Meanwhile in the basement, Brimstoke and the others were still trying to find a way back upstairs. The basement was so large and convoluted that the ponies were unsure of whether or not they were even going in a new direction rather than running around in circles.

It didn’t help that the walls and floors of the dark corridors didn’t have any kind of unique feature to them. The best bet they had of finding a landmark was to find a room that had a certain layout, and even that was hard. All of the rooms down in the basement were either store rooms full of bizarre items and boxes, empty rooms full of nothing but dust and cobwebs, or rooms with examination tables and other forms of disturbing operating and experimenting equipment.

“Didn’t we already come through here?” Neon Streak asked in a droning tone. She was getting tired of walking around in a dark and creepy basement. At least when they were upstairs, they could get lost in a mansion filled with interesting human décor, but down in the musty old corridors, it was nothing but stone, wood, and darkness.

“I don’t know… everything down here looks the same to me.” Pinkie Pie shrugged while looking around at the surrounding area.

“I just hope we don’t get lost in this place.” Neon stated in a half joking, half serious way while glancing at Brimstoke suggestively. She wasn’t entirely sure if she trusted the stallion’s sense of direction enough to be following him for hours.

Although Brimstoke was mildly annoyed by the statement, he wasn’t the only one affected by it. Fluttershy whined quietly and lowered her head in fear. The mere thought about being lost in the basement scared her on its own, but she also had other things on her mind.

The pegasus couldn’t quite shake what the hooded ponies had said out of her mind. The story about the ghosts of the mansion’s previous owners haunting the endless halls and rooms of the house gave the timid mare a feeling of dread that wouldn’t go away. The teal pony had been scared out of his wits at the subject, and even the unicorn seemed nervous under his attempts at waving the story off as just silly superstition.

Not only did the hooded ponies’ genuine fear cement Fluttershy’s concerns, but she still couldn’t get over the eerie things that happened. The candles being blown out suddenly and the strange figure she saw out of the corner of her eye made her terrified at the prospect of going further into the basement.

“A-are you sure you k-know where we’re going?” Fluttershy asked nervously. The others frowned sympathetically at the yellow mare’s question. She was trying so hard to make herself feel comfortable, but she was obviously failing.

“Don’t worry Fluttershy. I can get us out of here if the need arises.” Brimstoke said with a confident smile. Fluttershy wasn’t comforted by the stallion’s response as much as she thought she would be. She still felt incredibly anxious and paranoid about her surroundings.

“So… do you guys r-really think this place is… *Gulp*… Haunted?” Fluttershy asked while swallowing a nervous lump in her throat. She wasn’t sure if she actually wanted their opinion on the matter, but she had to keep talking if she was going to feel any better.

Neon Streak and Brimstoke glanced at each other for a moment before turning to the timid mare. They looked like they were trying to gather each other’s opinion before sharing a consensus on the topic. Finally, the green mare decided to answer.

“Well… something is definitely going on. I’m not sure if I buy the whole ghost story thing though.” Neon stated while pondering the matter further in her head.

“Cheer up Fluttershy, if any ghosties come along, I know just how to deal with them.” Pinkie Pie stated confidently while offering a reassuring hoof on the timid mare’s shoulder. Fluttershy felt a little better knowing her friend was with her, even if she knew that the pink mare’s method of laughing in the face of anything scary probably wouldn’t work on real ghosts.

“Thanks Pinkie…” Fluttershy said while managing a small smile. Pinkie seemed pleased to have made a change in the yellow pony’s mood, even if it was ever so slight.

Suddenly, the group came to the end of the hallway. There were two open doors that looked like they led into other rooms. Perhaps the ponies could find another way through by snaking through the rooms until they found a hallway.

“This way.” Brimstoke suggested while turning to the right. The others nodded while following the stallion through the door.

Fluttershy suddenly heard something behind her. She darted her head back towards the hallway. Now that both Brimstoke and Neon Streak were facing the other way, the hallway was pitch black. The timid mare’s imagination kicked into overdrive as she saw shapes moving in the dark.

Noticing the absence of the yellow pegasus, Neon Streak turned around and walked back out into the hallway. She noticed Fluttershy staring into the shadows fearfully. She seemed to be searching for something in the darkness.

