Chapter 3: The Colt
His muscles screamed out in protest as Danny slowly tried to move. Everything hurt, even his eyes - though waking up to the sun shining in your face can't be good for your retinas.
Reluctantly willing his eyes to stay open, Danny immediately noticed the difference in the sky. Before, when he had last seen it, the sky had been mixed with deep shades of golden-orange and pink as the sun sank. Now, the sky was bright blue as usual, the sun hanging right overhead.
His eyes widened in realization. "I was out for an entire day?!" He shouted in shock, wincing as it made another twinge of pain shoot through his head. He groaned and rubbed his temples gently with his hooves, the migraine slowly fading to a dull thumping in the back of his head.
Slowly turning his head to glance down at himself, he noticed the scratches and bite marks had slowly begun to heal on their own, but were still noticeable, especially the bites on his foreleg and the slashes on his cheek and nose.
Danny grumbled in annoyance before standing up slowly, wincing as he stretched out his body. He slowly and tentatively tested out his other limbs, scanning over himself for any twinges of pain.
Deciding it best not to stir up any questions as to why he was so banged up, Danny reached into his backpack and pulled out the roll of gauze Clockwork had left for him.
After another long string of curses, he finally began to get the hook of maneuvering the roll with his hooves. It took him a while, but he finally managed to do a decent job in wrapping his leg. Deeming the patch-job effective enough, he cut off a small section of the gauze and placed it on his cheek.
Wiping the blood off the cut on his nose, the colt begrudgingly realized it would probably scar before placing the roll back into his bag.
Glancing over himself one last time, the colt decided it would be best to get moving to the nearby village.
Glancing around at his surroundings, Danny saw that the forest ended farther down the path. He smiled in content at his first bit of luck as he began to make his way to the forest's edge, thankful he didn't encounter any other animals.
Raising his hoof to block out the light that shone down from the sun, he saw that farther down the road was the small village. Taking a minute to stretch, Danny began his descent into the village.
But before he entered the town, he froze for a split second and took a reflexive step backwards as a bolt of fear made his legs buckle up.
He quickly realized it was the same bolt that shot through him whenever his parents got too close to his secret; the same feeling that appeared when he wondered how his parents would respond if they ever found out; the same fear that appeared whenever he thought of his town turning away from him all over again.
He couldn't do it. He couldn't have another town look at him the same way his parents did, the same way that little girl's mother did, the same way half the people in his town did. He couldn't have them look at him like he was nothing more than garbage.
In that split second, he made his choice. He would keep his powers a secret.
No matter what.
Shaking away the feeling, he began to walk closer to town, slowly trotting over a small stone bridge. In the center of the village, he could see what could only be assumed as a Town Hall. Stepping off the bridge, he quickly scanned over his surroundings.
Mostly all the buildings seemed to be white with yellow straw roofs.Geez how the heck do those things handle rain?He wondered to himself as he continued to walk.
Along the road, Danny saw what appeared to be a market of some sort, selling different fruits and vegetables. Other than a few strange buildings he passed, the village itself didn't seem all that strange. In fact, the most confusing thing was the town inhabitants.
They were so . . . . . .colorful.
The ponies around him each had different images on their flanks, varying from books to stars to afrikkin'fish!What the heck are these things anyway?Danny asked himself, still confused by his own mark.
As he passed what he could only assume to be a restaurant, he heard his stomach rumble.
He groaned, but decided it best not to take the chance of anybody finding out he didn't belong by going into a restaurant. He could barely handle walking around a village nonchalantly, let alone go into a restaurant and trying to figure out how to eat when all he had were hooves.
God, it'd be like a deer learning how to walk . . . . on ice . . . . blind. He realized with a sigh.
But before he could argue with himself anymore, he was bowled over by a pink blur. Sand and dirt flew into the air as the two tumbled on the ground before coming to a stop.
He let out a small gasp of pain as landed awkwardly on his injured hoof, but quickly bit the inside of his cheek as he lifted his head and came face to face with a bright pink pony with a bushy pink mane and blue eyes.
She began brushing herself off with her tail, throwing an apologetic look his way. "Sorry about that-" She started, only to freeze when she took a good look at him.
Danny felt his throat close and his stomach flip, wondering what had given away the fact that he didn't belong here when the pony suddenly begin to run around him in a circle, all the while screaming, "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!"
He gasped and fell backward as the pony got into his face once more. "Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie! I've never seen you here before which must mean your new, cause I know everypony! And I mean everypony!" She let out a squeal and stepped closer. "Ooo! Does that make me your first new friend here?!" She asked, a large grin splitting her face.
Danny could only blink in shock with wide eyes, at a loss for words at the pony's energy.
Suddenly, the mare turned her head away from him. "GIRLS!" She shouted before turning back to him, beginning to bounce up and down in excitement.
