The dark goat, Grogar, came out of his teleport. His touch drained the ground of life as he ate the energies around him. If that strange creature hadn’t have been so attuned he never would have had the energy to avoid that Alicorn. He wasn’t prepared for such a fight. Still such things were a concern for later. Now his focus had to be on feeding. The sounds of an idyllic town just nearby would be all the food he needed. Further still after consuming their souls their bodies would be put to good use as well.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A knock at the door stirred me from my nap. I hadn’t realized I had fallen asleep and again I felt so at odds with having left Pandora to Cadence’s hooves. She was more than capable which wasn’t my concern but more that I wasn’t able to keep up with all of this. I stumbled into the main room where Pandora jumped me as the door swung open. She eyed the door suspiciously and I tried to comfort her. There wasn’t anyone to be afraid of here.

The purple unicorn on the other side had an intense aura to her. Much like that of Cadence I could feel a new feel in the air just from her presence. Somehow the air felt charged with energy and magic and I felt more awake suddenly.

“Twilight,” said Cadence in a happy high voice. “Come in come in. This is Persephone and Pandora. I’m sure Aunty filled you in as to them, right?”

“Actually no,” said Twilight. She walked deliberately up to us though with a smile on her face. “Still a new person met is a new friend. I’m Twilight Sparkle. Nice to met you.”

“Persephone,” I said. “Likewise. This little one is Pandora. She seems to be a bit shy.”

Pandora had buried her head in my shoulder and was pulling at my tapestry trying to hide her face. It wasn’t helped by the other unicorn with Twilight who shrieked when she saw us two. Her face wasn’t filled with fear though but disgust and she conjured a fainting couch to land on.

“My overly dramatic friend here is Rarity,” said Twilight. “Rarity you are scaring the baby, or well I think they are a baby.”

“Toddler, I think,” I said. “Yeah can we keep the screeching to a minimum.”

“Forgive me but darling your attire is truly dreadful. Princess Celestia said you were in need of my talents but I wasn’t made aware of how badly,” said Rarity. “Now I’m sure you did your best but lets see if we can give you something better than tattered tapestries as cover. Do you wear something all the time or just some of the time?”

“All the time,” I said. “Um, I don’t have any money to pay you.”

“Oh dear the experience will be more than enough,” said Rarity. “I’ve been thinking of starting a line for Minotaurs and you two would be great practice for that and I would never leave you in such a state regardless. No it is my pleasure to help out.”

“Again thank you,” I said. I had tears welling up and I felt them spill out onto my checks. Memories of cold nights and of going hungry popped into my head more clear than they had been a while ago. Still pain followed them and I stumbled to my knees. “Sorry. Just a bit of a head ache is all. My head is still a bit fuzzy.”

“Is there anything we can do to help dear?” asked Rarity. “Why don’t you go lay down and I can work on clothes for Pandora. The four of us surely can keep up with the tike.”

“I’m fine,” I said. “Just a head ache is all. I am capable of this. I have to be capable of this.”

Cadence came up to me and put a hoof on my right arm. She said, “You need to rest. Your mind has been through a lot in the last two days and of course it is straining to keep up. We don’t even know how much your fusion has affected your mental facilities. We can watch Pandora. She needs some play time and I am more that skilled enough to give her some while Rarity works on clothes for the both of you. Please don’t push yourself too much.”

“I’ll rest a bit,” I said. I felt so useless and helpless in that moment but I didn’t know what else to do. I left the door open when I went to lay down finding the pillow enough to keep my head even as I laid. Sleep didn’t come easy but Pandora didn’t bother me for a while and all I could hear was small giggling and some talking from the room over.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Grogar pulled the soul out of a screaming child. He always loved the more innocent ones but this one would not be used as fuel. No he needed a spy and what better to use than a small child. If Celestia was anything like her old self they would refuse to destroy the poor sod. Still the filly would prove invaluable. He set up the ritual and transformed the soul into a ghost under his control. He layered a simple command spell into the ghost and then teleported the massless thing back to Canterlot. The ghost knew its orders and couldn’t disobey. Their sensory link would give Grogar all the information he needed. Better yet they couldn’t track him through the link even if they tried. No this would give him all the info he needed to kill the alicorn once and for all.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fire and brimstone seared my flesh and the very smoke seemed to eat at my lungs. I felt I was melting away into nothingness. There just besides me was a tall four eyed behemoth. The creature seemed to be feeding off my pain and yet I could do nothing. I was simply a body with no real mind to speak of left. A purple light shone through my dream and the brimstone turned into flowers and soon I sat in a meadow. Luna came to sit next to me as she watched me for a moment not speaking.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring evil into your world.”

