Guilt of a Phantom

by Powerdrainer

A New Lease On Life

In a burst of green light, Danny fell. Smoke billowing from the burned mark on his back, tracing his path as he disappeared in the depths below the city while Apple Bloom and Scootaloo rushed to the bridge's wall, looking absolutely terrified at the plummeting human while shouting a collective: "DANNY!" as they quickly lost sight of him.

'Well, that could have gone better,' Danny complained, eyes held shut as he felt the air rush past his face.

'You are a fool choosing not to fight to the fullest of your abilities!' Fenris snapped.

Frowning, Danny continued falling.

'Why? Because I chose to go easy on a child lost to fear and unknown powers? Or because I chose not to use the thermos to capture her?' Danny asked, voice level.

'This could have been over before it even started. You know this just as well as I do.'

'Maybe so, but I know what it is like to have powers without a clue to use them. And I know what it's like to be lost because of them. And I have seen what I could become because of it,' Danny stated matter of fact, the wind rushing past him beginning to hurt his ears. 'We may be worlds apart, but Sweetie Belle and I are the same. Children lost, pulled into a world unknown and terrifying, and trying to find our place in this new order. Something you should know about, shouldn't you?' Danny slowly opened his eyes, unable to see anything but darkness this deep down.

'You yourself were lost to a darkness of your own creation. A darkness which then took hold over Princess Luna, apparently. Then found its way to me and grew into Eclipse.'

'Exactly,' Eclipse agreed.

'And it is how we choose to deal with this darkness which defines who we are. Fight it head-on and risk losing ourselves to it once again. Or worse, drag others down with us. Or do we fight this darkness in a way that defies its nature?' His snow-white hair whipped wildly as he waited on a reply from Fenris.

'Then how do you see to win this fight?'

'By not fighting at all.' 

'Then how do you see to free her from the fear that has consumed her?'

'By giving her something stronger.'

'You know, this is a very deep cave,' Eclipse remarked offhandedly as they continued to fall.

"Just as the hole Sweetie Belle is in right now. She and the changelings," Danny said aloud, the glow of his eyes increasing. "So we fight! Fight to pull them out of the darkness that suffocates them, and set things right once and for all!" He roared, coming to a dead stop in mid-air, a small wisp of pure blue-white energy seeping from the corner of his left eye.

"Because they are worth fighting for!"

And in a burst of light, everything lit up.

Energy once flowed through the city, moving through its veins with a radiant glow.

But through the centuries, it slowed. Numbers declined, memories became fewer, its glow diminished and its flow became stagnated. 

Then the sickness came, and the city's veins were damaged in an attempt to postpone the inevitable. 

Memories faded, lost to eternity in the glowing embers of fire. 

The changelings were dying, and the city died with them. And all that would remain, all that would linger, were the faint echoes of the last breath exhaled. 

But a new strength was uncovered, spreading hope where none was left and the flow began moving ever so slowly once again.

Energy. 

A power never before witnessed by those whose memories lived on in the flow. 

It grew, spread out, nourished, and the city awakened. 

In a burst of light, the faint glow of the Murgröna intensified and Danny cried out from the sudden assault on his eyes as the darkness surrounding him was cast away.

Blinking the spots out of his eyes, he saw the ivy-like plant growing across most of the city reached even this deep down; its leaves glowing a bright, lush green, while the numerous flowers were fully open and shone a vibrant orange, yellow, red, or blue. 

"What the…" He trailed off as he saw the light spread out; a flow of energy following the vines of the plant both deeper down into the abyss, and climbing up to the city.

'Well, that is most certainly strange,' Eclipse reacted, confused.

"And just another thing to figure out later," Danny replied, a hand balled into a fist as he looked up with fiercely glowing eyes.

Launching up with as much speed as he could, his intangible tail thrashing wildly in his wake, he followed the ever-expanding flow of light as it raced up the uncountable vines and into the city, not noticing the wave in the foliage as the leaves angled towards him.

Shooting past the bridge Apple Bloom and Scootaloo had stood at, able only to watch him fall, he rocketed into the city at the same time the light did; spreading far and wide as all of the ivy-like plant wrapped around the city lit up in a spectacle of energetic power, making the previous, ever-present glow from the plant seem dull and listless in comparison.  

