The Cottage by Satriark (2012/3/8)

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// Story: The Cottage

// Author: Satriark

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// Chapter: She Lingers

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The Cottage

By Satriark.



Fluttershy slammed the door to her humble cottage closed, sending a wave of fright through her animals. Shaking, she walked slowly to the edge of the room and stared into the mirror.

The matted yellow coat under her eyes was drenched with tears, tears of disgust and sadness. She was horrified with what she had become, the monster she had been turned into.

The reflection staring back at her wasn't the Fluttershy she knew, but a demonic monster of hate that tormented her friends. The faces of Rarity and Pinkie Pie, filled with grief and sadness still burned in her mind. Tears streaked down her face and she wept loudly, crying tears of pure sorrow for her lost friends.

She knew that she was too far gone, too much a monster to be fixed. She had to make sure that she could never torture another pony again.

She would never leave the cottage.

Fluttershy sighed softly, tears patting onto the hardwood floors.

"I'm better off dead..." She whispered into the air.

Better off dead.



She knew what she had to do. It was the only real way to stop her from ever hurting anypony ever again.

Her animal friends sat silently in the corner of the room, huddled together in fear and sadness as they watched their mother weep.

Suddenly, she turned and walked briskly into the storage room. Angel hopped quickly after his caregiver, only to be met with a door slammed into his face.

He shook it off and quickly put his ear up to the door. A strange rustling could be barely heard from the other side, followed by silence.

He pressed his ear up to the door as hard as he could; any missed sound was a missed clue to his mother's hidden activities.

A large crash made him jump back, followed quickly by a sickening crack and the sound of straining rope. Angel's heart was racked with a sudden fear and sadness, and he sprinted out the door to Twilight's library.



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It was a dark day for the ponies of Ponyville.

Nopony had ever witnessed a suicide in Ponyville before, and it was especially unexpected from a pony like Fluttershy.

After hearing rumors of the cause being her confidence training, the Minotaur Iron Will disappeared from Ponyville along with his goat accomplices and was never seen again.

Dark thunderclouds rolled and erupted in the sky, creating a blanket of black umbrella tops along Ponyville's streets.

Bagpipes played the song of the dead as the casket was carried by five sullen looking figures. They wore exquisite robes of black, designed by Rarity, as they walked down the road to the park where the funeral was being held.

Every pony in Ponyville had come to farewell their beloved friend. Tears mixed with raindrops washed down the roads, creating an eerie dark light through the entire town.



Though the lords take you today...



The five remaining elements walked to the grim beat of their friend's farewell, slowly marching towards Fluttershy's eternal resting place.



And you might feel alone...



Thunder tore and ripped through the sky, leaving a jagged white scar before fading into the subconscious of the crowd.



Our hearts will never sway...



Rarity looked up at the dark, heaving sky. A single tear slid down her cheek, mourning for her lost friend. She, along with Pinkie Pie, couldn't help feeling sheer amounts of guilt for Fluttershy's untimely death. Though the pain of losing a loved one was unbearable to all, it was especially hard on the two who saw her last.

Lightning danced all around Ponyville, and the rain didn't clear until long after the funeral.

It was a dark day for Ponyville indeed.



Let our voices guide you home.



Three years later...



"Do you think this is a joke, aye? Do you think I'm playing around here? You need to find some material for our report pronto, or we're gonna be out of business."



A large, grey stallion stood at the back of a large, exquisitely decorated office room.

He had a short, grey mane and a black tipped tail. His eyes were blood red, and his brows furrowed in an angry expression.

He furiously snorted at the back of a deluxe, black leather office chair.

The chair faced a large, clear window that overlooked the ever-busy city of Manehatten. Carts and unsympathetic ponies littered the streets below, high on their own fake self-importance.

A chuckle flowed from the leather chair, and a lone hoof holding a delicate looking glass of wine slid into view from the side of the chair.



"Calm down, Steel String.

We do indeed have material for our report to Luna. Her ever growing curiosity for the afterlife will leave us rich old friend.

One of my agents, Blue Ghost, is being wisped away as we speak. I have faith that this lead will prove bountiful Steel.

Bountiful indeed."