“What’s wrong?” Neon asked in a concerned tone. Fluttershy glanced beside her to see the green mare looking at her with a worried expression.

“I-I thought I h-heard something down there.” Fluttershy explained while hesitantly pointing her hoof down the hallway. Neon Streak pointed her flashlight where the timid mare was pointing and searched the hallway.

“I don’t see anything…” Neon muttered suspiciously.

“Hey girls, hurry up.” Brimstoke said while looking behind him and noticing that only Pinkie was following him.

Neon Streak and Fluttershy turned to rejoin their companions, but just as they were walking up to the doorway, the door suddenly and violently slammed shut, causing the pair to yelp in surprise.

“What the hay?!” Neon Streak exclaimed in surprise as she rushed up to the door and tried opening it.

“Are you two ok?” Brimstoke asked in a concerned tone while trying to open the door from his end.

“Yeah, we’re just a little spooked. Can you get the door open?” Neon Streak asked while glancing to Fluttershy and trying her best to reassure her.

The pair heard the stallion grunting from exertion as the door jolted several times. Finally, Brimstoke shrugged uncomfortably and wiped the sweat from his brow in defeat.

“It won’t budge… I can try the cutter, but if this door is anything like the others, it won’t open.” Brimstoke explained in a frustrated tone.

“*Sigh*… Go ahead and try it.” Neon Streak said while shaking her head in defeat. Brimstoke nodded silently while reaching into a pocket on his vest and pulling out the vial in question. Fluttershy waited while trying to contain her growing fear as the stallion tried to get the door open. Any feeling of safety she had built up from being in a group was completely dissolved. She now felt helpless and endangered as she darted her eyes around her.

“Are they going to be alright?” Pinkie Pie asked in a concerned tone.

“Don’t worry Pinkie, I’ll keep Fluttershy safe.” Neon Streak stated confidently while glancing at the yellow mare. Fluttershy was practically shaking so much that her teeth were chattering. She couldn’t stand the tension of situation.

“Ugh… the cutter’s a no go.” Brimstoke shrugged uneasily while giving the door one last tug to be certain.

“We should keep moving… we’ll try to find another way around to you. If we can’t, then we’ll turn around and head back to the others.” Neon Streak suggested while looking to Fluttershy for her opinion. Naturally, the pegasus didn’t like the thought of being down in the basement any longer.

“Alright, just be careful… radio us if you get into any trouble, ok?” Brimstoke asked in a concerned tone.

“Ok… same goes for you guys.” Neon replied before walking away from the door. Before Fluttershy walked off to join her, she paused in front of the door.

“Pinkie…” The timid mare spoke up in a tone she hoped would be loud enough to be heard. It was hard to articulate her voice with how frightened she was.

“Yeah?” Pinkie Pie replied while waiting for the pegasus to continue.

“S-stay safe for me… ok?” Fluttershy said with friendly concern evident in her voice. Pinkie Pie smiled slightly from hearing the yellow mare taking the time to wish her well.

“Don’t worry. I’m sure everything will be ok.” Pinkie stated in her usual bubbly and energetic manner. “But… you stay safe too.” The pink mare added in a more somber and down to earth tone. Fluttershy nodded silently before walking away to join Neon Streak.

The two mares walked back through the hallway to find another door that led in the direction of their lost friends. They hoped that they could find a way to them quickly. Being separated from them like this made the pair fear for their safety, not to mention how much it made Fluttershy nervous.

Before, the pegasus at least had three other people with her, one of whom was a close friend of hers. But now, she felt more alone and helpless than ever. Despite Neon Streak’s constant pauses and speeches of reassurance, nothing could quell Fluttershy’s fears now.

Finally finding a room that didn’t just end, Neon Streak and her timid companion walked inside and immediately started making their way to the other doorway at the far end of the room. The room itself was another grim example of the frightening uses that the basement had. There were several shackles and chains secured to the left wall, most of which were caked in rust or blood. Scattered throughout the room were any amenities that would be needed for whatever twisted torture experiments went on down here. An entire countertop was full of cutting implements, dirty rags, trays, and surgical tubing. There was a sink that had bloodstains all over it, not to mention cabinets full of Celestia knows what all around the room. And to top it all off, there were several collapsible operating tables on the right side of the room, two of which were set up.