Ignoring the strange spectacle, Danny continued onwards; sweeping past stalactites, now aglow with near daylight-like intensity and color, despite the plant's green glow, and honed in on the sound of a loud explosion followed by screams of terror.

Glowering, Danny shot past the central waterfall, water vapor trailing after him in his wake as his eyes locked on the rampaging filly as she fired twin beams of ectoplasm on a group of changelings. Some of them, he recognized, being part of the older group who helped him infiltrate Canterlot's prison. 

"Oh no you don't!" He uttered, hands beginning to glow green.

Crossing the beam, he blocked the incoming assault with a radiant shield; stopping one of the beams cold, while the other ricocheted away down into the depths.

"SWEETIE BELLE!" He shouted, eyes locking. "I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME. I KNOW YOU DON'T WANT TO DO THIS. AND I KNOW WHAT IT IS LIKE TO BE STUCK IN YOURSELF LIKE THIS. YOU CAN FIGHT THIS! I KNOW YOU CAN!"

A feral hiss escaped Sweetie Belle upon seeing Danny, realizing her attack on him had failed. And now he thwarted her once again.

Her slitted pupils narrowed, then widened in an instant; eyes glowing a fierce toxic green while energy began to build on her horn. Growing larger and larger until an orb of ectoplasm, the size of the soccer ball, burned brightly above her head.

With a shout of rage, she fired the intense gathering of power at the human ghost, who watched the incoming projectile with wide eyes.

Increasing the strength of his shield, Danny gritted his teeth as the volatile sphere struck, feeling it fight with his barrier, slowly pushing it and him back.

"Gh- what the," he grunted, watching in disbelief as his shield began to cave in.

'It is fear that drives her. An emotion of great strength. And she has been gorging herself on it this entire time,' Fenris informed him. 'This is why you should have ended it when you had the chance,'

"No," Danny groaned, the stubborn conviction in his voice left no room for argument. 

Gritting his teeth, the glow of his eyes increasing while his field of view narrowed. Focusing only on the destructive sphere forcing its way through his shield, he allowed the shield to weaken. 

Slowly but surely, the sphere of volatile might pushed in closer, breaking through the protective barrier more and more while Danny, no longer seeing anything other than Sweetie Belle's attack, cupped his hands in front of him; a shimmering layer covering them.

In a burst, his shield failed and the sphere broke through.

Acting faster than conscious thought would allow to keep up with, Danny caught the sphere, twisted himself around, and flung the ball of doom away and into a far wall where it exploded with a mighty burst of power; chunks of rock breaking away from the force, which clattered on the streets below.

Surprised, Danny looked at the explosion, then down at his hands still shimmering with the protective shield covering them.

"Well, that's different," he remarked.

"LOOK OUT!" 

Startled, he turned back to Sweetie Belle just in time to see her charge at him with glowing hooves and a fang-filled mouth wide open.

Dodging, the filly flew past him without any room to spare. Using the momentum of his evasion to his advantage, Danny quickly turned around and hooked his arm around the pony's midsection. 

Now caught, both physically and by surprise, Sweetie Belle had barely enough time to snarl her displeasure before she was pulled closer to her adversary, pressed tightly against his chest and further held in place as his other arm wrapped around her as well. 

Struggling to break free, she bit down into his arm, drawing blood. The green glow of ectoplasm staining her mouth as it flowed out past her fangs. 

Groaning in pain, but not letting go, Danny flew to the closest platform, struggling to maintain a level flight path due to Sweetie Belle's thrashing. 

"I know you're in there, trapped in your own fear," he said, "but trying to be heard. I know, or you would have used your intangibility to escape like you did the ice." The filly's struggle faltered for barely a second before she redoubled her efforts to break free; biting down harder on Danny's arm while uselessly kicking her hind hooves into the air. 

Dropping down on a bridge, Danny had to suppress a growl threatening to escape him, as he looked down at the thrashing filly. 

"You're nothing more than a frightened child, desperately reaching out for help. The mere thought of fighting you, while you are the one who needs help the most is revolting in more ways than I can think of," he spoke with a hardened edge to his voice, his mind's eyes glaring at Fenris in silent judgment. "Especially knowing who it is you really are. You are no monster. You never were. You never will be. And I will not, not now, not ever, fight with violence against someone who can just as easily be beaten by heartfelt kindness," he pulled Sweetie Belle closer to him, realizing she was no longer fighting to break free while drops of moisture began to run through the bloody green smear covering his arm.

