Phantom's Story
9 Years ago
The unique city of Cloudsdale was quiet, dark, and cold. In an unusual show of weather for the cloud city, local weather officials had allowed it to snow to celebrate the Hearth's Warming season. Most pegasi were in the warmth of their homes, surrounded by loving friends and family, pondering at what their gifts could be. However, Phantom and Nyx Knight were not most pegasi. With the recent death of their father, they were left without without warmth, friends, family, food, presents, and, a home. All they had was a small, dark alley behind the Cloud Nine hotel, and each other. The only sounds were of the light breeze, and the rummaging of trash.
"Phantom..." whined a young filly's voice. "I'm hungry." The black coated, midnight blue accented filly sat at the base of a dumpster speaking to a pony who was climbing around inside of it.
A midnight blue colt with black accents emerged from inside the dumpster, resting his head on the edge, looking at the filly. Seeing his sister's saddened, scarlet red eyes ate at him. "I know," he said softly, jumping down onto the snowy cloud.
"I miss daddy..." she looked pleadingly into his sapphire blue eyes.
"I do too, Nyx, I do too." Phantom opened his wings and comfortably embraced his sister, giving her a soft kiss on the fore-head. "Don't worry though, I'll think of something." At that moment, a door next to them flew open, it's warm glow shinning out onto the alley. Phantom protectively took Nyx in his legs, and flew around to the other side of the dumpster.
A brown unicorn stallion wearing an apron emerged from inside, carrying with him a bag of trash help in his trash. The stallion absent-mindedly threw it into the dumpster, and began to head back inside. An idea came to Phantom's mind. "Stay here for a second," he whispered. Phantom quickly took to the cold air, flying up and over the dumpster, following the unicorn inside the hotel.
The colt found himself inside a warm, softly lit dinning hall. A gentle hum of soft music and conversation filled the bustling room. Waiters weaved in and out of the tables, patron's orders in hoof. Phantom tracked their paths back to the far wall, where they were entering and exiting a swinging door that led to the hotel kitchen. He quickly zipper under a table, using it's white cloth to cover himself from other the view of other ponies. Looking under the cloth to see his target, Phantom noted that the kitchen door was surprisingly not that far from the restrooms.
Phantom, deciding that it would appear normal to be milling about towards that general direction, snuck out from under the occupied table, and nonchalantly made his way towards the kitchen. Waiters and other patrons looked upon him with kind eyes, and gladly got out of his way if they neared. He even heard some mares comment on how 'cute' he was, while some nearby foals mentioned to each other about his 'strange' coloring. The colt made it to the back wall with no trouble, and stood between the kitchen and restrooms. He waited the moment when a waiter would arrive. Just as one exited the kitchen, Phantom slipped in through the open door, making sure nopony saw him.
The kitchen was of a much higher temperature than the rest of the hotel, and much busier, too. Chefs hovered over flame-lit stoves, cooking the food ordered by hotel guests, while waiters stood by patiently for the orders to be completed and brought to said patrons. Seeing that an order had been filled, and another waiter was heading his way, Phantom quickly dove for cover under a table. As soon as the employee passed, he crawled out.
Something on top of the table caught Phantom's eye. It was a small wicker basket, filled to near overflowing levels of breadsticks. And boy, did it look appetizing. The hungry colt looked left, then right, making sure no pony was watching him. Then, in a single wing assisted hop, the pegasus leapt up, grabbing the edge of the basket in the grip of his white teeth. Phantom quickly flew out of the kitchen, slipping through the door just as another waiter entered. He then landed on the red velvet floor softly, nonchalantly heading towards the door from whence he came.
Just several feet away from the door, a powerful stallion stepped in his way, staring the young colt dead in the eyes. It wasn't the stallions tan eyes, lavender coat, or even peculiarly rainbow mane that sent chills down Phantom's mind. It was the cobalt blue uniform, silver trimming, gold sash, two gold chevrons on each foreleg sleeve, and medals that stopped him his tracks. This particular pony was a member of the Royal Guard, a decorated one at that. The stallion beamed the colt an incredulous look that said 'I know what you did...'.
The contents of the whicker basket bounced around as it slip out of Phantom's gaping mouth. "You lost, son?" The stallion spoke in a cold, stern voice.
Phantom's ears fell. "Th-the waiter forgot our appetizer," he lied, stuttering. "So, I went to get them."
"Then where is your family?" Phantom looked around to attempt to locate a table without breadsticks. Unfortunately for him, the waiters in this hotel were highly trained and very professional, making sure not to slip up once. Every table had suitable appetizers. "And why are you trying to walk out with the food?"
The colt's gaze drifted away. 'I-I-I-I..."
