minute.”

Ducking into the kitchen again I breathed heavily, trying to calm down.
“Why are there so many damned guests today!” I complained bitterly, then trotted around to the door.

“Hello? Who is it?”
“Darn dis Door!” as soon as I heard the voice I recognised it, opening the top part of the front door with my magic.
On the other side was Applejack, a mouth full of hand-drawn pieces of paper and a basket hanging from her side.
I blinked at her.

“Applejack dear, what are you Doing? Going into the drafting business?”
Applejack glared in response, and nervously I opened the lower door.
“Can, can I help you?”
“Nyes!” She replied, barging through.

“Damn it.” I muttered under my breath, following nervously.
The heartbeat was in my ears, faint and fast and I fiddled as I walked, looking around quickly.
I had to get them out of here. I had to deal with the body in the next room. I had to clean that horrible horrible stain off my floor and Most Importantly! Most Importantly I -
“Ar, gawd thanks for openin up Rares!” Applejack interrupted my thoughts.
I scowled, wondering how I ended up with such an uncouth collection of friends.

“I was wantin yer help with ma designings for Nightmare Moon Night! Ya won be believin what Applebloom want’s to be dis year!”
The farm pony rolled her eyes as she gripped the saddlebag with her teath, removing it and dropping it squarely on the coffee table with a heavy thud.
I gulped closing my eyes.

Thu-thump.
“Darn tha was heavy! Ya aint got something I can drink does ya Rarity?”
Thu-thump. I tried not to think, the sound of the heartbeat was loud. Impossibly loud. Soon somebody would hear it I was certain but until then I had to deal with the menagerie in the living room.

“Sure!” I replied without thinking, then suddenly noticed Applejack moving.
She was heading into the Kitchen!
“Wait! There’s tea out here!” I panicked, bounding after Applejack excitedly while behind me Fluttershy and Pinky looked over Applejack’s drawings!

“Ooh, crayon! It’s very well drawn and bright!”
“Creepy if you ask me.” Fluttershy responded carefully.
I followed Applejack into the kitchen, cringing as she walked across the expensive wrap of cloth covering the stained floor. She didn’t even seem to notice it at first, simply raising the lever on the sink that allowed the water into the trough.

Staring at the cloth on the floor, then at the door scant inches away I shivered at the thu-thumping sound of her heart, was she undead, unalive, or worse alive and simply injured. Beating so loudly behind that door Applejack would no doubt -

“What in tarnation is dat!”

My heart sank and desperately I backed away from her, running into the sink. Applejack had heard it, heard the beating of the terrified heart thumping away in the pantry cupboard and it would be discovered!
When my rump hit the cupboards by the sink I jumped with a loud
“Eep!”

Applejack was staring at me. “Rarity, I swear you is all jumpers and jeepers today! What’s bitin at ya. Ye ain’t frettin bout the coming Nightmare Moon Night is ya?”
My mouth opened and closed in a silent stammer until noise started coming out!

“N-n-n-no Applejack! Don’t be Sillly!” I frowned, Applejack was picking at the piece of expensive cloth on the floor. My mind struggled to find something to say -
“T-That was a cuttoff! It got damaged and I didn’t want to waste it - so I put it there!”
“Oh, I getit now. I was wonderin about that! Seams too good to be used as a rug though!”
“Yes, aha ha, well you know how it is! Waste not want not!” The phrase came to my lips. She was still fiddling with it! Fiddling and tugging and pushing and messing around and -
- subconsciously I started levitating that fated piece of metal piping again.
‘Please leave it alone’ - I wished to myself. “Sh-shall we go back outside to the living room please Applyjack?” I blurted out.

“Sure - but seriously!” Applejack still seamed to be thinking outloud. “If you ain’t got any use for this I could make some good quality muck abouts or use it in Applebloom’s Costume!”

She was lifting the cloth! Lifting it with her mouth no less! The stain, the blood! It was all going to be for nothing!

I Struck!
And it was a very Satisfying Thud.

The metal pipe went across the back of Applejack’s head smoothly and quickly, causing the sack of her body to fall. As though she’d simply fallen asleep! Catching her with my magic I lifted her and carefully carted her into the Pantry where the other body resided, laying her alongside the other one. My legs were shaking - I’d done it again and this time it would be worse! Applejack would be missed, not only that Pinky and Fluttershy were sitting outside and would be well aware she had come in and not come out.

Sinking to the ground tears tried to well up in my eyes. Everything was going downhill quickly and as I stared at the two forms alongside each other I heard the thumping thumping heartbeat getting louder and louder.

“Noooooo!” I cried quietly, then smacked the two figures again and again with the pipe. “Be quiet, be quiet!”
Grabbing some paper towel from one of the shelves I wiped my eyes.

“I just need to cover this up! Fluttershy, she’s the one who’s important here! I can’t let her know what I’ve done! She’s the one I have to protect!”

The logic floated through my head like a knife. I needed to put Fluttershy somewhere safe, somewhere that she couldn’t tell what was going on. Then make it look like the death of the others had been an accident.
Yes, that was the way.

“They had an accident!” I couldn’t help but smile. “Such a satisfying thud!”

Walking out into the Kitchen I worked quickly, there would have to be more tea, and cupcakes, and soda and Pinky would have to be kept in the Dining room!
Magically fetching things into the air I floated them with me as I went around the kitchen, past the pale blue rug with the crimson red spot, through the small hall and into the living room. The Pink haired lout and my Dearest Friend were still looking over the papers Applejack had brought, and Pinky was wearing my lampshade and the throw from the couch.

I frowned.
“Dears, Dears!” I smiled my most contagious smile, “Since things are going to keep me occupied for a little while I have brought more food. Her you Go Pinky!”
Pinky Pie grinned like a cat - bouncing up onto her hind legs.

“Awesome!” A second later one of the cupcakes had been snatched out of the air and passed straight down her mouth and into her belly.
Part of me wanted to object, and my mouth opened to but there was a task at hand.

“Fluttershy, dear! Why don’t we leave this one to her snacks, would you come with me to my workshop, and we can deal with you and Applejack’s designs at the same time!”

“Oh, alright!” Fluttershy conceded. She was such a kind pony, so polite and dignified. I had to protect her from all this, at any cost!

Helping Fluttershy to pick up the designs I led the way, out into the hall and down to the work area where all my materials and designs were.
“Lets see, Applebloom want’s to be a - a president? What on earth is that?” I frowned.
“Probably something from a book!” Fluttershy responded just as we arrived at the workshop.

Fluttershy was looking around as she came in. Of course she would.
“So, what did you want to talk about?”
Fluttershy grimaced, “I was wondering if you had seen angel?” She asked politely. My eyes went wide.
“What, no why is he missing?” Fluttershy was looking around at the supplies, she was completely unaware.
“Oh no, he’s never missing. But it is true I just can’t find him!” She replied casually. “I was thinking he may have come over here, I know how much he likes those fruit pies you make!”

I twitched, Fluttershy had just turned around as I was levitating a large piece of cloth over her head. I smiled as she looked up.
“I have to get busy on that costume!” I responded honestly. I would to - with Applejack missing Applebloom would need a bit of cheerfulness and a costume would be just the thing. Hopefully then I wouldn’t need to silence her as well.

I smiled my warmest smile.
“Fluttershy dear, if I had seen your Angel of a Rabbit I would definitely tell you. Certainly I wouldn’t have done anything or lied to you about it!” Casually I lowered the bolt of cloth around Fluttershy lengthways.
“Oh no, I wasn’t implying you’d ever lie!”

Thu-thump!- Thu-thump went that annoying heart again! That annoying heart beating so loud it echoed through the house! I couldn’t sit here any longer and risk their bodies being discovered! Acting quickly I wrapped the cloth around Fluttershy.

“Of course my dear, you know this and I know this! It is most clearly a mistake and we shouldn’t say anything else about it!”

“Eeep.”

I ignored Fluttershy’s squeak of protest.
“Rarity! Stop, what are you doing?”
“Now now, don’t struggle dear! I’m just doing what’s best for you!”
Fluttershy was wriggling about as I quickly drew the bolt of cloth around her, wrapping my best friend up.
“I have some very important -”
“Rarity! Please, Stop!”

My eyes snapped open at Fluttershy raising her voice. It wasn’t loud, but it was louder than her usual whisper. I hesitated.
“Please don’t make any sound! I need to take care of some problems! Please just wait here until I’m done!”

“No, No no no - Rarity you’re scaring me!”
Fluttershy thrashed around in the bolt of cloth, causing it to falter and clip one of the many other bolts and draws strewn around the room.
The Mirror fell, and in my desperation to act quickly I was knocked over, a sharp piece of glass cutting through my hair and strewn threads tangling in my tail. I growled.

“I’m only -” I levitated her into the air and magicked open a cupboard, “- doing what’s best for you.” I finished angrily, and with that tossed her inside the cupboard.

“How is this what’s best for me!” Fluttershy kicked against the cupboard door futilly.
“I have made rather a mess in my house!” I explained, trying to be reasonable, “I cannot let you out until I’ve cleaned everything up and got her out of here! I will no doubt explain later but for now you will just have to wait!”
Fluttershy was still kicking at the door, and I frowned.
“I don’t have the time for this! Be Quiet!”

Thu-thump...
Thu-thump-a-thump-a-thump-a-thump-a....
… I covered my ears with my hooves, Fluttershy’s banging on the door was turning into the rythm of the obscenely loud heartbeats from their bodies in the kitchen.