“And you didn’t. The creature in your dreams is not Pandora and she will never be like that. The magic of harmony infuses our world. It infuses her as well. You don’t have to fear what she will become,” said Luna. “No I fear we must deal with your mind. These memories are too painful and it is causing too much strain on your mind.”

“I saw a doctor,” I said. “She said I looked to be in good health.”

“She can not see into your mind like I can now,” said Luna. “I see the cracks running through your mind. If we don’t do something you will break. I’m afraid of what that will mean. I have two things that we can do. I can either seal away your memories from before this world. You will loose a part of yourself permanently or we can attempt to more subtly heal your mind. The problem is that the subtle way is much more risky. If you were to break before then I don’t know if I could help you.”

“What will be better for Pandora?” I asked. “I think you should seal them away.”

“What is better for you is more important. Pandora will be well taken care of either way, I promise you that,” said Luna. “No I don’t want to steal your past from you. I suggest we try a simpler subtler healing first then if that fails I can seal away the cracks in your mind.”

“How do we do that?” I asked.

“I will have to be in contact with you again. My magic works on this distance but it is slow. Time is not something we have the essence of. I will enchant you to sleep till I come for you. It will be dreamless,” said Luna. “Then when I can connect to your mana more directly I shall delve with you into those cracks in your mind. We will attempt to deal with them at the core but know this method is less damaging than the other it does come with risks. We will spread the cracks before we find their source. I don’t know if you will come out unscathed.”

“No just cut out the infection. I don’t care how much I loose of me,” I said. “I’ve already lost it. Just let me be safe for her, please.”

“We shall have this talk face to face. For now sleep.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I stirred from my sleep feeling unrested and groggy. Pandora was shaking me and crying and I tried to calm her but my mind wasn’t working right. I felt trapped still by the spell and I barely noticed Pandora’s hands lit up with a amber glow. A pair of hooves scooped her up away from me and I tried to get up but I lacked the strength. There was a flash of light and Luna appeared out of nowhere in my room. She scanned the room and I felt another surge of power running through me burning through some barrier that I hadn’t noticed. It at at me and I screamed in pain as it burst forth. Flames ate at the room and Pandora screamed with me. I could feel her pain and I had to control this burst. I willed the energy out of me in controlled bursts. Luna’s horn hit my forehead and a clarity spread through me. I could shape the magic surging out of me if I wanted to or another demon would appear. I cut the flow in two and let one escape while the other I pushed into me and suffused it with myself. My body screamed in agony as I watched the escaped orb start to take shape. I imagined a smaller Pandora appearing a true infant and I pushed my magic into the orb as it formed. A small little thing formed out of the orb and into a pale skinned creature. The infant lacked the wings that Pandora had but instead had two small horns and a longer tail. The babies feet seemed to match Pandora’s though and soon the glow faded as the four bright blue eyes opened. I gulped at another child and then something sent a large burst of pain through my head. I felt my world growing dark as Luna caught me. Her magic flowed into me and soon I wasn’t amongst the waking anymore.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I came to in a dark misty space. I floated in it as Luna worked on me pulling out pins here and placing new ones in there. Each time she moved one a new wave of pain washed over me. Still I tried to hold in my whimpers. Luna paused for a moment letting me gather my awareness.

“I’m sorry but Pandora has forced the issue. She tried to wake you and somehow managed to weaken my spells on you. The surge of energy came from the same realm as Pandora is from. She didn’t mean to harm you but the damage is done,” said Luna. “I’m not certain what I can salvage of your memories. Even those of the half of you from Equestria are damaged. I have isolated some undamaged parts but the rest of you is in shambles.”

I nodded not being able to speak. Luna started her work again and I felt wave after wave of pain. I couldn’t rightly tell how long we worked or how much time passed but Luna was exhausted by the end of her work. I felt empty and missing so very much. I had lost most of my memories and yet I felt more stable. I could only remember the last two days and a small snip bits of time as a deer. They were distorted though by something else but I couldn’t tell what it was just that it hurt to dwell on those memories. Instead I focused on Pandora.

“You should wake now,” said Luna. “Take your time with moving you have lost much of your instincts as well. I salvaged what I could of your spiritual mind but it took new deeper magic to mend that tear so you are fragile now.”

I nodded and then felt myself fall from this world back into my aching brain. Slowly the pain woke me from a strange stupor that had taken me. I couldn’t see well as the room was pitch black save for a glowing horn near my head. Luna’s eyes shone back some of the light but otherwise she was in the dark as well. Slowly she intensified the light and I shakily tried to push myself up on the bed. The door swung open a crack and I blinked as the brightness of the other room hurt my eyes.

