//------------------------------//
// Necessities... 
// Story: To Call the Moon My Own 
// by That_Random_Pony 
//------------------------------//


                     " God damn it". Dan collapsed back onto the couch as his body went limp and his vision went black. 

                     He stared off into space for a moment before he got out of the trance. Shaking his head to get the dizziness out he propped himself up on his elbows. The dizzy spells were starting to act more frequently. It was Friday night once again and he needed to get to Remix. 

                    Tony was coming down the stairs when Dan managed to stand up. " Don't you have to get to the club?", he questioned.

                   " Yeah", Dan groaned. " See ya later".

                   Tony noticed him clutching his head. " Something wrong?". Dan shook his head.

                  " Just a headeache", he lied. " Nothing too serious". 

                  " Alright, don't strain yourself", he said. Dan saluted lazily and left the library.
 
                   With his hands in his pockets Dan walked to the club. Just like any other night the ponies were few in numbers, since it was almost eleven at night. He passed throught Town Square to get to Club Remix. Strong of course was already asking ponies to wait at the entrance.

                   " Evenin' Strong", Dan chuckled as he bumped his fist with the pony's hoof.

                   " Hey Dan. Vinyl's waiting for you", he informed him. Dan smiled as he went in. 

                   The party a few nights ago 'proved' his DJ skill to Vinyl. So now, she was trusting him with her equipment. It had been forever since he last touched the records, not counting the party. The sad part was he couldn't drink while doing it, which he had done countless times before. A price to pay for doing what he loved.

                   The dance floor could fit up to 100 ponies, and the upper level balconies added an extra 50 to boot. He had never seen it packed to the brim but he doubted he wouldn't. The equipment rested on a platform at the far side of the room. He could already see himself spinning records. Beside it on either side were exits in case of fires or whatever. To the left of the door was the side bar, Flare's station.

                   Vinyl's 'office' was to the very right of the room, right next to the exit. Making his way across the dance floor he felt a slight wave of nausea come up. He put his fist over his mouth to stifle the burp. When he got to Vinyl's office he pushed the door open and walked in. The DJ was sitting with her hooves on the desk and a magazine. He didn't understand how she could read with those magenta shades, but like with Pinkie, he didn't ask.

                     " 'Sup boss", he greeted her. She lifted her shades and set the magazine down.

                     " Hey Dan", she smiled as she bumped his fist. " Ready to rock?". Dan nodded with his own grin. 

                     " Let's do this", he whooped. He ran back into the dance area to see Flare coming in. " Ready Flare?!".

                    " Ready Dan!", she saluted. She flew behind the counter and started lining up the mugs and shot glasses.

                   Vinyl went to the front of the club and whispered into Strong's ear," You know what to do". 

                   He nodded and stood up. " Alright, those with club tickets come on in. Those who don't, 50 bits". Immediately a flood of ponies flashed the neon striped pieces of plastic and galloped in. 

                    " Silver! How's that lighting?!", Vinyl called to their lighting specialist. 

                    " Fired up boss!", the enthusiastic stallion called from above. With a hum of the generators the lights shut off and were replaced by neon colored strobe lights. " How do you want this Dan?".

                    " Full strobe! I'm gonna show you how we do it Earth style!", he shouted up. Silver nodded and with another hum the lights began flashing rhythmically.

                    Silver climbed down to join his brother at the front gate. Meanwhile, Dan flipped through Vinyl's songs. He listened to each and every one of them before coming to one he really liked. He flipped it into place and adjusted the volume, the speakers giving off slight feedback. The dance floor was filling up, and already there were ponies on the balcony. He pulled the mic towards him and flicked it on. 

                   " Hey hey everypony!", he said. " Are you guys ready to partaaaayy?!". The crowd cheered for him to start. " Come on you can do better, ARE YOU READY TO PARTAAAY?!".

                   The crowd stomped their hooves as they screamed for him to go. Obeying their chants he put the first record to play. The walls and floor began to vibrate with the wonderful dubstep blasting into his very core. The ponies below were dancing all over with one another or just free style. He pulled the headphones to rest on his nuque as he adjusted the knobs and various volume settings. 

                   The club was officially packed by the tenth minute, and ponies were groaning from outside, wanting to join the other clubbers. Strong and Silver were collecting money and playing bouncer, mostly strong since his little brother wasn't as built up as him. There were some mares that flirted with him to try and get in, but he stayed loyal to his job. 

                   Occasionally Silver went inside to check on the party-goers and human DJ. But sometimes he went in to talk to Flare Runner. He'd known her for a long time, and he always held that special feeling for her. Every time it would be a usual," How's business?", or ," Need any help?". Strong could handle himself, so he could afford to try and talk with her.

