Edited by Slayerseba and Clawder.
Fear, Growth and Chaos
<<>><<>><<>>
Several hours have passed since Danny and the fillies returned safely and, after the expected worrying of friends and family alike, Danny was finally able to return home.
He wasn't alone, though. Just like Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and 'Sweetie Belle' all had escorts back to their homes, or the hospital as far as Sweetie Belle was concerned, so did Danny.
Looking at the purple mare walking next to him, he couldn't keep himself from smiling. Twilight though, only showed a troubled frown as they moved closer to his home.
"I really don't think this is a good idea, Danny," she told him, repeating what she had said several times before. "This far from town, on your own, it just seems far too much of a risk. What if something happens? What if this ghost comes back for you? There wouldn't be anypony there to help you. Please reconsider and stay in the library with me. It would be much safer."
"I suppose it would be, yes," he agreed. "But I want to go back home to make sure everything is as it should be," he added. "Just before last night's mess started I discovered someone, or most likely something had made a mess of the place, and I have to know what, if anything is out of place," he frowned, already having a pretty good idea what happened there. The melting ice on the window, and finding Dani freezing over back in Canterlot leaving little doubt as to who it was that decided to haunt his bedroom. "Plus, I need a clean pair of clothes," he plucked at his torn shirt, "because these have seen just a bit too much action."
"So you'll stay with me?" Twilight looked up at him, hopeful. "Until it is safe that is," she added quickly, then stopped in her tracks as the rest of what he said registered. "Wait, you mean a ghost was in your home the night before?"
"Don't know, but someone was. Last I checked, my bedroom doesn't thrash itself."
With a flash of purple light, Twilight stood before Danny, blocking his path.
"And you plan on just going back there without any idea what could still be hiding there!?" She almost shouted, frantic.
Danny stopped, thinking, realizing just how recklessly stupid he made himself look right now. And with that, another revelation came to light.
"... Damn… I'm just too used to these things."
"You're used to these things?!" Twilight repeated, horrified, rearing up and planting her hooves on his chest; looking him in the eyes. "Nopony-- No one should be used to such terrible things. No matter what you have gone through, what those ghosts have done to you, you should never, never get used to such terrible things."
"No need to convince me," Danny said calmly, opposite to Twilight's worries.
"Good," said Twilight, sighing as she returned to all four hooves, shaking her head. "After everything that has happened… How do you live like that, day in and day out in your world?"
"By moving to another world entirely," Danny answered humorlessly. "Look how well that has worked out for me," he sighed as well. "Let's just go and get me a clean pair of clothes, then head back to your place before anything else might happen."
Twilight nodded her agreement, and the two continued on their path to the lone house just outside of town.
<<>><<>><<>>
"An' don'tcha worry 'bout those chores," Applejack told her younger sister, looking at her as she walked in between herself and Big Mac. "You've been through enough as is."
"Eeyup," Macintosh replied all serious, eyes firmly on the road ahead to look for any sign of danger.
Apple Bloom smiled at her sister, but it was forced. To her older siblings, this was obviously because of her ghostly abduction, though the truth was that she worried greatly for Sweetie Belle, as well as all the changelings they had to leave behind. Not that she could say this, of course. And at the least, the gnawing worry allowed her to hide the truth from her sister quite convincingly.
Worse still is that she and Scootaloo were separated from Devora, which made it impossible to cover for any mistakes she made. She hoped everything wouldn't come crashing down now, should Devora make a mistake, or worse, the doctors would find something that may reveal her true changeling nature.
The worry she felt must have shown, as Applejack pulled her closer to her, nuzzling the top of her head.
"Don't worry, Apple Bloom. Ya're safe now."
"Ah know, sis," she said. 'Ah jus' hope everyone else is too.'
<<>><<>><<>>
With a 'thumb' the door closed behind Bellflower and Scootaloo after they returned to Bellflower's guesthouse, the former fretting whether or not to lock the door, realizing a second later that doing so would do nothing to stop a ghost; the latter locked in mental debate with herself, wanting to ask the question her future self told her to ask, but not wanting to accidentally say something that may reveal the truth.
And more than that, after everything she had seen through her journey through time, she knew she had a difficult task to do. Apologize to the mare who took her in and raised her as best she could.
Stuck in indecisiveness, the first clue she had she stood silent on the spot was when Bellflower pulled her in a hug.
"I… I know you don't like me doing this," she said with a shuddering voice, "but I'm just so glad you're safe. I-" the rest of her words failed to come out as, to her great surprise, Scootaloo hugged her back.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly.
"Wha-?" Bellflower uttered, stunned, confused, unable to believe what she heard.
"I'm sorry," Scootaloo repeated louder, refusing to look at her. "for…. everything."