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The train rumbled through the glowing hills of fresh, green grass. The stones underneath the roaring wheels jumped and quaked as the huge snake of metal slid over them.

The vibrations and tremors from the train wiggled up through the seat and into dark blue Earthpony's aching back. He had a short cyan and dark blue infused mane, that sat ruffled around his neck. His tail was the same color, and twisted in a natural curl at the end. His cutie mark was a white ghost, surrounded in a purple haze. Blue Ghost had been sitting on the train for at least six hours, and was weary.

He flicked over the newspaper and stared at the headlines for the twentieth time.

A stallion dressed in a blue uniform emerged from the coach in front of his, and looked around.



"Five minutes till Ponyville!" He yelled before slinking back to the head of the train.

Blue sighed in relief and stretched his aching spine. He couldn't wait to get back to the familiar fresh country air.

He grew up on a small farm a few hours down the road from Appleloosa, in a county called Coltland.

He lived there with his mom and dad, and two sisters. He had always had a special talent, for as long as he could remember.

He had the ability to improve a unicorn's magical ability, simply by standing near them. He was also drawn to the deceased and often visited graveyards, which his bullies used to torment him almost every day of his childhood.

He never had many friends, and was considered by all a loner. Strangely, even though nopony stood by his side on his darkest days, he never felt alone.



Blue moved to the big city after his psychic ability was requested at the Spark Tower.

He didn't know much about Mr. Spark, apart from the fact that he was a highly regarded friend of the royal family, and was very close to Princess Luna herself. He had heard rumors that Mr. Spark was the direct supervisor of Princess Luna, hired by her sister Celestia, after she returned from her thousand year imprisonment on the moon.

He shared the same ability as Blue Ghost and was world renowned for his ability to increase the length of magic enchantments, and increase their strength. He was offered a job as Mr. Spark's personal agent, and that he would be called upon when his special talents were in need. The assignment in Ponyville was the first professional ghost hunting job he had ever done, and was exhilarated.



The train's wheels slowed their relentless turning to a small petty chugging, before stopping entirely in front of Ponyville's station.

Blue Ghost stood up and rushed for the door, dying for some fresh air. He burst out onto the hot platform, the stones cooking under the warm sun.

He looked up at the sky, and soaked in the glaring sunlight. There were no clouds in sight, and the unblocked beams of warmth caressed the fresh grass and friendly buildings. It was hard to believe that he was there to go ghost hunting, rather than being there for a vacation.

He had heard the tales of life and friendship that Ponyville was famous for. The tightknit community of friendly, accepting ponies had never failed to capture his imagination. With new found contempt, he merrily trotted forward towards the town.



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It was nothing like he expected to be.

Litter swept across the unkempt streets, and many buildings sat empty with their doors swinging open in the breeze that rolled by. The ponies that still lingered in the dead town looked exhausted, and barely lifted their head to see the new stallion that had entered their village. Blue swallowed nervously, and walked over to one of the lifeless ponies that wandered the desolate streets.



"Um, Hey there. I'm uh, Blue Ghost and I was wondering where I might find th-"



"The Library? Keep going down the road and turn right at the end. Twilight's waiting for you." The gruff, brown stallion with an hourglass as his cutie mark spoke harshly, like he cared nothing for the troubles of the foreigner.



Offended at the stallion's lack of care, Blue set off without saying a word.

The friendly, welcoming town of Ponyville was no more. Even though the warm, kind sun still shone down onto the small village, there was no happiness here.

It was like it had all been sucked out, like a giant leech had fastened itself onto the earth and drained all life.

His mood of joy had gone almost as quickly as it came, and he put his head down and set off as quickly as he could towards Twilight's Library.



The giant, hollow tree sat eerily at the end of the road. A deathly silence hung over the town like a blanket, ever choking the life out of the village.

He gingerly walked up to the door of the library, swinging his head around to see if anypony was watching. He lifted his hoof and knocked on the door twice, then waited.

The faint clopping of hooves against the hardwood floor drew closer and closer to the door, before stopping and being replaced with the sliding of metal locks.

The door opened slightly and a lone dark purple eye scanned the porch, before landing and settling on Blue. The door swung wide open, and Twilight walked out to meet him.

