//------------------------------// // Misunderstandings and dreams // Story: The Wraith // by Therisinghero //------------------------------// “Hmph...” The Wraith grunted. He was regaining consciousness, and began to open his eyes. When the blur of his groggy eyes had subsided, he was able to make out where he was.  “Uh… how did I get here?” he asked himself. It was still dark where he was, which he could only guess was sometime early in the morning or late at night, but it didn't matter if he was getting out of here. At least he tried to, till a sharp pain shot up his leg. It was then he remembered the events that transpired before he blacked out. However, that did not explain how he got here, last he remembered he was laying at the base of a tree then…. “Yellow and pink” he said to himself, slowly piecing it together. It must have been a native that took him to its cottage. Great, there went his cover, now that one native found him it was only a matter of time till he was the talk of the town.  Unless… “ What was it that Helios said?” His mind went back to that moment. “That staff will not only aid you in your journey but you will be able to disguise yourself as one of us along with other things that will be revealed to you in time” Helios’s voice echoed in his head. Ok, so all he had to do was convince the native to keep his presence a secret(unless it had already blabbed about him.) when he recovered he’d use the staff’s ability to disguise himself then be out of here.  A noise came from the front door, someone was coming, more than likely the homeowner.  So he pretended to be asleep. The door opened and the clip clop of hooves could be heard on the hardwood floor, coming right at him. A soft metallic rattling could be heard, almost as if it brought something with it. He could feel his right foot being moved left to right like it was examining him.  The Wraith’s curiosity got the best and he opened one of his eyes to peak at what it was doing. Fortunately it had its back turned to him so it couldn't see that he was awake. What he saw was a butter yellow pegasus with a pink mane. There also appeared to be a tattoo of three butterflies on its butt.  He also couldn't see a sheath on it so he had to assume it was a female.  I feel like a pervert for doing that, Damn it! Looking down at her hooves he saw a red bag with a white cross, signifying a medical bag. She opened the bag and began to sort through it. What she pulled out, slightly took him off guard but he maintained his act. In her mouth was a needle with a vile of red liquid. He had two options, at this point he could either stop this act and prevent her from putting whatever liquid was in that vile, or he could just take it and see what it does. He had a lot to risk for this but he maintained his cool and let her stick him with the needle. As soon as she stuck it in him, he felt a burning sensation, it didn't hurt per say, it felt like a good burning feeling if that made any sense. His left leg didn't hurt as much as it did when that wolf bit him. “That should do it, the antidote should run its course and you’ll be as good as new,” she said  “Thank you” the Wraith said absentmindedly. “Eep” she squeaked Shit…. The Wraith opened his eyes and positioned himself up and did what he could to calm the female pegasus. “Oh ...my”she said now hiding behind her mane. “I’m sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you” trying to calm her, while also mentally hitting himself for doing that. She didn't move, she was still scared of him. Something came to mind that he could do, but it was something he’d never do at home because that would expose a weakness that he couldn't take back. However this wasn't Newport Falls, this was Equestria. “It's the mask, isn't it?” the Wraith said pointing to the mask then reaching his hand behind his head to undo it. The pegasus looked at him curiously as he took off his mask. After a good minute he was able to show his face. The pegasus took a good look at him, his blue eyes, his brown mane everything then suddenly she wasn't as scared anymore. “What are you?” she asked  “Good question and I’ll answer, I am a human.” the Wraith said in a low tone to keep her at ease. “Oh, um, I don't think I have ever heard of such a thing.” she said gradually working up her courage.  “Well, I don’t blame you.” The Wraith said calmly. However there was a point to investigate, how was it possible that these creatures actually existed? Sure they were referenced in greek lore lots, thought to be fables told by the general public. Was it possible both worlds coexisted at some point? It would definitely explain why we couldn't find Atlantis for the longest time. This was something he would have looked into when he had the chance to! “Um…. what is your, um name?” the pegasus asked genuine curiosity evident in her eyes. “Well… I currently go by The Wraith” The Wraith said crossing his arms. A thought came across his mind and he had to ask. “ I don't think I got your name though.” The Wraith asked “Oh… um my name  is,  um Fluttershy.” “That is a really nice name there, it is a pleasure to meet you Miss shy.” Fluttershy blushed at the gesture. “It's, um, just Fluttershy is fine.” she said, a  little flustered. “Ok then Fluttershy, thanks again for helping with my injury” The Wraith said “Oh it's no problem,” Fluttershy said, accepting the compliment. “Also you haven't told anyone about me, have you?” The Wraith asked while he weighed on what his options would be, given what the answer was. “Well I um… I was going to tell my friends……..” Fluttershy started but stopped. The Wraith held up his hand signaling her to stop. “Listen, I’d really like to meet them but the last thing I want is an uproar in town” though with how things are playing out now he might lose his cover sooner rather than later. “Oh…. um.. I understand.” Fluttershy said a little disappointment in her voice. The Wraith felt kinda bad for Fluttershy but reassured her. “Chin up Fluttershy, perhaps I’ll meet them soon, when the time is right.” The Wraith Reassured Fluttershy. Feeling good about his words, The Wraith decided to stand up but immediately regretted his decision to do so when the pain returned. Fluttershy saw this helped him back down on the couch he was laying on. “I’m sorry… I probably should have told you that um... the anti venom takes a while to kick in.” Fluttershy said she finished putting him back on the couch. “Yea… I probably should have figured that” The Wraith said chuckling a little. “Your um... going to have to rest here, that is if you don’t mind.” Fluttershy said nervously. “I guess that's ok, but as soon as I’m one hundred percent I have to go is that ok?” The Wraith asked. “Um.. I guess that’s fine.” Fluttershy said, a little unsure. The two looked at each other before both yawning simultaneously. “I guess I should get some rest then” said a little embarrassed. Fluttershy blushed and agreed. “Yea...Um.. I’ll do the same” Fluttershy said. The Wraith watched Fluttershy walk up a set of stairs and began to close his eyes as he drifted off to sleep. Canterlot Castle Princess Luna’s Chambers Luna was pacing the floors thinking of every possible answer that she could come up with that would tell her why that song was played on that night. Things were not adding up and she was getting frustrated over it. It was possible that one of her subjects snuck in and did it but was highly unlikely. No pony other than her mother and her knew that song,even if somepony snuck in and teleported out she would have felt that. However, there was no magical residue that she detected. Luna decided to give it a rest for now and watch over dreams as she did before her banishment. When Luna was comfortable in her bed, she began the process and closed her eyes and started her magic. The Dream realm had not changed much, it remained relatively the same; every dream was like a window she could look into and watch what was unfolding. Nopony appeared to be in any distress from a Nightmare, except for one.  She couldnt see through it at all. A thick layer of black mist clouded her view. This was unlike anything she had seen before, curious she entered the dream. When she entered she was hit hard emotionally with a heavy feeling in her chest followed by a freezing cold breeze that took her by surprise. Her surroundings were absolute nothingness, a black void if you will. Luna began trotting forward wondering why this dream was doing this to her. *Click* “That's as far as you go, now hand over that Key card!” said one voice Luna looked around but couldn't see anything or anypony. “I’m not giving anything to terrorists!” said another voice in a combative tone! The sound of a scuffle could be heard. Then a white flash of light surrounded Luna followed by an explosion. Then a thud. “DAD!!!!!” screamed a voice that sounded like a child. “James…….. Run… as fast as you can.” said the second voice however sounding off, like it was having trouble breathing. The voice dissipated till silence is the only thing that greeted Luna. Heavy winds followed by rain thunder and lightning were now appearing. What was once a black void was now a graveyard. A sound caught her attention, the sound of crying and sniffling.  Luna looked behind and there laid a being she had never seen before. The being was laying at the base of one tombstone.                 Rest in peace JONATHAN AND REBECCA MILLER. It read, Luna being the Dream keeper moved forward to try and Comfort it. However, before Luna was one hoof step away. A loud bell echoed through the graveyard followed by flashes of lightning. Something was already behind it only visible from the flashes of lightning, a tall black being stood there and knelt down behind it. Luna was confused to say the least. What is the black creature standing behind the small creature and why was it comforting it? The black creature looked like something out of a nightmare but it was, good? The black figure stood up and faced Luna. Luna was able to get a better look at it but the figure didn't look like it had the same Idea, especially with those glowing white eyes forming a scowl. Before Luna could say anything the figure spoke. “GET OUT!”  