“Geez… how many of these rooms are there in this place?” Neon Streak asked rhetorically with a disgusted expression as she examined the macabre quarters. The hooded ponies couldn’t have possible made this room. The sink, the surgical tubing, the gruesome tools, all of them were as old as the rest of the house. The human owners, whoever they were, were responsible for all of it.

“What do you think they did here?” The green mare asked with a morbidly curious tone while examining one of the shackles on the wall. Hearing no response from her pegasus friend, Neon Streak turned around, only to find Fluttershy staring at the bloody sink and counter full of sharp cutting implements with a pale expression.

“Sorry Fluttershy… I forgot that I wasn’t with Brimstoke and the others for a second there.” Neon Streak said in an apologetic manner while putting a hoof on the timid mare’s shoulder and gently leading her away from the macabre sights around them. She felt horrible for not being more sensitive to the yellow pony’s fears.

“I-I’m ok… I think.” Fluttershy gulped uncomfortably as she gave one more passing glance to the room around her. She felt horrified every time she thought about the original purpose of these rooms, but she couldn’t stop thinking about them.

“Let’s get out of here. The sooner we find the others and leave this place, the better.” Neon Streak suggested while walking to the door. Fluttershy nodded weakly in silent agreement while following the green mare as she ushered her out of the room.

A few more rooms later, the pair managed to find themselves in another hallway. Neon Streak smirked as she looked down the hallway. With any luck, they could meet back up with Brimstoke and Pinkie Pie if they traveled down it.

“This should take us right to them. Let’s get going.” The green mare said while turning to her companion. Fluttershy smiled a little as she envisioned being reunited with her pink friend. She quickly followed the vested pony down the hallway while trying to keep her frightening thoughts from returning.

Suddenly, Fluttershy’s ears perked up as she heard a noise behind her. Given the amount of times she had heard a noise or seen something moving out of the corner of her eye, the pegasus was wary as to the cause of these events. Surely she wouldn’t hear a random noise behind her this often. No, something was definitely following her.

Taking a swift glance behind her immediately filled the timid mare with regret. Neon Streak was the only one with a flashlight, so the hallway behind them was always filled with pitch blackness. Even if there was something watching her from the shadows, Fluttershy wouldn’t be able to see it unless it was an inch away from her face.

Noticing that her companion wasn’t following her anymore, Neon paused and turned around to see Fluttershy staring into the darkness with a paranoid expression of fear.

“What’s wrong?” The green mare asked in a concerned tone.

“I keep hearing things behind me… I really think that something is following us Neon.” Fluttershy stated in a fearful tone. Neon Streak turned around and pointed her flashlight down the hallway in question. There were a few boxes and tables along the wall that someone could hide behind, but otherwise there were no signs that they were being followed.

“I don’t see anything Fluttershy.” Neon said while turning to the pegasus with a sympathetic expression. “Let’s just keep moving… if anything we should just keep our wits about u- OW!” The green mare suddenly cried out in pain while clutching the back of her neck. Fluttershy immediately looked to her companion fearfully.

“What’s wrong?!” Fluttershy asked in a concerned tone. Neon Streak rubbed the back of her neck gingerly before bringing her hoof in front of her face to inspect it.

“Something just poked me! It felt like a…” Neon hesitated as she spun around to examine the area behind her. There were no signs of her attacker, but there was something on the ground at her feet. What appeared to be a used up syringe was rolling on the ground, as if someone dropped it quickly and ran.

“Needle…” Neon finished her sentence with a hollow feeling of dread slowly filling her up. She picked up the syringe casing and examined it. Although there was no name on the syringe to indicate its contents, the needle was covered, as if it had been spent. Whatever had been inside, was now inside of her.

“Are you ok?!” Fluttershy asked nervously as she watched the green mare staring at the syringe with a pale expression. Neon Streak turned to the fearful pegasus as if to answer her, when she suddenly stumbled slightly.

“I don’t… feel good.” Neon stated in a slurred voice. She sounded and looked like she was about to pass out. Fluttershy tried to steady the wobbly pony, but her condition continued deteriorating as she starting stumbling more and more.

Finally, Neon Streak fell over and settled on the ground like a limp puppet. Her eyes closed and her head smacked the ground from the force of the impact. She was still breathing, but for all intents and purposes, she had been rendered unconscious.

