Alone

Part 1: Spectre

"Hey, no, I got one," Jal said gesturing to the purple filly sitting alone across the room reading a book, "Take that one there to the Witch and ditch her there. We'll wait nearby. The scream will be hilarious."

I looked over to the filly, Springsong, "I dunno. I doubt she'll fall for it, guys."

"Oh, come on," Lazu said rolling his eyes, "It's obvious that girl likes you. Besides, if she doesn't, we can always find another sucker."

Springsong caught me looking and quickly hid her face with her book. She was a year younger than us, but she was a grade ahead of us from being pushed up a couple levels. I looked back to the three colts in front of me and smiled, "This is gonna be fuckin' sweet."

"Well go ask her, dude," Jal said pushing his hoof against my shoulder, "And try to sound shy so it seems real."

I pushed my lunch plate away and trotted over to Springsong. She pushed her red face further into her book to avoid looking at me, "Hey, Springsong."

She looked at me briefly, but her glance went down to my hooves, "Oh, hi PlatinuMic"

"You can call me Mic," I said and sat down across from her, "My parents had the dumbest ideas for my name."

She stared at the table when she spoke, "I think it sounds nice."

I shook my head, "So the guys and I are wondering if you'd like to join us for a night of myth busting."

"Oh, I don't know," She closed her book and set it in her saddlebag just as the bell rang for the next class.

She tried to walk past me, but I blocked her, with a hoof, "The guys are probably gonna chicken out, so it'd be just me and you. Think of it as a date."

Her face turned red again. If I fell for the loser type, I'd say it was almost cute. She nodded, "I have choir tonight, but I can tomorrow."

"That's exactly when we were planning it," I lied and smiled at a plan well executed, "Join us for lunch tomorrow and we'll discuss the details."

"O-okay," She sidestepped and trotted way.

The group met up with me outside the lunchroom. Heli laughed and pat me on the back, "We got her, man. We got her."

"For such a loser, she's got a nice plot," Lazu said. We all smacked him on the back of the head one at a time, "What? It's true!"

"That reminds me," I nudged Jal, "Bring your fillyfriend so Springsong doesn't think something's up with four colts bringing one filly to a deserted part of town."

"Damn, you're no fun," Lazu said, making us go for another round of smacks.

Jal's girlfriend, Silver Soul, skipped class to join us for lunch. None of the teachers seemed to notice or care since she was truant anyway. Springsong joined us five minutes into the lunch period seeming relieved that there was another filly at the table. Everypony introduced themselves to try to make Springsong feel like part of the group.

I put my hoof around Springsong and pulled her closer to put on a better show, "So guys, let's bring Spring up to date on what we know about the Wicked Witch of the Forest."

"I already know all that there is to know about her," Springsong said staring at the table red faced, "I'm guessing that's where we're myth busting…"

Lazu laughed, "Seems like you aren't as dumb as you look."

Jal gave him a warning glare, "So what do you know?"

"I love paranormal stuff," Springsong said looking at Jal now, the first time she made eye contact with anypony, "I know she built her house right next to the graveyard where her friends and family are buried. She used to be a student from Canterlot to study in Ponyville and she discovered immortality, but she still ages. Every other night, she goes out to the graves and raises one of their souls so she can have somepony to talk to. If anypony bothers her, she will kidnap them and steal their souls to add to her collection because she's a lonely old mare."

We all shared glances making Springsong sink back down in her seat. I laughed and shook her under my foreleg, "Hot damn, that's awesome. I didn't know half that stuff."

She straightened up a bit and smiled, "I… like to study…"

"Damn," Jal shook his head, "Maybe I should start going to the library."

It was all for show, but part of me also wanted to go to the library and look up some information about cool stuff like that, but then I realized that would require the effort of reading. We discussed the game plan for the myth busting and Springsong stayed silent. We were going to go straight up to the house and peek in the windows and scour the area looking for traces of black witchcraft. It was a very half-assed plan, but it put on a good enough show that Springsong agreed to it. She was so innocent I almost felt bad for tricking her. Almost. Not quite.

"Did I hear you foals talking about messing with the old mare by the forest," A voice of one of the oldest teachers, the gym teacher, came from the end of the table.

"Of course not, Mrs. Scootaloo," Heli said.

"I may be old," Mrs. Scootaloo said, "But I sure ain't stupid, nor am I deaf."

We looked at each other for an answer, but none of us had any, so Mrs. Scootaloo continued, "That old mare is a grieving widow. There is nothing haunted or cursed about her. I visit her every Friday, and I'm still alive, so keep your traps shut and keep your flanks away from that house. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Ms. Scootaloo," We chorused.

"Good. If I find out you bothered her, I will have your flanks for dinner," And with that, she hobbled away.

"How is she still working here," I asked, "She can barely move, but she's still a gym teacher."

"She was the biggest daredevil of her time," Springsong said, "She even starred in a few movies. She's nice when you get to know her…"

We all stared at her until she slinked down into her chair for the millionth time. Lazu asked, "So we're still going, right?"

This caused a round of smacks, "Of course, idiot!"

About a block away from the old bitch's house, I noticed the three colts and Silver Soul discussing secretly in front of us. This was where they would pretend to leave us alone and wait. Jal stepped from the group and approached us, "Hey, we been talking and… I don't think we can do it, guys."

I smirked and nudged Springsong, "See? What'd I tell you? Bunch of pussies, these guys."

