//------------------------------// // The First Gathering- Edited // Story: Humans Assemble! // by Mistershield //------------------------------// Chapter 4- The First Gathering Dan had to force himself to stop and look over at Pinkie Pie. Both of his little beady eyes were narrowed, as Pinkie Pie refused to stay quiet. Oh no, she was not speaking to him. Pinkie had to say hello to everypony she met, a greeting here, and quick nod and smile there. She did most of those by merely walking by, but then, there were those cases- The ones Pinkie just had to get involved in, which were a lot. "Why are you so upside downy smiley frowny?" Pinkie Pie asked a donkey with a wig on his head. "Oh, I just had a tiff with the misses, Pinkie Pie. Don’t worry, we are still getting used to each other after all this time, I am sure it will pass over," Cranky Donkey replied. The poor fellow was old, and a bit set in his ways. Dan had to stop for Pinkie, crossing both of his arms on his chest. "Oh, I am sure if you give her some nice tasty cupcakes, it will all be okey dokey lokey again!" Pinkie said with a big grin and tossed confetti into the air. A frown started to form on Dan's face. "I am sure your right, Who's your friend there? He looks odd," Cranky said to look at Dan. Now Dan at this point was starting to get really tiffed, showing it with a few wrinkles forming on his head. "Oh him? He's Danny Wanny! A human from-" "ODD?! Me, odd?! Looks who is talking, mister I am so deformed I have to wear a wig! Why don't you go ahead and read a magazine for some real fashion advice, you troglodyte!" Dan screamed. His right hand moved out to use his index finger to flip off the donkey's wig off. "Who looks odd now, you jackass!" "Why, I never!" Cranky said, frowning at the human. He bent down to bite his wig and pick it up, moving closer to confront Dan. "Maybe you should, you would lose less hair!" Dan screamed, moving in himself. Both of the males stared at each other, refusing to back down, teeth clenched, and fists formed. "Uhh, guys! Why not settle things over a cupcake, huh?" Pinkie quickly darted in, giving a less than genuine smile. "After all, Dan, we got to go see Twilight, right! And you Mr. Cranky, have got to see your wife, then everypony can smile!" She said, closing both her eyes. Pinkie had to keep her hooves up to separate the two. She even helped put the wig back on the donkey. "You know, I hate that term, ‘Everypony’, ‘Anypony’. Thats racist you know. I know for a fact not all of us are ponies," Dan said, turning to look at Pinkie. Clearly, his good mood was being directed at her now. "I have to agree with this fellow. I'm a donkey, I know cows, mules, and even dragons that shouldn't be categorized like that," Cranky said, also turning to give Pinkie a look. "Umm... I didn't mean anything by it?" The Element of Laughter said. While she was glad that they were no longer upset at each other, but being ganged up on by these two was too much. "Fine, only for you Pinkie Pie, although, your friend here could use to learn some self control," Cranky said, turning around to give Pinkie a smile. He owed her a lot after all. He turned to walk away. "Harrumph. This old timer looks like he doesn't have much time left, and unlike him, we have places to be," The human said. He shut both eyes and begun to walk away, as if he won this argument. Pinkie Pie raised her right foreleg to wipe her forehead and give a sigh of relief. She quickly trotted off behind Dan, maybe this was not the best time to say hello to everypony.... Or was that everybody? Thankfully, the library was very close to Sugarcube Corner, so it was a short trip. They both came to a stop though, noticing that there was a yellow pegasus being carried by a silvered haired human. Dan blinked with his eyebrows raised, even he was surprised by the sight. Pinkie had her brows furrowed in thoughts, was this a new kind of game? ______________________ A few moments earlier, Soma had been walking with Fluttershy. Well, more like she was following him. He only took a few steps, and already he had darted forth several feet ahead of the pegasus. "So let me see if I understand. An evil vampire, the Lord of all Darkness from your world Dies. When he reincarnates, his evil is so powerful that more than one person inherited his soul because no human can handle all that darkness? But previously, he had been defeated many other times before, but always came back as himself?" Fluttershy asked, trying to keep up with Soma. "Umm... Well, when you say it that way, of course it sounds weird, I have the power to dominate souls. Don't ask me how it works, the monsters I defeat will relinquish their souls to me so I can use their powers." He stopped walking, having to turn to look back at his companion. "And yeah, its seems that if I snap I could turn into him.... Umm, do you want me to slow down?