“Cadence, can you bring little Pandora here?” asked Luna. “And the new little one.”

“Of course,” said Cadence quietly. She entered the room and I could see that Pandora had been balling for a while now and her head laid across Cadence’s neck where she clung to Cadence. “See look she is up and feeling better now.”

“Ma,” said Pandora as she tried desperately to get out of Cadence’s grip. “Ma?”

“You may let her come,” said Luna. “She can do no more harm. Gentle little one, your mother is weak right now but she will recover. In time.”

Pandora seemed to understand and she crawled up to me and wrapped herself around my lower torso. She was warm as always and I worried how much I had scared her. How much had I lost and did it matter? I shook the thought from my head and pulled her up in my arms letting her quick heart beat match mine. She still cried and clung to me like I was going to disappear again. The door way darkened as Twilight came in with the other little one. Luna’s horn light up further showering the the room in the light of a full moon. Just enough to see where one was walking and little else.

“This little one wants to met the one who brought them to life,” said Twilight. “I feel weird calling you a mother but Pandora sees you that way and I’m sure in time so will this one.”

I took the infant with my spare arm that wasn’t comforting Pandora. She seemed to be startled by the new child and buried her head into my shoulder. I couldn’t blame her. She had to share me now. I sighed and tried to center myself. Slowly my emotions calmed. The small one was wrapped in a small blanket though I didn’t know where it had come from.

“Summon the doctor. I want all three of them checked again,” said Luna. “Especially Persephone. It may have been an unusual birthing but it has left her weak nonetheless.”

Cadence nodded and walked out to the other room. I could just barely hear her talking to someone in the room. I assumed Shinning Armor. I turned back to the blue eyed baby in front of me. Her skin was a paler color than Pandora’s and reminded me of ash from a fire. I couldn’t recall where I had seen it but I didn’t dwell on that. I tried to search for a name and yet none of them came to me. I had lost all of that other world.

“I don’t have a name for her,” I said. “I can’t remember anything. It should fit but I can’t remember anything.”

“What about some form of Olympus?” asked Cadence. “You mentioned that was where your name came from. That way you still stick to the running theme. What about Olympia?”

“Better than nothing,” I said. “Well little Oly what do you think?”

The baby just stared at me blinking from time to time. I wondered what sort of adventures this one would cause. Still she seemed all the sweet little girl and I tried to get Pandora to look at her. Pandora seemed frightened of her and I waited till the two of them calmed down to say anything more.

“Met your little sister, Olympia,” I said quietly to Pandora. “Say Sister? Can you say Sister?”

“Sisser,” said Pandora. She smiled at me as I nuzzled her head. “Sisser.”

“Close and good job,” I said. “Yep your sister.”

“Smart little one,” said Shining Armor. “She knew you were in pain before. I think she may be empathetic as she has been noticing the change in guard.”

“Other demon’s have had such abilities,” said Luna. “I remember a strange beast who used it to feel the fear of that which it stalked. I suspect that Pandora will put the ability to better use.”

“I can’t imagine Pandora stalking anything,” said Cadence. “She is far to sweet for something as ghastly as that.”

“We have guards?” I asked. “Is it necessary?”

“They are stationed here normally,” said Luna. This part of the castle sees a lot of traffic by the guards so there are always a senior guard and a recruit in the hall so as to relay orders and help the recruit with an easy watch station.”