The stallion knelt down, drawing his face closer to the colt. In a softer, kinder, fatherly voice, he spoke again. "Look, kid, I've been in the guard for awhile now, and I've seen all kinds of thieves. I've seen ponies who've stolen for greed, pride, revenge, anguish, envy, all of it. But you? You aren't any of those, are you? No... you're protecting somepony. Tell me, kid, who's the food for?"
Phantom sighed. "I... I'm sorry... I can't." Holding back the liquid pooling at the base of his eyes, Phantom quickly picked up the basket, and zipped out the door. Leaving behind the stallion, who dispiritedly watched the colt fly away, shaking his head and sighing to himself. He went about his day, returning to his family.
1 Year Later
"Stop, thief!" A pegasus mare howled at Phantom.
The thief in question flew down the mildly congested hallways of Cloudsdale General Hospital. Phantom weaved in and out of patients, and hospital staff members, careful not to spill the contents of the stolen, white saddlebag he carried with him.
For a year now, Phantom and his sister had been surviving on their own, on the streets. The pair had resorted to thievery to survive. Phantom was the one who stole the most, but Nyx helped where she could, often times as a distraction. The most common item stolen by the pair was food, or anything required for general survival. Phantom had even acquired discarded household items like blankets to make their alley home more comfortable. Once, he went as far as breaking into the Cloudsdale Flight School to steal text books, in an attempt to give Nyx some form of an education. It was the little things he could do to make their nightmare better. Their only protection from the elements was a sturdy cardboard box.
But this was probably Phantom's most important theft to date. Nyx was in their makeshift shelter, alone, and sick. Inside the stolen saddlebag: the medicine needed to get her better. And he would never let her down.
The pegasus' thoughts were interrupted by a hospital security guard rounding the corner infront of him, blocking off his initial escape route. But, improvising was one of Phantom's favorite past times, Often times he would think of different ways to accomplish many tasks, even if he had already completed it.
The colt pulled a ninety degree turn to the left, and tucking his wings and other appendages close to him, forming a midnight blue and black ball. In seconds, Phantom crashed through a nearby hospital window, receiving only a few lacerations. He expertly returned to a relax flying position, smiling to himself. Looking back, the ponies who had chased him merely stood at the shattered window, watching helplessly as he flew away. Phantom knew well enough ponies hated him for being a thief, but nopony knew why he did it. If they had, maybe things would have been differently. But sympathy was not an emotion commonly shared throughout this city.
Phantom was careful to avoid Guard patrols on his way back to his alley home. A colt of his age carrying around a medical bag that said 'This bag does not leave the hospital' on the strap, would have looked highly suspect. In no time, the pegasus crossed the city, gliding to a landing just outside of his dark alley home. He quietly entered the darkness, heading directly towards a back corner. There, a series of sturdy cardboard boxes were configured into a makeshift shelter, their opening covered by an old, discarded blue curtain. Phantom moved the curtain to the side, and entered. The makeshift home was lit only by a series of small holes cut in the top.
"Nyx?" Phantom called out in a whisper. A quiet cough and a sniff were the response given to him. He glided to his sister's side in her 'room', setting the white saddlebag down. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm hot...*cough* *cough*" she only barely managed to whisper. Phantom knew she was running a fever, and even though it was only fifty some degree's outside, he could still see a bead of sweat running down the side of her head.
The brother sighed. "I got you some medicine." Phantom opened the bag, pulling out a small, purple bottle of liquid medicine. He poured some of the liquid into the overturned cap, which acted like a cup. "Here, drink this." The colt held the medicine filled cap infront of the filly.
Nyx looked on it disparagingly, slowly taking it in a weakened hoof.
"It may not taste good," Phantom warned as his sister slowly drank the purple liquid. "But it'll help."
The filly cringed as the medicine hit her taste-buds. Though, in an instant, she began to feel better, and was more than happy to to finish it off. "Th-thanks," she spoke with a much clearer, healthier sounding voice.
"Anytime, sis." Phantom rested a hoof on his sisters forehead to feel her temperature, which, was thankfully going down. "Feeling better?"
Nyx nodded. "Phantom?" she asked just as her brother got up to leave.
Stopping, and looking back, he replied. "Yeah?"
"Can you read me a story?"
"Heh, aren't you getting a little old to be read to?"
"I'm only nine!"
"Ugh... fine. What do ya want? One of the science text books? Math? Equestrian?"
"Hehe, no silly! That one that was super-cool and awesome that you took from the book store, remember? You said that it just came out and looked really good?"
"What? Daring Do?"
"Yeah! That one!"