“I said - I. I Said Stop!” I commanded, and glared at the door. My magic flared, my head throbbed and a moment later there was silent.
“There. A perfect seal!” I stared at the faintly glowing door.
“Nothing can get in or out! Not sound, not noise. Not even air!”

Turning my head and with a swish of my tail I sauntered back out into the hall. “You’ll be safe. For now.”

I smiled.
This day had not gone anywhere near as planned, but I had kept ahead of it! My dear friend fluttershy was safe, Applejack had been silenced forever, that harlot who had been stealing my food was gone! The only thing that remained was -
“Gee Twilight! You mean you’re only here looking for Applejack and Fluttershy! I thought you’d want some of these pies!”

A hysterical sob started fighting it’s way up my throat.
“Not a- not, another one!” I whined, walking through to the hall.

“Well Fluttershy and Applejack Are here. But I’m not sure where. Rarity went into the kitchen with Applejack and only she came out!”
“Oh I see!” I shuddered as I heard Twilight’s voice, the sound of her hooves clopping across the floor.

“He, he he he...” I couldn’t help laugh, a tear coming down my cheek.

“Well, Nobody’s in here!” Twilight responded, “But look at this cloth!”
“Ooh, is that tomato juice?”
That stupid pinky had found the dribbled of blood I had tried to hard to cover up.
Walking into the living room I smiled through my tears.
“Hehehe....”

“I think -” I saw the purple flare of Twilight’s magic. “- I think it’s blood!”
For some reason Twilight sounded scandalous! In my head I could no longer understand why. It being blood was perfectly logical.
A rattling came from the Pantry door, just as I walked into the kitchen.

I smiled at them. My hair was a mess, and in the metal panel that all the kitchen knives were hanging from I could see my reflection. Tears, and a manic grin.
Twilight turned to me.

“Um... Rarity, you’re looking a little crazy there? Did you have an accident!”
I smiled, looking at the knife and used my magic to bring a few of them over.
“Uh- oh!” Pinky pie twaddled with her annoying twiddle twaddly mouth! Nothing that came from her was ever relivent and the fact that she even now looked at the bodies in the pantry was also irrelivent.

“Accident. No dear! No, no no no no, Never an accident Dear! It was never an Accident!”
I stared at my reflection in the glinting metal of the knives.
“No no no...”
“Twilight!” Pinky’s voice was urgent, but it no longer mattered. I was out of time and there was only one solution to clean up this mess.

“Twilight - look!” I watched them, tears streaming down my face as Twilight and Pinkypie looked in the cupboard. They were in there, laying there, rolled up and sinful, evil disgusting things laying in my pantry where anyone could come in and see them. Evil stinking filthy disgusting corpses. I sneered at the ponies in front of me.
“I will protect my dear Fluttershy from all this. You see. I will!”

Pinky was actually looking serious as I slowly hovered the knives in front of me. “I’ll clean up this mess!”
Twilight was standing steadfast.

“Rarity. What did you do?”
I smiled.

“It was a Very Satisfying Thud!”

Magic flew fast and furious, the knives and every item of metal, including spatulas and calendars launching themselves through the air at the errant problems! Pinky, dashing into a nearby cupboard managed to close the door behind her just as a volley of knives and forks embedded themselves into it! I screamed!
“I WILL CLEAN UP THIS MESS!” And continued the volley.

Twilight just stood there. The arrogant whore of the queen, so resplendant in her knowledge and magic, divine in all her snotty nosed arrogance. Her wasn’t even Mussed! Every item I threw at her simply rebounded as the Princess’s special pet used small simply spells to deflect every attack.

“What happened to you.” Twilight was asking in an unreasonably calm voice.
“Nothing I Can’t Handle!” I demanded back, as if my voice was enough to make it so. I screamed again and in my rage the magic amplified my voice, the shockwave rushing towards Twilight, only to rebound off a shield and smash through the kitchen wall.
“You are not stronger than me.” The arrogant bookworm goaded.
I scowled, catching my breath.

“I killed them!” I confessed, “Ha ha ha, yes! I killed them - I Killed Them!” I laughed maniacly, “It’s my Fault! The whole thing, I he he, I - I ha ha ha ha ha !” I glared, suddenly focused.

“Fluttershy will never find out! No wittnesses!”

Staring, I spread my hooves wide and lowered my head as though to charge, and began summoning my magic.
“Rarity, don’t do this! I can help! We can make this better!”
“I’ve already done that!” I retorted, and sent a blast of my magic at Twilight with as much force as I could muster.

I grinned. Twilight was too late raising her power, too slow. Too bound by friendship! It felt like a weight coming off my shoulders as the blast of energy ripped towards Twilight and blasted the arrogant mare off her feet and through the wall. Never mind that part of the wall was taken with it. It would be easy to clean up, compared to everything that had happened earlier today.

Now all that was left was Pinky. The selfish, pitchy, bitchy self proclaimed element of friendship with her impossible abilities and incessant grinning face. I turned around looking for her, to find her sitting in a flowerpot.

“Now for you!” I growled.
“I don’t think so!”

Pinky was smiling, and after a moment I realized she was pointing to the roof. I couldn’t take the risk that Twilight had somehow survived, so I looked.

A large piece of plaster and wood from the upstairs floor hung awkwardly. The room above was, lets see. My mind felt sluggish. It was my bedroom. With my....

“Cupboard!”

I watched as the ceiling, boards, cupboard and all it’s clothing fell towards me along with half the contents of my bedroom. And everything went black.

Scootaloo Rolled her eyes, and scoffed. She sat at a fireplace and it was the night of Nightmare Moon Night. Sweatiebelle and Applebloom were clinging to each other beside the campfire where, on this fright night the three of them gathered. Across the way, Fluttershy and Rarity sat staring at the fire. Rarity had her head resting on her hooves and Fluttershy sat on the ground, with her legs crunched up and her front hooves holding them against her body, as though to keep out the cold.

“That story isn’t scary!” Scootaloo scoffed.
“Applebloom di’nt scream even once! And Fluttershy don’t even look scared!!” She poked holes at the other ponies present..

Looking at the trio I smirked at Sweetiebell burying her face into Appleblooms stomach and trying to act small.
“Are you okay sister?” I asked Sweetie cautiously. She shook her head.
“Why did you have to be the villain of the story!”
I Shrugged.
“It’s totally not fair!”

“That’s the way the story happened!” Fluttershy replied simply.
Putting my arm across her shoulder I tried to hug her, only to have my friend duck out from underneath and scoot away from me.
“So, in the end was all of them actually dead?” Applebloom inquired, “Even you?”

“Obviously not Scootie, it didn’t h-happen! Did it?” Applebloom choked a nervous laugh. “Ah mean yeah, is a scary talling but the tew of ya are clearly live! So is clearly just faken!”

“Yes, but this is Fiction!” Scootaloo responded, Applebloom was trying to soothe the still distressed Sweetiebelle.

“Good fiction too, though it weren’t nowhere as scary as the Headless Pony!”

Sighing and shrugging Rarity and Fluttershy looked at each other.
“Actually, Applejack was only knocked unconscious and Twilight survived! Although my friend that Rarity struck at the beginning didn’t recover.” Fluttershy was glaring at me.
I shrugged. “It’s all over now, the entire mess had been sorted. And it no longer matters who knows my tale!”
Sweetiebelle was calming down now, thank goodness.

“Shall we start cooking some marshmallows then?” Scootaloo suggested, “Before we do another tale?”
“S-Sure!” Applebloom pushed the twitchy Sweatiebelle away from her and picked up the packets of marshmallows, handing one each to her friends before reaching across the small campfire to the older ponies.

Looking across the fire at Fluttershy we both nodded and, together, reached for the packets

Our hooves passing through them like mist through a siv.
Applebloom’s hoof started to shake.
The marshmallows caught fire.

Banshee on the Tracks - Part 1

Summary - Inspired by ‘The SignalMan’ by Charles Dickens. This is the first story in a series of ghosts stories. It continues on from and explains the events of the previous chapter, which had been written for a Halloween contest.
These stories will not necessarily continue on from each other, but will be in the same continuity.

This is a two parter.

Banshee on the Tracks Part 1

It had been three weeks, three days and three hours since Rarity had injured Twilight in their fight. The scene had been horrendous and Twilight was lucky to be alive, she was not however unscathed.

She limped through the carriages of the Train from Canterlot Station with a Surly look plastered on her face. Part of Twilight had always wondered about Rarity’s sanity, as she had a couple of her friends in the past, but Rarity had taken the cake, thrown it off the deep end then jumped into the pool of insanity after it.

Taking a seat on one of the benches she took out the letter Pinkie Pie had written and tried to finish reading it by the scant moonlight coming in the carriage window. She rocked as the train car rocked, and at least that was soothing.

So yeah! - it read.
In the end we did find Fluttershy and we think we finally understood what happened. It was SweatieBelle the poor girl who found Fluttershy! Rarity had locked her in a cupboard and sealed it with some potent protection spell! Took all of poor Sweatie’s magic to pop it open! I swear - you have never smelled a smell like that smell.

The nearest we can figure is that Rarity killed that rabbit by accident - not realising until after she clobbered it that it was one of Fluttershy’s animal friends! After that the guilt and fear that Fluttershy would hate her drove Rarity mad.

Not that I totally blame her. I’ve seen Flutters when she’s angry and I would fear for my existence too if that happened!

Twilight rubbed her head with her hoof, the light was pretty bad and, on reflex, she attempted to cast a light spell to see by. Magic spluttered from her horn in a week attempt to respond before fizzling out like wet party sparkles.