"I've got nothing to fear from you," he continued, slowly sitting down while keeping the filly close. "Because, deep down, you do not want to hurt me, your friends, the changelings, anyone. It's that part of you that is stronger than anything else. A part that can beat this. Maybe not alone, but with the help of your friends. But you must make the first move, Sweetie Belle. Fight this. I know you can. After all, you're a Cutie Mark Crusader. You and your friends have done crazier things than this."

"Danny's, right," Apple Bloom slowly approached and Danny took notice of the group of changelings encircling him, while still keeping their distance; watching in fear, but undeniably curious if their hushed chatter was any indication. 

"Sweetie Belle, ya ain't a monster. An' we'll help ya get through this--" she joined in on the hug, pressing her friend as close as she could, ignoring the slick green blood staining her coat, "--'cause that's what friends do."

"YEAH!" Scootaloo agreed, jumping up and wings buzzing for what little lift they could generate to be seen over the group of changelings, as she stood somewhere at the back of them all. "Just, --hold on, let me through. C'mon," she strained, as she pushed through the mass of shapeshifters, getting her rump stuck in between two larger changelings and, with all her strength, pulled unexpectedly free. Shooting forwards, rolling end over end she came to a stop, lying in a heap before the group hug in the process.

"Totally meant to do that," she was quick to point out, not allowing anyone to say otherwise. 

Pulling herself up, she turned to Sweetie Belle.

"You're our friend, and you going all crazy spirit isn't going to change that. So snap out of this, alright? Danny knows ya can do it. So does Apple Bloom and me."

Danny could feel Sweetie Belle tremble in his arms, a small sniffle escaping her as she finally let go of Danny's arm. 

Scootaloo joined in on the hug, and the agony Sweetie Belle had endured, but was unable to stop finally broke through and a gut-wrenching wail escaped her as she cried.

"Help me," she gasped between sobs, desperately clinging on her friends, as if her life depended on it, inadvertently smearing the green glowing blood staining her fur on her friends as well.

Danny, his arm already healing, looked down at the three, relieved he was able to break through to Sweetie Belle, but frowning deeply with the knowledge this would happen again if something wouldn't change. 

Scanning the crowd around him, he locked eyes with Erlea standing amidst the other changelings; her eyes wide, and continuously shifting between him and something else he couldn't discern. 

"I know time is a luxury we don't have, but could some of you help these three?" He asked, then looked down at Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. "You two will keep an eye on her, right. Make sure she doesn't lose herself again."

"Of course we will!" Scootaloo said immediately.

"Good," Danny nodded. "Sweetie Belle, I know what you're going through is difficult and, right now you're terrified what happened will happen again. And I won't lie, it will happen again," Sweetie Belle froze in his hold, shaking, "But only if you let it. You just took control, which shows you have the ability to master this side of you. But it won't be easy. These powers we have, they have never been easy, and I doubt it will change anytime soon. But I will be there to help you. Your friends will be there to help you. Together we will make sure this won't happen again," he slowly let go of the filly, setting her down on the ground, cupping a hand under her muzzle and making her look up; seeing the still slitted, green glowing eyes now had a red tint and were wet with tears, while his green ectoplasmic blood covered her chin and neck. "I know the fear you feel right now, but don't let this hold you back. Own it, learn from it and grow stronger because of it. I know you can do it, because you won't be alone to do so."

Looking back to the changelings once again, he now saw Devora standing nearby; watching him with large eyes, just like every other changeling he now noticed. 

Slowly standing back up to his full height, he gave a kind smile to Sweetie Belle, then addressed Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Devora.

"Take her back to her guest room. Get cleaned up; ectoplasm is difficult to get rid off when it has a chance to dry up, and keep her company. I'll be back to help her as soon as we have removed the hate from the group we broke out of prison."

"Aren't ya going ta remove the fear from Sweetie Belle?" Apple Bloom asked, confused. 

Looking at the still distraught filly, Danny sighed out. 

