//------------------------------// // Unexpected! The Close Call! // Story: Harmony Damashii // by ANDIE //------------------------------// "Um... I-I was performing a stunt." Erick bluntly said "Yeah! What you two just saw was an illusion!" he lies as he chuckle nervously. Most of the ponies give weird faces, but Applejack has a more skeptical look as she notices Erick's uneasiness. "U-huh." Trixie said with skepticism. Before anyone said anything, Twilight then turned to face the citizens of Ponyville. "It's alright everypony! The situation seems to be on control." She called out. The ponies looked at each other, muttering of the event taken told, eventually everyone in the town shrugs it of and slowly begin to go back to their daily basics. Everyone except for the eight mares who turns back their attention to Erick. "Erick, what wer' ya' thinking' going out and about like that? You could get in trouble!" Applejack scolded. Erick scratch the back of his head nervously "S-sorry girls... I guess I got a little carry away." he said. "Well maybe next time, try not to make things tougher for us. You could have just done your little stunt right after we fix the chaos that's been happening around." Rainbow Dash exclaims. Without warning, Starlight then stares lower down at Erick and noticed an addition to his attire "Hey, what's with the belt?" Starlight asked, pointing at the Ghost Drive on Erick's waist. This also caught the attention to the rest of the girls as they to noticed the belt "Ugh, that's a rather creepy belt." Rarity commented in slight disgust. "W-Why does it have an eye?" ask the timid Fluttershy as she too was creep out of the Driver's design. Erick looks down at his Driver "Oh this thing?" he said as he hold's it "It's just a plastic toy belt that's all" he stated. "That's odd, where did you get it? I could've sworn that belt wasn't on you when we first found you." Twilight points out "Um...It was hidden in my clothes! Yeah, I hid it in a special pocket in my clothes." Erick excuses with a nervous chuckle. The Main Six including Trixie and Starlight stares at him with raised eyebrows, not knowing what to respond. "W-Well, I guess it's okay to have your attire to change a bit." Starlight inter gets the silence. "Yeah, it's not always that you'll see a belt that looks like an one eye ghost." Pinkie cheerfully said "I bet it had something to do with that hero you mentioned yesterday." she teases. Erick eye brow began to twitch at Pinkies random respond "What!?" He scoffed "No, it's just a little additional accessory for my wardrobe." he added. "Hm..." The seven ponies hum as they thought about Erick's respond. Twilight then decides to spoke first. "Okay, but we need to make some ground rules about this when we head back to the castle." Twilight said. Erick responds with a firm nod "Alright, I'm sorry for my stunt Princess." he apologies with a bow. "Oh, no need for something this formal, I don't want my friends to bow down to me." Twilight gently said as she picks Erick back up from his bow. "Just not make things hard for us okay?" she repeats. "Okay." Erick nodded. "Alright everypony, let's head back to the castle and get some rest." Twilight declares as everyone in the group begins to head back to the castle. While walking, Applejack then dash up to Twilight and lean close to her. "Twi, Ah' know we shouldn't be rude to our' guest. But Ah' have a feeling that oh Erick here is hiding something from us." Applejack whispers closely to Twilight's ear. Twilight heard and thought about Applejack's suspicion "Um...Now that you mentioned it Applejack, I start to noticed that Erick is acting quite unusual." she admitted. "Hm..." Applejack thinks "Whatever he's hiding from us, he's really don't want us to find out. His lying can't fool my eyes." she pointed out. " I just hope that his secret isn't something too serious, I really don't want to get an argument with him if it's too significant for us." Twilight said. "Best that we'll come to that bridge later." she added. Applejack simply nod, the other mares noticed their chat "Hey, what do you think Twilight and Applejack are talking about?" Rainbow whispers quietly to Pinkie, Fluttershy and Rarity. "Oh...I just hope it's not too serious." Fluttershy nervously said. "I bet they are talking about some sort of secret that Erick has been hiding from us." Pinkie bluntly said which caught the three's attention. "What ever made you said that Pinkie?" Rarity ask. "Well..." Pinkie begins "It's started out him falling from an eye shaped portal from the sky, having a toy eyeball and now a belt that looks like a ghost which has one eye." Pinkie explains "I think it has something to do with eyes." she theorized. "That sounds like the most plausible reason." Rainbow follows. "Whatever Twilight and Applejack were whispering about, I think we'll find out once we head back to the castle." Rarity said and earns a nod from Pinkie, Rainbow and Fluttershy. Starlight have been eavesdropping everything that her friends said "Things are getting more awkward by the minute." Starlight quietly said next to Trixie. "Trixie agrees." she whispers quietly to Starlight. Erick on the other hand looks in concern as he realized that the mares are beginning to catch on to him. As everyone continues to walk, Erick could heard a hissing sound nearby. "SST! Hey!" a voice call out. Erick turns his head behind him and saw none other than the ghostly figure of Wilton behind him. "Wilton?" Erick exclaims. "Yeah." Wilton said as he walk up to Erick "Good job on beating those gamma grunts. But I think your new friends are slowly