It said! ”NOW!” Before Luna could think of anything to retort she was forcibly removed from the dream, which was enough to wake her from her spell. The Wraith woke up in a cold sweat unsure of what he had just witnessed. “Why did I dream of Princess Luna, better yet why was she in that dream I've been trying so hard to repress for years.” He thought aloud. Unfortunately that's the least of his problems, as there came a knocking at the door. “Fluttershy y’all in there sugar cube?” called a country voice. Well this was a fine kettle of fish he had gotten himself into. However all wasn't lost all he had to do was use his st- Where was his staff? Looking around quickly, he spotted it, the good news was that he saw it leaning against a wall. The bad news was it was the wall adjacent to the door. “Applejack are you sure Fluttershy is in there?” came a voice that the Wraith could only compare to a tomboy. “I’m sure Rainbow, this is the only other place she’d be.” said the country voice. The Wraith had two options here, he could either find a window and sneak out and book it as fast as he could, or he could run and grab the staff and use the disguise function to sneak by in plain sight.  Looking around, at the windows that were around the house he deadpanned as he figured out the windows would be too small for him to fit through, So that left him with one option. The Wraith made a mad dash for the staff, he was surprised that the antivenom that Fluttershy had given him worked so well almost as if it never happened, but that didn't slow him down. The Wraith was almost there but before he could grab it the front door opened blocking him from the staff and revealing two shocked mares at the doorstep. The Wraith couldn't slow down or stop due to how much momentum he had made, so in order to not make these two mares bowling pins he went into a dive roll. Both mares were frozen in place unsure what was going on in front of them. The Wraith jumped over them and landed on the ground performing a roll. “What in tarnation?” said the orange mare in the stenson. The sky blue mare recovered from her stupor and scowled at the Wraith. “What are you and what have you done with Fluttershy?” demanded the sky blue mare. The Wraith thought for a sec and then spoke. “Ok first off chill and secondly sh-” before he could finish,   The sky blue mare went into attack mode and flew directly at him. Her speed looked comparable to a missle. There was only one tool that could help him dodge her attacks. “SID target and calculate!” said the Wraith Command acknowledged! S.I.D. was a coined term which meant it had two uses within its abbreviation it either stood for Strategic Interface Display or Strategic Information Database that was a function in his mask that aided him in crime fighting it had numerous functions including but not limited to calculating speeds of a moving object or Help him determine the best course of action based on past events.  He waited for the moment that SID finished calculating then would tell him when to move. Calculations complete! Move to the right! He did as it told him to and the mare missed him by an inch. The sky blue mare came around for a second attack run but was stopped by the orange mare who surprisingly had a rope in her mouth. “What the hey was that for Applejack?” Yelled the sky blue mare at the orange mare who The Wraith could tie a name to. “Rainbow listen go warn twilight and I’ll handle this thing” said Applejack Rainbow tried to argue but agreed and flew off towards town. “Now yall are gonna tell me what yall did with Fluttershy” said AppleJack Twilight was in her library reading one of the many books the golden oaks library had to offer, when Rainbow Dash burst through the door. “Twilight we’ve got trouble over at Fluttershy’s there's some big thing over there and both me and AppleJack believe it did something to her.” “Lets go!” Twilight immediately responded following Rainbow Dash. As they arrived at the open field Twilight and Rainbow Dash watched as AppleJack tried to wrangle the tall black bipedal being but it kept slipping by her rope almost as if it knew what she was going to do before she did it. “Rainbow Dash help AppleJack distract it while I work on a knockout spell” Twilight said Rainbow Dash took her hoof and saluted before going off to aid AppleJack. Apple Jack was a persistent mare That much The Wraith could gather, even though what she was doing was futile, With the aid of SID. He could dodge and weave around her attacks with less effort then he’d usually do in the city. “Attention, unknown object approaching at a high velocity” SID alerted him but by then it was too late as Rainbow got the drop on him and struck him from behind, having him fall to the ground. “Damn, that actually hurt” The Wraith said trying to get back up but couldn't due to Rainbow being on top of him. “You’re not going anywhere not till you tell us where Fluttershy is!” said Rainbow “She's upstairs in her room, asleep!” grunted The Wraith. “Now why didnt yall say so” replied Apple Jack.  “Because neither of you would let me finish when you asked before” the Wraith fired back. However before The Wraith could say anything else his eyelids began to feel very heavy. “What the hell did yo-” The Wraith was out like a light before he could finish. Twilight had walked up beside The Wraith with a smile on her face happy that everything had worked out. “Well twilight what should we do with this thing” asked Rainbow Dash. “we’ll take back to the library and question its intentions for being here.” Twilight said matter of factly. However before they could move the Wraith anywhere out came Fluttershy from her house with a shocked expression on her face. “What have you done.” Fluttershy stammered. The Wraith was standing in a void of nothing but darkness. He was unsure if this was a dream or something else entirely. He contemplated what was going on until he heard a voice. “You don't have to sit here you know” came a familare nervous voice. “Isaac?” he said aloud. That wasn't the regular Isaac he knew, that was the Isaac he went to High School with after the “incident” happened. Then came his voice. “Well, I don't see a problem sitting with you, do you?” came a calm and friendly voice that the Wraith knew was himself at an early age. “Well… no, but you could sit with the popular kids since your well… um... wealthy” Isaac stuttered out. The Wraith remembered this day, this was his first time going to a public high school after convincing his guardian to do a public school rather than a private school, because he couldn't stand how the teachers acted and behaved. They thought they were above everyone else because of their financial status. “You know, while I may be rich it doesn't mean I’m not human enough to be courteous to my fellow man, by the way, what is your name?” “Isaac, Isaac Evers.” he could hear Isaac lose his nervousness and gain a little confidence in his voice. “My name is James, James Miller.” The Wraith could feel himself smiling for the first time in a while. However, when the voices died the void began to fade taking him along with it. The Wraith could feel himself coming to, but taking his senses into account, with the position he was laying in along with the cushion that was underneath him, he decided to continue the act and listen in on what was going on around him, and it didn’t take long either. Approaching hoof steps indicated something was coming towards him. “So twi, have you learned anything from this thing?” came the voice that The Wraith recognised as Apple Jack “Well not really, I can't find anything like him in any of my books” that was one voice he didn’t know “The closest I could find was a minotaur but I don’t think that's it” “Well if it's not a minotaur, then what is it twilight?” that voice he recognized as rainbow Huh, minotaurs exist here too, well it's not like I am surprised. The Wraith thought to himself. “Well whatever it is I HOPE IT LIKES CUPCAKES!” What the hell…. The Wraith thought again. “Well darling, all I can say its tastes in fashion are absolutely horrid.” came a posh voice  Well of course my suit isn’t fashionable. I fight crime, not crimes of fashion.  “Well… um he’s actually a um human...” came the quiet voice of Fluttershy The whole room turned silent which the Wraith could only guess all the mares were looking at Fluttershy. “How do you know that Fluttershy” came that voice rainbow called twilight.  The girls all looked at Fluttershy questioning looks on their faces. “Well... um... I….” Even with his eyes closed He knew exactly what they were gonna do next. The Wraith had enough of this. “She knows because I told her!” the Wraith said. The girls turn around to see The Wraith sitting up right. “I don't appreciate you ganging up on her like that!” The Wraith stated annoyance present in his voice. The girls took a few seconds to apologize before turning their attention to The Wraith. “Before we start anything else may I ask for your names so that I can refer to you correctly.” The Wraith asked. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, owner of the Library you see here and student of Princess Celestia.” Twilight said starting off. Interesting, I'll be sure to remember that for later. The Wraith thought Then came the pink one. “HI I'M PINKIE PIE, Ponyville’S PREMIER PARTY PONY I CAN'T WAIT TO START PLANNING YOUR PARTY” Pinkie Pie said before she went off on a tangent that seemed to go on forever. The Wraith was about to go on to the next pony, but before he could he could feel something touching him on his left leg. He looked down and saw the white pony running her hoof through his uniform. “If you're gonna feel me up like that at least invite me to dinner first.” the Wraith said.  