Springsong lowered her head when Jal scowled at her. I knocked him upside the head and he stopped. I called to Springsong and kept walking towards the old mare's house, but she stopped me, "Maybe they're right. Maybe we shouldn't go."

I looked at her with an amused look and she lowered her gaze to my neck, "Well I came here to get answers. You can stay with them if you want, but I'm going for it."

She looked back at the group and looked like she was about to go back, but she rushed forward to keep up with me, "I heard the Silver is a fillyfooler. With the looks she and Lazu have been giving me all night, I'll take my chances with the witch."

I put my foreleg over her shoulder, "Ah don't worry. Stick with me and I'll make sure nothing happens. If anything happens, it'll be their faces that get hurt before a single hair on that beautiful mane of yours is."

She blushed and stepped a hoof closer. Reeled her in big time. I walked with my head high until we reached the witch's house. My heart began pounding painfully fast, but I wouldn't let her know I was scared. I rethought through the plan: gain the nerd's trust, explore the place a bit with her, get her to turn her back, and make a run for it. Got it!

We stepped up to a window and stood on our hind legs to look into it. No curtains blocked our sight, but there was no light inside, not even a candle. She looked at me with a confused look, so I shrugged and hopped back down on all fours. I trotted around the house to the back yard where the small graveyard was.

"This plot was new when the body of the witch's first friend was buried here," Springsong said, "But when the last one was buried here, she bought the land and built her house next to it and claimed the plot of land was only for her friend's bodies. They buried two others and their fillyfriends here after that, but nothing more than that."

I was fascinated at first, but I quickly pushed the thought out of my head. I wasn't about to jeopardize the mission for her freakish knowledge. I stepped towards one of the headstones and noticed a white flower on top of it. I reached out and picked it up to examine it.

"Oh! A cloudraiser rose," She said, "I thought those only grew near Los Pegasus."

I looked over the other headstones, "They all have a rose on them."

She looked over them too, "They do. And these stones are well kept for being over fifty years old."

I looked at the stone where I took the flower from, "Here lies Ra—"

"Put that back!"

The harsh voice made us both jump and I dropped the flower I was holding. Behind us a silhouette of an old, hunched over unicorn stood in the doorway. We were frozen in place and the shadowed form hobbled over to us—even slower than Mrs. Scootaloo.

A purple coated mare with a tamed, gray mane stepped next to me and lifted the flower with her magic, "Would you look at that—you got dirt all over it."

She gave me a harsh stare and hobbled back to the house. Springsong stared at me with fearful eyes, but she refused to run. The old mare set the flower in a pot and plucked another from the same pot. She levitated it back over to us and set it lightly on the gravestone, "I'm sorry, Dashie. They won't do it again."

"Dashie," I asked.

The old mare glared at me, "Rainbow Dash. The best flier in all Equestria. She was a Wonderbolt, you know. What do they teach you in school these days?"

"We're very sorry, ma'am," Springsong said in a shaky voice, "We didn't think someone living here was actually true."

The gray-maned unicorn gave Springsong a soft smile, "Oh that's alright, sweetheart. You look like a nice young filly, would you like to come in for some tea and cookies? Celestia knows this old mare could use a bit of company. I suppose you can bring your pet with you too."

Springsong looked at me apologetically, "S-sure, ma'am."

I huffed and followed them inside. I wasn't sure if it was my curiosity that pulled me in, or the fact that Springsong looked so very pretty in the moonlight. I shook my head at the thought. Fuck you brain!

The old mare started talking almost immediately after the door shut, "I'm sure your little pet is the one who dragged you here in the first place. No matter, I'm glad for the company. Not very many ponies come by anymore."

"Mrs. Scootaloo said that she visits every week," Springsong said, looking eager now, "I assumed it was for the graves though."

"Oh, dear little Scootaloo," The old mare smiled at her, "How is that little troublemaker?"

"Still making trouble," I said, lounging against the wall.

The purple-coated unicorn glared at me again and I quieted, "She hasn't visited for almost a month now."

"How do you know our gym teacher," Springsong asked, accepting the tea the old pony offered her.

"Oh, she is the only friend I have left. We've been friends since she was a young filly," The old mare took a sip of her own tea and stared at me, "Well sit down, you big oaf."

I glared back at her and sat down across from Springsong, "Who the hell are you, anyway?"

"That's no way to ask for a pony's name," The unicorn huffed with indignation.

"May I inquire your name, ma'am," Springsong asked, making my brain pulse with a headache.

"Yes, dearie," She cleared her throat, "My name is Twilight Sparkle, ex-student of Princess Celestia."

"YOU'RE Twilight Sparkle," Springsong lit up, "Oh my gosh, I've been a huge fan of your works since I was a little filly!"

Twilight seemed to liven up a bit. For an old bitch, that is. They talked for the next hour or so about shit I didn't care about or even knew about, and I just sat and messed with the shadows on the arm of the chair and blocked out every single word they said. A loud chime reverberated through the house coming from a grandfather clock standing a few steps away, breaking me from my trance. The old mare looked up at the clock and levitated a couple white pills into her mouth and sipped some tea with it.

"Well, perhaps we've been talking a bit too long. I know tomorrow is a school day," The purple unicorn stood and showed us to the door.

"Can we come by again another day," Springsong asked, "I would love to learn some more."

Twilight gave her another warm smile, "Of course, Dearie. I expect to see you tomorrow, actually. Have a good night. You too, I suppose."