At a loss for words, Bellflower did not know how to respond. But when she felt Scootaloo started shaking, and small drops of moisture began to wet her coat she didn't hesitate to pull her in a warm, tight hug.
"It's alright, it's alright," she said, gently rubbing Scootaloo's back. "You're safe now. I promise"
Unbeknownst to her, the way she held Scootaloo, the way she spoke to her was almost identical to how she comforted the young filly after learning the tragic fate of her parents. Scootaloo, however, recognized the similarities instantly, and her quiet sobbing became much louder as what little control she still had crumbled away, years of guilt she didn't even know she carried with her until recently crashing down on her.
And as she cried, being held by Bellflower, instead of the anger she always felt when near her, she now felt calm and content.
Bellflower may not be her mother, but she was close enough that it really didn't matter.
<<>><<>><<>>
Down in the sanctum of Tree of Life, one of the growing seeds began to glow increasingly brighter, until it was a blazing orb of light blinding everything else from sight.
For minutes this small sun of radiant might burned, then slowly dulled until only a faint orange glow remained as the fully grown seed hung heavily on its mother's branch.
<<>><<>><<>>
Fidgeting nervously on the examination bed, Devora looked around the room for any potential escape routes, should this be needed. She knew this plan was flimsy at best, with no real time to prepare and to get to know the one she was impersonating, and, because of this, she had already raised suspicion.
"Please sit still, Sweetie Belle," Doctor Horse said, his horn glowing.
Doing as instructed, Devora looked at the doctor standing before her; taking a moment to take in his chocolate-brown mane, light yellow coat, and the glasses perched on his muzzle.
"Now, I understand this makes you nervous. After everything your sister said you have been through this is perfectly understandable, but I need to make sure you are in good health, besides your leg being strain that is."
"Okay," Devora answered meekly, cursing the fact she did not know more about Sweetie Belle's personality, other than the few snippets she had picked up on over the long day since she first met. And after everything that had happened with the real Sweetie Belle, she doubted much of what she did know was anything useful here and now.
If only she and the doctor were alone in this room, she could use her mind control. But as she looked off to the side of the room, she saw 'her older sister' watch her with concern.
Rarity, doing her best to stand still despite her worries, watched the doctor work; both hoping he would find something, and wishing nothing else was wrong with her younger sister.
Still, despite the obvious injury with her leg, it became clear something else was bothering Sweetie Belle.
Barely touching the food Applejack, Bellflower, and Pinkie Pie had made, while Apple Bloom and Scootaloo nearly ate their plates by accident. The strange, almost distant way she behaved. Something just wasn't quite right.
Of course, she had just been abducted, and thankfully rescued, all in a single day, but still…
"Now, please follow the light with your eyes," the doctor's instruction pulled her attention back to the here and now, and she watched as Sweetie Belle followed the small orb of light being cast by the doctor.
"Pupil reflexes seem to be in order," the doctor said, picking up his stethoscope at the same time. "Heart sounds good as well," he added after a moment. "So do the lungs." he hung his stethoscope around his neck, checking off various items on a clipboard. "Let's see," he hummed. Miss Rarity," he turned to the worried mare.
"Yes, Doctor. Did you find anything?"
"Nothing that needs concerning. Your sister has a strained and bruised leg; the result of her falling, as you explained. However, this also seems to be the worst of her injuries. There does not seem to be a concussion, or any other signs of injury, other than the leg. As for the lack of appetite, or her unusual behavior…" he sucked in a deep breath. "I'll be honest, had it not been for events earlier, I would not have believed you when you brought up ghosts being involved here. But with another patient under our care because of the same reason… Look, I can't say one way, or the other how this would have affected Sweetie Belle. Everypony responds to trauma differently, and a lack of appetite would be a normal reaction for those who have gone through such a terrible ordeal. The same can be said about how they would behave."
"But, then… What can I do?"
"Allow your sister to process this in her own time, someplace where she feels safest. I will give her some medicine to help with the leg, but the rest, I'm afraid, will need to heal on their own."
"I… I see," Rarity said, taking a moment to compose herself. "Thank you, Doctor Horse."
"Of course, Rarity. Glad to be of assistance," he replied kindly, writing down a prescription, giving it to Rarity. "Show this at the pharmacy, they will give you the medication to help with your sister's leg. And Sweetie Belle," he turned back at the disguised changeling, smiling kindly, "keep from using your leg for at least a few days as much as you can. And don't worry about those things that took you and your friends. You're safe here."
"Okay," Devora said quietly. 'liar,' she added in thought, clearly able to see through the forced deception he didn't believe himself.
Carefully dropping down from the bed, she and Rarity stepped out of the room, after which 'her older sister' led her to the pharmacy.
All the while, she didn't say a word.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Well, nothing out of the ordinary here," Danny remarked sarcastically as he stood in his bedroom's entrance.