She had a dark purple mane, with streaks of blue and pink. Black bags sat below her eyes, and her mane and tale were a mess. Her mouth sat in a straight line, and her purple eyes were emotionless.

She was clearly once a very beautiful mare, but now a destroyed husk of her former self.



"Blue ghost, I presume. Come in, we have much to discuss." She said without a hint of emotion, and turned to walk back into the library.



Blue swallowed nervously again, and followed her into the tree house. Books were lying all over the floor and tables, and dust had formed in massive layers across the tops of everything that hadn't been touched recently.

Twilight walked slowly to a table in the middle of the room, and swept the books off onto the floor with a crash.

With no intention of picking them back up again, she sat in the chair with a sigh and motioned for Blue Ghost to join her. Blue quickly trotted to the chair opposite her and sat, never losing eye contact with the purple mare.



"I know why you are here, but explain it to me again so I can be sure." Twilight said and closed her eyes.



"I've been sent by Mr. Spark to file a report on the apparently haunted Cottage on the outskirts of this town. I've been asked to-"



Twilight snorted, interrupting his explanation.

"It is not 'apparently haunted', Mr. Ghost. Surely you have heard the tales of wonderful Ponyville, and its caring residents? Her mournful presence has infected the town with a sickness of despair.

Most left on their own and I were forced to send Spike, my dragon, to live in Canterlot. Others stayed, and endured the harsh plague of death. For me and four others, we stayed because we care.

We used to be six, you see. That was until one of us was unfortunately taken long before their time.

Some find it hard to believe that even though she is dead, she is still here.

This is where I beg of you to turn away now, but I know it will do no good. Heed my warning Blue Ghost, only the remaining Elements of Harmony can enter that house and leave without terrible consequences!"



Blue had been warned that this might happen.

It was quite common for locals to spin crazy folk stories around a creepy place, and that sometimes the story gets out and becomes popular. Blue laughed in the face of the distraught purple unicorn, who was obviously trying her very best to protect their secret of lies and myth.



"Ok, I see. So now I'm supposed to go all the way back to Manehatten and tell Mr. Spark that I was told that there were 'terrible consequences' for going to the house, and that his mission was too dangerous for me? Fat chance, Twilight." Blue spat, annoyed by the inhospitable residents of Ponyville.



"Laugh if you like, but Celestia's light no longer shines in the place where you so desperately want to go. Let me tell you now, if you enter the Cottage of the dead you will never leave it again!"



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The sun was setting and a warm, orange glow licked the cool air. Blue shivered and breathed into his hooves, it was getting cold. He had hoped to stay the night at Twilight's, but he had blown his cool and ruined his chance.

He bitterly regretted getting so angry at her, and wished he could take it back. At least she was kind enough to show me the way to a hotel he thought sullenly.

He picked up the pace and followed the lines on the map Twilight had given him. Eventually, he came to a large building with a hotel sign attached to the side of it. It was nowhere near the deluxe five star hotels of Manehatten which he was used to, but it would suffice.

Eager to get out of the cold evening air, he pushed the door open with his hoof and walked into the reception room. A warm fireplace burned merrily by the wooden walls, decorated with paintings and ornaments.

A long red carpet ran from the door all the way to the desk. A spiral staircase stuck out of the ground in the corner of the room, leading up to all the hotel rooms. A brown donkey sat behind the desk, deeply indulged in a book.

She wore a blue sapphire earing in each ear, had curly brown hair and light blue eyes.

Blue Ghost breathed in deeply, soaking in the warmth of the fireplace and nicely scented candles which relaxed him instantly. He strolled up to the counter, and looked around at the wonderful paintings.



"Good evening ma'am, I would like to rent a room for the night."



The donkey jumped and looked up then sighed, laughing softly.



"Oh sorry dearie, you frightened me. Yes, a room is it? We have one available at the moment, room nine. It's at the top of the staircase, then to your left."



She smiled warmly at him then handed him the key. He said thank you and gave her some bits, before retreating to the stairs. His hooves clopped against the oak stairs as he bounded up them, yearning to get to his room.

Finally, the stairs flowed out onto the last floor, and he took a left as the donkey had directed him. Room six, seven, eight, and nine.