“Oh no… Neon, wake up!” Fluttershy pleaded as she gently shook the sleeping mare. She darted her head around nervously as she looked for the one responsible for hurting her friend. Now she was alone in an eerie dark hallway, with a friend lying sprawled out on the floor with no easy way of moving her.

“Who did this?!” The pegasus asked fearfully while sliding to a seated position and scooting to the wall. She quickly rushed her hooves to her unconscious friend’s vest and unclipped the flashlight from her chest. The yellow pony waved the light around frantically while searching for any signs of movement around her.

“S-stay back! Please j-just leave us alone!” Fluttershy tried to sound as loud and brave as she could, but her voice only came out as a quiet squeak of fear. The yellow mare felt her heart pounding in her chest. She had to get out of there, but she couldn’t just leave Neon Streak by herself. No, she had to stay and protect her as best she could.

The sound of something brushing up against something else made her dart her head to the side. She could hear herself starting to sob slightly from fear amidst her rapid and shallow breathing. She felt like she might pass out herself if she didn’t get a handle on her panic.

“OW!” Fluttershy felt a stabbing pain in the side of her neck. She looked over just in time to see a syringe falling to the floor beside her, similar to the one that Neon found just before she passed out. There was nobody else around her, just the small syringe that was now rolling on the floor.

As she clutched the site of her injury, the pegasus started to feel sick. She wasn’t sure if it was due to the contents of the syringe or not, but she felt ill at the thought of what was now coursing through her body. Her hooves started shaking as she brought them back down to her face. She could already feel a slight uncomfortable twinge of whatever was affecting her body.

“N-no… please!” The yellow mare pleaded to whoever might have been listening. She started to feel her limbs growing numb and her head growing fuzzy. She tried her best to keep herself awake and alert, but she was growing sleepier by the passing second.

“Don’t… d-don’t…” Fluttershy tried to protest to whoever was doing this to her. She didn’t know what would happen once she was rendered unconscious as well, but it couldn’t be anything good.

The yellow mare felt herself slumping to the side. She caught herself with her arm before she hit the ground, but the clumsy and sluggish movement of her arms made her drop the flashlight she was carrying.

“Don’t… h-hurt u…us” Fluttershy muttered as she felt her eyelids growing heavy. She fought as hard as she could to retain the fleeting feeling in her body, but she was fighting a losing battle. Finally, the strength gave out in her arms and she slid to the floor.

She could barely see the area in front of her, not only from the lack of light, but also from her steadily blurring vision. As she fought to keep her eyelids from closing completely, she heard the muffled sound of footsteps in front of her. She saw a brief glimpse of two feet clad in leather shoes stepping in front of her and pausing. Fluttershy barely managed to feel something picking her arms up and pulling. She saw the blurry scene in front of her moving as she was pulled along the floor. Finally, her eyes fluttered closed and didn’t open again. She felt her mind slipping into a calm void as all sounds and feelings faded away.

Meanwhile upstairs on the main floor, Tom and Princess Luna were trying their best to navigate the seemingly endless hallways of the mansion to get back to their friends. They had been searching through rooms ever since they discovered the locked door keeping them from returning to the others, but they hadn’t found much of anything.

Every room they went to was steadily showing less and less signs of recent life. They stopped coming across dorm rooms full of sleeping bags a while ago, and now there weren’t even any candles placed around the rooms to light the way. Only cobweb ridden and dusty lights on the ceiling, or maybe a lamp placed on a desk remained as a possible source of light. Still, all of the electrical devices weren’t working, and they looked so old and primitive that it was a wonder they worked at all at some point in time.

“I’m starting to worry about the others…” Luna stated uneasily as she thought more about the situation. “Whatever locked that door did it on purpose… it meant to separate us from the others.” She reasoned to the human beside her with a concerned tone.

“I still can’t get a definitive read on what this thing is… but it feels familiar somehow.” Tom shrugged while giving his senses another try. It was right on the tip of his tongue. He had felt this somewhere before, but he wasn’t sure where.

“Whatever it may be, we need to get back to the others somehow.” Luna added with a determined expression. She wasn’t about to allow her subjects to be harmed while she was around to stop it.