The white mare blushed realising what she was doing and stopped. “Sorry darling I could help but try and figure out what kind of fabric you are wearing, while I don't like the color the fabric itself is extremely durable” “That's because it's kevlar, mixed with a few other fabrics” The Wraith said. The white mare seemed fascinated about what he was saying, but he had to move on.   “I can tell you more later but can I ask what your name is?” the Wraith asked. “My name is Rarity” she said. “Thank you!” the Wraith replied. It was at that point the orange mare approached him he already knew her name but he continued being formal. Mah name is Apple Jack  and listen here Just because I’m telling you mah name doesn't mean I trust ya.” Applejack  said with a glare. “I can respect that.” the Wraith replied. Last was the sky blue pegasus “My name is Rainbow Dash. I'm the fastest flyer in Equestria,” Rainbow said with confidence. Someone's got an ego. The Wraith thought. The Wraith looked over to Fluttershy “Don’t worry Fluttershy I already know who you are, by the way thanks for your help” “Your... um…. Welcome”Fluttershy said with a small smile on her face. “Now let's address what we're here for.” stated the Wraith “So you brought me here for a reason, care to explain what that is?” The Wraith inquired. Twilight walked up and cleared her throat. “Well we would like to know who you are and why you are here?” Twilight asked “Right to the point then eh, ok then. Starting off I am the Wraith. ” The Wraith started. “What kind of a name is that?” asked Rainbow Dash.  “It’s a name I use to put fear into those who do evil!” The Wraith answered. “Like what kind of evil?” asked the Pinkie Pie. “The kind that keeps you awake at night, that ever present feeling that something could come through the front door and do whatever it pleases, and there would be nothing you can do to stop it.” the Wraith took a breath and continued. “That’s where I come in, I am the shadow that stalks the night, my eyes strike fear into evils might, my fists deliver judgement as I fight, they will not escape my sight hear my name, know my name, I am the wraith!” The Wraith said with a heavy sense of Passion behind his words. “So are y'all some kind of superhero or something?” asked Apple Jack.  “In some ways yes, but I prefer the term vigilante.” The Wraith answered. “Wait I remember reading something in the paper a few days ago about a weird creature saving Fleur de lis from, as the papers put it an infamous stallion, was that you?”  asked Twilight. “Yes, that was me.” the Wraith replied. “Your other question to why I am here is hard to answer because I don't know myself.” The Wraith stated. He did know why he was here but he was unsure about sharing that info to the girls. Maybe at some point he would share that but not now.  The girls all seemed to be deep in thought as they processed what they heard. “So now that I’ve answered your questions, what do I do from here?” asked the Wraith. “Well, I’ve sent a letter to Princess Celestia I am waiting to hear back from her so we can discuss further details but if you like you can stay here for the night.” said Twilight. God Damn it, well there went my cover now one of the princesses knows of my existence the Wraith thought. It also looks like I don't have very many options here might as well sit it out until the princess arrives. The Wraith pondered. Later that night Several hours after sun down the girls had left all to their respective homes leaving both the Wraith and Twilight to themselves.  Twilight offered him a place to rest on her couch which he accepted. Everything was quiet nothing was going on outside no sirens or anything normally this would put anyone to sleep but not The Wraith. Being a city boy, he was used to those sounds. It was driving him a tad bit crazy but he knew there was nothing he could do about it. Making it all the more harder to fall asleep. So he decided to head outside and clear his mind. “Not a peep in this town, sure makes me miss Newport...” The Wraith walked through town not expecting much from this medieval style town till He saw what looked like hooded figures walking towards the only building with a light on. Now this could mean several things but he had a gut feeling something wasn't right about this. He followed those figures to a small cottage in the town. “Brothers I’m glad you could all come under short notice” The Wraith could hear beyond the door. “We know you wanted to tell us something of importance headmaster” The Wraith in order to keep listening in on the  conversation decided to head for a window instead of the door in case one of them decided to come out. He attached a small listening device to the window to make the details sound more clear. Yes, tomorrow night will be the night we save Equestria from Nightmare Moon once and for all.”  “yes, tomorrow we will kill Princess Luna.”