A wooden door with an exquisite golden door handle stood between him and the room. He slid the key into the lock and turned it. The metallic lock clinked and slid open, revealing a smallish room.

The room had two small, dusty windows lining the wall facing the street below. A painting of Ponyville hung above a small white bed. Blue locked the door behind him and dropped down onto the bed.

He stared at the plain white flaking ceiling above him and allowed his mind to wander. Twilight seemed sincere about the warning, and she was right. The town was nothing like the old stories, and many houses sat empty. Blue slept very little that night, his mind processing frantically the events of the day, and what was in store tomorrow.



Black grime lined the dark walls of the room Blue was in. A single light bulb hung flickering from the ceiling. A chair lay toppled on the floor, one of the legs broken. A noose hung from the light bulb, and a yellow, bleeding figure swung slowly from it with its back turned to Blue. Its pink mane was ruffled and bloody.

Frozen in fear, Blue could only stand there and stare at the sad, swinging body. Suddenly, he felt something warm and wet fall onto his head. He quickly lifted his hoof to the top of his mane and brushed it off. He brought the hoof down and examined it curiously.

The edge was smeared with blood. Slowly, he lifted his head and looked at the ceiling. A bloody noose hung just above him, dripping blood all around him.

Shaking with fear, he looked back down to where the yellow figure was. It was gone, along with the noose and the seat was standing back up, beckoning for him to sit.

He shivered as a hot breath breathed down his neck.



Blue Ghost jumped out of his sleep in a cold sweat. Morning light penetrated the room, filling it with a bright glow. He sighed and shook his head, hopping out of bed. He walked into the bathroom, and turned onto the faucet. Freezing cold water ran over his soft, yellow hooves.

Yellow hooves.

He slowly lifted his head and looked in the mirror. A bloody, bedraggled yellow mare stared back at him with black eyes and a gaping blackened mouth, pouring with a black liquid.

Blue jumped back in fright and blinked rapidly. He stared into the mirror and the familiar reflection of him returned. I can't let them get to me he thought and trotted quickly out of the room, locking the door behind him.

He bounded down the oak stairs, and into the reception room. The friendly donkey receptionist sat behind the desk, frantically writing on bits of paper and stuffing them in envelopes. He didn't bother to speak to her, he had things to do. She saw him storming out and called after him.



"Blue! Twilight told me to tell you that you need to-"



"Sorry ma'am, but I'm kinda busy." Blue butted in before she could continue, and walked hastily out the front door into the crisp morning air.



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The cart underneath bounced around harshly, jostling Blue around.

It wasn't nearly as comfortable as the train's cushioned seat yesterday, but it would do. The morning's events were still fresh in his mind, and still frightened him.

Twilight's warning circled around his mind like an electric train on a track, going on and on. The buildings strolled past him and thinned out until it was just a warm field with trees, and a dark forest in the distance.

The morning sun shone down brightly onto the fields of green, and the plants swayed softly in the wind.

After what seemed an eternity, the cart pulled to a stop in the middle of the road. The two stallions dropped their reins and turned around to face Blue.



"Sorry mate, this is as far as we'll go. The Cottage is a few minutes down the road. Get out of there as quickly as possible, alright?"



"I won't take my time." Blue responded, and got off the cart.

The two stallions went back to the reins and turned the cart around. They galloped off at top speed, obviously wanting to get out of there as quickly as they could. Blue breathed in deeply, absorbing the fresh country air and smell of wild flowers.

He focused on the road, and trotted towards the house.



The stones stung his hooves and after a while of walking, he was hoping to find the house soon. Answering his prayers, a dark structure appeared over a small hill in the road. A smallish house with boarded up windows sat eerily at the end of the long dirt road.

A rundown chicken coup sat alongside it, filled with old stale hay. The roof of the Cottage sank in certain places, and collapsed in others.

Well, it definitely does look haunted thought Blue, and walked nervously up to the house.



The rolling breeze whistled through the heavily boarded windows and into the interior of the house, creating an eerie gust.

Blue Ghost pushed lightly on the front door, and it groaned loudly and swung open.