"Your bed is a mess," Twilight pointed out, worriedly; looking past him into the room, not picking up on Danny's sarcasm. "And I'm pretty sure that pillow is torn up, if those feathers are anything to go by. And is that water on the floor, underneath that window?"
"Just as I left it last night, minus the water that is. It was still ice covering the window," he sighed, scratching his neck. "Still, considering what has happened, I'd say this is nothing," he snorted, shaking his head. "Assuming this is all they did here. Not gonna stick around to find out, though."
Entering the room, Danny moved to retrieve his clothes while Twilight hesitantly approached the water on the floor.
"Ice," she murmured, and Danny halted in his motions to look at her.
"Hmmm, what was that?"
"Ice," she repeated more clearly. "Wherever these ghosts showed up, there was also ice."
"Yeah… I've noticed," Danny remarked dryly.
Twilight didn't reply, biting her lower lip in thought while not quite touching the wet spot with a hoof.
"A penny- eh, bit for your thought."
"Honestly, I'm not sure what to think," she told him. "With everything that has happened; everything I have seen; everything you and the fillies have said… I'm used to the occasional evil being popping up. Nightmare Moon, Queen Chrysalis-" she didn't see Danny flinch, "-Discord, and now Sombra. Yet all of them, in one way, or the other my friends and I were able to beat them or help defeating them. But this… I don't know how to deal with this. No books that can help, no knowledge Princess Celestia can give me, nothing."
"Well, that's not entirely true," Danny countered. "We've got plenty of books back on my world… Though most of them are self-help books to help one deal with being haunted, possessed, or a combination of both. As far as the actual hunting and fighting them goes…" He fell silent, frowning. "All I can say is... Run. Run as fast as you can."
"Yeah," Twilight hung her head. "I learned that myself."
Stepping closer, Danny dropped to a knee to be at the same height as Twilight, pulling her to his side.
"Listen, I have, unfortunately, a lot of experience with ghosts. And the worst thing you can do right now is pulling out your mane in fear and worry because that would mean they won. It means they got to you, even if they didn't get to you. Instead, be glad the fillies and I were able to escape. And have confidence in Maud, who is doing all she can to find Zecora and stop those who took us. Because, of all the terrible things those ghosts can do, all of it is centered around fear. Fear of what they can do, and worse, what they may be able to do. Because you don't know. So you worry, imagination beginning to run wild, each new thought worse than the last. And before you know it, you're jumping at your own shadow, too afraid to even touch a puddle of water on the floor and being comforted by someone who managed to escape only hours prior."
Twilight leaned into his side, eyes closed, releasing a tense sigh.
"You really do have a lot of experience with ghosts, don't you?" She said sadly.
"More than you know... or that I care to talk about," he answered softly, and they sat in silence for a moment, finding comfort in the presence of each other.
Eventually, Danny stood back up and retrieved his clothes; stepping into his bathroom to replace the torn clothes he still wore and bundle up the rest for easy carrying.
At that same time, Twilight looked at the still puddle of water, going over everything Danny had just told her.
He was right.
With a 'splat' she set her hoof into the water.
And she would not allow this fear to rule her.
"Ready?" asked Danny, and Twilight yelped in fright, turning around rapidly to see the tall human stand behind her, smirking ever so slightly.
"Y-yes," she replied, and together the two left the ghost's home.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Well… at least you can't get any worse," Valerie commented, displeased as she stepped away from Jazz and Soarin, crossing her arms. "Though Soarin at least knows how to hold his own," her glare settled on Jazz. "But you, Jazz, are a disaster. And that is taking into account your injury. You're uncoordinated, clumsy, and move without thought or plan."
"Well," Jazz breathed hard, "At least that hasn't changed since the last time I tried this."
Her attempt at humor was not appreciated, as Valerie closed the distance and shoved her against the wall.
"You think this is funny? That this is a joke?" Her steely glare bore in Jazz's wide eyes.
"N-no," Jazz stammered, legs weak.
"You know what we're up against, what's at stake. Act like it, or I won't bother any further with you. Because every second I spend here with you is time Vlad, or any other ghost stupid enough to get inside the shield can wreak havoc. And if they do that, and I'm not there to stop them, the Master Blasters will do it. And their method of solving things often leads to more destruction than any ghost would be able to do on their own."
"Sorry," Jazz replied, trying to look away, but failing.
"Don't be sorry. Be better," Valerie instructed, then pushed away from Jazz. "Soarin," she turned her attention to the pony. "You did alright, all things considered. Though there is still a lot of room for improvement. Your guard training does help to some extent, but you will need to learn to think four-dimensional. And more importantly, learn to use any and all abilities you have in ways you haven't even thought about," she moved to a dark corner of the room and picked up a backpack; pulling a thermos out of it.