“Arg...” she groaned, “Now I have a headache... I keep forgetting!” Twilight stuffed the letter back in her rucksack with contempt. “How could that stone headed cloth maker actually push me so bad my magic stops working!” she demanded.
The empty train car responded to her with quiet creaking and thoughtful clack clack clack of train wheels on the rumbling track.

Flopping onto her back twilight lay on the bench with her eyes closed. Her leg twitched.
“I have to make a note to tell Spike to write a thankyou card for Dash.” Twilight thought out loud. “If she hadn’t carried me all the way to Canterlot and demanded the best Healers I probably would have lost more than my magic!”
Mulling this thought over in her head she corrected something, “I should probably write the card myself. Or maybe I should thank her more personally. Lunch somewhere!”
The train clattered beneath her in counterpoint adding it’s ponderous thoughts to Twilights.

And then the noise came.

“Wwwwwaaaaaaaaaeeeeeeeeeeeiiiiiiiiiooooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaa!”

As the noise got louder and louder Twilight sat bolt upright covering her ears and screamed, her own noise barely audible over the wail of the passing sound.
Light, bright light flared ahead of the train and eyes wide Twilight was off her seat, head by the window as a shining yellow light bore down upon her position in the train at high speed!
The Carriage Thudded and rocked as the light blew right past her, rocking the train and making Twilight’s ears pop.
Diving for cover the magicless unicorn buried her head under one of the benches only to have the seat get ripped away from her and thrown against the wall of the traincar.

“eeeeeeeeettttyooooooouuuuu!” The sound faded as the light went away and, tenderly but cautiously Twilight removed her hooves from her ears to look around.

“Oh - We’ve stopped!” she observed, and very carefully, trying to ignore her shaking legs, got to her hooves. It was about this time she realized she was standing on the roof of the cabin.

“Wait, did I become a Pegasus?” She asked looking around. A quick check out the window confirmed that the train car was the item upside-down and an even quicker check confirmed that she was indeed still a unicorn, still in possession of all her legs and still devoid of magic.
“Damn!” she sighed, “I always wanted to fly, oh well. I wonder if anyone else survived!”

Twilight stumbled her way out of the train car awkwardly, cursing as she climbed over the window and skidded down the gravel slope where it had landed.
The landscape around the train tracks was a mess. Trees that had lined either side of the track were blown over, dust and sand strewn everywhere and the carriages of the train jumbled on the ground as though blown apart by a twister. The wood creaked as it settled. Fortunately, it had mostly been carrying freight.

Aching from the injury that had caused her limp, Twilight sat for a moment to catch her breath then made her way to the other train-cars one at a time. They had been strewn across the countryside as though a child had thrown them during a tantrum and the freight cars has spilled their contents all over the ground. She was relieved to see a couple of Unicorns and Pegasus helping to gather the strewn freight.

Finding the closest passenger car Twilight kicked the wood and called out.
"Hello? Is everyone still alive in there?"
"Moderately speaking, yes."
Moving a piece of wooden panel with her head, Twilight looked underneath it and into the cabin. Making out figures inside she let the panel drop.
"Thank goodness for Applejacks training during Bucking season." She voiced, then turned her flank towards the wood and kicked it down.

Once the debri cleared she tried again, calling out as she entered.
"Hello? Who's this?"
A rather thin earth pony emerged from the gloom and Twilight looked him over carefully. "How well can you walk?" She enquired thoughtfully.
"About as ell as you can talk!" was the sardonic response, the brown skinned country pony with a broad northern accent, he grimaced as he attempted to hobble out. Seeing the problem Twilight walked over right away and tried to support him.

"That bit of wood in the side is going to be nasty to get out!" She said, helping him to hobble from the traincar.
"Yeah, Don't suppose you could use your unicorn magic to fix that for me could ya?"
Frowning, twilight shook her head. "Sorry. My magic got all tapped out recently. I just come out of hospital myself!"
"Be darn right. Hope we find a healer amongst the train crew!"
"I'm Twilight Sparkle" Twilight informed him.
"Buddy. Buddy Rockwell."

Twilight frowned, with a family name like Rockwall she could guess what the country pony did, but there were more important issues than a person's job or family line.
As soon as they got outside the traincar Twilight sighed with relief. A Pegusas wearing a workman's hat was fluttering there above the carriage.
"Hey!" Twilight called out. "Injured here!"
The Pegasus looked down then nodded. "I see you!" he called back, and darted off in the direction of the engine.

He returned a moment later with two unicorn in tow, one of whom was clearly wearing an engineer schmock and hat. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief and helped Buddy to sit.
Finding a rock to sit on, Twilight allowed the other Unicorn to look her over before he started work on trying to heal Buddy. Twilight addressed her questions to the engineer.

"Twilight!" she introduced, "I'd help but my magic is tapped. What condition is the injured in, and how many injured are there?"
The Engineer - slash - driver looked at Twilight incredulously.
"I know what you're thinking, you're the one in charge here. But I've learned about this stuff from professionals -" she stated, ommiting that she had only read about it not, "And I'm on business from the Princess!" she also lied. Returning to her home in Ponyville to help clean up the mess Rarity had made wasn't so much the Princess' business but it was important. Plus some problems had to be considered regarding the death of Fluttershy. Everyone would likely be grieving, but with Fluttershy's death the Elements of Harmony were broken. Although Twilight suspected she had a solution to that. Maybe.

"Ow Ow Ow Ow Ow!" Twilight looked to Buddy, the pale unicorn treating him wasn't being gentle. With some effort the wood had been removed from his side and her magic was stopping the bleeding but the mare clearly was not a nurse.
"Will you Stop!" Buddy complained, he kept looking around nervously. Twilight focused on the problem at hand.

"Well, Her Highness' business and all is good but the engine is shot! It's only a 7070 StringShot Sureboiler so even though it's easy to patch up it weren't never designed to be turned on it's side! We have no water and the coal is spread right accross the landscape!" he grumbled.
Twilights forehead wrinkled, "So we need water and something to burn? Is there enough unicorn power to get everything upright again?"
"Oh I wish!" the Engineer frowned. "Come with me!"

"Will you stop twisting and turning!" The unicorn behind them complained as Twilight followed the engineer.
"I'm Sorry!" Buddy replied. "I feel like, somebody's watching me..."

"Trotting along the lineup of carriages towards the front of the Train Twilight started to see the problem. Although it took her three tries.
"Where are the tracks?" She said eventually.
"That - my royal friend, is the problem!" the Unicorn nodded ahead, "That stick with the coloured disc on it up there. That's a signal! It indicated which way the track is going!"
"But!" Twilight hesitated, "I thought this was a straight piece of track!"
"It's supposed to be!" The Engineer responded, "Once upon a time there was a branch here, one part went out across the valley towards White Tail Woods!" He indicated with his horn, using magic to light up the area. "But now the valley is flooded and a river!" He indicated in the other direction. "So they removed it and put a pass through the mountains after PonyVille!"

Twilight nodded, "And the switch it still here, I think I see where this is going. Somebody changed the switch and we jumped the tracks!"
"And went over half a mile of uneven ground! The wheels on the carriages are shot to hell!"
"So it wasn't actually that light that blew past us that knocked the train over?" Twilight enquired, examining the switching mechanism.
She looked up to stare at the engineer when he didn't respond. The Confused expression on the engineers face very quickly infected Twilight's face.

"You did see a white light, blared right past us just before we crashed!"
The Engineer shook his head.
"Well that Aint right!"
Busy examining the switch, Twilight only noticed the Engineer had left by his absence some moments later, so carefully (and now in relative darkness) she began to pick her way back towards the others.

Rockwell seemed to be mostly patched up when Twilight returned, and a number of the other Ponies and Pegasus were starting to mill around again. Oddly the engineer was nowhere in sight.
"Guess he has stuff to do!" Twilight mumbled to herself. The survivors of the crash were milling around like lost sheep.
"Oh how I wish Applejack were here!" she commented, then took two deep breaths, and two steps forwards.

"Everyone Listen Up!"

All hooves turned towards Twilight, and for a moment she felt that familiar hesitation. That nervousness as a group of strange ponies looked at her. But as always, she had to push past it.

"Hi, you don't know me but I'm Twilight Sparkle. Like you I'm a survivor of this crash - and like you I have lots of stuff I need to do so obviously we can't sit around here waiting for a rescue!" She walked as she talked, "We have a lot to do. I noticed earlier some of you trying to recover the freight and possessions from the train. While I commend you on that, there are more important things at hand. This train is at current not going anywhere!"
Most of the Ponies looked at each other nervously. Only Buddy continued to look Directly at Twilight.

"We need to organise ourselves! What healers do we have?"
Three or four Unicorns rose a hoof and Twilight acknowledged them with nods. "Good!" She replied, thinking on her feet, "Get anyone who's injured so they can work. Don't bother about full healings right now - the night is going to get cold first and we're going to need warmth and shelter. Which brings us to the next point!"
She looked at the carriages, then she looked at the engine.

"Help likely won't be coming for a couple of days. We need to work to getting this train working again, with at least one or two usable Traincars! I need Unicorns to survey them, find at least two can can be easily repaired. We also need to get wood, which can be the job of the Earth Ponies and water! So if any Pegusus -" She hesitated.
There were only four Pegasus amongst the 20-odd ponies gathered.
"Perhaps one of them should try to make it to PonyVille?" Buddy interrupted.