The colt turned his head to glance at the other ponies on the street but was surprised when most of them didn't even turn in their direction.Huh, guess this is a normal thing for them . . . . and her." He thought to himself, turning back to the mare as she continued to bounce in excitement.
Before he could plot how to slip away from the mare undetected, two more ponies galloped over.
"There ya' are, Pinkie Pie. What's with all your fussin'?" Asked one of the new ponies. She was orange with a yellow mane, white freckles dotting her cheeks. She had vibrant green eyes and a cowboy hat on her head as well as three apples on her flank.
The other pony was yellow with turquoise eyes and a light pink mane as well as a matching pair of yellow wings. On her flank, there were three butterflies.
And the pony in front of him, supposedly named Pinkie Pie, had three balloons on her flank.
Appropriate.Danny muttered to himself.
"Applejack, Fluttershy, LOOK! I made a new friend!" She exclaimed in glee as she pushed the colt closer to the girls. Danny groaned inwardly as he stared back at the three ponies.
The orange pony, which Danny inferred was Applejack, held out a hoof to him. "Hi there, little feller. I'm Applejack. What's your name?" She asked.
Pinkie scratched her name at the question. "Yeah, whatisyour name?"
Danny tried to process her question, but at the moment, his brain was too preoccupied with wrapping itself around the notion that there were three colorful ponies making civil conversation with him. And he was pretty sure the"Fluttershy"one was a pegasus. Then again, Phantom was a pegasus as well . . . or was he a unicorn? The whole thing still confused him. He was just grateful Sam had made him read that book on mythological creatures.
Applejack and Fluttershy shared an awkward look as the colt continued to stare at them, seemingly lost in thought.
"Umm. . . . are you alright?" Fluttershy asked softly as she stepped closer. Her eyes widened as she noticed the wrap around his leg and the long scratch that stretched from underneath one eye to underneath the other, going right over the bridge of his nose.
Danny took notice of this and quickly backed up, finally shaking himself from his thoughts.
"Sorry. I'm Danny." He said softly.
Applejack smiled. "Nice to meet you, Danny." She said as she patted the colt on the shoulder, also taking notice of a long scar that ran from the tip of his shoulder and disappeared underneath his stomach.
She lifted her gaze to stare at Fluttershy, who only shrugged her shoulders in confusion. Pinkie Pie, of course, seemed oblivious to all of it as she bounced closer. "So are you new in town, Danny?"
The teen hesitated before nodding his head.
Pinkie Pie let out a squeal as she rushed forward. "That means you need a party! AWelcome to Ponyvilleparty! Ooo! Haven't had one of those in a while! I'll go get started right away!" She shouted with a smile.
"NO!"
All three mares reeled back at the force behind the word, wondering if it came from the same quiet colt when he blushed slightly and cleared his throat. "What I mean is . . . no thanks. I'm not really into parties." He explained, dreading what would happen if he were the center of attention at a large public gathering while he could barely pick things up!
Pinkie stopped bouncing and gasped in shock, placing a hoof to her chest. "Y-you . . . don't like pa-parties?" She whimpered, lower lip quivering slightly.
Danny winced as he noticed the mare's expression and tone of voice and instantly backtracked. "Well, I'm sure your party would be awesome, probably the best I've ever gotten . . . but I'm not the biggest party . . . .pony." He finished, the word rolling off his tongue in a strange way.
Applejack furrowed her brow. Most colts his age would love the idea of a welcome party thrown just for them. Tilting her head, she tried to determine just how old the colt really was.
It wasn't easy to tell from his appearance, considering how skinny and lanky the colt was, but Applejack could only infer he was around fourteen, maybe fifteen.He's definitely older than Applebloom.The mare realized as she noticed the colt wasalmostas tall as the three mares around him, merely a hoof or two shorter.
So . . . where did you get those scars?She asked herself.
Nevertheless, Danny's on-the-spot answer seemed to please Pinkie as she began to bounce once more. "Okie dokie lokie!" She said happily.
Before Danny could make up a valid excuse for why he needed to leave, his stomach let out another growl. He winced and slowly glanced up, silently praying the three mares hadn't heard. But of course . . . they had.
Fluttershy lowered her head sympathetically. "You're hungry?" She asked, all three mares oblivious to the internal war bubbling inside Danny's mind.
Don't nod. Don't nod. Don't nod.
Danny hesitated before giving a small, almost nonexistent nod.
. . . . . frikkin idiot.
Pinkie's face hardened. "Well, that won't do! I won't let any new friend of mine go hungry!" She exclaimed.
New friend? Seriously, we just met!
"Especially since we're already meeting the others at the Hay Burger." Applejack added with a smile.
Oh great. There's more of them.
"Do you think your parents would say its okay?" Fluttershy inquired.
My parents . . . .?