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. He thought it was odd, why was he going faster than a winged creature that could fly? "Oh, no no no. You must be going at normal speed. I must be tired from taking care of my little friends," Fluttershy begun to say. This was amazing though, she noticed. This human, with only a few steps, had already gained more distance than she could with four feet. She finally caught up with the teen and looked up at him. "And I don't mean to call the way you were born strange." "Right, umm, we should hurry up. Let me carry you," He said, trying to be helpful. He ducked down to pick up Fluttershy from her stomach and lift her over his head. Although she reached over his waist standing up normally, he easily picked her up and begun to walk. He held her sides, under her wings so that her hooves hung limply at first. "Eeek!" Fluttershy exclaimed, clearly caught off guard. The speed he begun to walk was already close to her matching top speed. All of her hooves begun to flail a bit. "You really don't have too-" "Nonsense. I owe you for breaking your roof, and you’re not heavy at all," Soma said. What she didn't know was that the equipment Soma was wearing granted him extra help. The Sonic Boots (No, not the Sonic the Hedgehog shoes), granted Soma a great speed boost and also a few other stat increases. Also, the Miser Ring he wore granted him a significant strength increase. "I'd would rather like to walk though, I am sure its too much for you." Fluttershy asked. Her face was lowered, the breeze created from the speed making her mane flowing against her frame. She wasn't really sure how to feel about this. Soma meant no harm, but other people touching her in such a way was clearly foreign. "I've carried swords heavier than you," Soma said, a bit irked. His Claim Solaris alone weighed so much he had to carry it with both hands. She was lighter, thanks to being a pegasus. Their weight considerably less compared to Earth ponies so they could fly. He was only trying to be helpful, not to mention change the topic. "Oh, well, if you say so. We are almost at Twilight's! Oh, we are moving faster than I thought!" Fluttershy said, picking up her head. Anything to get her mind off things. In no time, they walked off of the path to the Everfree Forest and into the Ponyville city limits. All the other ponies that looked could only see a white blur under a yellow and pink one. "Panther soul..." Soma said, picking up his head to look ahead of himself. Panther Soul allowed him an even greater speed boost. This.. Was this a town? So many ponies were visible. Least, to him. He was used to this view of rapid spread. He blinked rapidly, seeing as how others were giving them strange looks. And the houses look like they belong in a fairy tale book. "Oh hey, another human, he looks like the love child of a Fleaman and a pasty face Ghoul." Soma said as he spotted a pink blob and a pale human coming up ahead quickly. "Oh my..." Fluttershy said, recognizing Dan as they came to a stop in front of the library. What would her friends say if they saw her being carried around like a foal? She blushed at the thought. She did not want the ride to stop though- This was the fastest she had ever traveled without being in a train. Even falling to the ground when she was so young seemed slow. It was... Exciting. "Fluttershy? Are you playing a game?" Pinkie asked, stepping to look up at her friend. The duo of Soma and Fluttershy slowed down as Panther Soul was turned off. Dan tilted head to the side as the Element of Kindness was set on the ground. Had this... Kid moved while carrying the pegasus? Were the colorful ponies enslaving humanity? "Oh, umm... Hi Dan. And no Pinkie. Soma just wanted to get here faster." Fluttershy said, regretting the feel of the ground underneath her. It took a second to get used back to the slow sensation. She was glad it was Pinkie, and not one of her other friends, or else they would get the wrong idea. Her left hoof begun to rub against her right. "Ok, I want you to blink twice if you are being forced to carry ponies against your will," Dan said as he took a step closer to Soma. Each one of his clammy hands moved to hold Soma's own. "Is this the pony uprising where they plan to enslave humanity? Out with it man!" Dan exclaimed, head lifted to get a good look at Soma's eyes for any sign of mind control. "Dude, I am alright. Let go of me," Soma started to say, trying to pull back from this surprisingly strong grip of Dan. "What pony-" Soma stopped talking, getting a good look at Dan's gaze. Something, there was something about this little man that resonated with his dark self. So much anger and hate. Soma calmed down, moving his head