Twilight and I shared a wicked glare before Springsong and I turned around and headed back to the main square. With as much time that had passed, the rest of the gang had gone home, so we parted ways and headed to our own. About twenty hooves forward, I looked back and noticed Springsong hadn't moved a hoof—she just sat at the fountain in the middle of town. Freak.

I walked closer to my house and slowed down when I noticed a faint light coming through the first floor windows. I stayed at the bottom of my steps and timed myself. I had maybe twenty seconds before whoever was waiting for me jumped out of their chair and came to yell at me for staying out late. I just wish my parents were less cliché.

I quickly ran up the creaky steps, opened the unlocked front door, and sprinted up the steps and into my room. From my room I could see my dad walk up hesitantly towards the door. He lowered his head and sighed before closing the door and walking up the steps toward his own room. While they were cliché as hell, they gave up really easily. Fucking pussies.

I lay back on my bed and made sure to keep my light off to keep from provoking them to want to have a little midnight chat. Or fight. Whatever you wanna call it.

I played the events of the night through my mind again. I debated whether I would ruin the rumor for everypony back at school or if I would just play it and make everypony even more terrified of going near the place again. Then again, if I went for playing it up, I would have to get Springsong in on it or else it'd fail. She would never do that—I could tell. I guess I'll have to stick with ruining it for everypony. That could be just as fun.

It was strange. The whole morning my parents ignored everything I said and did. I even started swearing up and down and Mother didn't even flinch. I figured it was one of their "teach that brat some respect" bullshit lessons, so I played along with their game. They even went far enough to say that the door was pushed open by the wind when I left for school. I have to admit. They were determined.

But then it got stranger.

I ran into Jal outside the school, "Hey yo, Jal!"

I stepped next to him, but he just walked right past me—not acknowledging me in the least. I stepped out in front of him again.

"Yo, if this is about last night," Again he walked past me.

"Have you been talking to those two fucks again," I asked, figuring my parents put him up to ignoring me. He did that sometimes to piss me off and to gain my parent's favor. He opened the door to the school and stepped in without a word. Stupid fuck.

I felt a pressure on my left shoulder. I turned to the perpetrator, "What?"

Springsong took a couple steps back with a look of fear on her face, "I-I'm sorry, I…"

She shook her head and trotted quickly inside. I let out a loud sigh. Stupid foal. I felt bad for yelling at her, but I pushed the feeling away. She's the one in the wrong here!

I stepped inside after a couple moments. The halls were mostly empty, so I could see Springsong glancing at me from behind her book. She sat against a locker with a book as her mask. After a few more glances, I noticed her eyes were red and wet. Fuck.

I felt my stomach twist in on itself. My heart beat faster. I actually felt bad. I tried hard to put the feeling away, to untwist my stomach, to slow my heart rate, but nothing worked. I slammed my head against the brick wall next to some lockers, but the pain in my head didn't outweigh the pain in the rest of my body. Finally, I gave up. I walked over to her and sat down next to her. She tried to ignore me, but I could see out the side of my eye that she was glancing at me the same way.

I clapped my hooves on the floor a couple times, "Look, I didn't know it was you. Jal and my parents just really pissed me off and—"

"It's okay," She wiped her eye, "I just had a rough night is all."

I looked over at her. While her eyes were wet, they didn't run mascara like Silver Soul's did when she cried. I brought it up to change the topic, "You must have pretty tough make-up. All other fillies I know would have had to go fix it after something like this."

She chuckled a little, which allowed my stomach to ease up a bit, "I don't wear make-up, that's why."

I did a double take and took a closer look. She was telling the truth, she was wearing no make-up, yet she still looked somewhat attractive. I mentally hit myself for thinking that last thought, "Why not?"

"I wish I could," She started playing with her hair—which seemed a bit tangled, "I just can't afford it."

"Oh…" I looked ahead of me again. Everypony ignored us and stepped past us. Many ponies would step around us and not even glance in our direction. The halls became fuller since we got here as it came closer to class time. Springsong sat quietly and I noticed she even leaned a little closer to me than before. I brought up the first topic in my head, "So did you get in trouble last night for being out late like I did?"

Her face slipped into a frown, "I don't have parents."

"Oh…" I didn't know what to say since I figured saying "lucky" would put her on the verge of tears again. After a few awkward seconds I added carefully, "If I'd known that I would have walked you home."

Her face drooped even more. She looked at the verge of tears again, "I don't have a home…"

Again, I did a double take. My stomach re-tangled itself, "W-where do you sleep?"

"The town library normally lends me their spare room near the reference section, but last night they didn't open the door, so I had to sleep outside the school," Her face now showed no emotion, as if she was just telling a story that meant nothing to her.

The first bell rang a few minutes later. I offered to walk her to her class to ease the pain in my guts, but she refused. I watched her trot off and the pain in my gut got stronger. Why was I feeling so bad for her? Why did I give a shit?

I quickly walked to class. Hopefully the boredom of Math would clear it. I took my assigned seat in the front of the room. After falling asleep last month I was forced to stay in the front of the room so the teacher could keep me awake through the entirety of her boring lecture. What's worse, I didn't know anypony in this class and didn't care to.

The teacher started calling out names for role. When she got to my name she looked at me then around the room, "Mic?"

"Yeah, I'm right here."

"Anypony seen PlatinuMic today," She said.

I stood up and walked in front of her, "Right. Here."