They watched as Danny visibly flinched, almost as if Fluttershy's words had physically punched him in the gut. "Umm . . . I'm sure they wouldn't mind." He muttered.Oh course they won't mind. They barely even know where I am half the time.
Pinkie Pie bounced up again "Great! Then you can join us!"
Crap.
Danny's eyes widened as he let out a small chuckle and took a step backward. "Oh! That's super nice to offer, but I-I should probably . . . umm . . . probably go and check on . . . well, I should-" He stuttered nervously as he tried to think of a valid excuse before letting out an irritable sigh. "Oh forget it. Lead the way." He sighed, casting Pinkie a weak smile.
Though it was obviously strained, Pinkie took it, nevertheless as she latched onto the teen's hoof and bolted down the street, a distant scream of a terrified colt the only clue which direction they had gone.
The pegasus and earth pony quickly shared a knowing look.
"That was weird, right?" Fluttershy asked.
Applejack nodded and rubbed her chin with her hoof. "It sure was. Come on, we'll have to talk to Twilight about it."
"Ugg. . . where are those girls?" Rarity asked, checking her watch once more. She didn't want to spend a single moment more than she had to in the grimy restaurant if one could even call it that.
Rainbow Dash let out a sigh and sank lower into her chair as her ears flattened slightly. "Well this might come as a shock, but my answer still remains the same as it was five minutes ago: I. Don't. Know." She grumbled.
Twilight shook her head at the two but turned her head away in thought, nonetheless.They are a bit late. Wonder what's keeping them.
"Alright, well I may not know where they are, but wherever it is, it better be close, cause I'm starving!" Dash grumbled. She let out a tired sigh and began to bang her head repeatedly on the table as her stomach gave another growl.
Twilight rolled her eyes, a small smile spreading across her face. Suddenly, the sound of a jingling bell filled her ears. Turning her head, she watched as the golden bell atop the door continued to jingle as Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy made their way over.
"There they are." She said with a sigh of relief.
The three mares raised their heads and waved as their friends approached, but when they parted, the figure hidden behind them was revealed, all eyes focusing on him.
It was an older colt with a white coat and black hooves that matched his black hair. His eyes were a startling blue and his cutie mark was a white shooting star in a night sky.
"Uhh . . . who's this?" Rainbow Dash asked, pointing to the little earth pony.
Pinkie bounced over, beaming. "This is Danny. He's new in Ponyville." She explained.
The colt, apparently named Danny waved at them with a smile.
"Danny, this is Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Twilight Sparkle." Fluttershy said quietly, pointing out each pony as she said their name.
Twilight smiled and held out her hoof. "Nice to meet you, Danny." She said.
As soon as the colt touched her hoof, she felt a strong surge of energy shoot through her foreleg. But it wasn't the usual feeling of magic she would feel whenever coming in contact with a powerful magic wielder like Celestia or Luna. This wasdifferent.
A sense of foreboding washed over her and an icy feeling crawled up her spine and wrapped itself around her throat, clawing at her heart, making her entire body tense up.
Across her eyes, inky black dots flashed before her. Staring down at the colt clutching her hoof, she gasped as he was replaced with the blurry image of a black creature surrounded by a white aura.
But what really stood out were the fiery green eyes. They were the kind of eyes that made any being who glanced at them stop and stare into their shining depths. As she stared at the creature, the icy claw returned as it squeezed around her, making her breath come out in sharp gasps.
Just as quickly as the feeling had wrapped around her, it was gone; though it was probably just because Danny decided to yank his hoof out of her grasp, quickly realizing the mare had sensed something she shouldn't have.
The other girls seemed to realize this as well as Twilight blinked away the last bits of the vision.
"Umm . . . Twilight, dearie? Are you alright?" Rarity asked.
The mare swallowed as she took in a shuddering breath and tried to moisten her now dry mouth. "Umm . . ." She started, noticing the slight quiver that was now in her voice.
"Can I talk to you girls outside for a second?" She asked, not waiting for an answer as she quickly made her way outside, taking a deep breath as she refreshed herself in the light and life in the air, which quickly chased out the last traces of her vision.
The girls glanced at each other in confusion for a moment before making their way outside as well. Applejack gave Danny a small smile. "We'll be right back." She said before walking outside as well.
"What's with you Twilight? You look like you just saw a ghost." Rainbow Dash joked.
Twilight lowered her gaze. "Or felt one."
Another look of bewilderment was shared by the girls as they turned back to the alicorn. Twilight shook her head and began to explain. "When I touched that colt, I got a really strong jolt of . . . . something. It felt like magic but . . .notat the same time. It was colder and darker."
Fluttershy eyes scrunched in worry. "But how is that even possible? He isn't even a unicorn. He's notsupposedto have magic." She asked.
Twilight shook her head once more. "I don't know how itispossible."