Eventually, the hallway opened up into a larger intersection that resembled a room of its own more than anything else. There was a couch against the back wall with a few stray books on it covered in dust. There was a window to the right that revealed flashes of lightning and rain pounding against the glass. There were also two doors that led off into other sections of the house. One door off to the left that was open led into another hallway, while the other door at the far end of the room opened into a set of stairs leading down.

“Looks like we have a choice… either we try the other hallway, or we head into the basement.” Tom stated while weighing the decision in his mind. Either direction seemed like a poor choice in any other circumstance, but they were out of options.

“Brimstoke and Neon Streak were in the basement the last time we saw them… maybe we can find them or find a way back to them if we head down there?” Luna suggested in a hopeful tone.

“Well… I guess that’s the best lead we have.” Tom shrugged his shoulders before walking across the room to the basement door.

Before the pair could reach the stairs however, a slight chill ran down their spines. The room suddenly felt sinister somehow, like something was watching them. The feeling of unease washing over them was so intense that they paused and looked around them. Suddenly, Tom gasped as blue mist came from his mouth. Along with this, an intense feeling of danger came from directly behind him.

“What is it?” Luna asked in a troubled tone while looking around. As if to answer her question, the pair heard the faint sound of laughter coming from down the hallway. As they turned around, the two saw something that made them freeze in place from shock and surprise.

Down the darkened hallway they just came from, there was a humanoid figure approaching them. The figure was taller than Tom, and it held a menacing air about it. As a bolt of lightning flashed outside, the pair got a good look at the ghostly figure.

Amid the brief flash of blue light, the two could see a human woman in a white dress walking forward slowly. She had long and flowing black hair that covered half of her face. Through the opening in her hair, a sinister smile could be seen, along with a hazel eye that stared at the two with an evil gleam. She kept her arms to her side, but in one hand, she was brandishing a pair of bloody scissors.

“What in the…?” Luna muttered in utter bewilderment at the strange sight in front of her. Although she was puzzled as to how such a thing could exist, she was also incredibly nervous.

The faint sound of echoed laughter grew louder and closer. Soon enough, it sounded clear enough to have been coming directly from the strange woman in white. The sound of scissors snipping together rang out as the ghostly woman squeezed the bloody blades in her hand.

“Tom… what is that?!” The blue alicorn asked in a more alarmed tone while preparing herself to fight the strange figure.

“It… it’s a ghost… but that can’t be right. I’m feeling so much power… but ghosts shouldn’t be able to get that powerful.” Tom explained with a pale expression.

“What do we do?” Luna asked in a concerned tone while glancing to the human. She was completely out of her element. The princess had never even entertained the possibility that ghosts might be real before, let alone ponder on how to fight one.

“Stay back. I’ll handle this…” Tom stated while stepping forward with a serious expression on his face. Luna wasn’t sure if she liked the idea of the human fighting by himself, but she did as he instructed and watched as he walked towards the ghostly figure.

Tom readied his hands and summoned his claws in a puff of fire. He paused and waited for the woman in white to come to him. Luna watched as the ghost walked towards the human at a painfully slow rate. Suddenly, her entire form flickered for a moment before vanishing from sight. Luna’s eyes widened as she looked around for the strange woman. She couldn’t even sense where she was. The alicorn was completely blind to the approaching threat, and that made her uneasy.

“Where did she go?!” Luna asked while looking around frantically for the specter. Meanwhile, Tom seemed to still be focusing ahead. The human didn’t seem to be phased by the fact that the ghost was now invisible. In fact, he seemed to be looking ahead as if he could still see her.

Suddenly, Tom gasped and exclaimed in surprise. The human jerked himself back as fast as he could, much to the confusion of the blue alicorn. Then, out of nowhere, the woman in white reappeared directly in front of the boy and swung her scissors at his face. The tip of the blades barely scraped across his cheek, causing a small trickle of blood to drip down.

“Gah…” Tom winced in pain as he wiped the excess blood from his face. Meanwhile, the ghostly woman was smiling deviously at her successful strike.

“What the… but how did you…?” Luna asked in bewilderment at the human’s miraculous evasion of the swift attack. She had no idea that the ghost was about to strike. If that had been her, she would have gotten away with a lot more than a bloody cut on her face.

