//------------------------------// // Revelations // Story: Silver Spirit, Ghost of Equestria. // by Powerdrainer //------------------------------// Edited by Slayerseba, Halusm, and Clawder. Revelations <<>><<>><<>> "Gha- What is that smell?" asked Sweetie Belle as she and Erlea followed after Danny; the tall biped moving with long strides, face set. "You don't want to know," Erlea answered darkly, as they watched Danny cross a bridge connecting their stalactite with another. "But you'll find out soon enough," she added as they passed as well, and the smell became that much worse. Gagging, Sweetie Belle came to a dead stop, backing away immediately to escape the horrid stench while her eyes shifted from left to right to find the source.  When she did, she almost threw up. Bodies. Hundreds of them. Thousands. All of them just lying there, rotting. "What…" she gasped, holding her hoof over her nose to try and block the smell. Part of her wanting to block her eyes as well, but shock kept her from doing so. "We could barely take care of the sick with how few were still able to help," Erlea said, looking at the numerous dead, eyes void of emotion. "There wasn't anyling who could take care of them after they died, so we put them in Despair instead." "Despair?" Sweetie Belle's voice cracked. "What else would you call this place?" She couldn't answer, and both watched as Danny crossed the distance, ignoring the stench of rot and decay, then came to a stop before the bodies, standing completely unmoving for almost a minute; fists shaking. "ASTINA! I ASK YOU TO SHOW YOURSELF!" he suddenly shouted, and both fillies jolted back from the anger, near rage they heard in his voice. Both watched in silence as he continued, only to come to an abrupt stop. The air, suddenly freezing, and their breaths formed clouds in the air.  Then it appeared, and both Sweetie Belle and Erlea tumbled back in fright. <<>><<>><<>> A small cloud blew from Danny's mouth, stopping him mid-sentence as he slowly turned around, coming face to face with an ash gray skull only inches away. He didn't panic nor scream, but he couldn't stop himself from taking several steps back, arms raising in reflex, hands aglow.  Before he could do anything else, however, the entity now before him, spoke. "Phantom," it said with a distinctively feminine, dual-toned hiss, so cold it could shatter steel.  "Astina, I presume," Danny said, taking in the creature before him.  The voice sounded female, which was also the only clue Danny got to the gender of this reaper as, much like Mort, she was nothing but a skeleton. Or, more precisely, exo-skeleton.  She stood as tall as Chrysalis, but her entire body was composed out of nothing more than ash gray chitinous plates with empty voids where normally the soft tissue could be seen, while her wings were nothing more than spectral wisps flowing over her back However, it was her eyes that genuinely drew his attention.  Two small dots of piercing red shining deep within the empty sockets, while green tears flowed down without stop. The entity moved closer instantly, closing the gap Danny had made between them while her eyes bore into his, and Danny felt his knees go weak.  "What do you want?!" she demanded. "To help." "Why?!" "Because they need it." "From you!?" "No… from you," he shot back, glaring back at her with green glowing eyes.  For nearly a minute, they stood silent, glaring back at one another, then she spoke: "I have watched for untold centuries, the pain, the suffering, the injustice, all of it. No one helped when they asked, and no one helped on their own. No one!" her voice was akin to a glacial storm. "Not a single one," her tone softened as she stepped away, "until now...." She was silent for a moment, the glowing dots in her eyes' sockets fading, then returned as she 'blinked.’ "I am Astina, collector of changeling souls." Danny relaxed his stance, nodded, then glanced over his shoulder at the bodies.  "This needs to stop," he said. "Something as atrocious like this shouldn't even be allowed to happen in the first place, and the one responsible must answer for what she has done. But on my own, this is almost an impossible task. I could really use your help. They could use your help." "To do what, exactly?" Danny looked back at her. "To confront Celestia." A hollow laugh escaped Astina.  "Confront the soul stained. If only it was that easy." "Soul stained?" Danny repeated, confused. "The touch of death," she said, tracing a hollow hoof over his chest, "held within the soul of the living. Just like you, Daniel Phantom." Danny's eyes widened, and he took a step back in shock. "You mean… they're like me? They're ghosts?!" "In a way," Astina said, setting her hoof down. "Only different. They can't become a ghost, like you, their transformation is their physical self." Danny's mind was awhirl, eyes shifting from left to right as he processed this unexpected revelation. "This changes nothing," he said finally. "The lies and crimes Celestia committed must be exposed, not to mention the role Luna had in this as well. You can't let your fear for them stop you from doing what is right." "Fear them?" Astina said in mock surprise. "No, Phantom, I do not fear them. I hate them," her eyes burned bright. "I can forgive Luna for her fall in corruption by Fenrir, but it was her weakness that allowed this to happen in the first place. But the changelings might have been able to recover, had it not been for Celestia." "Then why do you not want to confront them? Reveal the truth to all." "Because of that which made them." "Made them?" "Ah, of course, you don't know," Astina shook her head. "Life and death do not mix naturally. It's one, or the other, but never both at once. Not unless something or someone makes it so. Them, you, Sweetie Belle, Dani, Vlad. None of you are what you are through an accident. And whether it was through the push of a button, an illegal clone, or summoning a ghost, you were created because that is what Destiny demanded for you to happen." Danny stood silent, mouth agape, not prepared at all for what he was hearing.  "My accident was no accident?" he said in disbelief. "How, why… and by who?"  "I already told you," Astina said bitterly. "Destiny," she spat.  Now Danny's disbelief turned to skepticism, frowning deeply. "What? That makes no sense. We make our own destiny." "Oh, such a foolish notion. What little measure of control you think you have is nothing more than an illusion. Everything that has happened, it happened because it was going to happen. And all happened in response to a previous instance; just one link after the next in this endless chain, binding everything together. Pushing and pulling us where we need to be, even if we don't wish to be there. We're all slaves, Daniel Fenton. Chained from the moment we came to be." "No," Danny stated firmly, eyes burning. "I refuse to believe that. All of us are free to choose, good or bad." "Ignorance may be bliss, Phantom. But this does not change facts. And you're a fool for thinking otherwise." "A fool I may be, but at least I'm no coward," he shot back. "I called you here to help, expecting to find someone willing to make a difference. Someone who knows the pain and suffering that has happened here, which is still happening, like no other. Instead, I find you endlessly crying, but unwilling to do anything about this misery because you believe you have no choice. And in doing so, you are just as much responsible for what happened here, if not more so than Celestia-" A wall of force slammed into him, pushing him back several body lengths and close to the far too low railing separating him from the abyss below; raising his arms in a belated response to shield his face while Astina slowly, menacingly approached; her eyes a blazing red of fury.  "Know your place, Halfa!" she seethed through teeth while the walkway underneath them began to crack and crumble.  "My place is right here," he returned with a growl as the force of her might continue to push into him. Gritting his teeth, he pushed towards her one challenging step after the other. "Because I will not stand by idly when others are dying! And instead of making a difference yourself, you are now lashing out at one of the few who are willing to try. And don't tell me it is destiny that makes you do this because this is the choice you made yourself; to deny the help the changelings need, and allowing more of them to die. And I," he took another step forward, "Will not," another step, "ALLOW YOU," and another, "TO HARM THEM!"  Thumb Thumb <<>><<>><<>> Erlea and Sweetie Belle watched in silence, shocked, confused, and terrified.  Neither of them knew what to expect; Erlea not even expecting much, to begin with. The stories of Astina being just that, stories. A pleasant lie to tell those dying that they wouldn't be alone, that Astina would be there to take them; guide them; comfort them.  Never in her short life had she considered she could be real. And never had she imagined she looked like… that. A shiver ran down her spine as she looked at the exo-skeletal being, and the fear she felt radiating off of Sweetie Belle told her just as much.  For a moment, the thought of Sweetie Belle consuming this fear crossed her mind, but any notion of this was swept away the second Astina lashed out at Danny. But it was what happened next that wholly obliterated any semblance of coherent thought when Danny pushed back at whatever unseen force she brought down upon him. "And I. Will not. ALLOW YOU. TO HARM THEM!"  Thumb Thumb "Wha-?" Erlea felt dazed. In a blur of motion, Danny lashed out and punched Astina in the muzzle, his glowing green eyes shifting to pure blue-white for a full second, wisps of the same colored energy seeping from the corners before reverting to normal. **** Flying ahead to lead Snow Dune and Hailstorm through the forest, a groan escaped Danny as a strange sensation washed over him. Shaking his head, neither he nor the giants noticed the wisp of pure blue-white come from the corners of his eyes. **** Danny, lost amidst the voices of ages past as Celestia's lifebook revealed all to him, was unaware of the sudden ache in his eyes. In contrast, the Librarian, with him when the book reacted to Danny, was blinded by its energetic light, unable to see the wisps of energy flowing from Danny's eyes. **** Having just left behind the library to return home and get a better look at the mess he was almost sure Dani had made, Danny found himself watching the retreating forms of all the others as they returned to their own homes; the streets otherwise empty as the other villagers were still hiding in their homes. "I still don't think this is a good idea, Danny," he heard Twilight say behind him as she closed the door.  A grunt escaped Danny as he held a hand against his head, eyes clenched shut as a strange sensation washed over him. A small wisp of energy wisping from the corners of his eyes. Sure her door was adequately locked, Twilight turned to Danny. "Please think about this, Danny. It would be much safer to stay here with me." The sensation was gone as quick as it occurred, and Danny looked down at the frowning mare, smiling reassuringly at her. Neither of them noticed Owlicious, perched on the balcony's railing, watching him with interest.  A look mirrored by Necky as he watched the pair through her bedroom window.  **** It only took mere seconds, yet it seemed like hours as Erlea, and Sweetie Belle watched Danny punch Death in the face. The time after that seemed to last even longer as Danny and Astina both stood unmoving; his fist still planted firmly against her muzzle, while she, pushed back by the unexpected force, stood cross-eyed, staring at his fist. Slowly Danny withdrew his hand, revealing a small crack in Astina's chitin where he struck. Lifting a hoof, she carefully touched the damage, eyes wide as her sight shifted to Danny, standing firm, and ready to strike at a moment's notice. "I will fight for them, even if that means I must fight you as well." "So it is true," Astina said quietly, lowering her hoof; the crack in her muzzle gone."I apologize for my earlier behavior, but I had to make sure." Danny shifted his stance, confused by this sudden turn in behavior. "Make sure of what?" "There are many who say they will do something, but there are few who hold to their word when the task proves more difficult than anticipated. I needed to know which one you are, before entrusting the fate of all changelings onto you. They are but one disaster away from extinction, and I cannot take any chances on good faith alone." "You tested me?"  "I did." "By making me fight you?" he asked, blinked, then his eyes grew wide in realization. "I just punched Death in the face." Astina chuckled, shaking her head. "I am not Death, Phantom. We reapers do not kill our charges. We guide their souls after Death comes for them." "... Then was everything you just said a lie to get me angry?" "No, most of what I said was true." "Most?"  "We may be free to choose, but our choices do not come free. And there are rules to follow. Rules neither I, nor my fellow reapers can circumvent without there being a reaction." "A reaction from what… who?" "Destiny." "But you said Destiny doesn't allow you to choose, while just now you said you could. Which one is it?" "Both," she stepped closer. "I could have chosen not to reveal myself to you, remaining nothing more than a story to my charges and allowing things to continue as they have for so long. Instead, I chose to break this rule and face uncertainty by placing my trust in you, hoping you will hold to your word." "So, no pressure there, huh?" "As I said, our choices do not come free." "But will you face Celestia?" Astina turned around, looking away into the distance. "You claimed to have met Mort, the one ponies have as their reaper. Correct?" "I did, yes, for a short moment. Neither of us expected to do so… Why?" "He was there when they turned Celestia and Luna." "He made them!?" Danny asked, shocked. "No, he did not," she turned back around. "As I said, we are chained. Forced to do things we may not wish to do. The only difference between you and I was, I was aware of this, you were not. And while he could have chosen not to aid in their transformation, the alternative would have been even more catastrophic." "Why do I feel I'm going to regret asking this, but what do you mean?" "Discord," was all she said. "Ehh…?" Astina looked away again. "You'll find out soon enough." Danny sighed out, dragging a hand down his face. "Always with the unanswered questions," he muttered. "And speaking of which," he stepped around Astina, back into view. "Will you help me, them, and face Celestia?" "The rules forbid me to interact with the mortal world in any way, other than to help the recently departed." "Like you're doing now?" he crossed his arms, cocking an eyebrow. "I choose to break this rule." "So, yes or no?" Astina walked past him, towards the bridge, seeing the two fillies on the other side, hiding behind the guard railing, peeking back at her.  In silence, she crossed the bridge and approached the two fillies who tried to make themselves as small as possible as Astina towered over them. "Rest assured, children," she spoke to them. "No more changelings will die of the sickness." Erlea gasped, looking up at the reaper, unable to speak to words stuck in her mouth. "Your mother will wake up soon," she added reassuringly.  "So, a yes," Danny noted, standing behind her. Once again, Astina looked out into the distance. "When the time comes, call for me, and I shall answer." She vanished without a trace. <<>><<>><<>> "It's over here," Danny called out, pointing the two giants towards the herd of windigos from the air.  Snow Dune and Hailstorm, both moving with long strides, panted heavily; the high temperature and their thick fur a terrible combination which they ignored in favor of helping both their brother and the Great One.  Besides, it wasn't like they would die from heatstroke.  Even then, they did not desire to remain in this sweltering heat for any longer than they had to as the sun-dried, barren ground cracked underneath their feet with each substantial step they took, kicking up small clouds of dust as they climbed up a hill; able to see the partially molten slate of snow and ice just a short run ahead before they reached the top.  Not long after their first sight, both giants stepped into the white mush with a sigh of contentment at its cooling effect on their soles.  "Snow Dune, Hailstorm? What brings you here?" Wind Chill approached, pushing through the herd of spectral equines.  "I brought them here," Danny answered. "Thought you could use the help bringing the windigos back to the Far Frozen without having to break your honor bond." "It is as the Great One says, Wind Chill," Hailstorm added. "His desire to help others include you as well." "You honor me with your selfless thoughts for others," Wind Chill rumbled gratefully, bowing to him.  Danny had to keep himself from rolling his eyes and instead turned to the other two giants. "The windigos are over there, obviously. Wind Chill had some time to adjust to the warmth, you have not, so do you want to take them now, or do you need to cool down first?" "The warmth is bothersome, but nothing we can't deal with. We will waste no time to remove this burden from both your shoulders," Snow Dune answered as he and Hailstorm approached the herd.  "Did you identify the herd's leader?" Hailstorm asked, looking at Wind Chill. "I believe I have, though it was of great surprise to me when I did," Wind Chill replied. "How so?" "It would seem this herd does not answer to a stallion or mare of stature or strength, but one small enough to be mistaken for a foal." "... Please don't tell me it's the same windigo Scootaloo managed to ride. The last I need right now is a herd of spectral ice horses answering to the whims of a child unaware she managed to tame the herd's leader," Danny groaned, hand placed against his head, already knowing the answer. "Eeuh… I would not know about this, Great One," Wind Chill looked confused. "Right, you weren't there then," Danny sighed. "Long story short. Scootaloo managed to, somehow, gain the thrust of a small windigo, climb on her back, and, again somehow, find a way to control and fly her. And the rest of the herd followed." Silence. "Yeah, that's what I thought," Danny shook his head. "Please take them back to the Far Frozen before they decide to seek her out. Ponyville is a ghost scared mess enough as is. Should these guys show up unannounced, even I wouldn't be able to clean up that disaster." "Say no more," Snow Dune answered readily, while Wind Chill pointed out the familiar, small windigo Danny recalled Scootaloo riding last night.  "And while you do that, I will remove the tracks I noticed were left in the ground," Danny added. "No need to leave a trail for any ghost hunter to find." "Good thinking, Great One," Hailstorm praised as the herd began to move. "Just keep them low to the ground," Danny pointed out as he saw the first of the windigos take to the sky. "We have no idea where the ghost hunter I saw before is, and the last we want is her seeing a ghost fly above the forest." ""Understood,"" both giants confirmed. "And Wind Chill, could you please remove all this snow and ice that hasn't already melted? It also sticks out like a sore thumb." "Of course, Danny. It shall be done." "Good," Danny nodded, satisfied. "Then, shall we go?" he asked Snow Dune and Hailstorm, both confirming their readiness to leave. "Great. One large mass of ghosts to sneak past an observant ghost hunter," he muttered, more to himself than the others. "What could possibly go wrong with that?" <<>><<>><<>> It had only been minutes after Astina left, but the impression she made lasted far longer as Erlea was unable to move or speak; too shocked by the revelation the collector of souls was real. And she talked to her! Promising noling else would die and her mother would wake up.  All of it was too much for the young shapeshifter, and no sooner had Astina disappeared, she passed out.  Now she slowly came to by a strange, rhythmic bouncing, still needing several minutes even to realize this bouncing happened in the first place. "Whu-" she slurred, legs twitching, and the bouncing stopped. "Well, hello there," she heard Danny say from a surprisingly close distance. "Glad to see you're still with us." Opening her eyes, blinking owlishly, it took her a moment to figure out what it was she was looking at. "Up here," Danny said with humor. "Wha-" she did as he said, and she shifted her sight from Danny's unshaved chin to his eyes a bit higher up. "Huh?" she blinked, clearing her vision. "What?" "You gave us a bit of a scare there," he said. "Are you alright?" "What happened?" she asked, realizing Danny held her in his arms against his chest and tried to push away.  Lowering himself, he allowed Erlea to jump down.  "You fainted," Sweetie Belle answered. "I guess after everything that has happened, you just couldn't take any more." Danny supplied. "And with how tired you must have been, you just shut down. Can't say I blame you. Your world has changed drastically over the last twenty-four hours. I know what that's like. I had quite a bit of a panic attack when I first became a ghost." "Yeah," Sweetie Belle muttered quietly, looking down at her hooves. "Tell me about it." Danny put a comforting hand on both their heads, both looking up at him.  "Hey, no need to be down like that," he smiled at Sweetie Belle. "You both have been dealt a harsh blow, but that's in the past. Together we will make a better tomorrow, and let's not forget the good news we were just told. No other changeling will die from the sickness, and-" he now looked at Erlea "-your mother should wake up soon. So why don't we go to her, help her get back on her hooves, and do the same for all of the others?" Neither Sweetie Belle nor Erlea said anything as they looked up at the human doing his best to comfort them, to help them, all of them despite the overwhelming odds against them. Inspiring confidence and hope with his words as much as with his smile, and both fillies nodded. "Okay," he stood back up, "let's get going then, shall we?" he said, and all three continued, following the curve of the walkway circling the stalactite, then crossed the bridge connecting to another.  As they did, Despair came back into view, and Danny's hardened gaze lingered on the structure, and the horror it contained.  'And once the living are saved, I'll make sure you will be too.' <<>><<>><<>> With a 'WHAM', Celestia's Lifebook slammed to the floor, its blinding light gone, and Danny fell to his knees, breathing heavily. "Daniel, are you alright? What did the book tell you?" the Librarian rushed to his side.  Danny fell forwards, catching himself with his hands, slamming the floor with a fist as this newly gained knowledge sunk correctly in.  Already burdened by the experience of the Murgröna, he now knew the terrible truth of both sides. And with it, a burning desire to punch something.  "It didn't show you, did it?" he asked, voice rough and angry. "It did not. And judging by your reaction, I am glad it hasn't," the Librarian replied. "Was it that bad?" Slowly pushing himself back on his feet, Danny grabbed the book with his levitation, pulling it towards him and glaring at the name on its cover.  "I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this-" he almost growled "-This is inexcusable." His grip on the book tightened as his hand shook in anger. "She could have stopped the suffering so many times, instead, making things worse and worse based on a lie she has accepted as truth herself." A hand on his shoulder pulled him out of his enraged thoughts, and he glared at the Librarian who hovered silently beside him. "Then, knowing all this, what will you do now?" "Reveal the truth, and expose Celestia for the monster she truly is." "And how do you plan on doing this? Surely not by storming the castle, so to speak, and shout it from the roofs. You are certainly angry enough for such a rash course of action, but I doubt it would yield the desired results." "No," Danny agreed, breathing hard. "No, it would not," he returned his glare to the book in his hand. "I need time to make a plan. And I have more important things that I must resolve first before I could even try to do this." He closed his eyes, breathing in and holding his breath for as long as he could. "Okay," he breathed out. "Right. First, save the changelings and help Sweetie Belle, then expose Celestia." "Sounds like the beginning of a plan," the Librarian said, an excited gleam in his eyes.  "Yes, yes, it does," Danny agreed. "Okay, with that sorted out, could you please give me some books about spirits and sirens. It will help with one of the problems." "Of course. Follow me," the Librarian told him. "One moment," Danny halted him. "Eclipse, can you inform my other selves I found Celestia and Luna's Lifebooks, and that I can read the important parts." "Most certainly, Danny," Eclipse's voice rose from the floor. "And there has been another development you might want to know about." "Oh?" he arched an eyebrow. "Your other self still in the Hive has managed to contact Astina, the changelings' reaper. She has agreed to confront Celestia when the time comes." "A reaper has agreed to help you!?" the Librarian shouted in shock, eyes wide. "So it would seem," Danny said with no humor. "Just how terrible is the injustice this Celestia has brought down upon those you try to help for a reaper to agree to such a thing?!" "You do not want to know," Danny answered darkly. "For if you did, you would want nothing more than to forget. Now, let's go and get those books." <<>><<>><<>> Two Phantoms hovered in the frigid air of the Far Frozen, one carrying a stack of books, the other unencumbered. Locking eyes, both nodded in silent agreement, and the ghost carrying the books flew to the portal, shimmering in the distance while the other moved to the frost giant's village. His arrival didn't go unnoticed either, and within moments the villagers had swarmed around him with renewed cheers of excitement. Their excitement was short-lived, however, as they saw his tense look, and a nervous silence quickly overtook the crowd.  "Great One," Frostbite approached, worried. "Were you not successful in your endeavor?" "Unfortunately, I was," Danny answered. "Which is why we need that conversation I mentioned before now." His eyes locked on Frostbite's ice forged arm, and he subconsciously clenched his hand.  Danny's eyes shifted from toxic green into icy blue while his skin grew paler and paler; ice beginning to build as he sucked in the cold around him, and before long, he stood before the giants as the ice behemoth he recently learned he could become. A gasp of shock rippled through the crowd around him as they stared wide-eyed at the ice forged human, still smaller in stature than even the smallest giant, but a great deal more imposing than what he had just been before. "Great One," Frostbite said almost in reverent awe. "I only recently learned how to do this, and have only some control over it." Danny told him with a rumbling voice. "But if I want to expose the lie that has devastated the lives of so many, I need every advantage I can get. Frostbite," his eyes locked with the village leader, "please help me master this ability." Frostbite's look of awe and amazement slowly turned to resolute conviction at Danny's request, and he gave a firm nod in agreement. "It would be my honor, Great One. I will teach you about Frostbite," he loudly closed his frozen fist with an aggressive snap. "And the power it possesses." <<>><<>><<>> Cleaning up the prints left behind from the numerous times he and the others traversed from the forest to the Hive, and back was easy enough, which left him with the task of ensuring no-one would be in a position to see the enormous procession of ghosts moving through the forest. As such, Danny scouted ahead, moving through the woods in search of any sign of Maud, or any other ghost hunter prowling the area.  He wasn't confident what he could do should he have a run-in with Maud. She had proven to be extremely capable, and he didn't think he would have the chance to possess her and turn a blind eye. And even if he could somehow get the drop on her, she would undoubtedly know something had happened after he left her, which would not aid in how she thought of ghosts in general.  Worse still was the possibility of other capable hunters out and about.  Eclipse hadn't said anything about this, but the possibility was there. Just like with ghosts, if there is one, there usually are more. And if these potential hunters were of the same caliber as Maud, then this would prove to be a real pain in the backside for him and the group of ghosts now coming up behind.  So far, though, the general area seemed clear. But having been a ghost for long enough, he knew that it seeming clear was not the same as it being clear.  