She looked down at her clipboard and wrote something, "That's another tardy."

She finished the role and I stood in the front of the class next to my desk until she did. What the fuck—was she in on this too? I stepped in her path as she walked to her desk, and she side-stepped me casually and went on teaching. I stood right next to her for the next couple minutes. I looked back at the class to see if they were laughing or making any sign of me being there.

"You're a fat old cunt," I told the teacher, but she continued to ignore me, "Do you hear me, you bitch?"

She tried walking around me, but I stepped in her path. No matter where I stepped, however, her motions never looked awkward. Whenever I stepped toward her, she would step away at the same time. Whenever I tried to swing at her, she sidestepped or moved just in time to not get hit. When I had enough, I walked to the doorway and charged her. I leapt into the air and—

Went right through her.

I stood back up and looked behind me. She shivered and sneezed, but went back to teaching. I stepped away shaking. What in the fuck was going on here? I rushed out of the room and into the bathroom. I stared at my reflection to make sure I was real and not dreaming. I was real, right? I splashed cold water on my face. Maybe this was just a dream. All just a sick, twisted dream.

The freezing water stung my face, but it didn't wake me from this nightmare. I noticed a speck of blood dried to my fur on my forehead where I had smashed my head against the wall earlier. That hurt—there was no way that could have been a dream too. That would have been enough to wake me up.

I walked out of the bathroom and back into class, but nopony turned their heads. They still couldn't see me. I walked over and slammed my hoof on my desk. Everypony looked and the teacher yelled at the colt sitting behind the desk. The kid defended himself and blamed it on construction in the ceiling. The teacher bought it and continued her lesson.

I ran back out of the room and towards Springsong's class. She was the only one who interacted with me today, maybe she's having the same issue. I stopped in front of her classroom door and slid across the floor a bit while stopping. I poked my head in the classroom, but I couldn't find her.

I ran from classroom to classroom checking for her, but I didn't see her anywhere. I stopped myself as I ran past the bathrooms again when I heard her voice coming from the filly's room.

"Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up," I heard her say between splashes of water. Her guess must have been the same as mine.

I stepped inside, not concerned about the sex difference anymore. I saw her dipping a plastic waterbowl into the running water and splashing herself with cold water just as I had done.

"Springsong," I said quietly.

She jumped at my voice, but she calmed herself after a moment, "Oh thank Celestia you can still see me."

"You too, huh," I said, rubbing the back of my neck, "That is some fucked up shit, I tell you what."

She grabbed some paper towels and dried herself off, "I reached over and poked my study buddy, but my hoof just… went right through her and… Oh gosh, it was scary…"

"I tackled my teacher," I said. Springsong gave me a wide-eyed look, so I continued, "I went right through her. She shook and sneezed, but she didn't even acknowledge me otherwise…"

"That's what Shine did," Springsong said, "Shivered and held in a sneeze."

"Do you think that old witch had anything to do with this," I asked her.

"I don't think so," Springsong answered, throwing her bowl and towels in the trashcan, "She doesn't seem like the kind of pony who would do that."

"She did to me," I replied. I tried to keep my cool, but the fact that I was even talking to her proved how scared I was.

"Well, Ms. Scootaloo knew her, maybe she can see us."

"That seems pretty stupid," I said, "But I'm willing to try anything right now."

With that, we headed toward the gym. I knew she had a 1st hour P.E. class because Lazu had her then. We peeked into the gym to see that the regular gym substitute was presiding over the class. I figured I was wrong and suggested we wait until 2nd hour for her. We sat outside the gym for the next half hour in semi-silence. Our awkward silence was interrupted by three beeps, telling us that there was an announcement from the main office.

"Attention students and faculty," The intercom said, "It is with a heavy heart and deep regret that I inform you of the passing of Ms. Scootaloo, our beloved Physical Education instructor. Ms. Scootaloo died thirty minutes ago from a heart attack at Ponyville Hospital. Please let us observe a moment of silence for her."

Springsong stared at me with wide eyes and a whitened face. I stared back, my heart aching from its rapid pounding.

"Thank you," The principal continued, "Ms. Scootaloo will be missed. I would like to point out that the counselors will be here if you need to speak with them. Ms. Scootaloo was a great teacher and a great pony. Let her stay forever in our hearts."

The intercom beeped once to signal the end of the announcement. I looked again over at Springsong to see her crying yet again. Without warning, she pushed herself against me and cried into my shoulder. I wanted to push her away, but at the same time I wanted to comfort her, to tell her it was alright and maybe I would believe it too. We sat there for a long while, even as the ponies walked past us when the second period bell rang. I put my hoof around her and let her cry. It felt good to comfort her, even though I knew nothing I did could comfort her enough and that I would never believe my lie.

When the raggedy old house came into view, I picked up the pace. Springsong had trouble keeping up with me in the first place, but she really struggled now. She was a full ten hooves behind me when I stormed into the gate of the broken down home. I slammed my hoof on the door several times as Springsong rested on the fence.

"Can I help you," A young female voice spoke from the porch swing seven hooves away from the door. A young, purple unicorn lay along the browning porch swing, "Oh, I remember you two."

"Who the hell are you," I said, far more irritated by this girl than the old bat.

"Such lovely manners," The unicorn said. She looked over to Springsong, "Please, come inside."

She walked over to the door and let us into the musty old house. Springsong stepped in first and I dragged myself behind her. I was not looking forward to putting up with a new freak.