Dash let out a small chuckle. "Alright, Twi. Maybe you've just been working too hard these past few days an-"
"Ididn'timagine it." She stated forcefully, turning a hard gaze towards Dash. "It was too . . . real. I sawsomething. Something dark."
Applejack stepped forward. "What did you see?"
Twilight furrowed her brow and turned her gaze to the ground. "It was the colt . . . butnot.He was all black and was glowing white. But the strangest thing was that his eyes were green. And I meangreen."
Fluttershy cocked her head. "But he seems like a normal colt." She said, pausing when she remembered their strange meeting. "For the most part."
Twilight lifted her head back up. "How did your meeting happen? Did you notice anything weird about him?" She asked.
Pinkie stepped closer. "I accidentally bumped into him on the street. I noticed I had never seen him around before which meant he was new so I called Applejack and Fluttershy over."
The latter nodded her head. "But when I got closer, I noticed that he had a bunch of scratches and scars running under his coat. Almost as if he had been in a fight recently." She stated quietly.
Now that she thought about it, Twilight did recall the colt's foreleg had been wrapped in gauze and his cheek had been bandaged as well.
Applejack raised her head. "And when we first met, he didn't even say anything. He just kept staring at us and our cutie marks." She explained. "Like it was overwhelming to him and he was trying to drink it all in."
Twilight rubbed her chin with her hoof as she took in everything they were saying.
The mare finally raised her head. "Well I don't know what's going on with this colt, but whatever it is, it's definitely not normal. We should probably keep an eye on him." She turned back to the three who had first met him. "Did he mention anything about where he was staying?"
They all shook their head.
"Really, nothing? An address? Guardians? Parents?"
Pinkie perked as she remembered something. "Nope, nothing like that. But he did start to act weird when we mentioned his parents.
"Weird how?" The alicorn asked.
"He flinched like he had just been hit or something." Fluttershy explained.
The others, apart from Applejack and Fluttershy, perked up at that. "His parents?" Rarity asked.
Applejack nodded. "Yep, and not only that but he also seemed really reluctant to join us. It was like he was trying to come up with a bunch of excuses but settled for it anyways."
Twilight hummed in thought.
"So . . . does that mean his parents are . . . ." Rainbow Dash trailed off.
"Or he's a runaway." Rarity added.
Fluttershy gasped and placed her hooves to her mouth. "Does that mean he's all alone?" She cried out in shock.
"Well we did find him alone, so that's probably the case." Applejack stated.
The five mares turned back to Twilight. "So . . . what do we do, Twi?" Rainbow Dash asked.
The mare rubbed her chin before lifting her head. "I know one thing for certain. That vision meant something. Whether it's bad or good, I definitely want to keep tabs on this colt at all times, make sure he doesn't do anything we'll regret." She explained.
After a moment, the others nodded in agreement.
"But right now, I think we should at least give him something to eat before he starves." She explained as the group slowly began to file back into the building.
Danny watched as the mares filed out of the restaurant, the door swinging closed behind them. He sighed and banged his head against the table. "Damn it, damn it, damn it." He muttered to himself, the words muffled against the wood.
When he had touched that mare's hoof, he instantly knew something wasn't right. He felt frozen, like she was staring right at his core.Perfect, just perfect.He grumbled to himself.Hopefully something like that doesn't happen again.
Despite the strange greeting, Danny was actually glad the girls had taken their leave. That would at least give him a little time to come up with answers to any questions they might ask him. He could only pray they wouldn't want to know too much.
He sighed and began to go over everything he had learned so far.Alright, so this world is inhabited b talking magical ponies and using the suffix "pony" seems to be the norm.He sighed.
He then furrowed his brow as he thought back to the events yesterday.Okay, so when I'm Fenton, I'm just a normal white pony; nothingtooodd.But when I transform, I gain wings and a horn. Strange.
Danny perked slightly as he remembered something about the pony he had just met.Hang on, doesn't that Twilight have wings and a horn too? Maybe its normal here.He told himself, hoping to stay optimistic, but that didn't last long.Oh, who am I kidding It's probably the strangest thing in this world!
He bit his lip as he imagined what would happen if any . . .ponyfound out about his secret.If this place is anything like Earth, which for the most part it is, then they'll go berserk if I show them the truth.
He growled softly as he thought of home.Knowing my luck, this place will be exactly like Amity, ungrateful and distrusting; ungrateful for everything they have and who helps them keep it!
As his mind wandered back to Amity, it also drifted back the people, the hunters, . . . . his parents. He scoffed angrily and rested his chin on the table as he flattened his ears.Those two are always telling Jazz and I never to judge a person by its cover; to always give people the benefit of the doubt. But I guess that courtesy doesn't carry over to ghosts.
I can't even count all the times I've saved them and they still call me a monster?!He sighed.Maybe some time away from them . . . away from Amity will do me a little good.He lowered his gaze.But is there really anywhere I can go where I'mnota freak?