Twilight thought, shaking out her mane.
"Yes. One of you to ponyville, the others find anything that can hold water and fill it from the River. Even if help arrives we'll stlll need a working train to get everyone home!"
"Alright Earth Ponies!" Buddy called out, "With me! I'll organize you. My goodness there are a lot of you!" Twilight nodded to herself as the groups got to their tasks. That happened the only way it could have happened.
"Come with me, work to do - I - "Buddy began to sing a rallying song but broke into a coughing fit.
"He really does have a nice voice!" Twilight decided, then went ahead to look at the Locomotive.

Despite not finding the engineer, Twilight very quickly was able to confirm the destruction to the trains wheels. Buckled and bent out of shape they looked like ripple whirl strawberry swirls with flat dented in waves from impacts with rocks and barren ground.
She looked at it frowning. "We're going to need a forge." she said, "There's no way that can be fixed with magic alone."

Twilight sighed. "This is getting complicated."
Walking up to the engine she gave it a kick.
"We're going to need some magical muscle!"
"Well it's a good thing I'm here then!"

Twilight blinked at the voice who answered her and lifted her head, looking around with shock. "That can't be!"
"Well it is!" A Familiar white mare emerged from behind the engine. Twilight mouthed openly for a moment then ran at Rarity. Vainly she tried to summon her magic again, not even a spark graced her horn. And Damn Rarity could move fast.

Twilight could have sworn she had charged right at Rarity but the pale unicorn seamed to side-step her like a breeze.
"Well isn't that a way to great a good friend!" She declared.

"Good Friend??" Twilight screeched, "You lost it Rarity. You tried to kill everyone! And you succeeded in Killing Fluttershy! You dearest friend! I swear I'm going to kill you if I get my hooves on you!"
Rarity's face dropped into a sad frown, and promptly the mare sat on the ground. Twilights head cooled, just a little.

"I have no excuse." Rarity responded, after a moment. "I wish I did. When I saw Fluttershy's animal friend was dead. I - I guess I panicked..."
Lowering her flank to the ground, twilight sat and listened, anger still seething inside her it showed in her face but not in her body.
"And you thought killing people would make it right?"
"I love her, you know."

Twilight blinked. "Who?"
"Fluttershy." The simple confession smacked Twilight in the face, walked around her and smacked her on the back of the head as well for good measure. When Twilight spoke her face showed the mental impact.

"Wait wah?"

"I love Fluttershy!" The unicorn reaffirmed. "She was the first pony who ever listened to me. I mean Actually listened. For years, the longest time anyone I talked to just assumed I was some, oh -" Rarity shrugged. "A snooty know it all?" She seamed to ask.
Twilight nodded, then corrected her response. "We don't think that." She tried to consol. "But I don't see -"
"Fluttershy was the first one who would genuinely listen when I talked. And after a while she felt comfortable talking with me. I love her and I couldn't bare for her to think badly of me. So...."

A small light flicked on in Twilight's head. "So when you accidentally killed her animal friend, you became afraid that she would stop being your friend. Not understand that it had been an accident."
"And I figured the only way to solve things was to keep her safe somewhere while I tried to cover it all up..."
Twilight could appreciate that Rarity was starting to tear up over describing the events, and her anger slowly drained away until only a small spark was left.

"So you're pleading Temporary Insanity for Fluttershy's death?"
"I think I'm just pleading." Rarity replied sadly.
"This isn't going to make up for it. You have a long way to go before anyone will accept you as a friend again."

"I know. I - I want to help others now. If I can. I'm not sure how that's possible. I am glad you acknowledge me."

Something about this wording ringed strangely i Twilight's head. But there were more important things to worry about.
"Do you think you can make a forge?" Twilight replied. "A basic magic Taulin one, in the earth. Something we can use to heat those wheels and bang them back into shape!"
Rarity nodded, and Twilight left her to work, going back to check on the others.

Rockwell was pretty cheerful for a pony who had a gaping wound in his side. He was good at motivating the ponies, talking to everyone with a cheerful sing-song voice and keeping them working with words of praise and occasional cajoling. Twilight was pleased to see one of the traincars upright again and a lot of wood and water being gathered. Somebody had even cleaned out one of the wrecked traincars to turn it into a temporary shelter.

"We're making fast progess!" Twilight confirmed with Buddy, He smiled a weak but charming smile.
"We're almost ready to fix the wheels, we just need something to heat them, then the unicorns can use their magic to pound them back into shape."
Twilight nodded, "I thought of that too. I have a pony making a small forge up near the engine!"
"Awsome."

'Not Awsome....'

Twilight and Rockwell blinked. "No, It's awesome!" she confirmed, "Wait who said that?"
'It's not Awsome... Nothing about this s awesome. Everything is bad.'

Rarity and Rockwell looked around, the sound seemed to be coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
"Who's speaking!" Twilight demanded, then enforced it, "I demand to know who is speaking!"

A whistling wind started to raise in the trees around them, and gradually Twilight began to notice a light coming from the edge of the wood. She shivered at the yellow light. It was way too similar to the one that had blown past them on the train.

"H-Hello?" She called out to it.
'Hello Twilight... You haven't seen Rarity have you. I have a score to settle.'
The quiet hatefilled voice carried itself in the air in strange ways. Twilight squinted.
"What are you staring at?" Rockwell asked.

"There's a light over there."
Rockwell looked, "No there aint. Unless..."
Slowly as it got closer the yellow light came into focus. Twilight stifled a gasp.
A small yellow pony, with a murderous look glared back at her.

"Fluttershy? But - I thought you were dead?"

>>> To be Continued

Banshee on the Tracks - Part 2

Question from the Author:
Dear Readers
I have stumbled upon a bemusing question and your comments on it would help me a lot.

When my sister read this story she asked me in a rather confused voice "How can they (the ghosts in the story) have magical abilities when they're dead?".... To which I replied, "They're ghosts!" This only made her more confused.

Turns out everything she has read or understood led her to believe that because ghosts don't have bodies they cannot have magic. Where I had learned that any magical ability is an ability of the spirit and since a ghost is just a persons spirit their magic should be okay.

Readers, please respond to this. I'd like to know which my readers think is more correct and also, if there is a cannon opinion on the presence of Ghosts within the Pony-verse and what kind of power they have?

Thankyou for your time, here is the chapter.

Banshee on the Tracks - Part 2

Listening to: Song of the Earth (Better ver)

Fluttershy growled as she stared at twilight, putting the purple mare in mind of a wild dog. Instinctively Twilight took a step back.
"Dead?" Fluttershy replied quietly.
"Yes, I. That's what I was told." Carefully Twilight backed a little closer to Rockwell, she could clearly tell by the confused expression on his face that the earth pony was unable to see Fluttershy. She could also tell that the glow around Fluttershy was unnatural and the sound of her voice did not readily come from her body. With all this she extrapolated a hypothesis.
"Fluttershy, are you a Ghost?"

Fluttershy seemed to think about this for a moment while she proceeded to walk through a moderately large stone. The answer when it came was at the very least sarcastic.
"A Ghost? Why of course not. That would be silly. Just because Rarity killed my friend, then killed me, then confessed she was in love with me -"
"Uh oh." Twilight thought outloud.
"And had her daughter and her filly friends find my body. Just because of all of that you think I might be a Ghost?"
Fluttershy was standing stock still, her voice quiet like a whispering wind and her expression blank. "No dear. I'm not a ghost! I'm just dead!" She turned her head to one side and stared at Twilight.

"Oh... Okay." Twilight was not feeling relieved, there was no way she could tell Fluttershy that she had seen Rarity just a moment before.
"Thank you for warning us!" The unicorn spun around and began pushing the rather confused Rockwell away from the enraged spirit.

"When you see Rarity!" Fluttershy continued, "Tell her I am SO going to Make Her Hurt!"

Despite Fluttershy's tone of voice indicating a scream, Twilight was relieved to see some things hadn't changed. The threat carried through the air quietly on the wind, creating an eerie sound but didn't result in an ear shattering scream as Fluttershy had likely intended. Pushing Buddy towards the other train cars she noticed some of the other ponies huddling in the shelter.

"Oh dear." Twilight decided. "Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear."
Sitting down hard, Twilight tried to think. Part of her could tell Fluttershy was watching her, so she couldn't simply go back and talk to Rarity. Rarity may have been responsible for Fluttershy's death, but nobody deserved to be tortured by an angry ghost.
"What's going on?" Buddy asked eventually. "It's obvious you were having a conversation with somebody, and I could sort of hear bits of the conversation but you looked like you were talking to thin air?"

Looking up at Buddy, Twilight frowned. "I suppose I was!" she responded, then glumly put her head on her hooves. "It would appear- " she explained, "I can see dead people."
Buddy frowned, the small moustache above his mouth twitching.
"Is this a Pegasus thing?"
"I Dunno." Twilight responded.
"And have you always been able to do this?"
Twilight shrugged, her tail flicking back and forth in irritation.

"I see." Buddy responded, then looked around at the derailed train. "I feel like I'm missing something. I feel like I missed a punchline or something."
Twilight looked up, "Nobody was being funny." she commented, then stood.
"I suspect, all this -" she gestured at the derailed train, "is the result of a mare I used to know. She's dead now. and apparently angry."
"AAhh.." Buddy responded, trying to sound knowledgeable. "Will she try to stop us leaving? I mean it looks like we have a couple of carriages ready so we might have to leave soon."

Twilight nodded. "I have a unircorn making a forge up near the main engine. I hope." She lied, Rarity had never actually said she would. "Get the Pegasus and Unicorns to turn the engine upright. And get the Earth ponies to hammer the kinks out of the wheels so they can at least roll straight. The hard part will be getting everything back on the tracks."