Keeping his eyes open and ears at attention, he crossed a murky stream, phased through a particularly nasty-looking tree, looked inside several thorny bushes, checked the branches up above, and surveyed the area in general. Nothing. 'I don't trust this,' he thought. 'Not following after me after our first encounter I can understand, but by now I would expect some kind of response.' 'Such as?' Eclipse asked.  'Don’t know. Something, anything.' 'You would be right in your expectations,' Fenris spoke up, a hint of annoyance in his voice. 'Yet you search the forest without utilizing all your senses.' 'What do you me-' Danny stopped mid-sentence. 'Of course. How could I forget?' Dropping down to the ground, he stood silent, eyes closed. Waiting, listening, breathing. Inhale. He could feel the damp air on his skin. Exhale. He heard the creaking of swinging branches up above. Inhale. A faint rumble traveled from the ground up to his feet as the windigos drew near. Exhale. Rustling in the leaves around him alerted him to the presence of moving creatures. Inhale. A muffled mechanical whir reminiscent of a blaster charging could be heard from his left. Exhale. The telltale sound of a thermos being uncapped came from the same location; its sound suppressed with great care. Inhale. Leaves began to rustle. Exhale. Eclipse spoke to him. Inhale. His eyes snapped open, and he leaped backward as a bolt of green glowing energy flew through the air where his chest was split second prior. Still invisible but not intangible, the sudden movement in the leaf and twig covered dirt gave away his new position to Maud as she leaped out of a bush Danny was sure he had inspected just moments before. "You're good. I'll give you that," he said as he rapidly flew into the air, a trio of bolts impacting the ground he just left. "But you're fighting the wrong ghost, I'm afraid." Maud didn't reply as she tracked his voice with her blaster, her eyes cold, calculating, but an intense fire burning deep within.  "Look," Danny said, and Maud snapped to her right but kept from firing a bolt, knowing the ghost had already moved. "I don't know what happened to you in Baltimare," he continued, now on Maud's left side. "But it's obvious it was bad. And I don't blame you for your anger and hate," he quickly moved position again as twin bolts of energy were fired, subtly moving further and further away from Snow Dune, Hailstorm, and the windigoes, hopefully drawing Maud away as he did. At least the sound of the blaster discharge would alert the giants before they drew too close. "But there are good ghosts as well out there, but you wouldn't know that because they like to keep to themselves." "Don't think I'm stupid, ghost," Maud almost hissed. "Your attempt to lure me into a trap is obvious." A tired sigh came from behind her, and she whirled around to face this monster, seeing a pair of green glowing eyes looking down at her with pity. She fired a sustained burst of energy at his center mass, only for her to hit a tree further back. "Intangibility," she spat. "Actually, I'm hanging upside down," she could hear the shrug in his voice. "The other hunters made the same mistake, so don't blame yourself for that, but-" another burst of energy came his way, this time above the eyes; the shots passing harmlessly through Danny. "Okay, now I am intangible." Maud secured her stance, teeth bare. "Really, how long does this need to go on before you realize I haven't even fired a single shot at you? I really don't want to hurt you, even if you think I do. All I want is to talk. Just talk. No tricks, mind control, possession, or other things harmful." A swirling beam of blue energy was fired his way as Maud held her thermos, but Danny had already moved out of the way before she had the chance to fire. "And now you must think I'm trying to gain you trust just to betray you later, I guess," he shook his head. "I guess it can't be helped," he once more dodged another attempt at capture. "Look, believe it or not, but we're on the same team. You protect others from ghosts. I protect others from ghosts. There is no need for all this hostility." Maud glared hard at her invisible foe, following its movement through the sound of its voice. Then, a faint twitch in her left ear and her glare increased. "So you say," she said coldly, rolling away to the side, "But I hear the other ghost sneaking up behind me," and she fired her blaster at the empty air behind her. A tired sigh came from her right. "You're good. Very good. Unfortunately, you're also blinded by your hatred," the ghost said, coming from her left and far too close. She reacted in an instant and swung her blaster towards her enemy. Before she even had a chance to fire, though, a green aura surrounded the weapon, and it was ripped out of her grasp, clattering to the ground several body lengths away, disappearing in between a tangle of tree roots.  Not allowing this to stop her, she quickly shifted to her thermos, only to find it already gone.  A thud on the ground pulled her attention to the device as it was flung towards the blaster, the roots suddenly freezing over and encasing the devices under a thick layer of ice. Maud growled as she leaped away, eyes moving from left to right as she scanned the forest while her ears stood up at attention, listening for any sound that would give away the ghosts’ new position. "Okay, now that you aren't able to shoot at either one of us, let's try this again," Danny said as he dropped to the ground with noise, his doppelganger flying off to inform the giants; Maud's eyes locking on to the shifting and crunched leaves on the ground several meters before her. "Whatever trick you try on me, it won't work, ghost," Maud spat as she lowered herself, legs tense and ready to leap into action.  Danny sighed, shaking his head. Unseen by Maud, of course.  "This isn't going to work. So I guess you just have to see," Danny said as he reached out with his telekinesis, pulling the ghost scanner out of a pocket of Maud's suit who followed it carefully with her eyes; ears still strained on the entity before her. With a flick of his hand, the device activated, and a shrill alarm sounded like a massive gathering of spectral entities was detected. Maud's eyes widened in alarm, her legs shifting as she nearly lost her balance. "Right now, a large gathering of ghosts is approaching. Don't know the exact number, didn't count them. But there are more than just you can deal with on your own. The thing is, these ghosts are mere animals. Not particularly smart, but more than capable of causing a lot of damage if left unchecked. My friends and I are keeping them under control as we move them back to where they belong, but should they be attacked… Well, let's just say it would be in the best interest of everyone, you, me, the mortals living in the village further back, that this doesn't happen."  Danny paused for a moment, allowing Maud to digest this sudden revelation. "Now, there are a few ways this can go. One, you don't believe me and act accordingly. While I would understand it, should you do this, do know my associates, or I will have no choice but to fight you then. None of us want to, but we will if we have to. Two, you don't believe me, retreat to report what has happened here and call for reinforcements. No doubt, you will get them, but we will be long gone by then, and you will have learned nothing worthwhile. Or three, you take a chance and believe me when I say we mean you no harm. We move through here, you don't attack us and cause a potential disaster where a herd of windigos goes wild, and we all have a wonderful day." "Windigos?" Maud said quietly. "Yes," Danny confirmed. "Certainly changes key parts of your history, doesn't it?" "Lies!" "Why don't you find out for yourself," Danny shot back. "They should be here soon. So what do you choose? Fight, flight, or take a risk." Maud didn't answer, eyes still on the massive signal the scanner alerted her about, a shuddering breath escaping her, creating a small cloud before her as it drifted off. "What?" she gasped as more clouds formed, and she became increasingly aware of the growing chill in the air and the faint but growing tremor in the ground.  "I will repeat this, you have my word no harm will come to you, as long as you do not attack us," he reminded her. Maud's eyes flashed between the scanner, the invisible ghost standing before her, the distant, still obscured mass of ghosts approaching, and back to the scanner; her legs moving on their own while she was stuck in indecision and her mind frozen in fear. "But, you need to choose now!" And Maud chose. <<>><<>><<>> The runes around the onyx portal glowed brightly, and the rock melted away.  Danny, a hand aglow, waited for Erlea and Sweetie Belle to enter before stepping inside himself. "MOM!" Erlea cried out, running to her mother, who struggled to push herself up. Danny, too, moved to her side, catching her as her strength gave out and helped her as she tried to put her hooves underneath her. "Don't push yourself," he told her. "You're still weak." "Don't… tell me... what... to do," Chrysalis managed to gasp with effort. "My people need me." "Alive," Danny added firmly. "They need you alive, so don't push yourself past the tipping point, or you will be the first to die of something other than the sickness or hunger." Chrysalis didn't reply, only breathing hard, but her pointed glare spoke volumes. Even then, she relented and allowed him to push her into an upright position. A sudden wave of dizziness joined by nausea overcame her the moment she lifted her head, and she moaned sickly as she clenched her eyes shut, sitting still for several minutes where she focused on keeping her bile down through slow, deep breaths.  "Just take it easy," Danny said after she pried open her eyes. "Your daughter and her friends have done an amazing job taking care of the others, and they will keep doing so until you recover. No need to force yourself." "What kind of queen would I be if I didn't put the well being of my subjects before my own?" "A bad one," Danny said simply. "And in your current situation, a dead queen." "I… I can't say whether you're brave or stupid, talking to royalty like that." "Both," he answered readily. "And believe me, I've done a lot worse to royalty than merely telling the truth. Plan to do a lot worse, too. Once I have a plan to do it," he shook his head. "But that's not important right now." He slowly stepped away from Chrysalis after he was sure she wouldn't fall over, and Erlea immediately jumped on the bed to hug her mother. With a silent nudge with his leg, he motioned Sweetie Belle to the door, and they quietly left the two. "Danny," Chrysalis said weakly, and Danny turned to look at her. "That is your name, right?" he nodded, and her eyes drifted to Sweetie Belle. "And you are Sweetie Belle, sister of Rarity?" "Y-yes." Chrysalis closed her eyes as she laid her head back on the bed. "Thank you." <<>><<>><<>> "She ran, didn't she?" "Yeah." Both Dannys stood near the frozen tree roots where Maud's blaster and thermos lay sealed away, watching the progression of windigos as Snow Dune and Hailstorm herded them.  "Thanks for showing up when you did, though," one of them said half-jokingly. "I was in the neighborhood," the other replied with a shrug. "Still though," both looked at the frozen devices. "Why did she run? Because she truly thinks I was lying and went to sound the alarm or the trauma she'd gone through?" "Probably a mix of both," his double replied, and for a moment, they stood in relative silence (the pounding of many hundreds of hooves on the ground filling the air). "Which means she will call the calvary on us without actually knowing what is going on; working with half facts and whatever truth she decides is real." "The frost giants will most likely be able to secure the portal. Or maybe the Elder can prevent it from being found, should this be necessary." "Assuming, of course, Maud has already left the forest to call for help." "I get what you're getting at." "How could you not?" "Her trauma that pushed her into this line of work, and which possibly played a role in her fleeing, is also why she may decide not to do any of that; and right now she is lying in wait, possibly even watching all of us from a safe distance." "Which is why we're still invisible." "Just in case she is trying to prove something." "That she isn't afraid. And running away now proved the opposite, and she can't accept this herself." "Which means she will lie to herself about why she ran, and turn it into a truth where she didn't run at all." "One step further than what we did back then." "Yeah. We ran, but never lied about the why." "Neither are good coping mechanisms." "Which also means she never truly worked on processing what happened to her. Instead, she uses it to fuel her anger and hate, but who it is aimed at gets blurred more and more each day. And while the obvious target for her ire is us ghosts-" "Obviously." "A small part of her is angry at herself for allowing this fear to control her." "Skill through damage," Danny repeated Fenris' words. "Her anger pushed her to train to become a ghost hunter, giving her an outlet without actually resolving the cause of the anger. Meaning it will grow and fester." "And then we show up, going against everything she knows and believes, shaking this foundation and only adding to it." Silence. "She needs help." "Yeah." Both looked at the ice-encased devices still sealed away amidst the tree roots, one of them lifting an ice blue, glowing hand.  The ice shattered and fell away, and the two devices floated towards one of the two ghosts, followed by the ghost scanner the other still held with him. "I'll go look for her. Maybe we're in luck." "Or maybe she is." "One step at a time." The ghost carrying the ghost hunting gear flew away, leaving his double behind.  Hands behind his head and leaning back a bit, Danny looked at the canopy above, wondering how he ended up in this mess in the first place. The rustling leaves provided him with no answer. Shaking his head, he slowly flew over to Snow Dune, informing him he would take his leave. He then retrieved the books he had hidden inside a tree burrow and left the procession of ghosts behind.  <<>><<>><<>>   Once again, using Fenris' teaching to sharpen his senses, the forest spoke to Danny in ways he still had difficulties understanding how it worked. Even then, it served its purpose, and now trees flashed by in a blur as he followed after the trail he now recognized to belong to Maud; a particular stony smell contrasting sharply with the natural scents of the forest, leading him deeper into the mass of trees instead of out. "Hmm," Danny hummed, frowning. "So not calling for back-up then." He continued for several more minutes, finding no sign of the mare other than the trail she had left, while the forest around him became more and more menacing; the trees themselves now looking like ferocious monsters when not looking directly at them. And still, the trail continued.  "And she doesn't seem like the type to just get lost either." Suddenly the scent of Maud went no further. Instead, it pooled over a small area, most of it on top of a little body of murky water with many weak reeds sticking out near the sides while ripples in the water showed it had recently been disturbed. "Of course," Danny deadpanned, eyes half-closed as he hovered above the scent pool.  Sighing, he hovered over to a nearby dead tree, dropped down, placed the ghost hunting gear on the ground and casually leaned against the trunk. "Guess you realized I was following you, huh?" A gray hoof slammed through the bark next to his head. "Yes," Maud answered bitterly, as she grabbed the still invisible ghost in his confusion, then pulled Danny through the hollow tree amidst a shower of splinters and bark.  'she is good.' Slamming into a tree, Danny slowly slid down the trunk with a groan. "You!" Maud all but growled. "Me?" Danny said, puzzled as he pulled himself up, rubbing his head with a hand, then realized to his great shock his invisibility had dropped. "Oh, me," he stared at his hand. "…. Shit." Maud launched into action with explosive force, closing the distance between them faster than Danny could blink. It was almost as if a freight train slammed into him, not a pony, as the air blew from his lungs in an explosive wheeze while Maud rocketed him through the tree he had slammed into a moment before. With creaking and snapping wood, the tree slowly toppled over, crashing onto the ground with a massive tremor. Painfully rolling himself to his back, Danny groaned silently as he stared up with slightly unfocused eyes.  "Ow." Maud came falling from the sky, her eyes ablaze with fury, a hoof pulled back. "Oh." Quickly sinking through the ground, Danny could still feel the impact despite his intangibility as it shook the ground.  Realizing whatever chance he might have had to break through to her was gone forever, and without a desire to fight Maud lest he makes things even worse, he knew this was a battle he had lost.  Slowly slipping out of the ground and towards the top of the trees, he looked down at the ferocious hunter with equal measures of fear and pity.  "I'm sorry I couldn't help you," he said sadly, and Maud turned towards him with burning eyes.  Before she could do anything more, Danny fell apart in a flash as his energy rushed back to the rest of him, leaving the mare behind as she quickly lost sight of the small wisp amidst the trees.