“Oh… of course… you can feel where she is can’t you?” The alicorn said in revelation as she remembered the boy’s powers. He could sense evil creatures, so perhaps his sensory abilities gave him more of an edge in combat than the princess realized.

“Yes… but it didn’t help much. She’s so fast… she shouldn’t be this fast and unpredictable.” Tom stated while scowling in disbelief at the sinister specter in front of him. The ghostly woman giggled at the human’s frustration.

Suddenly, Tom’s healing powers kicked in and the wound on his cheek quickly closed up behind a flash of embers. The scissor woman seemed surprised by this event for a moment, but her surprise quickly and disturbingly turned into a devious smile.

“Ehe… ehehehe…. Hehehehehe.” The ghost’s eerie giggles suddenly turned into full blown laughter that even Pinkie Pie would be jealous of. Even with this outburst, she still kept a cold and chilling tone in her constant cackle. She sounded like she was enjoying something an awful lot more than the two observers were comfortable with.

“What’s so funny?” Tom asked in as much of a witty tone as he could muster under his unease. The human backed closer to the nervous alicorn behind him and prepared himself for anything the ghost might throw at him.

“Hehe… you’re not like the others are you?” The woman asked in a clear voice. There was only a hint of distortion to even make her sound like a supernatural creature. Otherwise, she sounded and looked like a completely solid living being, minus the pale face and cold dead eyes.

“W-what?” Tom stammered briefly with mild fright. The blood-craving look in her eye was starting to make him feel extremely uncomfortable.

“I figured that you were different when you first came here… we don’t get many humans around here nowadays… not many humans at all.” The ghostly figure sounded almost disappointed as she continued. “These… ponies as you call them? They are fun to play with, and we have been wanting to play with them for a long time… but they don’t last very long.” She stated while fiddling with her scissors idly. Luna and Tom suddenly noticed that the blood on the scissors from before was fresh. The grim realization hit the pair like a ton of bricks.

“What… what do you mean?” Luna demanded in a disturbed tone. The only other ponies in the mansion so far were a few hooded workers, and her own team of guards and subjects. She hoped that the ghostly woman wasn’t referring to anyone under her order, not that she wanted anyone to suffer such a cruel fate.

“I mean… it’s not like humans lasted much longer than them… but they are especially fragile.” The ghost continued while snipping her scissors playfully and staring at Tom with a sinister glint in her eye.

“But you…”

*SNIP*

“You are different… aren’t you?”

*SNIP*

“You’re one of those slayers that I have been reading so much about. Ohh… I have been dying to meet one of you ehehehe.” The woman in white giggled joyfully in a maddened tone while slowly closing and opening the blades of the scissors. The aged metal grated against itself and created a spine tingling shrill outburst every time it moved.

“Tom… I don’t like this…” Luna whispered uneasily to the human while trying to think of a way to help him destroy this evil creature. The boy glanced back to her with an equally disturbed expression, but he looked just as clueless as to what they should do.

“Well… you wanted a slayer? You got one now… just what is it you want with me?” Tom asked in a threatening tone while readying his claws in front of him. If the ghost knew as much about slayers as she claimed, she would doubtlessly know that the slayers’ spirit weapons could wreak havoc on any evil creature, even ghosts.

“Heh…” The woman paused and looked down for a moment. “What do I want…?” She said quietly. Suddenly the ghost started shaking slightly. Her smile grew even wider until it seemed unnatural for a human, even a dead human to have. Tom and Luna tensed themselves up in preparation to combat any danger the spirit might pose to them.

“I WANT YOU TO BLEED!” The ghostly woman suddenly shot her head up and screamed at the top of her lungs. She lunged forward with a crazed look in her eye before quickly disappearing into a blur of motion. Tom and the alicorn behind him barely had time to react before the ghost reappeared directly in front of the boy.

“Oh crap!” Tom exclaimed in genuine surprise. Luna was surprised to hear even the smallest amount of profanity from the usually cool headed human, but she was just as frightened as he was.

The ghostly woman ducked to the side and yelled fiercely as she drove her scissors downward. The blades moved in a blur towards the boy’s knee before plunging into the side of the fleshier part of it.

“AAGH!” Tom screamed in pain and agony as his mind was racked with suffering.

“Tom!” Luna cried in shock while lighting up her horn and racing forward. She didn’t care if the boy asked her to stay out of the fight. She couldn’t stand by and watch this horrific act any longer.