He was thrown from his thoughts as a pony walked by, Danny staring intently at the stallion's glowing horn as he levitated a tray of food. The teen groaned and slammed his head back down on the table in frustration. "Of all the places you could have picked, why did you have to pick this one, Plasmius?" He growled.
Who's Plasmius?"
Danny gasped and whipped his head up as the girls entered. Twilight was looking at him curiously, waiting for him to answer his question. "Oh, he's just somebo-ponyI know." He said, quickly catching his mistake. Twilight nodded and took her seat, the others doing the same.
"So, Danny. Where are you from?" Rainbow Dash asked.
Danny smirked inwardly, thankful he had glanced back at the map once more to find a place he could say he was from. "I'm from a small village just a little ways past Canterlot." He explained.
"Then whatcha' doing in little ol' Ponyville?" Applejack asked.
Danny tensed slightly, which the girls noticed before he responded. "I guess I just need a bit of a change of scenery." He explained.
"Well, what about your parents, darling? Are they around?" Rarity asked. The girls around the table waited for his answer tensely.
The teen shrugged his shoulders and narrowed his eyes slightly. "I guess they're a part of the change I needed." He mumbled.
The six mares passed questioning glances to each other before Twilight spoke up. "You ran away?" She asked, watching as Danny shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.
"I guess you could put it like that." He said.
Applejack raised her head. "Take it from me, sugarcube. You should probably go back home. I'm sure they miss you." She said, remembering her own experiences with runaways.
The girls were surprised to hear Danny scoff and fold his arms across his chest. "Yeah, okay." He said sarcastically.
"Youdon'tthink they miss you?" Fluttershy asked.
Danny shrugged his shoulders. "I'm sure they'd miss me if they even knew I was gone. But they're so oblivious to everything, they wouldn't even know if a meteor landed in the kitchen . . . well, at least mydadwouldn't." He chuckled.
To be honest, he was sure his parents would be frantic to find him, if not for Clockwork . . . or their stupid experiments. Though his mother was one for smothering, so who knows what she would do if not for the Master of Time's interference.
"Besides, I don't really want to be around them right now." He muttered.
Don't get him wrong, he loved his parents more than anything. But it was a bit relieving to not glance over his shoulder every second, watching for an ecto-gun being pointed in his direction, or a new invention they justhadto test out, or the questions on why their gadgets always locked onto him.
Fluttershy tilted her head. "Maybe if we came with you, it would be easi-"
"No!" Danny shouted, glaring heatedly at the mares, who still didn't seem to get it. "I'm not going back there and you can't make me." He growled out. He didn't mean to be so harsh, but it was true. He couldn't have these ponies sending him anywhere. It would only make his mission that much harder.
"Hey! If we sa-" Rainbow Dash started, only for Twilight to place a hoof on her shoulder, quickly calming her down. "But why do you not want to go back?" The mare asked.
Shit.
"I . . . I-I . . ."
I what? Have to complete my mission from the Master of Time?
Have to track down a psycho fruitloop?
Have to defend this world that I know nothing about?
"I just needed to get out of there and see what life is like outside of that stupid village."
Okay . . . not a total lie. I could use some time away from Amity.
"Please." He whispered, turning his gaze back towards Twilight. "Please don't send me back."
Twilight stared at the colt in front of her. She'd met him - what - five minutes ago? She knew what the right thing to do was. Send the colt back to his parents. It wasn't safe to be all by himself in a town he knew nothing about.
Yet . . . there was something there. Something in his eyes that made her choke on the words before they could come out of her mouth. He seemed desperate. Not the kind of desperation that came with the threat of being sent home. Desperation that showed torment and struggle, an unseen burden he was carrying.
This kid was scared of something. And whatever that something was, sending him home probably wouldn't help.
She glanced down at the scratches and scars that could be seen underneath his fur; the wrap around his foreleg; the patch on his cheek.What have you been through?She asked herself, silently wishing for an answer she knew she wouldn't receive.
Twilight narrowed her eyes in realization.
She needed to know more about this kid. Find out what he was really doing in Ponyville. What secrets he was holding. What that vision meant. And she knew for a fact she wouldn't get those answers by sending him home to who-knows-where.
Twilight stayed silent for a moment longer before rising from her seat, quickly walking over to him. Danny flattened his ears slightly, wondering if he had done something wrong.
But shock and relief flooded through him when he felt a hoof rest on his shoulder. Glancing up, he saw Twilight give him a small smile. "Alright. If it means so much to you . . . we won't send you back. But I really think you should consider going home yourself." She said, watching the teen turn away slightly.
"WHAT?!"
Both ponies jumped and turned back to the others, whose jaws were agape in shock.
Pulling her away from the table, the girls all huddled around her.