"Removing the fear she took won't fix this. From what I understand, she feeds upon it like a changeling feeds upon love. Right now, she has her fill, and this is probably part of the reason she is able to control herself. If I remove the fear-"

"She will be hungry again," Devora continued. "And most likely lose control again."

"Exactly," Danny confirmed. "Which is where you, all of you come in," he aimed at the young shapeshifters around him. "She must learn to control this ability. An ability you share. Maybe not exactly the same, but close enough for it to work… hopefully," he sighed out, a hand placed on the back of his head. "Trying to figure out these powers without a clue of how they work is not easy. Never was, never will be. But at least some lessons can be learned from you. So help her, please," he implored.

Devora and Erlea looked at one another, nodding once as a consensus was reached over the hive mind; the other changelings present nodding as well.

"She… she has done terrible things, harmful things," Devora said, and Sweetie Belle flinched as if struck. "But… we know what the hunger feels like, what it can do. If she has the same, it is up to us to help her."

"Like a changeling, but not like a changeling," Erlea spoke up, stepping away from the crowd, still looking strangely at Danny.

"So you'll help her?" Danny sought clarification.

Erlea looked up, staring at the bright glowing ivy in awe.

"The Murgröna has awakened," she replied cryptically, slowly looking back down at Danny. "Pulled from its slumber by you. You ask for help, we will answer."

"Eehh…?" Danny uttered, confused. "Is that a yes, or a no?"

"We will help, now and forever."

Danny blinked, then blinked again, looking at Erlea in bewilderment, then saw that all changelings present stood with their wings spread out, looking at him with a strange gleam to their eyes. Something he had seen before, back when he first visited the Far Frozen, met the frost giants, and learned how they revered him as a ghost above ghosts. And now, seeing the reverent awe in the eyes of all changelings present, he couldn't help, but groan, pulling a hand down his face.

"Not again," he sighed out, realizing that, someway, somehow, he had become the Great One once again.

'I must admit, I am confused.'

'About what?'

'Fear had consumed the child, yet you managed to break through to her and made her take control. All without fighting her directly. It is… confusing.'

'Not really. As lost as she was, Sweetie Belle's true self was still in there, aware of what she did, but unable to stop herself. I know what that is like. I had been mind-controlled once, forced to do things against my will, yet fully aware of what happened. Able to see it as if I was nothing more than a passenger, no, a prisoner in my own mind; staring out through the windows at the world passing by, kicking and screaming to be heard.'

'And I was lost to the darkness of my own creation, blinded by rage and hatred, becoming a monster because of it.'

'I guess we're not so different after all.'

'Yet you saw a way to resolve this without violence, whereas I could only focus on your lack of will to fight.'

'True,' Danny agreed.

Fenris paused, standing over the last of the six rescued changelings, his claw pressed against the sick shapeshifter's side.

'Hmm, no quip, or backhanded remark. Just a simple agreement pointing out my failings?'

'Hey, sometimes that's all it takes. You thought the only way to fix this mess was with violence. I showed you it didn't have to be like that. Besides, if we did this your way, who knows just how much worse the situation would have become. Violence will only create more violence. Though I won't say that everything can be resolved like I did with Sweetie Belle, and that a fight can always be avoided. Still, you want to be better, then break the cycle where you can.'

'I see,' Fenris huffed, then continued his work; slicing into the dying changeling and cutting out the black oozing hatred poisoning her.

Destroying the hate with another swipe of his claw, the last of the sickness had been purged, leaving the last six, and the weakest of the sick to shiver and struggle for breath as the young rushed in to tend to them.

"I have done all I can. Now only time will tell who will live, or die," Fenris rumbled, looking down at Erlea standing behind him. "But they are weak. Weaker than most others I have cut out this hatred. I doubt they will survive the next hour... but I have been proven wrong before."

"I... " Erlea faltered, took a deep breath, then nodded in understanding. "It's more than anything we could have done."

Fenris nodded once, then his body started to fall apart into a thick smoke; Eclipse pulling herself out of the cloud which color shifted more and more towards toxic green the further she extracted herself. Then she pulled free, and the green cloud solidified back into Danny.

"Man, I will never get used to this," Danny remarked as he held up a hand, flexing his white-gloved fingers. 

Dropping his arm to the side, looking at the six sick changelings as they were taken closer to the fires and placed among the other changelings already lying there, he slowly shook his head.