"There is one ability I know you have I want to test out, because if I'm right; if this works, you, and most likely all other pegasi will have a major advantage over ghosts."
"Which is?" He asked, warily.
"You can walk on clouds, can you not?" she asked, and he nodded. "Which means you can interact with something that, to anyone else, is intangible. Yet you interact with them as if they are solid objects. My thought is that this ability extends further than just clouds."
"You think he can interact with an intangible ghost?!" Jazz called out, gasping.
"That's what I intend to find out. And if I'm right, this means one of the strongest defenses any ghosts have, the ability to not be touched by just about anything, is completely useless against a pegasus," she pulled off the thermos' cap. "Soarin, I'm going to release a ghost. Nothing too dangerous, just some entity I captured some time ago. Looks like an oversized mouse, which may be exactly what it was once alive. Thing is, it always turns intangible when anything comes close. And it was a real pain to catch it, I will add," she flicked a switch on the thermos.
"I will keep it from escaping this place," she told him, "but you are to catch it using this cloud walking ability."
A blue beam shot from the thermos, hitting the floor a short distance away from Soarin. A moment later, a large, moss green mouse-like creature materialized; close to the size of a house cat.
It looked around with its green glowing eyes, saw Jazz, Soarin, then the one who captured it, squeaked loudly and scurried off rapidly while phasing through various items scattered on the floor.
A boot slammed on the floor in front of the mouse as Valerie blocked its path, and the mouse quickly turned around and ran the other way.
"As you can see, it's not overly bright," she recapped the thermos. "Now, go capture that ghost, ponyboy."
Soarin looked at the scampering rodent with large, disbelieving eyes, not quite sure how to tackle this insane situation he found himself in.
But then again, wasn't that the reason he decided to go along with this? To learn to fight the ghosts, to be able to defend his fellow ponies or any other creature threatened by the undead. If that meant he had to start by catching a mouse, by Celestia, he would do just that.
Leaping into action, he jumped at the mouse much like how a cat would.
Unsurprisingly, he missed, and the oversized mouse phased through a wall into the adjacent room.
"You can do better than that!" Valerie called out. "USE YOUR ABILITIES! YOUR WINGS! YOUR MAGIC! EVERYTHING! THE GHOSTS WON'T HESITATE TO USE EVERY DIRTY TRICK IMAGINABLE, SO YOU WILL NOT EITHER. NOW CATCH THAT GHOST!"
Back on the course, drill sergeant shouting his every mistake back at him, and a clear goal to achieve, yet tauntingly difficult just for the sake to make him fail, Soarin's eyes sharpened; the world fading around him as he focused on his objective.
He survived Baltimare. He knew what the ghosts could do; what they had done to so many, he would not allow another ghost to harm another. He would get better. He would learn to fight them. And he would catch that Luna cursed mouse even if it was the last thing he did.
With a mighty flap of his wings, Soarin rocket forwards; knocking down a partially unhinged door as he propelled himself into the other room; quick to spot his target.
A loud squeak came from the green glowing rodent as it hastily scurried away, but this time Soarin acted before it could escape.
With a beat of his wings, he blew a gust of air into the rodent, forcing it to slow down. The mouse, however, cared little for this as the air blew through it without hindrance.
'Intangibility,' Soarin realized. 'Even wind can't touch it. How am I...' he wondered, then remembered Valerie stomping her foot, and how the mouse reacted to it.
He refocused his aim, beat his wings once again, and guided the wind to move some of the discarded junk on the floor to blow into the rodent's path; watching the spectral entity intently.
As he had hoped, the mouse reacted to the tumbling hazards by changing its path of escape; though not always successful and phasing through some of the items.
'Not overly bright,' he recalled Valerie saying. 'It reacts instinctively, not intelligently.' He quickly scanned the room. 'Use the environment to your advantage. Not a lot of room to fly. Lots of old, loose junk. Shape the wind, create a maze, guide the ghost, spring a trap.'
The small ghost tried its luck in the split-second Soarin took in his surroundings, running past him with a squeak; jumping over an old, beat up crate, landing on top of a plastic coffee cup which crumpled under its weight with a crack.
"Oh no you don't," Soarin half growled as he focused on his target with renewed energy, wings spread wide.
With one beat of his wings, he shot to the ceiling, with a second he moved the still air. A third guided the newly formed current, and a fourth gave it strength. Several smaller flexes of his wings refined the paths of air he forged, and the effect started to show. Dust blew up as the items began to move. The boarded-up doors and windows still shut began to rattle and bang, while Jazz took several steps back; arm shielding her face. Valerie, instead, stood motionless, watching everything unfold with a calculating gaze; seeing the beginnings of a path through the chaos that blew inside the abandoned building; a path that undead pest had no choice to follow as it squeaked, ran, slid, and phased through everything Soarin threw at it.