Buddy's face fell. "Oh yeah... We would either have to drive them back - which won't work, or somehow lift over a million pounds over a distance of a quarter a mile..."
"Actually, it would be 310 tonnes and 42 pounds." Twilight corrected automatically.
"Oh! Great!" Buddy stamped the ground then smacked his face, "That's better, now that we know the exact figure we know how impossible it is!"
Twiglight looked back at the section of forest where she had seen Fluttershy, then at the train Engine where she hoped Rarity still stood.

"Not impossible. I think I have a plan forming!"
Buddy stared at Twilight for a full minute while she stared into space.
"Yes, it's definitely a plan! Go get the wheels fixed! I'm going to take a pass at hailing a mare!"

Fluttershy was circle the train-wreck in a lazy fashion, gently fluttering her wings as she passed through the trees unperturbed. Rarity was somewhere nearby, and while Fluttershy had originally being willing to forgive her it wasn't going to be until After Rarity had suffered a little bit.
"Fancy that, killing me cause she Loves me." She grumbled. several expressions ran through her at once, "I mean, it is sweet and I love her back but - no!" She chided herself, "She was stupid and arrogant and I need to stay angry at her!"
Settling back on anger Fluttershy beat her wings against the air, causing small dust devils and blowing over a nearby tree.

Twilight grinned as she heard the creaking cracking of a tree falling over in the woods and was glad she had been there to hear it! Grabbing the net of curtains and rope she had made from the traincars she made a bee-line for the sound and what she hoped would turn out to be an unsuspecting Fluttershy.

Rockwell found the Forge naturally. This he was surprised at - it had been expertly dug into the ground with a large open cavern in which to throw wood from the damaged traincars. nobody present though knew which of the unicorns had built it but everypony agreed it was a professional job.
"You could almost cook gems in this!" one pony commented, "Who-ever built it knows their stuff"
"Well, we can't afford to muck about! Twilight said we have to be ready to roll soon, so lets bang some rocks together!"

Trotting through the woods, Twilight followed the path of blown over plants, trees and othe disturbances hot on the hooves of Fluttershy. The spectral pony seemed unaware of the destruction she was causing, and so Twilight hoped the yellow mare wouldn't notice her until too late!
Spying Fluttershy in a clearing near the engine, she got down low and watched fluttershy from the corner.
"Please let my magic work." She said, "Please let it work!" Twilight cast, small sparks of magic gathering at her horn. She knew she had magic, but why it didn't come when she called it Twilight could not tell.

Twilight pictured Rarity's face, Rarity's body. The rough drawing on the sheets and netting marked out the corresponding places and with luck.... "I need a fake Rarity now!"
"Oh like that's going to work!" Twilight's concentration broke in an instant, the magic draining away and feeling further from her than they had before the attempted spell.
"Oh For!" Twilight spun on her hooves, glaring at the intruding voice. It was the engineer.
"I almost had it!"
"No you didn't!" The engineer observed.
Twilight blinked, "Okay, but I would have had it soon!"
The engineer smiled, "Didn't that pony used to be your friend? Why are you trying to deceive her? You could just Ask her for help!"

Gaping at the engineer, twilight flicked her head causing her mane to whip around aggressively. Her ears went up, then down, a hoof to her face with an expression of exasperation, then back on the ground to accompany a look of confusion. finally in a thought way she flicked her tail before looking back at the engineer pony.
"I don't know why. I just didn't think of that. I guess."

The engineer simply smiled at Twilight, and after a moment she blushed.
"Well, come on then!" She decided, leeding the way to where her dead friend stood.
The Engineer grinned, calling out as the two picked their way towards Fluttershy.
"What's a fine spirit like yourself doing on a night like this!"
Staring at the engineer Twilight hid a shocked expression.
"I guess any unicorn can see her." She decided, then spoke up as well.

"Fluttershy!" Twilight hesitated, "I - I'm sorry I couldn't help you before. But I have to ask for your help!"
Fluttershy floated in the air above them, seeing the ponies approaching her she frowned.
"Who's that." She asked quietly, looking at the smiling engineer.
"He's the drive of that train!" Twilight pointed her head towards the overturned engine. "He'll be the pony driving us out of here!" Twilights neck was starting to ache from looking up.
"Can you please come down? We're friends right, you don't need to be so... um, High." She finished her sentence lamely. Fluttershy was always a little stand-offish so that wasn't exactly new.

Thinking about it, Fluttershy landed and walked up to Twilight. The Unicorn assumed Fluttershy had meant to rub her head against her own in greeting, but instead Fluttershy passed through Twilight like water through a sieve.
Twilight tried to ignore the intense feeling of cold, clenched her teeth and smiled.
After a moment, Fluttershy nervously returned that smile.

"So what can I do." She offered. Twilight's teeth were still clenched to prevent them from clattering. The Engineer Pony spoke up in her place.
"Fluttershy, dear. I don't know if you noticed but now that you're dead you seam to be pretty powerful!" He indicated the path they had walked, with overturned trees and boulders. "It seems any natural powers you had as a Pegasus have been increased with your passing."
The Engineer was being too direct, Twilight eventually found her tongue and interrupted.
"We're trapped out here, Fluttershy." she told her friend simply. "I don't know if it was you flying past us earlier that caused our accident, or something unrelated, but -"
Fluttershy's eyes flashed. "Wait, what? I didn't blow past the train earlier!"
Twilight hesitated. "Myself and Rarity were out here already! It's close enough to my house that I can return there for my friends, and close enough to ponyville that I can look in on ponies I know!"

Twilight's mind blinked. If Fluttershy hadn't been the cause of the crash than who had?
Twilights mind chased it's own tail for a moment, her own tail whipping back and forth. After a moment she pushed the thoughts into the back of her mind and shook out her mane.

"Okay, that's a mystery I'll have to solve later! But for now I Really need your help! You seem to have poltergeist abilities and we have a 310 tonnes, 42 pounds of train engine and two traincars that we need to get back on the track!"
Fluttershy frowned at this, trying to look small. "And you're asking me?"
Twilight nodded.

"It would appear that being dead turns an average pony like you into a powerhouse!" The Engineer suggested. "You're probably the only pony who can do this now!"
Fluttershy's face was a picture of surprised innocence. Enough to make Twilight smile. Everybody knew that Fluttershy was capable of far more than she ever believed herself capable of and the sun coloured pony was giving her classic reaction.
Inwardly, Twilight was breathing a sigh of relief. Since finding Fluttershy the pegasus had been giving off a really uncomfortable angry aura but now, in the face of such confidence and flattery the air was beginning to calm down
"So?" Twilight enquired.

Fluttershy simply nodded, and together they broke from the woods and headed to the engine.
Rockwell greeted Twilight as they approached.
"Did you find your divine intervention?" The earth pony asked.
"Sure did! "Twilight called back, "Get everypony together! Not too sure how this is going to work - but I have a supercharged Pegasus who is apparently now a poltergeist and I think she's going to move the engine for us! Are our wheels fixed?"
"Yep! Found the forge you said about, hewn out of rock. Must have taken a bit of magic! For the life of us though -"He looked around at the few unicorns who were present, "None of us knows who built it. Nobody came forwards either!"

Twilight smirked, "Odd. I find it hard to believe that..." She kept her voice quiet, looking at Fluttershy and the Engineer. "The plan is to use a small twister to lift it, then the unicorns use magic to stabilize it while the Earth ponies use ropes to walk it back to the tracks. Where we'll lower it in place!"
Rockwell nodded to this, "I hope you realize if you have a ghost pony you're the only pony who can see her here!"
"I expected as much!" Twilight tilted her head. "Don't worry, just prepare the ropes and don't get caught in the twister!"

The other ponies rushed to start work, throwing ropes over the engine of the train, Buddy kept them working with a smile and a laugh. He certainly had a way of charming people into work, Twilight sighed.
"I guess I have to expect them to look to him in a situation like this!"

Twilight reviewed the work, while Fluttershy played with the fire.
"It's not even hot..." she was complaining, as she stuck her hoof through the Earth walls of the forge and into the furnace.
"It's so strange." She looked back across to where her winds had been knocking down trees then back to her hoof.
"Am I really powerful?"
Since Twilight and the Engineer were the only ponies who could hear her, Fluttershy's question was left unanswered.

"Psst."
Fluttershy shook her mane, trying to scare away the mosquito.
"No, I said Pssst!" Fluttershy blinked.
"Um Hello?"
"Down here!" Fluttershy stooped low to look under the bit of the train that was sideways. There wasn't much of a gap, but she thought she could see a pair of hooves.
"What? Rarity is that you!" Twilight scooted her legs around trying to see how Rarity had squeezed in under the train.
"How'd you get under there?" She demanded to know.

"Nevermind how I got under here you fool, I'm Hiding! Why did you bring her here?" Rarity's voice was hushed but hoity and is got Twilight's back up.
"She's a ghost. She has powers! She's going to help us move the train!"
"Oh She is, is she?" Rarity frowned. "You realize if Fluttershy finds me after what I did - no there won't be a piece of me left to find!"

Twilight wrinkled her nose. "Rarity, you..." She hesitated. "What you did was bad but Fluttershy..." She stopped, the thoughts in her head were different shapes to what she tried to say.
"Rarity, did you REALLY tell Fluttershy after you killed her that you were in LOVE with her?" Twilight asked incredulously.