"You know that, even with this disease gone, their fight is far from over?" He asked Erlea. "Even if they all pull through, which is very unlikely, they will need a long time to recover."

"I know," she replied dejectedly, looking at the ground. 

Sighing, Danny looked down at the filly. "If you don't mind me asking, why did you go through the trouble of invading Canterlot? I understand that things were desperate for all of you, but an all-out invasion… I dunno. There has to be a reason behind such a choice, instead of asking for help."

"Who says we didn't ask for help?" Erlea muttered defensively. 

Danny released a tired sigh, crossing his arm. "Which only proves my point. There is a reason for doing what all of you did. And something that has been going on for a long time too," he jerked his head towards the sick changelings, "cause the numbers don't add up. This city is too big for the number of changelings I've seen. So, what happened?" 

Shifting on the spot, Erlea clearly struggled with herself as Danny waited for an answer.

"Has it something to do with this Murgr-whatchamacallit you said has awakened?" He asked, looking at the luminous plant covering the walls. 

"It's… I…" Erlea stammered, fell silent, then grumbled something to herself. "Look, we changelings have been on our own for ages. Unable to trust others, because…. reasons. It's difficult for me, us, just to reveal ourselves and not expect something bad to happen. We've…"

Kneeling down, Danny placed a hand on top of her head, silencing her as he showed a patient smile. 

"I know what it is like to keep things to yourself in order to protect yourself, and those close to you. So don't force it. I'll help regardless, but I do need to know how to help. For now, though, you help your friends look after the sick while I go and help Sweetie Belle. Okay?" 

He looked at Erlea, expecting some kind of reply. The large eyes and open mouth while looking intently at something over his left shoulder was not it though. 

A chill ran down his spine when hard-earned instincts of an enemy sneaking up on his unguarded back screamed out in alarm, and Danny spun around, hands raised and aglow in a fighting stance.

"What the!?" He uttered, jerking back in surprise as he saw numerous glowing, leaf-covered vines slithering down the walls and towards him; coiling onto themselves to rise up to his height, his eyes following the rising pillar of flora as a single vine poked out from the top, slowly closing the distance between him and it. 

"Undergrowth," Danny muttered darkly as he took a step back, but bumped into Erlea causing him to stumble and fall.

Several vines shot out of the pillar and wrapped around his wrists and torso, halting his fall while the first vine closed the gap and touched him on the forehead.

Danny's eyes lit up, burning a fierce green as his world went white.

White was all he saw. 

Slowly looking around, Danny tried to figure out what had happened, and where he was. Neither questions could be given a satisfying answer, though, as he took several slow steps towards… Well, he couldn't tell. 

There were no walls, ceiling or even a floor for that matter, yet he could feel the solidity of something under his boots as he continued moving forwards, unable to tell if he actually moved, or not. 

"Where am I? What is this place?" He asked, his voice echoing ever so slightly. It was then he realized there were no sounds with each step he took. 

Coming to a stop, he looked around again in the hope of finding something, anything that might be able to tell him where he was, or what was happening.

"Soo… any ideas?" he asked.

Silence.

"Eclipse? Fenris?" He asked, starting to worry.

"Your associates are unavailable to you, I'm afraid."

Spinning around, lowering into a fighting stance, Danny faced whoever had snuck up on his back. Only to falter upon seeing the being now standing before him.

"I welcome you, Danny," the tall, male changeling greeted with a dip of his head; fiery red eyes observing the human, while a small crown stuck out from his deep blue, perforated mane. 

Not at all at ease, Danny, still tense, shifted his stance slightly. 

"How do you know my name?! For that matter, who are you?!" 

The tall changeling chuckled, watching Danny in amusement. 

"All fair questions, and answers you are due," he replied. "My name is Mantodea, the imprint of the late king, husband to queen Chrysalis and, father of Erlea."

"Late king…? Imprint…? What?"

The corner of Mantodea's mouth curled up as Danny struggled to make sense of it all. 

"Perhaps it would be better to explain where you are. Everything else will follow," Mantodea spoke. "Please, walk with me," he beckoned Danny to follow. 

Standing still in silent debate, Danny eventually, slowly, lowered his hands back to his side; not yet trusting the situation, but allowing for the benefit of the doubt.