"Would you two like any tea," The unicorn asked. From a closer observation, she was about our age and even a little attractive.

"No thank you," Springsong said, "We're here to speak with Twilight Sparkle. Is she around?"

The unicorn looked amused, "I AM Twilight Sparkle."

I gagged. Did I seriously just think that old hag was attractive? Well, she wasn't old anymore, but holy shit that… No.

My mind did a redouble of my thoughts, "I don't believe you. Twilight Sparkle was an old hag. You're our age."

The Twilight wannabe seemed irritated by my accusation, "Have a seat."

Springsong turned before I did and jumped backwards into me and put a hoof to her mouth, "Oh, dear Celestia!"

I looked at her in confusion and followed her gaze. My heart stopped. Sitting in one of the chairs was the rotting corpse of the old hag Twilight. No flies or anything flew around the corpse, but there looked to be traces of maggots crawling around the body.

The young Twilight looked at the body, "Oh, sorry. My body died last night when you two left. It's trying to catch up on the fifty years of degrading taken away from it."

Springsong looked as if she wanted to hurl, but she held it in. I took a couple steps away from her just in case, "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Oh, the body should have died over fifty years ago," The young Twilight said, "But due to the mistaken spell put on it, it couldn't. It's now at about fifteen years of decomposing. By the end of tomorrow it should reach fifty years of decomposition."

Springsong kept her eyes glued to the body, but she recovered enough to speak, "What in the world is going on here?"

"You two broke my spell," Twilight gave a sad smile, "I can finally rejoin my friends in the World After."

"And how exactly did we do that," I asked.

"By stepping past my gate without permission," Twilight's sad smile disappeared and turned to a sad frown.

"Is that why nobody can see or feel us," Springsong asked.

Twilight nodded, "Unfortunately. In fact, I have the details of the spell on a paper around here somewhere. I'm not sure if you could read it though, it's written in Clips."

I looked to Springsong for an explanation, "Oh, it's the old alphabet. Before Modern writing, we had Clips. Clips was eradicated from mainstream about 75 years ago. I know a little bit of it, but not much."

A paper doused in purple aura floated in front of Springsong. She squinted at it and read it out loud slowly:

Those who tread here with ill intent

A curse they shall hold and not forget.

This plane will no longer be their home.

They will wander hereon and be alone.

"You mean you put a curse on us," I said, my anger rising.

Twilight hovered the paper in front of herself, "Oh, it seems the first part of the spell has faded."

Springsong stopped me before I could start yelling, "And what did the first part say?"

"I was playing with spells of immortality," Twilight sighed, "I put a spell on myself that I would never die, but it didn't stop me from aging. That body is over a hundred and sixty years old. Even poor Scootaloo was caught in the crossfire of my spell, but her afflictions were not as severe as mine."

"What does this have to do with us turning into ghosts," I asked.

Twilight looked at me with a pitying look, "You are so ignorant it's comical. Pick up a book sometime. You two are spectres. A spectre is a pony that is not part of the same physical plane as other ponies. You have little effect on your fellow ponies, but you can still affect the rest of the physical world. It's a difficult concept, you should study more about it."

"But spectres are cursed," Springsong said, "They wander. If they don't, they will be dragged into the pits of Tartarus."

Twilight looked away, "When my friends started dying and I remained alive, I looked for a way to reverse my spell. I went to Celestia. She referred me to a shaman pony. She put a curse on this building. The one that you read there. It was the only one that she said would reverse the spell I put on myself."

"That thing with the spectres worries me more than your backstory," I said, "Care to explain it more?"

Twilight stepped over and sat next to her decaying body, "I'm sure you both know what the World After is. A haven for the dead. Spectres are forbidden access to the World After unless they die again, but they are constantly hunted by the demons of Tartarus. If you stay in the same area for too long, they will find you and drag you into Tartarus. I don't want to go into detail what they'll do to you there."

I felt my heart sink with fear, "So your curse basically fucked us both over?"

Twilight looked down at the floor, "When my body catches up with itself, I will join my friends in the World After. You two broke our spell and set us free. You allowed us to finally die."

Springsong looked on the verge of tears again, "But the curse…"

"The curse for your ill intent," Twilight said, "Is to wander as spectres until your deaths. You will be together, but you will be alone in the world."

"What the hell! Why couldn't your shaman buddy come up with something more sane," I yelled.

"You brought this upon both of you," She said to me. She looked over to Springsong, who was all out crying again, "I'm so very sorry you were dragged into this. You were so smart and had so much potential… I wish I could help you."

Springsong sobbed and collapsed into a heap on the ground. Either she was overdramatizing, or I wasn't seeing the full gravity of the situation. The young Twilight sat and pet Springsong's head to comfort her, "I'm so very sorry…"

Springsong and I followed Twilight around everywhere trying to get her to answer our questions, but after Springsong stopped crying, Twilight ignored everything we said. I tried talking to Springsong, but even she refused to acknowledge me. We followed Twilight out to the graveyard behind the old, decrepit house and observed her. She sat down in front of the gravestones and let her mane blow in the wind. It was scenic, like a play or a movie, but it didn't look sad or happy or anything. It pissed me off.

But she spoke before I could yell at her, "Oh, Pinkie Pie, how I miss your hyperactive giggles. Even in your coffin you looked so… so happy… I cannot wait to see you again…"

I stepped toward her to try to give her a piece of my mind, but Springsong grabbed my tail and yanked me down and whispered at me harshly and uncharacteristically, "Leave her be. We have all the answers we need, now let her have her moment."