The silence from underneath the engine was deafening.
"You DID!" Twilight's eyes popped open, her chin dropped to the ground and her tail went in the air. "Oh my, Rarity! No Wonder she's pissed! I mean seriously, you don't tell a filly something like that by Killing her! Buy her flowers, or a book or something!"
"It..." Rarity's voice was small. "It's not like that. I...."
"Rarity?" Twilight stood up straight again.

"I Don't Know What It's Like!" Rarity yelled, forgetting that she was hiding.
"I just.. I just. I couldn't imagine my life without her... I didn't want things to go like they did, when I thought of living without her. And then afterwards the grief! Of course I told her!"... Rarity was almost sobbing. "I love her... How could I not tell her that!"
Twilight smacked her forehead with her hoof. "Oh Rarity!" She complained, "Timing girl, Timing! You should have -"
"- I See You!" Twilight looked up at the sudden voice and her blood ran cold. Fluttershy was flying directly above the engine.

"No, Fluttershy!"
"UpDraft!" Fluttershy commanded, flapping her small wings in as large a motion as she could. The Air around her responded, rushing upwards faster and faster till Twilight could almost feel herself being lifted off the ground. The Metal of the engine groaned from the sudden pull of the wind demanding to be let rest, then with a sudden CREEEAAAOOOOPT the metal gave way to the winds and snapped into the air as though thrown from a sling shot, Twilight alongside it.

Floating through the air, her head spinning from the rapid acceleration, part of her vaguely wondered if this was how RainbowDash felt. Rarity, now unveiled stood and looked up at Fluttershy. They stared at each other, long and hard. Fluttershy was crying. Quietly.

Falling through the Air - Twilight looked at the ground with a lot of disdain and a little bit of fear. She had been told repeatedly that falling was nothing to be afraid of, only hitting the ground.
The fact that she was also heading in the direction of one of the damaged carriages was also a bit upsetting.

"There is no way I am going to hit that ground!" Twilight said.
"Fluttershy.. I'm sorry." Rarity was begging her old friend. "I'm sorry, okay. I know it doesn't make up for it but I really Really am Sorry!"
"Hello." Twilight called out, staring at the ground and it slowly began to get closer. Silently she calculated just how fast she would be moving when she hit.
"Do you even have any idea what this has all done to me!" Fluttershy cried, "I don't even feel like myself anymore!"
"I know. I'm not myself either, I guess!" Rarity looked at the ground.

"I'm faling here!" Twilight called out. "A little Help? Please?" With the gusting winds tearing up the countryside all of the other ponies seemed busy. Quietly, Twilight calculated how much force she was going to hit the ground with. "Please g-guys??" she screamed.

Fluttershy casually flapped her wings and caused one of the damaged train-cars to go rolling end over end across the grass, right at Rarity.

Twilight screamed out warning..

The car barrelled right through her without even touching the unicorn. Snippets of her conversation with Rarity floated through her head and then Twilight remembered that she hadn't finished reading the letter. She blinked.

"If You are going to get mad Then That's okay!" Rarity explained as loudly as she could. "Hurt me! I Get it! I Deserve to be Hurt back after all this! But get a GRIP! You're going to be just as bad as I was like this! Look at the Damage you're Doing!?"
Fluttershy hesitated, and finally noticed the scared cowering ponies, hiding from her horrid gales.
Her flapping stopped, the wind slowed... Twilight still fell. And it looked like the traincar would likely crush her when they landed.

Twilight Reflected.
I guess I did kill her after all.
Twilight looked at Rarity, Fluttershy had descended to the ground, the poor sun coloured pegusus looked shattered and tired. With tears all over her face and her voice now pale and weak by comparison she looked like the fabled banshees of the northern legends.
I killed Rarity. But I wasn't in time to save Fluttershy. They were in love, but not. But now they are together. Sortof.
Idly she looked at the ground.
They almost seem better off this way. Which is stupid cause they're dead...They should be worse off. But....

Twilight smiled. Fluttershy was on the ground... And Rarity was holding her. Actually holding her.
If they are going to be alright... Then I can be as well.

Power flared!

Once Fluttershy had calmed down, and at least partially made up with Rarity things progressed smoothly. Twilight never understood why her magic took that moment to return, or how it could return at full power when until that point she had not been able to even cast a light spell.

Ears twitching she had been able to levitate the engine into landing upright and stop herself from crashing into the ground. Rarity being a Ghost almost seemed like a blessing. Her and Fluttershy's natural abilities and magic seemed enhanced and even though Rockwell, very nervously, was the only pony willing to approach the spirits until everything was done they were easily able to get their train back on the rails. Only four hours had been wasted from the time of the crash to starting again.

Loading on those who were willing to ride the train, the Engineer took charge and willingly drove them back to Ponyville, with about ¼ of the ponies choosing to wait for a less 'haunted' rescue. They arrived in the early morning, a few hours before sunrise - just in time to bid good luck to the team sent to the crash site.

"At least!" Thought Twilight, "Rockwell got here safely."
"Oh yes.. I imagine it would have been a scandal if he hadn't!" Fluttershy was looking at Rockwell, he was emerging from one of the cabins. Rarity was fangasming.

"That is...."
"Yes." Fluttershy commented.
"But, why didn't you?"
"I didn't think it was relevant!" Twilight responded.
Rarity was biting her mane. "He can't see me, he can't see me!"
"No, he can't!" Twilight confirmed, "Don't worry. Only Unicorns can see dead people!"
Twilight wrinkled her nose. "I think." She thought about it.

"Actually - come to think of it the only Unicorn that I think saw you two was the Engineer!" She frowned.
"But But... Budddy RockWell!"
"I thought you were in love with me?" Fluttershy teased, making Rarity squeak.

Rarity watched envious as Buddy Rockwell, famous musician and heartthrob of any mare under 30 walked out of the traincar. He wore a vest to cover the wound in his side and had a guitar strapped to his back. Some time between arriving one of his posse had combed his mane and tail, and the fans who had gathered during the early morning to receive him cheered. Not knowing everything that happened.

Out of the way of the hubbub, Twilight and her spectral friends watched, only noticing a nurse pony approach when she was right in front of them.
Twilight got off the platform and got down to see what was going on.

"Twilight Sparkle." - Twilight nodded at her name. "I'd like to thank you for what you did."
"It really was nothing. I mean literally." Twilight frowned, she never understood when a pony was congratulated for doing what had to be done.
"I have to say, it seams thanks to you most everypony on the train survived. Only this colt, poor soul, died. Apparently the doctors found him right after the initial crash. But it was already too late."

"Who was he." Twilight called her magic, glad to feel it flowing readily again and flipped back the sheet. Staring at the body, Twilight froze. Unable to speek.
Curious to see what was going on, Fluttershy hovered above Twilight.

"That's the Engineer." She said.... Twilight began to stammer.

"WHY IS EVERYPONY I KNOW TURNING UP DEAD!!!!"

Next Story: The Cutie Mark Crusaders in 'Bloody Mare Bloody Mare Bloody Mare'.

Bloody Mare Part 1

A Note from the Author
As per the previous story, Banshee on the tracks, this story combined elements of a famous literary work and ancient folklore. In this case however the literary work is based loosely on the folklore.

The Legend of Bloody Mary, as popularized by tv shows such as Buffy:Vampire Slayer, Supernatural, Twilight Zone and several dramas have retold a story of a spectral woman who answers to the name of Bloody Mary. Little known is that the legend in various forms can be traced back to 300 years with some interesting variations.

In the UK, the legend had women walk backwards at night holding a mirror and a candle while calling the name of Mary patron saint. By doing this you were said to catch a glimpse of your future partner, or possibly dead relatives.
In France, Germany and Scandinavia similar legends had a spirit who would answer questions when called in front of a mirror. Only the most recent, removing the religious overtones have a woman who died horrifically and is usually looking for a lost relative.

This story draws upon a variety of these elements, and then has a little fun with it. Please do not take it too seriously. And Always be careful what you say around mirrors.

Bloody Mare
Sweetie Belle huffed, jiggled up and down and puffed, grunting as she work.
"Come on! Get off!" She complained, wriggling around. "Oh For - I've had enough!"

Stepping back she glared at the cupboard angrily, "I know you always say important work should be done by my own hooves, but this needs magic!"
Closing her eyes, the small white filly focused then looked up at the rack of dresses and vests that lined her sisters closets. One by one, tentatively and with quite a fair bit of wobble they glowed and started lifting themselves off the racks to drift down onto the bed.

"Now be careful dear!" Rarity interjected, watching her sister from her position by the bed.
"Those are good dresses. Remember, everything is being donated to the fashion house!"
Sweatiebelle was being careful, with her magic spotty and underdeveloped she worked by hoof as much as possible, gently putting each of the items she retrieved into large cardboard boxes. Once they were in she turned her attention to the draws.

"Magic really is faster!" She commented,
"But more likely to damage things!" Rarity chided. Sweetie Belle attempted to magic the items, but soon found she would only handle one or two at a time magically. She used this on the larger items, one at a time then carefully picked the smaller items from her sister's draws and packed them around the larger ones.
"I swear!" Rarity complained, looking at the packing. "You didn't get packing skills from me! You should re-pack those so the clothes don't wrinkle!" she commanded.
Sweetie continued to work, appearing not to hear.

Rarity sighed.
"There are So many boxes!" Rarity decided, "You know I didn't realize I had this much stuff! It really was too much! I should have given some of it away Years ago!"
Rarity noticed her sister pull the draw from under her bed and cringed. The clothing inside was small.
"oh!" Sweetie Belle's dull eyes focused on the clothes, "So small!"
"I was so young then?" Rarity exclaimed.