"Twilight, what are you thinking?!" Dash whispered furiously.
"We can't just let him run away from his home. We'll be harboring a missing pony!" Rarity exclaimed frantically.
Applejack stepped forward. "Twilight . . . do you know what you're doing." She asked.
Twilight narrowed her eyes. "Yes, Applejack. I do. When you ran away from the Apple Farm, if you had been forced to return, would you have been happy? She asked.
Applejack opened her mouth to retort back, only to have no words come out.
"Exactly, you would have been upset and miserable in your own home and would probably have ended up running awayagain. But when you found out for yourself that you belonged there, you were happy to return." She explained.
"If we force Danny to return home, he'll just be miserable and end up running away again, maybe to ponies that can't help him. But we can. He'll eventually figure out that the village is where he really belongs."
She turned her head slightly to gaze back at Danny, who was watching a pair of unicorns eat with curious eyes, seemingly fascinated by the way they levitated their food. Twilight narrowed her eyes and turned back to the others. "Besides, if he stays here, I can keep an eye on him and make sure he isn't dangerous or anything." She explained.
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Oh, that's smart. Don't know whether this guy is safe or not? Well, let's just invite him to the home where I sleep and see how this pans out. Are you kidding? How do we know for sure he's not dangerous or something You said it yourself, Twi. That vision was cold and dark."
Twilight narrowed her eyes in thought before raising her head once more. "You girls are just going to have to trust me. I know what I'm doing."
The girls stayed silent, casting each other glances before begrudgingly agreeing to it. "Alright, alright. But if something goes wrong, I totally get to say'I told you so'." Dash muttered.
Fluttershy gave a small smile. "I'm sure it will be alright. He seems like a nice little colt."
Pinkie Pie bounced over, placing her front hooves on Fluttershy's back, the pegasus yelping in surprise. "That means we get to hang out with our new friend even more." She said with a large smile, the others dropping their frowns at their friend's giddiness.
Returning to their table, they smiled at Danny, causing the colt to relax and smile back.
After finishing up their meal, the group of ponies were standing outside the restaurant, soaking up the last of the sun's rays before Celestia lowered the sun.
Danny yawned sleepily before turning to the girls. "Thanks for the meal, but I should probably get going." He said, beginning to walk down the street before the girls ran over and stopped him.
"Where are you going?" Fluttershy asked worriedly.
"Yeah, sugarcube. It's not like you really have anyplace to sleep tonight." She said, watching as the information finally seemed to sink in with the colt. But his reaction wasn't what any of them were expecting.
Danny merely shrugged his shoulders and turned away. "Ehh. . . I'll figure something out. Trees are pretty comfortable." He chuckled as he continued to walk, only to feel something pull at his tail and drag him backwards, lifting him up into the air. He blinked in shock as he hung upside down, staring at six angry ponies.
"I don't think so, young colt." Twilight said, dropping him back down onto the ground.
He quickly twisted around and sat on the ground, shaking the dirt out of his hair as he stared at the girls, confusion evident on his face.
"You honestly think we'd let you sleep alone in a tree?" Rainbow Dash asked, raising an eyebrow.
Danny shrugged. "Trees are nice."
Twilight smiled. "Well I'm glad you think that because that's exactly where we're going." She said with a knowing smile as she began to lead the colt deeper into town, the others following behind.
After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at a large crystal structure that towered high above the other buildings and seemed to resemble an oak tree. Danny's eyes widened as he stared at it. "You actually live in that?" He asked.
A mixture of deep purples and blues could be seen as the crystals shone brightly, soaking up the last rays of sunlight from the air. Higher up, golden balconies stick out from the rest of the tree, giving off a great view of the rest of the town.
"Do you ever get any crystal squirrel infestations?"
The girls giggled and led him inside. Once inside, Danny saw that the castle extended into a second level as well with different hallways that led to tons of rooms. "Cool" He breathed, eyes wandering around the large room.
Suddenly, thepitter-patterof soft footsteps made his ears perk as he turned his head. A small purple creature with green scales and emerald eyes descended the stairs towards them, pausing when he noticed Danny.
Said pony gawked at the creature, leaping to his feet as he took a step behind Twilight. "Is that a dragon?!" He asked, never letting his eyes off the reptile, remembering all his other experiences with the scaly creatures.
Twilight smiled and walked over towards it. "Yep. This is my number one assistant, Spike." She said.
Spike stared at the colt before turning back to Twilight. "Who's the kid?" He asked, watching as Danny continued to stare at him intensely.
"Spike, this is Danny. He's going to be staying with us for a while." She explained.
"I am?"
"He is?"
Both dragon and colt asked incredulously. Twilight smiled and walked over to Danny. "Of course. And, even better, you'll still technically be sleeping in a tree." She chuckled with a wink.