"Okay," Danny approached Mantodea, keeping some distance between them. "Explain… please."

Mantodea moved forwards, seemingly without any direction, or destination, while Danny followed. 

"I should start by thanking you," he began. "For what you have done for my subjects, my family. You and those three fillies who made all of this possible in the first place. Though I am afraid I am not in a position to extend my gratitude to them personally. That particular honor is for you alone."

"Okay… why?"

"In due time," Mantodea simply said. "First off, do you know where you are?"

"Not last time I checked," Danny shot back, making Mantodea laugh.

"Fair enough. The place you are now, what does it look like?"

"A whole lot of nothing, covered by a glaring white on top of more white," Danny said as he looked around, frowning.

"Yes… This was expected. It is exceedingly rare for a none changeling to interact with this place. Even more so for one not of this world, and with one leg in the grave so to speak."

Danny came to a full stop, glaring suspiciously at Mantodea. "For someone who has just met me, you do seem to know a lot about me."

"And not without reason. Come, this way," Mantodea once again beckoned Danny to follow. "Tell me, do you know what the Murgröna is?"

"That weird plant thing Erlea said has awakened… which I somehow did?"

"The Murgröna is more than just a plant, Danny. So much more. We do not know where it came from, just that it has always been with us for as long as we can remember… which is a very long time, as you will come to see. What you must know above all else is this: the Murgröna and us changelings live in a perfect symbiosis. It, like us, gains energy from emotions. Ours, changelings to be precise. And the healthier and happier we are, so will be the Murgröna."

"And with everyone sick and dying, this Murgröna did so too?"

"Yes. And with it, so much more. So many more. You see, we changelings are linked from the day we hatch, to the day we die. A connection of the minds, which allows us to see, hear and share all we know with one another. This connection is also shared with the Murgröna, and all that we know, all that we experience, all that we are is remembered in here," he came to a stop.

"In here?" Danny mirrored, confused. 

"The Murgröna," Mantodea revealed, and the glaring white obscuring everything to Danny began to fade away; revealing to him numerous threads of multi-colored energy running everywhere, linking together, and separating in uncountable tangles spreading far and wide and far beyond where he could see.

"What is- what am I seeing?" Danny gasped, awed.

"Memories," Mantodea answered. "Apologies for it taking so long, but we never before interacted with a mind so strange. It took a while for the right balance to be found so you would be able to properly interact with us."

Danny looked around, amazed, then paused. "Us?"

"Them," Mantodea indicated with his horn, pointing at the uncountable strands. "Like I said, the Murgröna remembers all that we are. Those strands you see, they are the full memories of all changelings who have lived and are alive today. All of them are remembered, and thus they do not die. Not really. But when the city fell sick, all of us suffered with them. And when the foals gathered some of the leaves to fuel the fires, they also destroyed some of the memories, lost forever to the embers of fire."

Danny was silent, processing all of this. Then he looked at Mantodea. "Late king. There was no king back in the city as far as I know… so you're a memory as well."

"I am, yes."

“So, I am inside this Murgröna, talking to the memory of a dead king because?"

"Hope."

"... Come again?"

"We changelings have been around for a long time. Longer than most seem to remember," Mantodea answered with both pride and a bitter undertone. "As you said to my daughter, the city is too large for the number of changelings present. This was not always the case. Nor were we always the monsters the other creatures of this world make us out to be. But over time, because of the actions of others and, despite our best efforts to change our fate, we were forced deeper and deeper into the darkness; our numbers dwindling as a result. And with the disease claiming so many, we knew all that we were would be lost forever," Mantodea was silent for several heartbeats. "But then the impossible happened. Three young ponies showed a kindness to us very few remember ever receiving. And through them, you found us. And now, after having done so much for us already, you still seek out to do more. Not because this was asked, or riches promised, but because you want to help us heal, become better, doing whatever you can to do so," he looked at Danny, voice thick with gratitude. "You have a strong heart, Daniel. That is why you are here. To tell you what happened. To show you how it happened. And who is responsible for our downfall," his horn began to glow, and numerous of the strands flexed, then moved towards Danny.

"Wait, what?" Danny backed off, alarmed. 

"Those are our stories, Danny," one of the strands reached him, and he vanished in the energy.

"This is our testimony."