                  Like always she would nod and say everything was fine. She just liked to listen to the music and dance some while she worked. The stuck up stallions always hit on her but she shot them down in a polite way. He couldn't understand how she did it, but she did. It was also one of the reasons he hadn't asked her out already. 

                    The music switched to a more lively tune than the last, even getting Vinyl to start shaking from her office. She was working hard as well, with the payments for the equipment and lighting and the club itself. The tunes were usual but the way he lined them up and mixed some up went awesomely. He really did know what he was doing. From the mixes it sounded like he was a proffessional, despite him telling her he only did some parties and birthdays.

                    Dan spotted some ponies he knew in the crowd. Berry Punch, maybe drunk from her staggering, and Bon Bon, kind of weird, and Caramel, what the f---, and...

...

                 " Pinkie?", he shouted over the blaring music. For some reason she actually heard him and waved. " What are you doing here?".

                 " What?!", she yelled back.

                 " What are you-ah fuck it", he muttered. He abandoned his post for a second to meet the party pony. " What are you doing here?".

                  She smiled happily. " Silly human", she giggled. " Why wouldn't I be here?! This place always has the best music! And I can come whenever I want!". She reached into her hair and showed her VIP pass.

                    Not daring to ask about the hair, Dan nodded. " Wanna come help me?", he offered. " A party pony like you could help".

                    She leaped into the air and landed at the staircase up to the platform. Again, no questions, it would only hurt his head. Making his way back his vision began darkening, and his head started pounding. Ignoring the sudden pain he met Pinkie back on stage.

                   " Whatcha want me to do?!", she hopped around. 

                   " What do ya think these ponies want next? Some dubstep, or some club mixes?", he asked her. She rubbed her chin on her forehoof as she thought.

                   Like a spring she jumped up and landed with excitement in her eyes. " Try the mixes!", she declared.

                  Just in time, the music ended and Dan dropped a record of Vinyl's own creations. The beat started out faintly, then burst into audio at different intervals, and soon the bass was dropped. The music got the ponies cheering and dancing harder, their coats sheen with sweat. Dan fist bumped Pinkie Pie and she dived back into the crowd of dancing ponies. 

                  As Dan started fist pumping he felt the pang of pain in his head again. This time his vision blurred and he started sweating, then he felt his mouth hang open as he hit the floor. Hard. The last thing he saw was Pinkie pushing through the ponies to get back to him. 

Then darkness.





            
                
                    Twilight woke up when she heard somepony pounding on her door. She groaned and ignored it, hoping the pony would go away. Unfortunately, the knocking only got harder. With another irritated groan she tossed the covers off and stepped onto the cold wood. Spike was snoring away in his basket as she sleepily walked by. When she started down the stairs the knocking started sounding like somepony was trying to knock her door down. 

                   " TWILIGHT!", she heard Pinkie scream. " Openupopenupopenup!". 

                    Hearing the urgency in her voice she galloped the rest of the way and opened the door. " Pinkie what's-"

                   " Dan's hurt!", she blurted out. " Idon'tknowwhathappenedwewerepartyingandlaughingandhewasfineandthenIlefthimandthenextthingIknowhe's-". Twilight's hoof halted the stream of words.

                    " Pinkie, slow down. What happened?", Twilight asked.

                    " She said that Dan was hurt! And he's in the hospital now!", Rarity explained from behind the pink pony. Twilight peered behind Pinkie and saw the girls all with worried looks on their faces.

                    " What?! How?!", Twilight panicked now.

                    " We don't know! Everypony said he was fine then he just fell!", Rainbow informed her. 

                    " We're going to see him", Fluttershy said. " We wanted you and Tony to come".

                    " Let's go", Tony's voice frightened them. He dropped down from the balcony in a perfect flip. " Come on".

                    Whether the ponies kept up or not Tony ran to the hospital. As soon as he heard Pinkie scream he jolted awake, and when he heard Dan was hurt he was ready. The clopping of hooves coming from behind him told him that they were close. To his side he could see Rainbow flying to keep up. He dashed past Rose's flower shop and went straight for the hospital. Bursting into the building he saw several bewildered faces given to him. 

                   " Where's Dan?!", Twilight asked Nurse Redheart. The white nurse looked at the clipboard with all the patients names.

                   " Room B-13", she told them. The girls nodded, but when they turned to run they saw Tony was already gone.