I stared at her angered face and, to be perfectly honest, it scared me. I sat and watched the freakish unicorn talk to the bodies of her friends. She had gone through almost all of them before turning to us and saying, "I would suggest you leave town before midnight. You've given the Stalkers long enough to find you. If you don't start moving, it will be constant running from here on out. If you wanna go site-seeing, which I'm sure will be one good thing out of this, leave soon."

"But I want to stay with you for a little longer," Springsong said, back to her normal, nerdy personality.

Twilight smiled and stepped over to her final friend's grave, "Ah, Applebloom… So many fond memories. I still remember the day you finally got your cutie mark. Oh, you were so happy… yet so sad that your adventures had ended…"

Twilight rubbed her eye and sniffed, "Go and find your supplies at least. I will be here when you return. I would like a moment alone with my friends…"

Immediately I was being shoved by Springsong, "Let's go, now."

"Okay, okay," I stood and started walking, making Springsong stumble a couple steps. We trotted quickly through town stopping at my house first. Springsong refused to let me leave her by herself, so she followed me every step. Good thing I believed in clean rooms of all the good habits to pick up. I grabbed my spare saddlebag and my travel duffel bag and headed downstairs to shove them full of food and blankets—my parents won't miss any of it. If anything, I knew how to pack for travel, much to the surprise of my guest.

We walked outside before I realized that we had nowhere else to go. I had planned on going to Springsong's house next, but then I remembered our conversation before school and immediately felt guilty. I offered to go back to the school to get her bag, but she said she would prefer to keep to a small luggage pile. I assumed that was her way of saying she had nothing special to get out of it. It was about an hour after leaving Twillight's house that we were back again.

"That was quicker than I anticipated," Twilight said, her expression of appraisal pointed toward me for once.

"I'm used to travel," I said, "I've had to move a dozen and a half times because of my dad's work."

Twilight's forehead wrinkled in curiosity, "And what does he do?"

"Military," I said, the words feeling like acid on my tongue, "With that war with the griffons going on, he's been put in charge of recruiting. Ponyville is full of fighters. That's the only reason I've been here longer than other places."

Twilight nodded with a sympathetic look on her face, "This explains why you're such a jerk."

Springsong giggled, and I shot her a glare, which made her giggle more. She nudged me, the only show of affection she'd given me since coming to Twilight's, "It must also explain why you're tougher than most colts."

"Hey now," Twilight said, "You have plenty of time for that later when I don't have to watch."

I sat down, giving up on this social meeting. My giving up, however, brought on a long and awkward silence. When she couldn't take the silence anymore, Twilight went back to reminiscing with her friends' dead bodies. I thought about what was going on and wondered why I hadn't left Springsong by herself in this mess. The thought made my heart race and my mind cloud. What are these emotions? Why are they all suddenly popping up now?

I looked up at Springsong who sat and watched Twilight. I could turn around right now and leave and she wouldn't even notice. My heart was audible by now it was pumping so hard. I stood up and took a few steps toward the gate and my legs froze in place before I could take another. I forced them to take another two steps. My body shook and shivered now. Was this… fear?

"Where are you going Mic," Springsong said, a twinge of fear in her voice.

"My hinds fell asleep," I lied, "I'm trying to stretch 'em a bit to wake 'em up."

I took a quick trot around the house to try to prove I wasn't lying. My heart no longer pounded as soon as I got rid of the intension to leave. Maybe it was fear… No, I'm no pussy. I'm just tricking myself, that's all. I jogged the last quarter of the perimeter and stepped past the fence only to be met with Twilight twitching on the ground.

I rushed over, uncharacteristically concerned, "Is she okay?"

"I'm dead, you lump," Twilight said in a pained grunt, "Of course I'm not okay."

"She's fading," Springsong said, surprisingly no tears in her eyes, "Her body decayed a lot faster than she assumed."

"I'll be fine," Twilight groaned and twitched, "I just didn't think passing would be this painful…"

I stepped back a few hooves and stared. Springsong pet Twilight and hummed softly, "Just think about your friends. That'll take your mind off of it."

"They are all that's been on my mind for decades," Twilight breathed. Her body was transparent by now and slowly became more and more transparent. She was literally fading into nothingness. Her breathing became faster, but more labored, as if she was trying to suck the last bits of life out of our plane before leaving.

Her body was barely visible when her eyes teared up. With her final breaths, she whispered to us, "It's... so… beautiful…"

Springsong sat where she was for another few moments as if to be sure she was gone for good. She stood up with her hair over her face, "We should get moving. The next town is a five hour walk."

She walked past me and picked up the saddlebag and walked north. No matter how much I tried to talk to her, she refused to acknowledge me. But her eyes were dry and her demeanor was rigid and strong like a soldier marching to war.

"I know you're ignoring me," I said, looking out at the setting sun, "But we should find a place to stay for the night."

Springsong looked around at the wasteland around us. We were several dozen miles out of Ponyville by now, but there was no sign of civilization for miles more. After a few moments of surveying the land, she started off into another direction off the road. She still refused to say anything to me, so it was hard to get an answer out of her as to where the hell she was going, but after a few minutes I saw a small opening in a plateau up ahead. Since leaving Ponyville, I had been picking up sticks and chunks of wood. I was glad for that because there was no wood around here and we would have gone without a fire had I not.