Instead of the ecstatic face they all expected, Danny's was morphed into one of confusion and . . . nervousness?
"Listen . . ." He started, backing up slightly, only to jump as he ran into Applejack. "I . . I really appreciate everything you girls are doing . . . but I-I . . I don't know if this is the best idea." He confessed.
"But why, darling?" Rarity inquired.
Danny winced slightly and lowered his gaze. "Umm . . . well, some of the ponies back home have a . . . aproblemwith me. There's just something about me they don't like. And . . . and I don't want to make you guys angry cause you've been so nice and . . " He began to stutter nervously.
"I think . .. ma-maybe it'd be best if I . . . if I just go ahead and move o-" He started, only for Twilight to place a hoof to his mouth.
"Listen, Danny. I don't know about those other ponies, but like it or not, you're our friend now. And we're not going to let any friend of ours sleep somewhere dangerous." She stated firmly, the others nodding in agreement.
"Please, Danny. The mare said softly, wrapping a wing around him. "Just stay. I'm sure everything's going to be alright."
The teen scrunched his face in thought. He knew he couldn't stay long in the town. He still had to focus on his mission . . . . .butfinding a place to sleep was pretty important . . . .
He let out a soft snort. "Fine, but if I seeonecrystal squirrel, I'm out of here." He chuckled.
The girls laughed as the huddled closer, embracing the colt in a large group hug. Danny's eyes widened at the action, gasping for air as he tried to squirm free. "Don't fight it, this happens a lot with us." Twilight laughed as the girls squeezed tighter.
"Well in that case, I'm leaping out the window and hightailing it out of here!"
The sound of laughter continued to echo off the castle walls and into the darkening night sky.
"Here are some extra blankets in case you get cold."Twilight said as she levitated the quilts towards him. Danny quickly realized he would have to get used to that, but pushed the thought aside as he thanked the mare, watching as she and Spike walked out the door.
"Remember, I'm in the room right next door in case you need anything." She called, Danny nodding in understanding as she left.
The other girls had left a few hours ago, leaving to head to their respective homes, Twilight, Spike, and Danny the only ones left in the castle. Twilight had quickly realized the colt would need a room for himself if he was going to stay for a while. So she quickly found a guest room and fixed it up for the young colt.
Danny watched the mare disappear from the doorway before turning back to the bed. He yawned and quickly scrambled up into the large bed. He hadn't realized how tired he really was until his eyes came to rest on the soft pillow at the head of the bed.
Resting his head on the cushiony surface, he let out a small sigh and shut his eyes, a small smile slipping onto his face.First day in a new world and I've already gotten a good meal, a roof over my head, and six new friends. Not a bad day, Fenton. Not a bad day.
Quickly after, his soft snores could be heard.
As Twilight walked down the hall, she rolled her eyes as Spike continued to glance up at her. "Go ahead, Spike." She said, knowing he had a couple things to say about the new arrangements.
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Twilight? I mean, you barely know anything about this colt." He said, a skeptical look in his eyes as they continued to walk.
Twilight narrowed her eyes. "Idoknow that this colt needs somepony to help him right now, and I wasn't about to let him do it himself, and neither were the girls. So I suggest giving him a chance, Spike. He really is a good kid." She said with a smile.
Spike shrugged his shoulders. "If you say so." He sighed as they arrived in their room. Spike wasted no time jumping into his bed, where he curled up and quickly fell asleep. Twilight cast the dragon a small glance before letting out a small sigh.
He really is a good kid . . . right?She asked herself. She hadn't received any information that would point otherwise, other than the vision she had seen, and even with it, she was unsure. It was just a vision, and a strange one at that. Perhaps it meant nothing.
She still had her suspicions, and she wasn't going to drop her defenses around the young colt just yet, but she also couldn't ignore the fact that the kid needed her help. Promising herself she would talk more about it to her friends, the mare let out a tired yawn as she climbed into her bed and curled herself up around her covers.
As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was instantly asleep.
. . . . .
Though she wasn't one to dream much, Twilight still knew the feeling of being in one. She blinked and glanced around at her surroundings, trying to make out any distinguishing features that could give her a clue of where she was.
Suddenly, a bright green glow caught her attention. Turning towards it, she squinted and shielded her eyes with her hoof as the light caught in her eyes.
Blinking to adjust to the harsh lights, she narrowed her eyes and tried to make out what that figure in the center of the light was. It appeared to be a thin colt, just a little smaller than her and her friends. She let out a startled gasp as the figure opened its eyes.
She found she couldn't look away from their toxic green depths as they stared back at her. As the colt continued to approach, she gasped as he unfurled the hidden wings at his side. Stepping closer and closer, she saw that the fogginess around the figure continued to lessen and lessen until she could make out much more of him.