"These are almost my size..."
Rarity raised an eyebrow. The items in the drawer had been some of Rarity's first dress items.
Trotting over to Sweetie Belle, she looked them over as her little sister drew them out, carefully. One at a time.

"I suppose...: she said, "If you really wanted them..." Rarities voice was choking up as she spoke, "I could allow you to take what you want..." Rarity looked around the room with a huff. "Couldn't really stop you, actually?"
Sweetie Belle pulled out several items from the pile. They were mostly in blues and yellows and while Rarity thought they were relatively plain herself she didn't begrudge her younger sister having them.
"I'll ask mum and dad if it's okay to keep these." Sweetie Belle decided.
Rarity's mouth went tight. "Oh this is so hard to watch." she insisted, a small tear came to her eye. "I'm sorry to do this to you!"

Rarity stepped in close to her younger sister as she worked, watching her face. Sweetie Belle seemed stoic, her expression hard and dry with dark rings around her eyes. Her lips were continually persed in concentration as she fought to keep emotion from her face.
She sighed.
"All my pretty stuff." Rarity whined, looking around, "All my things. But I guess there's no choice."

"There really IS too much!" Sweetie Belle complained.
Rarity turned and smiled at her sister weakly. "Yes. There is..." her voice choked again.
Sweetie Belle began taking the assorted makeup and dress items from the cabinets.
"I mustn't forget to pack her awards away!" Sweetie Belle reminded herself... "Or maybe I should leave them out?"

Rarity looked at her fashion and design awards awkwardly, and began to cry.
"I'm Sorry Sweetie-dear. I can't stay and watch this!" The fashionista complained. "It's too much! I'm going - I'm going Over To Twilights!" she explained for the sake of the room, then bolted out through the wall at high speed.

Sweetie Belle didn't look up, respond or notice her sister leave. She had not even noticed her arrive. The young crusader worked hard for a good hour, till nearly every item of the room was packed in boxes and then, very carefully one at a time she levitated them out of the window and down to the ground floor.

Her mum and dad were in the kitchen when she came down, talking quietly. They noticed her immediately.
"Are you done dear?"
Sweetie Belle looked to her parents with the same week smile she had worn for the past week and ever since the death of her sister nearly a month ago, and nodded to them.
"I think I've got everything that's going!" she replied. "The only stuff left is whatever the Fashion house is coming to pick up from her workroom."

Sweetie Belle's parents smiled at their youngest. The unnatural quietness upset Sweetie Belle, but this was what things were like with Rarity not there. Lowering her head in a half nod, the small filly quietly trotted outside to sit in the sunshine and rest her eyes while her parents finished their afternoon tea.

She relaxed quietly, enjoying the play of the sun over her eyelids and the background sounds of passing ponies as they chatted. So close to town square she could hear snippets of conversation as life continued to go on around her. Silent. So silent compared to her loud and vivid memories. Momententarily, a shadow passed over her face and cautiously she opened one eye.

Her father's stood over her.

"You should go play little Belle." he told her. "Go spend time with your friends. There's nothing here your mumma and I can't handle!"
At first Sweetie Belle didn't respond, closing her eye again then, groggy from too much sun she got to her feet.
"Maybe you're right." She said eventually.

"I know I am!" Magnum gently prodded his daughter with his hoof, and she rolled forwards, breaking into a slow canter.
"Come back before sunset. Try not to worry too much, We'll handle the fashion house truck when it arrives."

Sweetie Belle took a breath, looked around the bustle of people and stretched her legs before following them to her destination. Sweetie Belle's legs always found her apple-born filly friend for her and she never had to think about it. It was just one of those things.

Diamond Tiara banged the porch of the schoolhouse building as though she were a judge declaring a guilty verdict, then gave Swift, Scootaloo and Featherweight a stare so withering that the grass under their feet started to turn the slightest shade of brown.
Scootaloo ignored it with a dismissive wave of her hoof, although Swift seemed a little impressed.

"You say that about Everything!" Scootaloo mocked.
"But it is! This is a total scandal and absolutely newsworthy I tell you! It has to go in the paper!"
"It clearly has to be made up!" Featherweight commented.
"Look," Scootaloo responded, "I admit ghosts are a difficult subject to nail down, and good for a tale - but it sure isn't likely and we need decent stories to draw in readers.Not -" she gestured in Tiara's general direction, "half baked rumours!"
"That's why I wanted to do this one!" Twist responded with a squeak in her voice. She held a pamphlet graphically showing a colourfully dressed Buddy Rockwell on stage with his guitar and a microphone in front of him..
"He's in town for two weeks! This is a chance to get an exclusive!"
For all of her insistent wording, Twist was having trouble getting her voice to go above a squeak, let alone loud enough to be heard by the arguing fillies..

Sweetie Belle chose this moment to appear beside the copper curled pony, where she looked at Scootaloo and Diamond Tiara. The pair glared at each other, stamping their hooves.
"oooh..." she commented, "going to be another fight?"
Twist turned her head to notice Scootaloo and shrugged with a sigh. "Yeah.." She sighed dejectedly.
"Scootaloo wants to write some sports event and Diamond Tiara want's to report on some weird rumour the posh fillies have been going on about." Sweetie Belle nodded sagely.
"What do you want to do?" the unicorn asked after a moments thought.
Twist held up the poster.

"It's a genuine story and a Genuine Mystery!" Tiara insisted.
"And it's lame compared to the Sunset Cup!" Was Scootaloo's retaliation, both unaware of Sweetie Belle's arrival. "This is what people are actually going to want to know about!"
"We can ONLY have ONE headline!"
Twist and Sweetie Belle watched the exchange as though watching ping pong, their heads swinging back and forth between opposing arguments.

"Guys!" When Sweetie Belle spoke up it wasn't so much a yell as just louder than normal. The arguing fillies stopped and looked at her expectantly.
"I say this should go first," she indicated the flyer, "the sports second page and Tiara's rumour in our usual column!" the unicorn explained. Both Scootaloo and Diamond Tiara's mouths dropped so far they almost touched the ground, and after a moments recovery both went to raise their voices again.
Featherweight seemed to think about this, up until now keeping quiet.

"Okay!" He said finally.
"But -"
"That's not fair!"
"Nobody's better than -"

"Majority Rule!" Featherweight interrupted,
"Twist should get first billing." Sweetie Belle followed up, "Her storie's the easiest and I'm sure she can get an interview!"
Twist blushed brightly but Sweetie Belle simply pat her on the shoulder. "You'll be fine. If you need to ask - " she hesitated. About to say 'My sister'. Sweetie Belle corrected herself to say "Twilight. She saved his life and got him here after all!"

"Editor! You have to put a stop to this!" Diamond Tiara had recovered from the shock of the interruption and recovered her chin from the ground but it was too late as Sweetie Belle was already walking away, "Where do you think you're going?"
"To find Applebloom. My hooves say she's this way!"
Scootaloo grinned, grabbing her skateboard and galloped to catch up.

"Hey! Not you Too!"
"We'll catch up later!" the small pegusus called back, "Once we have our stories!"
Tiara looked at Featherweight, the only pony left, with a scowl that could burn down trees. She smiled, backing away slowly, then ran!

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo talked as they walked, the unicorn's hooves leading her out of town, along the roads past apple acres and towards Fluttershy's house. Sweetie Belle nodded a lot, agreed a lot and took a little interest. While Pegasus races weren't particularly one of her interests she appreciated that her feathered friend enjoyed them and seemed to have a thing for Rainbowdash.
"And your plan is to be there to interview her before the race?" Sweetie Belle asked honestly,
"Heck yeah! And afterwards once she's won it! Also those dunderbolts -"
"- wonderbolts." Sweetie Belle corrected,
"- who keep turning her down will be handing out the awards. Or at least one of them. I thought about doing a profile!"
"Portrait is better." Sweetie Belle said, not hearing the conversation properly. Her hooves were telling her to turn off the road, and she looked at the underscrub nervously.

Scootaloo stopped. "Where ya going? Fluttershy's house is this way."
"Yeah, but I think -" Sweetie Belle blanched at the idea of the prickles, briars and insects she would encounter by going off trail, but entered the forest anyhow.
"You know what I don't understand!" The filly asked her winged friend, "Why does Applebloom have to look after Fluttershy's animal friends. I mean yeah - apple acres may be close to fluttershy's house but still!"
"I suppose it must be because she likes animals! Although -"
"Aaaaah, gangway!!!!" Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo made a hole between them as Applebloom emerged from the woods, a wild turkey and a large pig chasing close behind. As they barrelled past the rush of air pushed both fillies hair back, requiring them to smooth it out again.

"Exactly, she's no good at it. Certainly nowhere near as good as Fluttershy was!"

A moment later Fluttershy came fluttering down the path after them, passing through a tree on the way -
"No no no, stop running! you're Scaring her! SLOW DOWN!" the yellow pegasus called out grumpily, she tugged on her mane, "AND I'M NOT SCARY!!!"
Fluttershy slowed down for just as moment as she passed between the two crusaders, wishing them a 'Good morning girls!' then continued on.

Scootaloo tipped her head to one side, looking around her confused. "Sweetie, did you hear something just now?"
Sweetie Belle responded with a confused look, "Applebloom screaming?"
For a moment Scootaloo mouthed as though to say something different, before responding with "You know - we should probably save her?"
"I'll get the net, you draw the animals attention!"