Phantom sighed, heading into the main room where a collection of books sat stacked on top of each other in one corner. From the bottom of the stack, he pulled out a green novel, and headed back to Nyx's room, sitting down at her side. He cleared his throat opened the book, and began to read. "Daring Do and the Sapphire Stone. Chapter one. As Daring Do trekked through the tropical jungle, the wet heat sapped her energy and slowed her every step. If only she could escape this oppressive atmosphere and fly up into the cool blue sky. But her crash landing in the jungle had injured her wing and she was grounded for a few days. Few days... it might as well be a few months, or a few years!
"The mosquitoes buzzed loudly. The macaws cried from the high trees. Yet all of these distracting noises were not enough to cover the sound of the predators following her every step. —"
2 Years Later
"Ready?"
"Eeyup."
"You know what to do." Nyx calmly trotted out of a darkened alley, leaving her brother behind, invisible to anypony who didn't look very hard.
Once Nyx reached the middle of the busy street, she stop, and began to sway back and forth. After several tips and turns, she let out a sarcastic moan, dramatically fainting to the clouds. Instantly, several ponies rushed to her side, attempt to make sure she was okay. One of them, a mare, had a saddlebag on her back. And you could bet that became Phantom's target.
The pegasus crept out of the shadows, careful not to be spotted by anypony. That part of his task wasn't difficult, all of their attention was clearly fixated on Nyx. Giving one last look around to make sure the coast was clear, Phantom made his move.
Clutching the strap of the bag in his mouth, Phantom shot powerfully into the air.
The mare he had stolen it was completely caught off guard. "Wh-what!?" she babbled, turning around to see what happend. "Hey! Get back here! Someone stop that pony!"
"Sorry ma'am." Nyx lept up from the cloud street, taking off after her brother. "Gotta fly!"
The two siblings, once they caught up with each other, calmly flew side by side through downtown Cloudsdale. Phantom flipped upside down, and placing the saddlebag on his belly, began to rummage through it mid-flight.
"Anything good?"
Phantom shifted through the bag with growing frustration. "No..." he growled. "Nothing but stupid makeup and hoofkerchiefs. No bits, no food, no nothing."
"Dang, at least we have some supplies at home."
"Hey, stop right there!"
"You here that?" Phantom asked, turning himself right-side up.
"No, what?"
"Royal Guard! Stop!"
"Okay, now I heard it!"
Phantom and Nyx looked behind them at where the voice was coming from. They were surprised to see a lavender stallion clad in silver armor flying after them, a rainbow streak following him through the skies. "By authority of the Royal Guard," he cried, "I here-by command you to stop!"
"Time to go!" Phantom banked left, turning down a side street, his sister mirroring his every move. But to their dismay, the stallion was still in pursuit of them, and gaining, rapidly. "Celestia he's fast!" The two pegasi put every ounce of energy they had into their wings. They turned left, the right, then another right followed by a second left. But still, no matter what twist or turn they made, the Guard managed to follow them, and even gain on them!
"Can we try hiding in the alley? We blend in really well."
"Yeah... W'ere obviously not going to out fly him, so yeah, let's try hiding."
Phantom led his sister higher into the air, flying over most of the buildings in the downtown area. Eventually they came across the Cloud Nine hotel, and dove straight down into their alley home. In an instant, they were enveloped into the darkness, disappearing from sight.
The Guard who was chasing the thieves saw where they had gone, and followed his instincts not to follow, for fear of a trap. Instead, he circled overhead a few times, then landed on the street right outside of the alley. The stallion grabbed hold of a flashlight from his utility belt with his mouth, and shone it into the alley. At first, it appeared to be a normal alley. Then, he saw an unusual amount of cardboard in the back corner. Minding his surroundings, the guard carefully proceeded forward. His light focused on the collection of cardboard, which now with a new angle, he could see a blue curtain cover what appeared to be an entrance. Carefully, he put his head through the flap.
The first thing the guard saw, was two pairs of eyes. One, sapphire, with protective and slightly annoyed look to them. The other, ruby, that had a hit of fear and unknowingness to them. Letting the light focus in on the area around the eyes, he could see easily who the owners were. A colt in his teens, of midnight blue coating with black accents. And a early teen filly, with the opposite coating. The colt was crouched infront of the filly, his wings flared out in a sort-of shield.
"Get back..." Phantom growled.
"You look familiar..." the Guard commented. "Have we met before?"
"I've run into many Guards before..."
Using his flashlight, the Guard examined the room further. Only one item caught his interest. A whicker basket in the corner from the Cloud Nine hotel. Then he remember the suspicious acting colt he encountered all those years ago.
"It's you. Isn't it? You're that colt I caught trying to steal the breadsticks!"
That's when Phantom recognized the guard infront of him. His lavender coat, yellowish eyes, and that unique rainbow mane. It was, indeed, the same Guard that stopped him for the first time six years ago. Phantom relaxed, albiet only a little, citing it to memories of the stallions kindness, understanding, and father-like approach.
