"Umm let me look." Angel pulled out her scrolls she found and luckly found a spell to work. "Ya only problem is it takes a lot and I don't think I can do them all." Angel looked at Ghost with sorry eyes and felt terrible that she could only help a little.
Angel stepped to the side away from the knife. "Thats for what now?" she smiled nervously trying not to show the fear.
"Shh... " Ghost jumped around the corner of the book shelf, and a screeching sound was cut short. When he came back around the shelf, he drug a dead cockatrice over to the edge of the central crater and tossed it down. "Ugh... I hate cockatrice...." He said in disgust.
Angel shook with disgust and pulled the spell back out and studied it. She chewed her lip and tried to study it enough to make it work for all of them.
Ghost left to look around, leaving Angel to do her studying. Suddenly an Elder Cockatrice appeared out nowhere and quickly began turning Angel to stone, starting with her head.
Angel didn't have time to react. 'Seriously?! Can't anything go right for once?' she thought. She would roll her eyes if she could. She flapped her wings hoping to get Ghost's attention till her wings turned to stone.
Ghost heard thr flapping of wings that suddenly stopped. His mind started to play with his imagination... "Angel! I'm coming!" He shouted at top of his lungs. When he rounded the corner, Angel was nearly entirely turned to stone, only a leg and her eyes were left when he jumped the cockatrice. "I'm sorry for leaving.... Angel, is there a way to reverse it that a non-magical pony can do?"
Angel didn't know she only knew that a a cockatrice could reverse its own spell. She had Ghost lift up the scroll and hold it. Luckly she wasn't a full statue yet so she still had a little control left but not for long. Angel focused on the spell and her magic grew brighter and the stone body began to crack, letting a blinding light seek through. Angel's eyes turned all white like the light and a dome like shield spread fast across Canterlot throwing back Ghost. Angel's stone body shattered and the other statues broke free. The light faded away and revealed a tired Angel. All cockatrices in a 5 mile radius was blown away far.
Angel's efforts were in vain, for she had caused a cave-in. Ghost and Angel were trapped by the impenetrable blockade. Ghost blinked several times before he noticed Angel wasn't being petrified any more. "Angel! You're alright!" He said, hugging her lovingly. Realizing his mistake, Ghost released her and hid his face. "I-I'm sorry... A-Angel..." Ghost was pawing at the ground, nervously.
Angel giggled and gave Ghost another hug. "Just don't leave my side again." Angel gave a true happy smile. "I always seem to get in trouble when your no where close." Angel let go of the hug and got to her hooves. Angel wasn't any bigger then Cadence so being trapped like they were made her feel smaller.
"Well, that or I cause the trouble..." Ghost said, putting a hoof to his face, touching the bloodstains he'd received from feasting on Angel, not 20 minutes ago. He turned away from her, and sat down. "Did, um,... Did the Elder Cockatrice do anything other than try to turn you to stone?" He didn't look at her when he spoke.
Angel looked hurt but said no. She looked to her hooves her mane fell leaving a golden curtain in front of her face. "And I don't think it's you who causes most of the trouble." she said softly.
"I'm sorry for biting you, Angel... I'll understand if you don't trust me anymore..." Tears fell from Ghost's eyes when he looked at her, "I'll understand if you don't like me anymore, either..." He spoke quietly.
Angel continued to look at her hooves but pushed her mane back. "I don't hate you, and I do trust you." Angel's voice held a bit of sadness. "I've never had a real friend outside of the castle. Being a non-royal alicorn isn't fun like some ponies think." Angel made a small smile.
"What do you mean?" Ghost asked, moving closer to her, gesturing for her to lay down, "You're exhausted, you should get some rest," he said, slightly smiling.
Angel found a patch of grass and layed down. "Well everypony treated me like a princess but when I told them I wasn't they just raise thier noses and never talk to me." Angel rested her head on the tree next to her "That's why I spent most of my life in the library, I figured since I had the ability of three different races I might as well use them." Angel wasn't sure about telling her back story since she never has before.
Ghost laid down right next to her, watching her with wide, green eyes. "That's awful..." he said, and told Angel about his life, "I'm visibly a half-breed, as you know, of Changeling and Earth pony. I got most of my mother's traits, but I was born a legit pony. In the Academy, I was bullied and teased for my appearance, until I finally snapped..." He leaned Angel against him gently, needing serious comfort for what he was about to say, "I-I killed them... Everypony... I killed them all except for the few that escaped my wrath, like Flare, for example," saying her name made him begin to cry. "She protected me from the security forces, saying it wasn't my fault. Flare was an Alicorn, like you..." He stopped, rage filling his eyes, "I saw the bullies charging her with the combat acid we made in Chemical Defenses, they threw it at her, so I jumped in the way, and lost most of my lower face, neck, and use of my lungs. I was in terrible pain, and she stood over me, crying and begging for me to be alright." Green flames rose from his outer corners of his eyes, touching Angel's face, but not burning her, "those... monsters... killed her... She wasn't trying to hurt anypony, yet she was shot through the chest... It was horrible..." Ghost broke into tears, and held Angel protectively close.
Angel felt tears enter her own eyes and nuzzled more against Ghost hoping to comfort him more. "I'm sorry Ghost. I had no idea." Angel used her good wing and draped it over Ghost and calmed him down. "I promise that will never happen again. Never ever again." her eyes full of tears yet again.
Ghost accepted her comfort, and nuzzled her mane softly. "Thank you Angel..." Ghost whispered, "but how can you promise it won't happen to her too?" He looked sadly into her eyes, causing Angel to realize who he was referring to.