up and down to regard Dan in a new light. "Hey! Earth to kid! Are you sure you are not under mind-" Dan tried to pull his hands back, now finding Soma's grip tightening. "Your soul... it speaks to me," The silvered haired youth said. His hair begun to raise as a dark purple aura begun to gather around his shoulders. "Wait, what are you talking about? Were you drugged by the pony overlords?" Dan asked. At this point, the little man picked himself up to prop his feet against Soma's stomach and begun to pull his arms. "Out of all history's greatest monsters, you are by far the most evil thing I've encountered. Offer your soul to me, dark one," Soma said, lowering his face to get closer to Dan's. He did not even register the pulling Dan was doing. "You can't have my soul! I need that! If anything, you should give me your soul!" Dan exclaimed, now getting angry at how Soma was treating him. Fluttershy stared with a morbid fascination. Even Nightmare Moon's dark aura was not even close to Soma's. Pinkie Pie though, was not having this. She stepped up to the teen and stuffed a pink frosted cupcake into his mouth. "Hrknh?" Soma asked, feeling the taste of sugar in his mouth. Instantly, he released the hold on Dan to try and pull back from from choking on the sugary treat. Dan fell to the ground, caught off guard. When he was able to stand, each hand was used to rub his posterior. The dark aura vanished faster than it had come. "Are you okay Soma?" Fluttershy asked, moving her right hoof to let it rest on his waist. "You don’t get to go around taking the souls of my friends, whatever that is," Pinkie said, giving Soma a frown. Soma moved his left hand up to wipe his mouth with his left sleeve. "I'm- I'm sorry. I have no idea what came over me," Soma said once his mouth was clear. Just what happened there? He had felt something disturbing, he just had to get closer to this Dan, as Fluttershy called him. "I'm ok now." "You better be sorry, stay away from me you-" Dan had moved his right hand up to point at Soma. He was going to speak more when the front door to the library opened. Applejack followed by Dovahkiin stepped into view. "What is goin’ on out here?" Applejack asked, her head turning to look at the commotion. Two more humans? Wait, one of them was Dan. Applejack rolled her eyes, Dan alone was a good reason to cause a commotion. Dovahkiin had his face uncovered, revealing he had reddish brown hair. The man was dressed in his Master Thief Guild uniform. This time, he left the cowl off as to not to look too intimidating or mysterious. "Hello Applejack. I am not sure, we were just getting here. Why are you here, if you don't mind me-" The yellow pegasus stopped talking when she spotted Dovahkiin. This was the tallest human she had seen yet. The rough features on his face made him look older than Soma, but he looked younger than Dan. She quickly moved to stand behind Soma. "Oh hello, I'm Fluttershy." "What is this, an ice cream social?" Dan asked, his hand still up. Both of his eyebrows were lowered now, ready for a full on rant. "Next thing you are going to tell me, another human and a colorful pony are just going to-" "Hey, keep it down. Rainbow Dash is asleep," Phoenix said. Everyone turned to look over as Wright walked into view. Rainbow Dash was napping on his back. The poor lawyer had carried her all the way to the library. Each one of his hands were behind himself, holding her up from her flanks. "Mr. Wright is here too?" Asked Fluttershy, stepping out from behind Soma. "Is she ok?" Asked Pinkie Pie, tilting her head at the sight. She wondered if Dan would carry her like the others, the idea made her giddy. "Is this really happening?" Dan almost yelled out. He hated getting interrupted, and more evidence that ponies were becoming the new human overlords. "I don't care who is taking a nap! I refuse to stand by and let these ponies take over humanity! Humans, to me!" Dan screamed out, lifting his left arm up in the air. "Wait, ponies want to what?" Dovahkiin asked, speaking for the first time to the group. "We do?" Asked Pinkie Pie, lifting her eyebrows. "We are ahead of schedule!" "No one wants to take over anything!" Applejack shouted out, lifting herself up with her hind legs and then stomping her fore hooves when she landed. "Oh no!" Fluttershy said. She quickly darted into the library, getting out of public view. "What's going on?" Rainbow Dash said, finally waking up. He brought her left hoof up to rubs her eyes. "Where am I?" "Oh, you're awake now. You mind getting off?" Phoenix said, turning his head to look at her. She was almost poked by his hair. "SO, no one is going to help me fight?" Dan asked, moving to step in the middle of the circle forming. His head turned to look at the other humans. They all seemed in full control of