"Now we're talking," Valerie said through a feral grin. "Show me what you've got, ponyboy."
Soarin didn't hear, too focused on maintaining his control; the space too narrow, the wind too restrained, but he would not fail. Not again. If he couldn't even stop a single, oversized mouse, what kind of guard was he?
His eyes were narrowed, nearly closed in focus; tracing the path he laid out for the ghost to follow while it was only a step behind; creating new currents, placing new pieces, forcing new paths to form.
Hovering above its prey like a griffin, biding his time, he watched, waited, anticipated. Then, he struck.
With a strong beat of his wings, he dropped down; the currents he forged falling apart instantly; the items swirling around in designed patterns now tumbling chaotically as they enclosed the mouse, leaving only one opening which the spectral rodent didn't hesitate to use; Leaping through the narrow gap of collapsing junk, and right into the waiting hooves of a disheveled pegasus after a hard landing.
The ghost saw and reacted; turning intangible almost instantly, well before it even reached Soarin.
Great was its shock, and even greater the squeak that escaped it when, instead of phasing through the danger, it found itself trapped in between two hooves.
Breathing hard, Soarin looked at the wildly thrashing ghost. First with disbelief, then shock.
"I did it?" He gasped, not believing it.
A hand phased through the mouse, drawing his attention to Valerie standing before him, grinning evilly.
"You sure did," she replied after confirming the ghost was indeed intangible, then locked eyes with him. "And so much more than that."
"Soarin," Jazz said softly, staring at her coltfriend with large eyes. "You can interact with intangible ghosts."
"And how," said Valerie, a blue beam of energy shooting from the thermos she held, capturing the mouse. "A bit rough around the edges, but we may make a proper ghost hunter out of you yet."
"This is huge," Jazz stepped closer. "This means pegasi have a natural defense against ghosts' intangibility."
"Not a defense," Valerie corrected. "An offense. With this you can take the fight to them, whether they want it to, or not," she slapped the cap on the thermos, eyes gleaming. "But you still have a long way to go before that is even a possibility," she added, looking at Soarin. "And you," she turned back to Jazz. "You and I are going to work, rigorously, on everything you did wrong today. Starting with stamina and strength."
"Meaning?" Jazz asked, worried, already having a good idea what this would mean.
"Starting first light tomorrow, you're going to join me on my exercise routine."
Jazz expected it, yet the blow was still severe, staring at Valerie with a gaping mouth.
"You mean-"
"Yes. One hundred push-ups. One hundred sit-ups. One hundred squats. Then a six-mile run."
"That's insane!" Jazz backed away.
Valerie snorted, unamused. "I'll go easy on you because of the wrist, but that's all. You're going to be better, and I'll make it happen."
"Bu- but I can't do… that. It's insane."
"No. What is insane, is you, thinking you can go up against ghosts without some edge over them. Right now you don't know how to use a weapon properly, nor do you have the strength to fight them. And failing all that, you won't even be able to outrun them. And don't bring up Danny, Tucker or Sam," she cut Jazz off, index finger pointing at her. "Danny was physically in just as bad a shape as you are now, which was no secret back in highschool. But he has his powers to offset this. Tucker is the same as far as his physique goes, but he has his redeeming abilities. Plus, he does know how to use a weapon. And Sam… Well, I really hate to say it, but she is a good example of what will happen if you go up against a ghost without the proper training. So no excuses, not anymore. You're going to train. Hard. So enjoy the few hours of easy going you still have, because they will be nothing more than a pleasant memory come tomorrow."
"You're evil," Jazz glared unimpressively at Valerie.
"Yes, I am," she confirmed. "The necessary one."
She turned to look at both Jazz and Soarin.
"Get cleaned up. Rest. Soarin, I know you're going back home today, but I won't have you slack off either. Especially with what we learned today. You will train as well, hard. And when you have the chance to come here again, I'll see to it you'll learn all there is to ghost hunting. But, and this is important, DO NOT reveal anything about what happened here today to anyone. You have no reason for knowing what you know now, and it would jeopardize everything we have worked for."
"I understand," Soarin responded, standing at attention.
"Good," Valerie nodded, then turned to Jazz. "And I'll be seeing you soon."
With everything said, she left; leaving the two in the trash littered room.
"She's evil," Jazz said once she was sure Valerie was gone, and couldn't hear.
"No," Soarin countered, eyes sharp. "She's experienced."
The conviction with which he said this made Jazz slowly look down at him, swallowing loudly, carefully touching her broken, throbbing wrist, and she knew…
Nothing would be the same again.
<<>><<>><<>>
It had only been an hour since the plane landed, a car brought the group to the tear facility, and a twenty-three minute wait for the tear to open, but Tucker was back in Canterlot once again.
This time joined by a group of security personnel. Six in total.