The opening in the plateau was so shallow that I wouldn't even call it a cave. It reached about ten yards in and stopped dead. Springsong dug out a flashlight and examined every inch and corner the dissipating light didn't touch—probably checking for bugs—before she set down her luggage. I set mine down next to hers and dug out some of the wood I had gathered along the way and started the fire with one of my dad's lighters I packed.

I saw Springsong watching me, her face in the setting sunlight giving her an angelic glow, so I explained to her, "I was in Colt Scouts for a few years before I got myself kicked out. I learned a lot about living in the wilderness."

She refused to acknowledge my presence further than staring at my fire building technique. Within a few minutes, I had a nice little fire going, but I kept the fire small to keep from smoking us out.

Springsong dug out a blanket and pulled it over herself and sat to watch the flame. Finally, I was tired of being ignored, "I know I'm not the easiest guy to get along with, but for fuck's sake, give me a little something. A smile, a nod, something!"

She continued to ignore me, so I walked closer to her, "Am I that displeasing? Are you better than me because I'm not a fucking book freak? Tell me, what did I do?"

She looked at me with a look of pure hate making me lean back, "You did THIS to us. I had dreams. I had hopes. Everything I wanted to be, everything I could have been, any potential I may have had is GONE because you wanted to fucking PRANK me. THAT'S what you did!"

I was about to speak again, but she cut me off, "I was going to help ponies like me. Ponies on the street because of what they had to put up with back home. You took that from me. I don't know what I ever saw in you…"

My heart stopped. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She covered herself up and lay down to sleep. I sat down next to the fire opposite her and stared at it. I never thought much of this girl, but right now… I felt a pain in my chest as if something was missing. And how did she know it was a prank?

It was twenty minutes later before I regained my voice, which was faint, barely audible even to me, "I'm sorry… I don't… I'm sorry…"

I could tell from the movement of the sheets from her irregular breathing that she was still awake, "If you don't want me here… I'll go… Maybe we'll see each other again in the future…"

I stood up and walked to the opening and looked up at the moon. I suppose Lady Luna will light my way to the next town. I took another step, but I stopped when I heard Springsong speak in a shaky voice, "Please don't leave me alone…"

I turned around and saw her sitting with the blanket at her hooves. The fire made the tears twinkle as they fell to the hard ground, "I don't want to be alone again…"

I took a few steps toward her and stopped. She continued to speak, staring at me as the tears soaked her coat and the floor below her, "I've been alone all my life… I've always been alone…I don't want to be alone anymore… please don't leave me here…"

I walked closer to her and sat down next to her. I put my front leg around her shoulder and pulled her into a side hug, but she twisted and squished me into a full on embrace as she cried into my shoulder.

"I won't leave," I promised her, my stomach churning and twisting and my heart caught in my throat, "I won't leave…"

We sat this way for what felt like hours, but, oddly enough, I didn't mind. She sniffed and wiped her eyes while still hugging me and apologized for getting my coat all wet. I smiled and laughed once, "It's okay… I would cry too if I knew how…"

"Woooow," Springsong stared up at the tall buildings and the bustling streets, "Manehattan is so pretty."

I smiled, "Yeah, it looks a lot nicer now than when I lived here five years ago."

I heard a gurgling and looked over to Springsong. She had her hoof to her stomach and her face was flushed, "Sorry… We haven't had lunch yet…"

I laughed and nudged her to follow me to a fruit stand. We had really warmed up to each other in the couple days that we've been together. That night in the cave was forgotten, but its result stayed with us. Although she still had trouble explaining to me what exactly we had turned into.

I walked up to a fruit stand nearby and grabbed a couple oranges, tossing one over to Springsong. We sat down next to the fruit stand to eat. Neither of us even bothered with pealing the orange—our appetites and hunger drove us to uncaring, savage-like eating. At least that's what society would call two teens quietly and quickly eating unpeeled oranges right next to the fruit stand they stole them from.

"Y'know I kinda feel bad," Springsong said, half of her orange already gone, "Taking these without paying."

"I don't," I added through a mouthful, "They never notice and don't seem to care. Half of them are hagglers and asses anyway."

She nodded and popped the rest of the orange in her mouth. She then nudged me and gestured at a museum down past the market square. I nodded and threw the last bit of my own meal in my mouth and picked up my duffel. Springsong took off at a quick trot, seeming really eager to see the museum.

But when Springsong took her next step that would have brought her past the threshold, she stopped and smacked into the open air as if it were a wall. She took a few steps back, her nose bleeding and her eyes watering up from the pain. I went to check if she was okay, but she shooed me away. I walked over to the open doorway and pressed my hoof against it, and, sure enough, it felt as if there was a wall built right at the entrance.

"Well, what do ya know," I said, pressing on it several times, putting my weight into it, "We can't get in…"

Springsong spoke with a nasal-y sound to her voice, her hoof pressed against her bleeding nose, "They must have some working buffalo charms in there. Some of them protect specifically against spectres."

I stepped away and opened up my duffel to get out some first aid. I grabbed a few tissue and gave it to Springsong, "Here. Blow softly into this to clear out your nose, then look down and pinch your nose to stop the bleeding."

She nodded and did as I told her, but she refused to speak. Her face was a mixture of pain and disappointment. I pat her on the shoulder and gave her a consolidating smile, "Hey, there's a couple museums at Galloping Gorge. That's a couple stops ahead. I'm sure we can get into one of them!"