"Yeah... that was me."
"There's something else about you... something I didn't see before. Who's your father?"
"My father was Spectre. Spectre Knight." The flashlight fell out of the Guard's gaping mouth, rolling to a position in the corner such that it illuminated all three pegasi. "Name ringing any bells?"
"You're... You're Phantom, aren't you? And you, you're Nyx, right?"
The siblings looked at each other, then hesitantly back at the stallion addressing them.
"Yeah," Nyx repled, slowly emerging from behind her brother. "Why? Do you know us?"
"Hm, I guess you would have been too young to remember... It's me! Spectrum Dash! I was your dad's best friend!"
Spectrum Dash took Phantom and his sister to his home after discovering their identities. He insisted that it wouldn't be a bother and that it was the best he could do for them.
Phantom stood in a narrow cloud hallway, staring a pictures incased in gold colored frames. A group in particular held most of his attention. One was of Spectrum Dash, and Phantom's father, Spectre, side-by-side at their Royal Guard graduation ceremony, laughing with each other. Another showed an apparent cook-out at the very house he was currently standing in; the picture showed Phantom standing on his father's back, along with his mother, Spectrum, and his wife, Firefly. A third picture showed a scene from Hearth's Warming Eve in what Phantom recognized as his old home. There, he laid in front of the tree, next to his dad, cuddling with his newly born sister. On the other side of the tree, Spectrum and his wife were cuddling their new born; a cyan furred, rainbow maned pegasus. It was the Hearth's Warming right after Nyx's birth, and their mother's death... Phantom could help the memories of her returning to his mind.
A laugh coming from the kitchen derailed his train of thoughts. Looking over his shoulder, he could see Nyx standing on a stool, helping a pink mare with a bright blue mane cook something, laughing and giggling at each other. Before their father had died, the two families often mingled with each other. Suddenly, Spectrum appeared at Phantom's side.
"I'm sorry, Phantom. If I had recognized you in that hotel six years ago maybe... maybe I could have helped in some way. Save you two from years of misery."
"It's okay, I didn't even recognize you. Especially with that mane of yours."
"Look, I want you to know something. I would adopt you and Nyx if it were possible, but, Firefly doesn't have a job at the moment and we're trying to support our family on my salary alone. I don't know how we could take care of you two and Dashie."
"I understand. How is Dashie, anyway?"
"She's doing great. She's out flying around somewhere now, actually. Obsessed with flying, and being the best at everything. And she's in love with The Wonderbolts."
"Like father like daughter, eh?"
"Hehe, yeah. You could say something like that." The two sat in silence for a few moments, staring at the framed memories. "I may not be able to adopt you, but I can help you out the best I can. There's a small position open at the base. I can get you the spot without you having to enlist. It won't pay much, but, with my help, you'll be able to get an apartment for yourself and Nyx. We'll maybe be able to get you two back in school."
"Th-thanks... I... I don't know what to say."
"You can say 'yes'."
Phantom smiled. Spectrum wrapped a hoof around the young colt's shoulders. "Heh, you're gona be alright kid."
2 Years Later
For the past couple years, Phantom had been working at the Cloudsdale Royal Guard base, doing odd jobs here and there, essentially working as a janitor. But he didn't mind. Spectrum had taken him under his wing, and protected him from any harassment he may have encountered from the other Guards. But after over a year of working, Phantom, with the assistance of Spectrum, was able to put himself and his sister up in an apartment, and get them into school.
After a day of school, keeping the bullies away from his sister—which resulted in a black eye for him and several other colts in the hospital—he was ready to collapse on his bed and take a nap before work. Stepping through his apartment door, he froze in his tracks.
The apartment was an absolute wreck. Completely unrecognizable as his home. "Nyx?" he warily called out. No reply. Interesting, he thought, she always gets home beforeI do... Phantom gravitated towards her room, where he could see that the door was loosely hanging from it's hinges. Again, he froze in the doorway, slack-jaw.
Her window was broken open, bed sheets thrown around, books scattered about. But more importantly, black and midnight blue feathers scattered about the floor, with a blood stain here and there. A sky blue feather stuck out in the shattered windowsill.
Rage was the dominate emotion surging through Phantom. Somepony took his sister, and they were going to pay.
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"Fist pump" Another Chapter!!! And backstory no less!!! Thanks man, your story is great, wonderful, and all that stuff.
3427544 Thanks!
Very well done, can't wait for more!
3427690
Means a lot, thanks!
3427697 Awesome story man, You're an amazing writer and i cant wait for the next chapter! Also don't think i stole the idea of my OC off Your's it was just shit luck that we made a similar ones.
Great chapter I'm beginning to like Phantom even more than I already do he is an amazing character