None of them were hunters, which Tucker was silently thankful for. He had enough problems to deal with. But they were still trained in investigating any site of spectral activity and, equipped and trained in the use of anti-ghost weapons and thermos.
"I'm glad to see you were able to come as quickly as you did," a familiar voice brought his attention to Technal.
"Technal," Tucker gave a small nod in greeting to the gray unicorn mare.
"Mister Foley," she returned the greeting with a smile; her excitement of meeting her role model momentarily breaking through, but the situation not allowing for anything more. "If you would all please follow me, we will take you through the scanner, and from there to the site of the attack."
"It is to my understanding we will be teleported to the site, correct?" one of the security experts, a tan woman with raven hair asked.
"Correct," Technal confirmed.
"When possible, could someone bring me to the one injured in the attack," Tucker asked with a measure of demand behind his words. "We need to know what she has seen… and I need to make sure she's alright."
"I'm sorry, but I'm not the one in charge of this. Just the one to receive you. The princess should be able to help you once on site."
"I understand," Tucker said simply.
"Please follow me," she turned around, "and we'll get you where you need to be as soon as possible."
"Without further comments, the group of humans followed after Technal as the tear closed behind them.
The scan was as uneventful as anyone could hope it to be, and within ten minutes the group was all cleared.
Stepping out of the scanner room, they were greeted by three royal guards, unicorns, waiting stoically; carrying a blaster each instead of the regular sword.
"They're all clear," Technal confirmed after everyone had exited the room.
"Very well," one of the guards spoke up. "Please stay close together," he instructed, wasting no time. "The three of us will teleport you to the site of the attack."
Doing as they were told, the group vanished in a flash of light.
<<>><<>><<>>
A flash of light later, Tucker stumbled on the spot in disorientation.
The others with him suffered a similar fate, and all required a couple of seconds to regain their bearing.
"Apologies, I should have informed you what to expect," the guard reacted.
"It's fine," Tucker grunted as he found his balance again.
Looking around, he now found himself in a large cave.
The first thing that stood out to him was a large number of ponies. All guards, if their armor was anything to go by.
Looking closer, he noticed most of them were earth ponies busy moving a great many rocks and chunks of crystal covering the floor. Unicorns were present as well, working in pairs to lift the larger pieces or break them apart.
The construction site was the next thing he saw. Or what was still standing of it, at the least.
The construction had only recently begun, and naturally, there wouldn't be much but transport crates, tools, and the heavier machinery required for this undertaking to even be possible. But what he saw was not good. A lot of the unpacked equipment had been damaged, or outright crushed. Which needed to be replaced, which would set back the timeline for estimated completion, not to mention the increase in cost.
Looking up at the ceiling, he saw some small glowing crystals growing from the rock. More noticeably, however, were the many fissures, cracks, and entire chunks missing in the cavern ceiling.
This, naturally, pulled his attention to the scaffolding placed underneath the worst of the damage, as teams of unicorns and earth ponies worked to reinforce and repair as much of the damage they could.
Tucker swallowed heavily.
Whatever had happened here, Dani definitely gave it her all.
"It's an ugly sight, yes," the guard said.
"This place is not going to collapse on top of us, right?" One of the others in his group asked.
"Negative," the guard replied. "The ceiling is being supported around the clock by unicorns, while all earth ponies available are working to mend the rock. Now, if you would please follow me. I will lead you to the princess."
All seven followed after the guards, silently watching the repair efforts while being led around the worst of the destruction. Eventually, the floor began to slope down as they approached a tunnel, a steady line of ponies leaving with carts of rock, and the distinct sound of a rock being hewn echoing from within. Standing off to the side, out of the way of the working ponies, closely watching the proceedings, was a midnight blue alicorn.
"Your highness," the guards saluted. "The human experts have arrived."
"Excellent," Princess Luna turned to the group.
"Your highness," the raven-haired woman stepped forwards, bowing. "My name is Rachel Connor, the team leader of this group. We came as soon as possible when word of the attack reached us."
"We thank you for your swift response. It is the hope of myself, as well as many others that with your help we may uncover the full truth of what hath transpired here," she then looked at the guards. "Thou are dismissed. Resume thou duties and aid your fellow guards in securing this site."
"Your highness," all three guards saluted, then left.
"Come," the princess instructed. "There is much we need to discuss."
"I've read the preliminary report," Rachel began, wasting no time as they all followed. "But it was obvious most of the more important details were omitted."
"A safety precaution," Princess Luna replied readily. "With ghosts having found and attacked this site, as well as a previous incursion in the local tear facility, we, my sister, and I felt it prudent to omit the more sensitive information, should this somehow find its way into enemy hooves… or hands."
"Understandable," Rachel nodded. "But we must know all the details uncovered already, lest we waste time repeating processes which have already been done, or miss potential clues because of missing information."