The lounge was lightly illuminated with sunlight streaming in from the cracks in the windows. A heavy dust lay over everything; nopony had been in here for a long time.

Pictures of animals hung from the walls, and the dry paint was peeling. A staircase on the left end of the room wound up to the second floor. A thick wooden door sat on the other end of the staircase, with an inscription too small to read from where he was standing.



A thick silence hung in the air, and Blue shivered in fear. He mustered his courage and stepped into the house, closing the door behind him.

He walked over to the wall and picked up a picture. A small bunny sat sweetly on a chair wearing a little suit. The cuteness of the photo did nothing to override the creepiness of the house. He put down the photo and walked over to the door on the other side of the room. He peered closely at the front and read the inscription.



Storage Room was etched in a cheerful way on the front of the large wooden door. Figuring it was a good way to start the examination, he reached down and turned the handle.

The handle turned for a split second then held fast. It was locked.

Oh well, so much for that idea he thought.

Suddenly, something moved in the corner of his eye. He spun around and looked at where the movement occurred. The familiar scene of aged furniture filled his eyes and he sighed. The lounge seemed clear of any demons, so he decided to move onto the kitchen.



A lone table sat in the middle of a white wallpapered room, and a faucet with many cabinets lined the side the kitchen.

A few dead plants sat in little pots on a window sill, their light stolen by the planks of wood that guarded the window. A piece of paper sat curiously alone on the table, and Blue walked over to it. He picked it up in his hooves and looked it over.



WHY ARE YOU HERE?



The words were scrawled in a red liquid.

Blue dropped the note in horror and looked all around him, making sure he was alone. He quickly jolted to the cabinets and pulled them open, looking for something to write with.

Luckily, he found a little mug with a few pencils in it. He pulled out the pencil and ran back to the piece of paper. It had fallen onto the table top and its eerie words faced down, hidden from sight. He bent over to the paper and wrote three simple words.



To find you.

A loud crack erupted from deep within the basin of the faucet.

Blue dropped the pencil in shock and backed up as far away from the sound of the noise as possible. Suddenly, the faucet turned on to full blast and blood streamed from it, quickly filling up the basin and pooling onto the floor.

A flash of coldness and panic shook its way through Blue's numb body as he stared at the event unfolding before his eyes. Streaks of blood started forming above the faucet on the blank wall behind it. Lines turned to letters, letters turned to words.

The horrific response to his answer stood clear on the wall.



YOU HAVE SUCCEEDED.



A white flash blinded Blue momentarily, and he rubbed his eyes.

When he opened them again, he was sitting on the floor on the other side of the room from the faucet. He quickly looked at his hoof, and gawked at the paper he was holding.

It was a grocery list.

He had seen enough.

He should've heeded Twilight's warning, but now it was too late.

Let me tell you now, if you enter the Cottage of the dead you will never leave it again! Twilight's message floated around his head, and he shook them off and dashed out the kitchen.

He emerged into the familiar lounge and galloped towards the door. He threw it open and gasped in horror. A giant red brick wall blocked up the exit, blocked up the only way out.



There was no escape.



A small giggle chirped behind him, and he spun around in anguish. He caught a glimpse of a pink tail bounding up the stairs to the second floor. Blue's lower jaw quaked in fear, and his legs had frozen stiff.

"There is only one way out of here." He whispered to himself.

He needed to confront the specter of his nightmares. Swallowing nervously and going against all sane logic, he followed the demonic being up the stairs and into his darkest fears.



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The second floor was a lot darker than the first, and Blue had to squint to see at all.

The stairs ended and melted into a long hallway, with three doors. He closed his eyes and mentally readied himself, but it did no good.

He was still shaking with fear, and wanted to be anywhere but there. He opened his eyes again and jumped with fright as he saw a pink tale walk into a now open door, and slam it shut behind itself.

Blue sighed wearily and gingerly walked over to the door the being went into. He pushed on the door and it slowly opened. It revealed a small bathroom with a single toilet and bathtub. Above the toilet sat a window, unbarred by wooden planks.

Blue quickly rushed over to it and threw the window open. The weather had turned from bright and sunny to dark and raining.