their mental faculties. Unless they were robots! "Say what now?" Rainbow Dash opened her eyes and suddenly realized where she was. She quickly got off the lawyer and blushed, realizing all of her friends saw her like that. "I think Fluttershy got the right idea! We should go inside." "No! No one is going anywhere until we figure this thing out! I am going to point at someone, and you will tell me your name and occupation!" Dan said, lifting his left hand up to point at himself. "Me Dan, agent of justice!" "Are we really going to do this?" Asked Soma. He finally felt better, and he could stand properly. He turned to look at the other humans and blinked. They all looked older than him. He better not say anything and let the "adults" do their thing. Phoenix looked ok in his book. Dan brought his hand to point at the Dovahkiin. "What, me first? Oh well, I used to have a real name, but I discarded it when I found out I was the Dovahkiin. Its all people seemed to call me. As for occupation," Dovahkiin stopped talking, wondering how to explain this. Adventurer? Sneak Thief? Nightengale? Dragon Slayer? Savior of Skyrim? "What's the holdup?" Dan asked, getting suspicious. Soma also raised his eyebrows, what was he going to say? "I do a little bit of everything, but I mainly make my money through selling things I make or loot," Dovahkiin said. That didn't sound too bad. Applejack raised an eyebrow, but he was telling the truth. Dan squinted at him, but moved on. The Dovahkiin looked useful at least. He had been the only one not carrying a pony thing. Mental note: Find out what a Dovahkiin is. "Oh? Me next. Right, my name is Soma Cruz, I'm a student, hoping to finish college soon," he said. Least, that was the plan once he got rid this whole suitor of Dracula business ended with. The other ponies turned to look at Applejack, who nodded. Soma raised an eyebrow, wondering why they looked at the orange one with such about his regard. "He's telling the truth, but he's also hidin’ somethin’," Applejack said after a moment. Phoenix lowered the Magatama he had been holding on to. So far, he knew they were each telling the truth. The Magatama could also detect lies or when people were hiding things. But unlike Applejack, he had to ask the right question or he could not pick up the intent. The Dovahkiin realized that Applejack could detect lies. He was glad he decided not to lie to the orange pony. His speech level was barely high enough to bluff some people. "We'll come back to that later then," Dan said. He then finally pointed at Phoenix. "My name's Phoenix Wright, and I am a defence attorney," Phoenix said. Better to play along now. "An ambulance chaser?! I hate lawyers, worse than politicians!" Dan said, immediately taking his hand back. Almost afraid he was going to catch stupid. "Hey! You leave Wright alone, you-" Rainbow frowned, she was going to charge into Dan. Phoenix's right arm shot out to block her. He merely shook his head to the sides. "No Dash, and you don't have to worry, I am not a lawyer anymore. I got disbarred," He said with a sigh. Rainbow shot her eyebrows up at the news, looking at her hero in shock. "Oh great! Not only are you not a slimy sleazeball, you are a failed one. That's even worse!" Dan said, moving in to look up at former lawyer. "He's... He is telling the truth," Applejack said, stunned as well at the revelation. "What? Why?" Rainbow asked. The disappointment in her eyes made the former lawyer want to look away and drown his sorrows with coffee. "Its a long story, but false evidence framed me, I am innocent," Phoenix said, head down to look at the ground. "Oh, likely story! Tell me another one, Mr. I'm Innocent Esq!" Dan said, moving his arms to cross on his chest. "This whole day is getting worse and worse! My car gets vandalized, I get kidnapped, get accused of being a dark lord, meet weirdos, missed lunch, and I miss Mr. Mumbles!" The look of anger was relaxed, but replaced with one of annoyance. Pinkie moved to stand Dan and moved a hoof to hold his shoulder. She had no idea Dan was having this bad a day, he let her do as she wanted now. "Maybe... Maybe we should head inside. I am more concerned about why we are here, rather than what we are," Dovahkiin said. Both of his eyes darted left and right, spotting the attention they were getting. Ponies had stopped with their daily lives to look over at the group. "Umm... Where is Twilight? She is not inside, and I don't see Spike either," Fluttershy said, poking her head out out of the doorway. "Get away!" A scream came out. A large purple blast of magic was seen in the sky afterwards. It made most of the group snap up or jump. "That sounded like Twilight!" "Great, what else can go wrong? I forgot how much I hate this place!" Dan said, wanting to desperately hit something.