getting onto you now." he said as he points his cane at the ponies as they got closer and closer back to the castle. "I know, I just noticed it too." Erick said as he looks back at the girls "I feel like that they will eventually found out our secret at some point in time." Erick whispers. Wilton then leans close to Erick "Agree. They have been saving this land countless of times. They have the right to know eventually." Wilton whispers. "Yeah, Twilight have told me how she and her friends have been kidnapped by some insect queen and Starlight and Trixie saved them. Although it'll be quite hard for me to explain it to them." Erick stated. "Hm..." Wilton hums as he is thinking in his head until a light bulb appear on his head as his eye wide with an idea "I know what to do." he said and looks back at Erick "But we'll discuss it when we came back to your room." he pointed as he vanishes into thin air. Erick simply sighs "I hope it's something good." he though to himself. Not before long, they all got inside the castle's front foyer and begin to make discussions. "Alright here's what were gonna do." Twilight declare to everyone before turning her attention to Erick "Erick, next time if something like this happens again, please stay away and get somewhere safe okay?" She said as she place her hand on Erick's left shoulder "We don't want any of our friends to get hurt, understood?" she said with sincerity. Erick responds with a nod of understanding. Twilight smile back "Okay, me and my friends are going to have a little chat, how about you'll go back to your room while were talking." she said. "Alright then, I guess I'll see you girls later." Erick said as he walk up the stairs and headed back to his room. Twilight turn back to her friends. "Alright girls, there's something that Applejack and I have been discussing while we were on our way back." She admitted. "Yeah Twilight, we noticed it while we were walking behind you." Rainbow pointed out. "Just what were the two of you whispering about?" Rarity asked curiously. "I'll talk all about it once we're in the throne room." Twilight replied as everyone are heading to the throne room, everyone except Trixie who has a nervous expression on her face. "And while that the great and powerful Trixie will takes her leave." she said in agitation as she grabs her cape and make her leave, but not before being trapped by Twilight's magical aura and was lift of the ground. "Oh no Trixie! You need to know about this too!" Twilight called out, Trixie sighs in frustration as the former drags her to the throne room with her magic. In the throne room, all the Main 6 were sitting on their perspective thrones while Starlight and Trixie are standing right behind Twilight's throne room, before they begin their discussion however they noticed a missing member. "Hey wait, where's Spike?" Twilight asked as she looks around. Everypony else in the room looked just a perplex "I don't think he was with us when we were saving the town." Fluttershy said. "I'm here!" a voice called out as everyone turn their head to the door of the throne room as they saw Spike closes the door as he proceeds to them. "Spike, where have you been while we were saving the town?" Starlight asked. Spike chuckle in nervousness "I was kind of...hiding." he admitted. Everyone in the throne room stares at him with blank faces, but it was nothing compare to Trixie's "Really?" she said, deadpanned. "Look I'm sorry, it's just that I wanted to help. But I don't see if there's anything I could do to help out! These strange things have been happening for more than weeks now and I can't take it anymore!" Spike said in distraught. This causes some tension in the room, the ponies felt a little unease after hearing Spike's concern about the situation and how he couldn't have been there to help them. Rarity then walk in front of Spike, kneeling down and gives him a comforting hug. "Spikey-wikey, there's no need to feel a shamed to stay in the side lines. Remember when the incident first happened? We were all just as confused and helpless as you are." Rarity comforted him "We understand your feelings too Spike, don't worry I know that there's a reason for all of this and we can fix it." she reassure. Spike look back at the rest of his friends, they all give a smile and a firm nod in response. Twilight was the first to said "Rarity's right Spike, we understand what you're going through. But right now we need to focus, there's something I need to share to everypony" she pointed out. Spike nodded as he and Rarity walked back to their friends as the two sit on their perspective throne. Twilight takes a breath and begins her explanation "Alright everypony, as you all know the strange phenomenon has been happening for a few weeks. But today is a little different." she reveals. "Different how?" Rainbow asked in confusion. "Well first of, did any of you noticed that the phenomenon had ended a lot quicker than the past times?" Twilight questioned, everyone else in the room looked at each other, realizing what Twilight meant. "Now that you mentioned it, the chaos did ended only around 15 minute or less." Rarity points out. "Yeah, usually it's about 30 minutes or longer." Fluttershy said as she's equally puzzled. Twilight nods "And second of all, did any of you noticed of how Erick suddenly appears out of nowhere right after the phenomenon ended?" she questions again as everypony see Twilight's point. "You mean right after how he did his secret stunt that we didn't noticed?" Pinkie asked back. "Well, he didn't specifically said of what kind of stunt it is and how it works." Twilight