He had stark white hair that matched the bottom halves of his legs. He also had a long black horn protruding from his forehead. Green eyes continued to stare at her intently. But after a while, Twilight realized the shining orbs held no malice or hatred. Merely curiosity.
"Umm . .." She stuttered. "H-hello?"
The strange alicorn said nothing, merely tilted its head at her, eyes shimmering in the darkness. Twilight blinked and glanced sideways awkwardly as the figure continued to do nothing except stare.
Suddenly, another light could be seen in the distance, only it was blue instead of green. Squinting her eyes once more, Twilight noticed that Danny was at the center of this light. He had a small smile on his face as he waved at Twilight, the pony waving back slowly.
The colt suddenly stopped and approached the alicorn colt, who tore his gaze away from Twilight and locked it on Danny. Suddenly, the white colt lifted his hoof into the air, the black colt doing the same as their hooves touched.
Suddenly, the glowing lights around the two began to dim and Twilight watched in confusion as the aura around Danny began to seep a bright green and the aura around the mysterious colt began to seep blue as the two shut their eyes.
She watched, her mouth agape as their eyes shot open, the colors reversed. Danny's now an electric green while the other's were ice blue. The mare gasped before everything turned white.
. . . .
Twilight let out a strangled cry as she bolted off of her pillow and gazed around her room. She could feel sweat trickling down her forehead as her chest heaved up and down, her heart still beating wildly.
She sighed and placed a hoof to her head, wiping away the beads of sweat from her skin as she turned her head to gaze at her door, thinking of the strange colt who was sleeping in the room next door.
"Oh, Celestia . . . this is going to be interesting."
"I don't see what scouting those putrid girls will do." Chrysalis growled as he turned to Vlad.
The pair were currently walking through the Hatchling Caves, Vlad having wanted to gain better bearings of where he actually was. The stallion merely chuckled at her words. "You said it yourself. These girls are one of the main obstacles in conquering Equestria, correct? Well then it pays to see what they're doing and if there's any useful information they can show us." He explained
The entire castle was dark and decrepit, the only light coming from the holes in the roof or the green glow that was emitted from the eggs and pods scattered throughout.
The stalagmites and other rocks that jutted out from the floor and walls resembled the other Changelings, riddled with different holes and indents. Glowing green and blue moss grew along the sides of the walls, illuminating the dark hallways and black surfaces.
As they walked, Vlad noticed the other Changelings, some crawling the walls, quickly flying by, or merely resting with each other. None of them seemed to be well fed or comfortable. They all seemed to be in some sort of pain, yet it seemed to be a pain they were used to dealing with and/or ignoring.
The stallion narrowed his eyes at the sight before turning to face forward once more, Chrysalis leading him back into her throne room, which is where they had been concocting most of their plans.
The mare walked over to the side of the room, where the walls opened up like windows, giving a view of the land for miles. Peering out, Vlad could make out where the land changed from barren and dead to full of life . . . well,livelier.
Chrysalis's ears suddenly perked when she heard the sound of an approaching Changeling patrol. Walking over to the door, she opened it and allowed the patrol to enter.
"Report." She demanded.
The head changeling quickly bowed before raising his head. "There was not much information we could collect, my Queen." He stated. At the words, Chrysalis glanced back at Vlad with a victorious smirk.
"But-" The changeling continued, drawing the attention of both ponies. "Theydidmeet a strange black and white colt."
Vlad narrowed his eyes at the words, stalking closer to the changeling. "What color were his eyes?" He asked. One of the changelings at the back of the group raised his head. "They were blue. Like a startling icy blue." He clarified.
Vlad let out a low growl. "And the mark on his flank . . . what was it?"
Chrysalis watched as Vlad continued to get angrier and angrier, oblivious to the reason why.
"It was a shooting star in a night sky."
Vlad's eyes began to glow red, remembering Daniel's fascination for space. "Well, it seems this has just gotten more complicated." He growled out.
Chrysalis raised a brow and shooed the patrol out of the room.
"Do you remember that nuisance I discussed earlier." Vlad asked, Chrysalis nodding. "Well, it seems he has found another way to irk me by following me here." He snarled out, beginning to pace back and forth on the hard stone underneath his hooves.
Chrysalis narrowed her eyes. "If he is as strong as you say he is, then how do you propose we get past this?" She asked.
Vlad continued to pace around the room, mind spinning as he tried to figure out how to at least keep Daniel off of his trail for a little while; something to distract him, when he quickly remembered something the changeling had said. "So . . . . Daniel has become friends with the local ponies. And not just any ponies, but the six mares we need out of our way." He grinned evilly.
"I do believe we can use this to our advantage."
He glanced down to his side, underneath his cape where he had stored the Infi-Map. "I'll just need some ghostly assistance. Once those girls see what you really are, Daniel, You'll be begging me to destroy you!" He shouted, cackling loudly as his plan began to unfurl.