Thunder struck all around the house, leaving gashes of light and rumbling shouts of anger. He looked down at the ground, and assessed his chances. Jumping would most likely break his legs, and that would leave him at the mercy of the ghost.



"GOODBYE." Shrieked a dry, slicing voice behind him.



He felt two cold hooves push hard against his back and he toppled out the window.

Screaming, he plummeted towards the ground.

Suddenly, the earth below him melted into a pool of blood and he plunged deep into it. Coughing and spluttering in the blackish red liquid he thrashed his arms wildly, trying desperately to resurface.

Ice cold hooves grabbed at his legs, trying to pull him down into the dark abyss. He kicked harshly at the hooves and swam hard upwards, his lungs bursting.

His vision was fading, and his lungs were screaming in pain. He heard a demonic, childish laugh as he started to die.

Just then, he surfaced. He gasped and spluttered out blood, and rubbed the liquid out of his eyes. He was in the bathtub in the bathroom, covered in blood. He gagged on the stench of death, and clambered quickly out of the bath.

Backing up as far as possible, he felt the cold wall touch with his back. Panting wildly, he glanced around the room to see if he was alone.

Realizing he was, he laughed in relief and put his head back against the wall and took a moment to relax.



A scream of pure agony destroyed his relaxation almost as quickly as it lasted, and he spun his head towards the source of the noise.

Far outside the window in the distance floated a yellow mare with black, bleeding eyes. It was the mare he had seen that morning in his nightmare.

Suddenly, she launched herself at him with full speed. Screaming a piercing cry of misery, she exploded through the window frame and froze suddenly in front of his face. Her black eyes bled a jet black liquid, and it poured down her face and onto the floor.



"WELCOME TO THE HOUSE OF DEATH, MORTAL." She whispered in a deep, demonic voice and her mouth unhinged and engulfed him.



Blue Ghost awoke with a gasp. He was in the middle of the bathroom, lying on the tile floor. He sat up quickly and checked his body.

Uneaten and clean of blood, he stood up and checked the bathroom for the yellow mare. She had disappeared, along with all the other horrifying apparitions.

He quickly glared at the window, it was unopened.

He had had enough.

I'll take the chance, he thought. He ran full speed at the window and jumped into it. The glass shattered under his hooves, and they collided with something hard.

He crashed into the tile floor loudly, his front hooves aching with pain. He shook his head and glanced up at the smashed window frame. Another brick wall had formed behind it, blocking all exits.

Blue's already fragile mind collapsed and succumbed. He lay on the floor and cried, wishing to be home, anywhere far far away from here.

Suddenly, a laugh echoed from behind him. He spun around to see a pink tail flow around the corner of the now open door. Not caring anymore, Blue Ghost stood up and walked out the bathroom in pursuit of the demon.



He bounded round the corner just in time to see the door at the end of the hallway slam closed, and he ran up to it and kicked it open again.

He emerged into the master bedroom. A large bed sat at the end of the room, a barred up window sitting on either side. Paintings and dead plants decorated the room with a ghostly sensation.

Sitting on the bed, was a little music box. Blue Ghost check all corners of the room, then sat on the bed and picked up the curious little box. It was beautifully crafted from wood, and exquisitely made curves decorated the whole box.

Upon proper examination, he found a little wheel to tune up the box. He cranked it a few times and let go, and the eerie harmony filled the room.



Though the lords take you today,

And you might feel alone.

Our hearts will never sway,

Let our voices guide you home.



Though your spirit departs today,

We won't shed a tear.

We'll give the last flower bouquet,

And in our hearts we'll hold you near.



Though the lords take you today,

Life must carry on.

Our lost friend we'll never betray,

To us you'll never be gone.



With a massive crack the entire room around Blue Ghost collapsed into a dark pit. Screaming and flailing, Blue dropped down into the sickeningly inky blackness.



With a thud he landed on soft dirt and warm grass.

He opened his eyes and slowly stood up.

He recognized this place; it was the graveyard of his childhood. He stared up at the sky, from where he fell. The sun sat high in the sky, glaring down at him. He shook his head in bewilderment and looked at where he had been dropped.

He jumped in shock as his eyes fell upon himself. Younger him sat on the park bench, singing softly to himself.