replied to Pinkie. "Not to mentioned that creepy belt he was wearing. Brrr" Rarity respond with a shiver. Applejack rolled her eyes "Fashion is the least concern we have to face Rarity. Besides me and Twilight think that Erick might be hiding something from us." she reveals. "Hiding something? Like what?" Starlight questions. "I don't know. I just hope that it's something not too important." Twilight replied. Spike then questions "Wait, so you're saying that he's somehow connected to the phenomenon?" he asked. This got everypony to thinking "Now that you mentioned it, a few moments ago, Trixie and I saw Erick ran to an alleyway and we both saw him vanished into thin air." Starlight points out as she looks back at Trixie. "Trixie is as utterly confuse as Starlight of how a creature with no magic could perform such feat." Trixie added her thought. "Wait!" Twilight interrupted "You two saw him vanished into thin air!?" she said, dumbfounded. The two nodded "And he reappears back at the same place where all of you were when the chaos stops." Starlight finishes her explanation. "Hah!." Rainbow called "I knew it that he's up to no good!" she declares. But Twilight held her hand up in a stop motion "Now now Rainbow. If he is a threat, than he could have done something to us by now. Still if it is something important then we need to know what it is as soon as possible." she said. "I just hope that it isn't something sinister." Starlight said with worried. "We all could only hope that." The former said as they all looked at each other puzzled. "Awww. I was hoping to throw a welcoming party for him." Pinkie said with frustration. As Erick walks up the stairs a thought came into his mind "Why do I feel like that those Gamma grunts are the least of my worries for now?" he thought before he shrugged it of as he continues to walk back up to the floor where his room is located, upon opening the door of his room, he saw Wilton sitting on his bed, waiting. "There you are!" Wilton greeted as he stand up and walked up to Erick. "I was worried that you might get in trouble or something." he said. "Nah, I just have a thought before I came back here." Erick erasures. Wilton looked curiously at Erick "Well...Anyways. I've been eavesdropping the things that you're new pony friends have said." he revealed. "What!?" Erick said in surprised "How?" "Dude. I'm a ghost myself remember?" Wilton reminded. "Oh...right" Erick said in embarrassment. Wilton then clear his throat "Any what, I've heard what those ponies said, you and I were both right that they are getting on to you, so we have no other options but to reveal them our secret at some point." Wilton said. Erick thought about what Wilton said "But even if I did tell them the truth, it's not like that they would believed that I'm a ghost and the town was attacked by extra-dimensional ghost like monsters." Erick criticize. Wilton however smirks back "Which is why I brought this!" Wilton said which caught Erick's attention, Wilton then head to Erick's bed as he kneel down under the bed as Wilton seems to be pulling something underneath the bed, he pulls out a small leaf blower/gun like device under the bed, revealing it to Erick. Erick's jaw dropped upon seeing it "Is-is-is-is that-that a." Erick hesitatingly said. "Yep!" Wilton said with glee "With this, you can spray special substances at the Gamma's, making them visible to the living, with that the ponies will believed in what you said for sure!" he said confidently. "Dude..." Erick said with a smirk as he cross his arms "You are so prepared" he said with impress. The scene changes to what appears to be a dark lair or hideout of some sort, in the middle was a throne where the same mysterious white cloak figure was sitting impatiently. "Something's not right. They should have been back by now." The figure said in concern before lifting it's left hand up, revealing two black Eyecon's with four claws on the ends. "Bring out our items!" The figure said, suddenly two Gamma grunts appear out of the shadows, one was holding a katana sword while the other holds a spear. The two grunts place the items on the floor as they back away. The figure press the button on the right of the two Eyecons before throwing it at the two weapons. Upon doing so the four items collided and black energy emitted from it before the energy takes on a more humanoid shape, the energy disappears revealing two more Gamma's wearing a different attire. The first one appears to be wearing a white robe with slight blue paint and brass color lines on it, brass color boots, wearing a white vambrace, along with several paper like capes on it's back, it wears a black hat that resembles a dragon's face, it had six blue eyes instead of two and the most unique feature is that it's right forearm is a long and large sharp sword. The second one wears a shorter white robe with tears on the underside, white boots, a short white cape, sharp spiky brass shoulder pads, wearing several large black beads on it's forearms and shoulders, the Gamma also wears a helmet with two white sheets on the ears along with two curved silver horns and a large blade on the head as it wields a long yari spear on it's hand. The two Gamma's bow in front of the figure "How will we served you our lord?" The former Gamma said. "I've sent several of soldiers to the small town of Ponyville not too far from here and they haven't returned for a while. I need you two to investigate on the town to see if everything is according to our plan." the figure ordered. "Understood our Lord." both the two Gamma's said in unison before leaving the area.