She nodded again, but took the tissue away to speak, "While we're in Manehattan, why don't we find a nice hotel to stay in. I'm kinda tired of hard forest ground and rocks for pillows."

"Oh, so I'm a rock now?"

She giggled and wiped away some of the blood the dripped down to her lip, "I told you that wasn't my fault. I sleepwalk."

I lifted a foreleg and flexed it, "Nah, you just know this here is a comfy pillow."

"I know you're trying to call yourself muscular," She laughed more, "But you just called yourself fat."

It took me a moment to figure out what she was saying and the embarrassment of my stupidity caught up with me. I groaned and she laughed harder, causing her nose to start bleeding again.

"And here I present to thee, madam, the Galloping Gorge," I waved my hoof at the welcome sign making Springsong laugh.

"Such a gentlecolt," She mused with a flirtatious expression.

I looked up at the night sky, "Although there's not much to see at this time."

"Maybe we can find a nice hotel here," She cuddled up against me as we walked towards the tourist area. Her demeanor toward me changed drastically, but I assumed it was because I had a more open attitude towards her, "With three days of woods from Fellowstone, I would really like a shower and a comfy bed."

My stomach rumbled, making Springsong giggle and poke fun at me. After a couple comments, I turned my head and started to nibble on one of her ears making her blush, "Well I guess I'll start with this, you spontaneous extrovert!"

She squeaked and got quiet again, but still giggled and pulled her ear free of my loose grip, "I am not an extrovert."

"You are now," I kicked a rock along the street a couple blocks from the main hotels, "At least around me."

She blushed again and stepped closer to me. We stepped into the hotel a few moments later and took the elevator to the royal suite. It seemed to not be taken, so we made ourselves at home. Springsong jumped at the opportunity to take a shower, but when she saw the size of the bathtub, she decided to invite me in with her. It wasn't a surprise to me or even odd. The introverted filly normally asked me to stay within talking distance or even in the same room whenever she found a place to shower. Whenever I asked her about it, she always avoided the question the best she could. I decided I would make my way up to the topic and finally get my answer.

"So what does your cutie mark mean," I asked, glancing through the shimmering water at the staff-like symbol on the purple filly's flank, "I don't think I've seen that symbol before."

"It's the symbol for psychology," She said, "I wanted to help other fillies and colts who had family issues like me."

"Is it wise for me to ask what that means," I asked.

She sighed, "Well… My dad was abusive and my mother was a drunk. I ran away from home and never went back. I spent every day studying since then and moved from home to home around Ponyville. That's nine years of heartache in a few sentences."

"My dad's a military stallion," I said, staring down into the water, "I was taught to not feel anything. Of course then you come along and make me give a fuck."

She smiled at that then looked over at me, "What does your cutie mark mean?"

The silver shaded microphone on my flank waved along with the water as I looked down at it and reminisced when I received it, "I always wanted to be a radio show host. My dad tried getting me to use my talent as intel in the military, and we always fought because I didn't want to do what he does. I hated him."

She nodded and seemed to try not to look at me. I decided to take the time to bring up my original question, "So why do you keep asking me to stay with you in here? You never answer the question when I ask it."

She looked down at her tail, floating slightly in the water. After a few moments I stood up and started walking towards the door, "Well, I suppose I can leave if I don't get my answer."

"Please don't," She grabbed me by my hind leg, but she looked down and immediately blushed and pulled back. I sat back down and she looked away again, "Actually, I might start regretting it here soon."

I looked at her with a confused look and she rolled her eyes to the right away from me and pointed below the water. I looked down and covered myself, turning my back to her, "Hey, the warm water is relaxing, okay?"

The blushing filly held back a laugh, so I tried defending myself a little more, "It's been a couple weeks and I haven't had any privacy in that time."

Springsong let her laughter burst out, "I'm sorry, Mic."

I sighed and kept my back to her. She started playing with the water awkwardly and spoke quietly, "I would… but I'm scared…"

I turned my head to the side, but I couldn't quite see her, "What do you mean?"

"I've been alone all my life, but I've never really been alone," She explained, "I've had friends and teachers and Ponyville librarians to keep me company. Since this curse… you're all I have… and I feel so alone…"

I heard a crack in her voice, so I turned my body to her, ignoring my embarrassing body function, "But you know I won't leave."

"I know," She sniffed, but her eyes showed no signs of tears. They probably blended with the water we were lounging in, "but just the thought of being alone, even for a few minutes, just… scares me… I would give you privacy—I mean I could use that kind of private time myself—but I just can't bring myself to do it…"

I scooted closer. She kept her eyes on mine, but she still glanced down at the water every once in a while. I ignored it, knowing it was inevitable that she would see, "Well, just remember that I won't leave. You've opened my eyes and my mind, and I… I wish I didn't have to drag you into this shit…"

She looked away for a moment, then back, "Well, of all the ponies I could be stuck with, I'm glad it was you."

"If I didn't know better," I said, "I'd say you were hitting on me."

She blushed and looked down, but she quickly looked to the left realizing her error, "What if I was?"

I took my chance and leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek. Her eyes grew wide with surprise, "I'd have to ask you out, but I won't because… well, who needs that stupid social labeling. We can live life how we want, and I say we not use that dumb coltfriend-fillyfriend crap."

She smiled through her blush, "I concur."

I took the chance of her now facing me and kissed her on the lips, but this time she reacted so much unlike herself. But then again…

Two weeks is a long time.