Blue's mouth hung open in shock. His confusion turned to amazement, and he began to walk over to his younger self. Suddenly, the air around younger Blue shimmered and older Blue froze where he stood.

A group of grey, see-through ponies appeared on the bench next to him, and all around it. Their eyes were closed, and a small smile crept on each of their faces as they swayed softly to the tune of his voice.



Suddenly, the scene melted into another one of his childhood memories. It was in the schoolyard of his elementary.

He saw younger him cowering on the floor, surrounded by a group of narcissistic, belligerent ponies demanding blood.

A larger stallion stood above him, kicking him in the stomach. Blue Ghost winced as the painful memories returned to him. He had no friends in his youth, Nopony to back him up. He had no siblings, and was never very tough. Nopony was ever around to defend him, and because of this, this sad event occurred more than often.

Just like before, the area around younger Blue shimmered. The same group of ghosts appeared in front of him, and stood between him and the bully trying desperately to help their friend.

Blue put a hoof to his mouth, and a tear rolled down his cheek as he realized what he was being shown.

The friends he had thought imaginary, and lulled to only for comfort, were the only ones defending him in his time of need.

They were his true friends.



His eyes shot open.

He was lying on the bed in the master bedroom, and he sat up quickly.

The sound of clopping hooves echoed from the hallway, and a track of bloody hooves led out the door of the bedroom.

He jumped out of the bed quickly, knocking the small wooden music box to the floor with a crash. He trotted out the door, squinting at the ground and following the footsteps of blood.

They led back down the stairway, and into the room that was locked when he first came here. Blue froze, and stared into the inky darkness of the forbidden storage room. Pure sadness and grief flowed from the room deep into Blue's heart.

Something horrible occurred in that room, and he was sure that everything would be revealed when he entered.

His legs developed a mine of their own, and he slowly walked towards the darkness.



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He felt the hard, wet stone steps beneath his hooves as he walked down them slowly. He didn't need to look at the ground to see that the liquid beneath him was blood; the whole room stunk of it.

Ahead of him, a soft light flickered from a room at the end of the staircase. A soft moaning floated from the room into his ears.

The scenario seemed strangely familiar, and he was filled with dread.



Black grime lined the dark walls of the room Blue was in. A single light bulb hung flickering from the ceiling. A chair lay toppled on the floor, one of the legs broken. A noose hung from the light bulb, and a yellow, bleeding figure swung slowly from it with its back turned to Blue. Its pink mane was ruffled and bloody.

Frozen in fear, Blue could only stand there and stare at the sad, swinging body. Suddenly, he felt something warm and wet fall onto his head. He quickly lifted his hoof to the top of his mane and brushed it off. He brought the hoof down and examined it curiously.

The edge was smeared with blood. Slowly, he lifted his head and looked at the ceiling. A bloody noose hung just above him, dripping blood all around him.

Shaking with fear, he looked back down to where the yellow figure was. It was gone, along with the noose and the seat was standing back up, beckoning for him to sit.

He shivered as a hot breath breathed down his neck. Blue turned around slowly, his eyes closed as he prepared to die.



"Blue? But... How?" Twilight stammered, mixed with the feelings of confusion and relief.



Blue thrust his eyes open. The room had changed to regular looking storage room, with boxes and covered furniture filling it.

The single light bulb shone bright, without a flicker. Twilight stood in all reality in front of him, glaring with confused eyes.

Behind her, two ponies stood and were glancing around in fear. One had a white coat, and beautifully styled purple mane.

The other had a bright pink coat with a matching pink mane, smoothed completely flat down the side of her face. Twilight stepped forward into the centre of the room, immediately shaking of the residual confusion and focused.



"We're here, Fluttershy.

You can come out now."



Following her commands, two greyish ponies stepped through the wall at the end of the room. Both had a faded yellow coat, and Blue had met with one of them before.

The nightmare Fluttershy with a bloody mane and black eyes and mouth walked back to the corner of the room, staring furiously at Blue.

The other was a sweet looking mare, with a beautiful full pink mane. Her eyes were wet with tears, and they fell down and through the floor.