“Easy my ass,” said Shinning. Cadence smacked him. “Sorry for the language. That position you get run ragged as the recruit. It is good for them though. Keeps them sharp.”
~~~~~~~~~~

The ghostly filly slunk through the halls of the castle. No pony could see or hear her sadly. What ever spell she was under stopped her from disobeying orders but it hadn’t sapped her of all her will. She wasn’t going to let that mean goat get away with what he had done to her mother. Not if she could help it. Now if only one of this guards could hear her screams.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was a screaming sound from the hallway. I jumped up but no one else seemed to notice the sound. I was about to lay back down when another called out. I couldn’t make the words but they sounded like a some little girl. My hair stood on end on my lower torso and I struggled to my feet. What ever it was Olympia was hearing it too as she grew fussy.

“Can you hear that?” I asked. “What is going on out there?”

“I don’t hear anything,” said Shinning Armor. “What are you hearing?”

“A screaming girl of sorts,” I said. “Or at least I think so. It is difficult to make out.”

“There is no such noise,” said Luna. “There may have been more damage to her than I had feared.”

“No really please lets just go check it out. It sounds close,” I said. Another wail rang out and I slid off the bed. A bit of magic steadied me as I almost dropped Olympia. “Look at the children they can hear it too.”

Sure enough Pandora was covering her ears and Olympia looked about to cry. I tried to push myself to the door but I was shaky on my feet and I had issues walking. There was something else wrong with me and yet I felt dragged to the door.

“Little girl,” I yelled. “Come here. I’ll help you.”

A ball of light floated through the wall and another wail of sound filled the room. It felt pained and draining as I flinched in pain. Thankfully someone caught me with their magic. The orb floated up to me and touched me sending a shiver through me. Something was wrong. I tried to shield Olympia from the orb but she had started thrashing about in my arms.

“Please what ever it is it is right here,” I said. I turned to Luna whose magic held me. I felt her pull me into the air and onto the bed separating Olympia from me. “Please can’t you see that orb there?”

“Ma,” screamed Pandora as the orb touched her. I could see her arms turn frosty from the touch and I tried to struggle out of Luna’s grip. I had to do something. I felt my mana flare up in me and I tried to grab the orb with it.

Light filled the room as Cadence’s horn lit up. A pulse ran outward from her and coalesced around the orb. Slowly the orb seemed to morph into a small filly who looked as scared as any of us. Luna’s horn lit up too and the poor ghostly child started to cry. Waves of pain came off of her and I grabbed Pandora trying to shield her with my body. A bubble popped up around the creature and the wailing was cut off.

“A ghost?” asked Cadence. “I never thought that spell would come in use. Poor filly why would someone so young as her be in so much pain as to form a ghost?”

“I doubt that it was her that willingly transformed herself. No this is the work of Grogar,” said Luna. “Child I ask that you cease your wailing for you are hurting those around you.”

The bubble popped and the ghost flew over to Luna. I could see tears falling from the ghost and splattered on the floor only to evaporate a second later.

“Please make this stop,” said the small ghost. “I don’t want him to know about all of this but he is seeing through me. I can see him killing them. He is eating them. Please make it go away. I don’t want any of this.”

“Where is he child?” asked Luna.

“I think not,” said a deep voice from the child’s form. “I hadn’t expected you to detect my spy so quickly but the next one shall be more hidden. Know that I will come for you Alicorn and when I do I shall eat your very soul.”

“We will stop you Grogar,” said Twilight. “We will find you and stop you.”

“Not if you can’t find me,” said Grogar. The ghost’s form started to glow brightly and I braced for what felt like a coming explosion. Another barrier popped up around the ghost though and blocked the blast. Leaving only a splatter of ectoplasm behind that slowly evaporated.

“What in high Celestia’s name was that?” said Rarity from the door. “I heard such a horrid wailing and then I seem to have fainted.”

“Well at least we know someone else can hear them,” said Shining Armor. “Is there anything I can do to ward against ghosts, Princess?”

“Place a anti teleportation ward on the castle that should stop him from depositing his spies inside of our castle but sadly other than that none that I know of,” said Luna. “Perhaps my sister is more knowledgeable in that area. Let us retreat from this room to somewhere less contaminated. Have a paladin class guard purify this room. No one is to enter until then.”

Shinning Armor nodded before rushing off. I was lifted by Luna’s magic and ushered out of my bedroom. The place had a strange smell to it and I was happy to be free of it. Luna was looking over both Pandora and Olympia who seemed shaken by the ghost still. I hugged Pandora then took back Olympia as I was set on the floor.

“I shall ward this room later but for now I must return to my search of the dream realms for Grogar. That is at least three citizens he has killed in his escape. I hope we can limit it to that.”

“I have a feeling this isn’t over yet, Aunty,” said Cadence.

Author's Notes:

Well this is where the adventure starts to peak it's head in. but still only the littlest bit. I wanted to make sure it was obvious that Grogar is a threat and one that will need to be dealt with sooner than later. Still I hope you don't mind this oddly paced mix of slice of life and Adventure. I'll try to keep the chapters more consistent in the pacing of them but let's be fair I suck at that so yeah.

I am working on this a lot more than I thought I would be and so as for when it next updates is a "I have no idea" thing. So sorry for that. Also kinda don't edit anything ever so yeah. Hopefully spellcheck is good enough. If any of you want to edit or pre-read let me know cause it isn't a hard thing for me to set up. Also this is the last mcguffin, cough cough, character introduced for a while. Still we have the obligatory introduce the rest of the Main six at this point but yea.

Oh and because she sort of disappears, Twilight left during Persephone's rest and did not in fact get forgotten by the author. Nope that is not what happened at all.