Before the alicorn could reach the two humans, the woman raised her other arm with an open palm and shoved it towards the princess. Luna suddenly felt a violent wave of energy slamming into her. She yelped in pain as her body was sent flying backwards before crashing into a table against the far wall.

As she crashed to the floor through the now broken table, Luna felt numerous bursts of pain going through her that persisted until she landed. Working against her sore muscles, she looked up to see what was happening between the two.

Tom gritted his teeth and tried his best to ignore the scissors still stabbing into his knee. He shot his arm forward in an attempt at stabbing the specter with his blades, only to watch her dart to the side with blinding speed to dodge the attack. Frustrated, the boy spun his body around and brought his arms back towards the ghost to launch a flurry of swipes. In one swift motion, the ghostly woman ducked under the swipes, pulled the scissors out of the slayer’s knee, and spun around to his front.

Tom looked up just in time to see the ghost looming over him with her arm stretched out in preparation to strike. He tried his best to dodge the incoming attack, but he was powerless to stop the scissors coming down and stabbing clean through the side of his neck.

“NO!” Luna cried out while reaching her hoof towards the boy. Tom’s painful outcry was strangled by the vast amount of blood spurting out of his wound and into his throat. He reached up and grabbed the scissors to pull them out, only to stumble backwards and collapse to a seated position on the floor as the ghostly woman wrenched the blades out herself.

Amid the echoing laughter of the woman in white as she clutched the red-stained scissors, Tom clutched his neck instinctively while gasping and gurgling as he tried to breathe despite the fluid in his throat. Suddenly, a few flashes of orange light escaped the sparse breaks in the torrent of blood spraying out from the human’s throat. Despite the grim appearance of the scene, Tom’s healing powers were somehow kicking in to seal up the gaping hole in his neck.

After a few moments of writhing in pain from the combined forces of his wound and the burning sensation of his wound healing, Tom stopped choking and gasped for air. As he removed his hand from his neck and wiped away the excess blood, the shocked alicorn observing from the other side of the room was even more shocked to see that the boy’s wound was completely gone.

“Oh thank goodness.” Luna breathed a sigh of relief. She thought she was going to watch the human die for a minute there. Although he was still in bad shape, at least he would live.

“Hahhahahaha!” The ghost cackled once again as Tom shakily made his way to his feet.

“What the hell is so funny?!” The boy yelled angrily while still staring at his now bloodstained hand.

“So it’s true… you can’t die! Not like the rest of us anyway…” The woman stated with a joyous grin on her face. “I’ve been waiting for all of my existence to be able to play with someone like you… and now I have my chance!” She said while raising the scissors up in a threatening manner.

“That’s enough! Leave him alone!” Luna yelled angrily while getting up from the floor and lighting up her horn. She stepped towards the ghost with a scornful expression on her face.

“Luna, don’t… she’s too powerful.” Tom said while still trying to catch his breath. “Get out of here… now!” He instructed in a serious tone.

“I’m not leaving you with her!” Luna stated before charging forward with determination in her eyes. She started charging up a spell that she was certain would do some damage to the ethereal menace.

The ghostly woman sighed in a bored tone while raising her arm again. Suddenly, Luna went flying through the air again, only this time she sailed clean through the door to the basement and went rolling down the stairs.

“Ack!” Luna yelped in pain as she settled midway down the steps. After getting up and shaking her head to rid the pain from her body, she charged forward again. Before she could reach the top step, the door slammed shut and hit her in the face.

Luna tried to open the door, but it was locked just like the one they had encountered before. She pounded on the door frantically in an attempt at getting back in the room to reach the human. She had to help him defeat the brutal spirit, or at least help him get away from her.

“Tom!” The alicorn’s muffled cries could be heard from behind the door. Tom cursed under his breath as he directed his attention back to his attacker.

The woman in white slowly brought the scissors up to her head. She opened her mouth and slowly dragged the blades across her tongue, all the while making disturbing eye contact with the human. She finished dragging the bloody object across her tongue and savored the crimson fluid in her mouth.

“It’s been so long since I’ve tasted fresh blood… this should be fun.” She stated with a sinister gleam in her eye as her mouth shifted into a disturbing grin.