The white and pink guests that Twilight had brought stepped forward and faced the nice Fluttershy, tears streaming down their faces to match hers. Suddenly, Fluttershy spoke with a ghastly, faded voice.



"I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry.

I'm sorry to you two for everything I said on that day, and sorry for everything I did to those who entered the house."



She turned to face Blue, tears pouring down her soaked face and she stuttered with sadness and grief as she spoke.



"I'm sorry for everything I did to you, Blue."



Blue shook his head, wiping the tears from his eyes and smiled.



"No Fluttershy, there's no need to apologise. Today you showed me the only friends I've ever had, and even though I will never be able to see them again, I'm glad to have had the opportunity to realise how they were."



Fluttershy giggled and sniffed, and turned back to the pink and white ponies.

They all laughed softly, and embraced each other for the last time. Demon Fluttershy walked over to Nice Fluttershy and held her hoof. Suddenly, four other grey ponies walked out of the walls around them. All of them had black eyes, and a black smile stretched across their faces.

Two of them were Pegasi, and the other two were Earth Ponies. The walked over to the two Fluttershy's and linked up, all holding each other's hooves.

In unison, the group of six ponies looked up the roof, and closed their eyes. A bright white flash filled the room, blinding Blue and the others. When they opened their eyes, the six ghosts were gone.



Blue stood frozen, his mind racing with questions. He felt a warm hoof on his shoulder, and turned to see Twilight smiling warmly at him.



"After you left my library, I was intrigued to study up more on the dead and afterlife. After a long time of reading, I found a small passage on why sometimes they stay behind. Once I realised why Fluttershy hadn't departed yet, I ran over to the hotel you were staying at.

I got your room number and knocked on the door, but you must have already been asleep. I gave the message for you to come to the library to Matilda, the receptionist, and to send letters to Pinkie Pie and Rarity informing them to come to Ponyville immediately.

She must've forgotten to tell you. Anyway, that's why I was so surprised to see you. I sent for Pinkie and Rarity three days ago."



Blue gasped, and shook his head in denial.



"No, I've been here for a few hours max. There's no way I've been here for three days."



"Well, believe it or not you have. Maybe time runs differently when a place is under possession of a ghost. The reason I sent for Pinkie and Rarity is because they're the reason Fluttershy still walked Equestria.

Just before she died, she said some terrible things to them whilst under the influence of a terrible monster.

That's why she was still here, you see. She needed to apologise for all the grief she caused on them before she could happily depart. The other ghosts were other ponies who were foalish enough to enter the house throughout the past three years."



Blue stood lost in thought, absorbing everything she said.

Most of his questions were answered, except one.



"That doesn't explain why Fluttershy was in two parts."



"Sometimes, when somepony dies at a time of such pain and suffering, they 'split in two'. The soul, filled with happy memories and good times, wanders in eternal limbo ever searching for the other side.

But the other soul, filled with grief and misery, stays behind and deals its burdens onto others until it can regain happiness. By apologising for all the misery she had caused, her grief was lifted and she could go to the afterlife. "



Twilight sighed; a tear rolling down her cheek as the painful memories of losing a close one came rushing back. She laughed softly, shaking her head.



"Sometimes, we all just need to be shown a little love and kindness."



------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Four days later...



The rumbling cart came to a stop. Blue looked up at the cloudless sky. The sun shone brightly down and softly stroked the swaying flowers and grass in the meadows surrounding him. The two stallions dropped the reins and spoke roughly.



"Coltland Cemetery, we're here."



Blue hopped down from the cart and stretched his back, sending multiple cracks down his spine. The stallions turned the cart around and galloped back to Appleloosa.

Blue inhaled deeply, and the aroma of sunflowers and fresh grass filled his snout. With the wind running through his mane, he galloped towards the graveyard of his childhood.

Eventually, he turned into the familiar cemetery. He took the familiar path to the familiar park bench. He stopped and took a familiar seat against the familiar wood.

He closed his eyes and sighed softly.



"Good morning old friends.

I know you're here, and probably surprised to hear me talking to you.

I just wanted to thank you for everything you've done for me over the years. You will always be friends to me, even though I can't see you."



He reached forward and hugged the air.

Little did he know that a certain yellow and pink mare was hugging him back.



The End