"A full report detailing all that we managed to uncover thus far has already been prepared. But there are other issues I wish to discuss with you as well."
"Which is?"
"Recent events have revealed a disturbing weakness within our defenses. One for which is no excuse, yet demands an answer why this was even allowed to be."
"Which is?" Rachel asked, and silently, Tucker worried they might have discovered the alterations he implemented in the scanners.
For a while, princess Luna was silent as she led the group through the cave towards a more intact tunnel; her horn glowing to provide light as they left the light of the work site behind.
"There has been an incident- a string of incidents in a town not far from here. Suspicion for the cause of this quickly turned to ghosts, so a team of our trained ghost hunters was dispatched. Many things were uncovered, with the confirmation of ghostly presence being the second worst."
"How can that be the second worst thing to discover?" Rachel asked.
They exited the tunnel, entering a smaller cave illuminated by scattered crystals growing here and there, and found a group of ponies standing at attention.
"We discovered the training these hunters were given is lacking to the point of compromise!" Luna stated, her tone becoming frigid. "One of them being hospitalized with severe injuries possibly related to the ghostly attack."
"WHAT!?" Tucker was the one to shout. "That is not possible. I've seen the rosters of all trainees of the Ghost-Keteer division. Each and everyone were trained by Madeline Fenton. There is no way she would allow any of them to go up against a ghost without ensuring they knew exactly what they were doing."
"May I enquire your name before I rebuke?" Princess Luna turned to him, eyes hard.
"Tucker Foley, your majesty," he answered, meeting her eyes. "Lead expert on all technology of the Fenton Corporation."
"Is that so," said Luna. "We have questions for you as well in regards to some equipment failures we have experienced-" Tucker stiffened "-but to the matter at hoof, these mares and stallions have informed me about their training, which shows a rather severe inconsistency with your story. By their word, they were trained by Jack Fenton, not Madeline Fenton."
"What?" Tucker blinked, confused. "But that doesn't make any sense. Jack is no weapons expert. He knows how to make them, yes. Most of the first generation of anti-ghost weapons are of his design. Most of the anti-ghost devices are, but it's Maddy who perfected the original designs, and knows how to use them to their full effect."
"I can tell you know them personally," Princess Luna said.
"They're family," Tucker replied with no small amount of pride. "Just not by blood." He then frowned, thinking. "But that does not change any of this." He turned to the group of ponies standing silently behind the princess. "Excuse me, but when exactly did you receive training from Jack Fenton?"
A unicorn with an ivory coat and red mane responded. "From day one. It was a last-minute change."
Tucker was silent, blinking slowly.
"That should not have happened. Even if Madeline was unable to oversee the training herself, there are other trainers on staff. Why did no one-" he fell silent. 'Vlad. It has to be.'
"You know something?" Luna stated more than asked.
"More like a suspicion… one I hope is not true," he answered. "But I will need to look into the records to make sure."
"Mister Foley," Rachel turned to him. "There is only one way this could have happened without setting off any alarms. Difficult as it would have been."
'Not as difficult as you would think. Not as far as Vlad is concerned. But how did we miss this?'
"Which would be?" Luna inquired.
"Possession," Rachel answered.
"What?!" Luna shouted, demanding an answer.
"You realize this does mean that a good number of ghosts would have been involved to possess all individuals required to pull off something like this?" Tucker looked at the woman. 'Or one ghost who can split himself into hundreds of duplicates.'
"As I said, difficult, but not impossible. Which would also suggest, if true, we may very well be compromised from within as well."
Nervous glances spread through the group of ghost hunters still standing silently in the background, while Tucker's right hand clenched into a fist.
"True," Tucker grunted, frowning deeply, "but I want to look into the records before I will agree with this possibility."
"What other explanation could there be for this?" Rachel asked.
"Jack being Jack," was his simple reply. "It's no secret he's not as good with weapons as he claims he is, though he is still intelligent where it counts. Problem is, Jack does tend to, unintentionally, make a mess of things while trying to help. Maddy usually keeps him focused and on task, but sometimes he manages to slip under the radar, so to speak. So, again, I want to inspect the records to make sure. IF this was indeed the result of a possession en masse, I want to make sure before I raise the alarm."
"But if true," Luna cut in, voice dangerously low, "that would mean these ghost hunters were trained by a ghost. One who saw to it their training was as flawed as possible, leaving our defenses dangerously compromised. A compromise that has already begun to show itself. Can you tell me these events are not related?"
"No, I can not," Tucker said matter of fact. "Not without knowing all the facts. Some of which may be found here, if there is a correlation between the recent attack and the suggested ghost influenced training. But whatever the answer may be, it does not change the fact that something occurred which should not have happened," he fell silent, turning to Rachel. "All of you are trained in the combat of spectral entities, correct?"