One brief roundup later and the animals, still shivering were back in or near fluttershy's house. The pig, with a rather bemused expression on his face, hung from a rafter in a net and the turkey pecked around the chicken yard allowing the chickens to eye him with distrust.
Applebloom was also shaken up, and sat in Fluttershy's rocker with a mug of instant soup between her hooves.

"I just don't understand what spooked them!" She was saying, "Although some of the weird sounds I hear around this house! I mean, I know it's empty now but -"
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle made a face.
"And how exactly do you know it's empty?"
Applebloom frowned at Scootaloo's comment. "You know as well as I, them that is dead do NOT hang with tha livin!" She declared. "Would be a horrid wassaname. Precedence!"
Sweetie Belle listened to the response and stared at the ground. "She's right." The unicorn responded. "I mean, we only saw Rarity and Fluttershy once. I don’t know why or how we could see them on Nightmare Night but we haven’t seen them since.

Scootaloo looked around, the cottage was silent, mostly un-lived in. Most of Fluttershy's animals had left and moved into the forest or to AppleAcres, only a few of them remained behind. For certain, nobody was looking after them when Applebloom wasn't there.
"I don't know if they're gone or not -"
"- They is." Applebloom interrupted,
"But I think Applebloom is right. You don't often hear about ghosts and there's always a special place, a Special occasion, a spell, mirrors..." Scootaloo shook her mane, "Can we stop talking about this please? It gives me the creeps!"

When Scootaloo looked up she was rather surprised to find Sweetie Belle looking right at her with a disconcertingly alert look.
"What, do you mean by Mirror?" she asked. Scootaloo cringed.
"Oh, nothing."

Hearing the response Sweetie Belle nodded, got to her hooves and trotted around behind scootaloo. When she asked again she re-enforced the question with by rubbing her hooves on either side of her friends head.
"I said, what's this about seeing ghosts with mirrors?"
"Aaaaaaaooow!!" Scootaloo wriggled around underneath the two hoof noogie and tried to push Sweetie Belle off.
"Give it a rest you too, you're going to give me a headache." Applebloom interrupted.
Looking up, the white filly saw the concerned expression on her friends face and recognized it. Her father had worn a similar one that morning.
"It's just fun!" Sweetie Belle smiled, "Try This!"
Popping backwards Sweetie Belle began rubbing this time along Scootaloo's flank, against the grain so that it itched and tickled!
Scootaloo started kicking stamping at the ground trying to get away.

"hey hey, hehe, no! Stop!" Her head twisted this way and that trying to turn and get at her friend but Sweetie Belle fought on.
"Oh for, come on Sweetie!" Applebloom groaned,
"Alright!" Turning on the orange foal Sweetie Belle applied her magic, plucking a feather from Scootaloo's wing and using it to assult Applebloom's nose and ears!
"EEEP!" the Earth pony complained, sneezing and laughing. "we get it Sweetie! We get it, ha ha, please!"
"Y-hes, p... Please St-hahahappp!"
Sweetie Belle ignored the pleeds for a little while, tickling her friends until they were a little more tired before letting them go.

When she was finished, she lay down on Fluttershy's porch with her legs spread wide and her eyes closed. Unlike the city, Fluttershy's was private.
"You look like you’re in heat." Applebloom commented, laying down beside her in much the same way. Scootaloo simply sat on the porch with her legs underneath her.
"Doesn't matter if you two are the only ones to see me." the unicorn replied, "so... what were you saying about mirrors?"
Scootaloo groaned. "Diamond Tiara was talking about some, thing that rich ponies are doing. Where they walk backwards at night while holding a candle and looking in a mirror. And that supposedly you'll see your future husband or something."
Sweetie Belle frowned. "What does that have to do with ghosts."
"She said that you can also ask to see specific people. Nobody knows how it works. If you do it calling a ponies name you can see them, wherever they are in the world. Which I suppose is good for if they're in another town, or dead, or who knows what."
"So the mirror can let you see dead relatives."
Scootaloo shrugged and Sweetie Belle opened her eyes.
When she looked up, Applebloom hovered over her, watching the fillies face.

"Sweetiepie?" Applebloom asked,
"Yes?"
"Please tell me ya aint gonna try this! You hasn't even cried once that I heard of since your sister died. An while this could be a ways ta see her, it ain't going to bring her back. All its a gonna do is make it harder on ya!"
Sweetie Belle closed her eyes again, turning her head away and setting her jaw stubbornly.

"Rarity would tell -"
"- Ah know! Stiff upper lip! Only cry when ya want something!" Applebloom put a hoof on Sweetie Belles stomach. Noticing a second hoof Sweetie Belle looked up to see Scootaloo had joined Applebloom over her.
"It ain't gonna help you nun." Applebloom replied.
"Besides." Scootaloo commented, then struggled for words. "Tiara is gonna research it, so, and. If there's anything to it, you know that she'll make a huge fuss." the pegasus emphasized the last few words. "We have our own things to research - wouldn't you like to go to that guy's concert?"

The thought of attending a concert held and performed by the infamous Buddy Rockwell danced around in her brain for several moments along with other thoughts and dreams. Eventually, bringing her hind legs together with a clip and swinging them downwards she rolled herself into an upright position, surprising her friends.

"You're Right!" She said at last.
"Lets go to a concert!"

Diamond Tiara looked out her window at the large stage set up in the center of town. The sun was just going down after a long day, the final glow disappearing behind the horizon and if you looked closely it was possible to see the small light that was Luna's magic as she raced across the sky bringing out the stars and raising the moon and likewise, Celestia's light as she conducted the sunset.

Tiara frowned at the mirror in her room.
"Such a ridiculous myth!" she complained, "Only a Unicorn could easily do this, which made her wonder if only unicorn were supposed to, but the reports hadn't just been from unicorns and several of them had seen faces during the task.

"There is no reason this shouldn't work!" She reassured herself, picking up the candle between her teeth. Idly she listened as her parents closed up the house downstairs. Everyone was going to that 'Buddy Rockwell' concert and while there was no way she was going to miss out - Tiara was certain she was going to prove this myth first.
"I'll find out who my future husband will be, and then my parents won't bother me about finding a colt!" she insisted, before a half thought occured to her.
"Maybe I could use this to spy on people?" She squeed. "If this works then I could become the gossip queen of Ponyville!"

Satisfied that all the house was empty, she hitched her neck through the loop of rope hanging from the mirror. The mirror, a full length one from her bedroom was set up on a coaster with wheels, meaning it would follow her out to the hallway as she walked. There, Diamond Tiara set it up at the end of the hall, retrieved her candle and began.

Carefully, holding her candle between her teeth, Diamond Tiara started walking backwards, looking at her reflection.
"Come on..." She whispered to herself, "Come on...." She looked straight at her own reflection. If it was going to appear then his image would appear as though standing behind her.
"Come on...." At approximately five metres from the mirror, just as the light reflected in the mirror was starting to become dim - she saw it.

"eeeeee" She grinned widely. There standing behind her in her reflection was she shape of a hansom colt - nearly twice her height he had a strong square chinbone, thin legs and... Tiara blinked!
"Wait - Isn't that." she mumbled, and put down the candle as carefully as possible. "That cutiemark.... SNIPS ???"
Tiara's head spun. "No! No no no no no! I'm not going to end up with HIM. I can't tell them THAT! That's - NO!" Rushing forwards she kicked the candle - sending it flying across the floor and splattering wax everywhere. It rolled to a stop right in front of the mirror with Diamond Tiara in close pursuit.

"I don't care how handsome he's going to become! Show me somebody I LIKE. Some pony I can be proud to call a boyfriend!"
The figure of Snips remained in her reflection, flickering slightly in the poor light. Strangely - he seemed to be frowning.

"All right." she frowned. "Lets try that long view or whatever. Show me..." She hesitated, "Show me Buddy Rockwell!"
The adult Snip's was still frowning at Tiara in her reflection. Tiara backed up until he was just behind her.

"Show me Buddy Rockwell. Buddy Rockwell! Buddy ROCKWELL!"
"You really are an arrogant pony aren't you?"

Diamond Tiara almost jumped out of her skin at the sound of the voice. Spinning around she looked for it's source, before checking all the doors to the rooms in the house. certain that she was alone she returned to the hall - picked up the candle and turned to face the mirror.
Snips was no longer reflected behind her. Instead - a pale white unicorn stood there with a faint blue glow around her.

Tiara checked the hall, shaking, then turned back towards the mirror and backed up a reasonable way towards it.
"Who are you?" She demanded.

"Arrogant Earth Ponies. All you care about is yourselves. I show you your future, you demand that I change it!"
Tiara's blood ran cold. A pale white ghost ponie... Angry at the world.

"You... You aren't Rarity are you?"
The apparition smiled. "Bloody Mare!" She spat, then rushed forwards grabbing Diamond Tiara's mane between her teeth.

Diamond Tiara felt herself being pulled over, kicking she struggled against the invisible force. On this side of the Mirror, there was nothing there. But in her reflection - the pale white mare dragged her across the ground then up in the air to hang from the nail atop the door.
"No, Please!" She demanded, "Rarity, Stop!"
"Bloody Mare." the specter responded.
He head ached, her mane tugged. Diamond Tiara kicked and thrashed, her tiara for which she was aptly named falling off.
The candle was picking itself up from the floor and Tiara checked the Mirror. The reflection was grinning evilly, large gaping cuts had appeared on the specters body. The ghosts mane was green with mold and her teeth and eyes completely black.

Tiara screamed, eyes wide. With her hind hooves she kicked her Tiara towards her, picked it up.

And Slashed