"Correct," she gave a nod, "but we're no ghost hunters. We know how to fight a ghost, or ghosts, capture them even should the situation demand it. Our training is centered around investigating post-spectral sites, and provide intelligence for the hunters to work with to track down and neutralize all hostile entities."
"But the ghost hunters you are supposed to support are unable to do so, which means, right now, you are the most experienced hunters here."
"You can't suggest we go out and hunt these ghosts ourselves!?" Rachel shot back.
"No," Tucker shook his head, eyes darkening. "I have no illusions about the dangers involved. But some of you will be able to provide them with some emergency training while I try to sort out this mess."
"... I suppose," Rachel replied, unsure. "But this will not be sufficient."
"No, all of them will need to be retrained, properly. But we can't do this without knowing first how it went wrong in the first place. Also," he faced princess Luna, "you mentioned problems with the anti-ghost equipment."
"Yes," Luna confirmed. "Scanners not registering ghosts, even when they are confirmed to be present. And reports of strange interference, though it is unknown whether this is a fault of the devices, or something else."
Tucker looked down, hand on his chin in thought. 'Ghosts not being detected. Only two ghosts I know of where that should have happened. But interference?'
"I will need to see these scanners, make sure they work as intended, or if something has been altered, damaged, or otherwise compromised."
"Very well, but you shall do so under the supervision of an expert of our own. Too much has gone wrong for us to blindly trust one we have only recently met. Especially with the recent ghost attack, and everything else that has come to light."
"Understandable," Tucker said.
"As for you," Princess Luna turned to Rachel and the rest of her team. "Do you believe yourself capable to improve, upon the training my ponies have received?"
Rachel was silent, looked back at the others in her team, seeing doubt on the faces of some, and an eagerness to try with the others.
"We came here to help with the ghost threat," she answered. "While this isn't exactly what we expected, we won't leave you to face this threat without knowing what to do. We'll teach them what we can."
"Splendid. Perhaps some of this disaster can still be mitigated," Luna responded.
"While on the subject of disasters," Tucker spoke up. "The one who was injured in the attack. Would it be possible for me to see her if, she's able?"
"So would I," Rachel said. "Field promotion to combat instructor aside, we still have a job to do, and we need to speak with the witnesses of the attack."
"This is a matter for the doctor to decide, though there are other factors to consider as well."
"Which are?" asked Rachel
"The one in question was badly injured in the attack, which inflicted a deep head wound. She did wake up earlier today, but before this happened a ghost was found within her room."
"WHAT!?" Tucker shouted.
"It is unknown what this entity has done to her, for the medical scanner has failed to pick up anything within and around Miss Dani, which leads us back to the equipment malfunctioning. The ghost, however, was hunted down by the guards on the station, though this entity did manage to escape and has not been seen again." She was silent for a heartbeat, then delivered the worst of the news. "This ghost, however, was seen by multiple members of the castle staff. And as such, we know the identity of this one ghost in particular."
'Please don't say it. Please, do not say it.' Tucker silently pleaded.
"It was the Terror of Amity Park. It was Danny Phantom."
'No.'
<<>><<>><<>>
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Luna asked her sister, the two slowly walking through the castle garden towards the hedge maze.
It had only been an hour since she left the humans in the care of the guards. None of them wasting any time beginning their work, with Rachel splitting her team to begin the investigation and start preparing for the emergency training for the hunters. Tucker was brought to a room within the castle itself, provided with the required equipment to inspect, and sided with one of the few ponies who understood the humans' their technology through and through.
Luna herself quickly filled in her sister with everything that had happened afterward, and new plans were made in the face of these new possibilities. One such plan was why they were now going to the one being who may be able to help them.
"No, I am not, Luna. I would rather not do this, had the risk not been this server."
"But what reason do we have to trust him to help us, and not them?"
"None," Celestia answered, her face a stoic mask to hide her fears and worries. "But I won't risk the lives of my ponies on the off chance that he could have helped, and we didn't try. And should he go wild, we have the Elements to stop him."
"Which does mean we have to put Twilight and her friends through this ordeal as well."
"I know, Luna. I know," Celestia sighed deeply, her years breaking through. "And the last thing I want to do is put them through something like this, especially so soon after the ordeal they went through. But they are also the only ones who can control him."
"This is a dangerous gamble. One I'm not comfortable in making."
"Then don't," Celestia said as they rounded a corner, and both stopped at the statue of Discord. "I will be the one carrying this burden."
"No, you will not," Luna countered. "If this is going to happen, it is something we will both set into motion."
Celestia pulled her sister to her side with a wing, finding comfort in her presence before this fiend.
"We have to try," she said, looking in the stony, mismatched eyes of the draconequus.
"Then try it we shall," said Luna, and they began their preparations.