                    He didn't need directions, just the scent. He jumped up the stairs and nearly ran into some of the nurses or doctors. The scent led him to the second floor and halfway down the hall. Giving the door a stiff shoulder he ran in, startling the doctor and another patient. 

                    " Who are you?", the doctor asked.

                    " Tony", he quickly replied. He saw Dan unconcsious and he walked up to the bed. " What's wrong with him?".
 
                   " Well we did some tests and he seems fine", the doctor huffed. " Heart rate, blood pressure, blood composition, brain activity. He seems just fine".

                   The others caught up and filed in. " How is he?", Twilight asked.

                   Tony didn't answer, instead he just looked at Dan. " Doctor, let me see those results". The doctor handed him the clipboard and he scanned through it.

                  Twilight and the others huddled behind him as he searched through it. " What are you looking for?", Fluttershy asked quietly. Tony didn't answer as he came to the page labeled: Blood Composition.

Blood type A, calcium levels, cholesterol levels, zinc levels, oxygen levels, iron levels...protein levels...they're too low

                    " Doctor".

                    " Doctor Aid".

                    " What's the minimum level of iron and protein in a pony?", he questioned. Doctor Aid raised a brow but answered the question.     
   
                    " Iron should be at least 5 milligrams and protein only 25 grams. May I ask why?". Tony felt slightly dizzy, knowing he was in danger as well.

                    " Dan needs 55 grams of protein and at least 8 milligrams of iron", he explained. " We aren't like ponies. We need more...of them". His vision started blurring some.

                   " Then we should get him some food", Doctor Aid suggested. " Nurse, bring some-"

                   " No", Tony interrupted. " We don't need any vegetables or fruits. We need-ugh, we need..."

                   " Whatcha need Tony?", Applejack asked. He clutched his head as he fell over. " Tony!".

                   " What's wrong?!", Twilight shook him. 

                   " Nurse!", Doctor Aid yelled. 

                   " Tony! Tony wake up! What do you need?!", Rainbow shook him. The last of his vision faded into darkness.






                   Luna was shifting through yet another stack of requests. She listened to her usual songs on the iPod, still remembering her first date in thousands of years. She hummed along to the song currently playing.

                   Suddenly the stack of papers vanished and the ink pad. Before she could react the earplugs were yanked out of her ears and she looked up to see Celestia.

                   " Celly what's-"

                   " Dan was hurt!", she exclaimed. " Twilight informed me they're at the hospital now!".

                   Luna stood up and teleported the device to a safe location in her room. " Come", Luna said. The sisters horns glowed their respective colors and they vanished.

                  Their bodies reappeared inside the Ponyville hospital. The nearby ponies each bowed to their princesses. Twilight and the others galloped towards them.

                  " Twilight, where is Dan?", Celestia asked. She noticed a bigger sense of concern on her face. 

                  " He's with Tony", Twilight sniffled. " Their both unconscious".

                  Luna's ears perked up and she stepped forward. " Where are they Twilight?", she almost demanded.

                  " They're both in recovery", Doctor Aid informed them. " Princesses". 

                   " Take us to them", Celestia ordered. The doctor nodded and made for their room.

                   " What's wrong with them?", Luna questioned. 

                   The doctor sighed and hung his head. " Truthfully princess, I don't know. Tony was going on about their blood composition levels and before he blacked out he said they needed something". 

                  " What did they need?", Luna pressed further. Celestia, unlike the others, knew why it was she was so worried. 

                   The doctor held the door open for them. " He didn't say. He knocked out right in front of us before he could", Doctor Aid sighed.

                   He led the princesses and mares back to Dan's room. " He came in at midnight", he informed them. Across the hall Tony was resting on a bed. " Then he came to see but ended up like him. Again they check out fine but I can't find out why they blacked out".

                   Luna walked into the room Tony was in and looked at him. He had IV's injected into his arms and legs while a heart monitor kept track of his beating. The ponies, besides Celestia, curiously watched as Luna neared Tony. 

                   " What can we do?", Celestia asked. The Doctor shook his head.

                   " Wait. All we can do is wait until they wake", he sighed once again. " He'll be able to tell us when he wakes up".

                   They all nodded their heads and Doctor Aid left them. " So what now?", Rainbow openly questioned.

                   " Now", Celestia began. " We get some rest and wait", she turned to her little sister," All of us".

                   Luna glanced at Tony again, then let out a defeated sigh. " My sister is...correct. We should all rest". The ponies nodded, albeit sadly since they couldn't help their friends.

                     The princesses returned to their castle and the ponies to their homes. Luna felt so useless, she just saw Tony hospitalized for gods know why and she couldn't help him. Though Tony took up most of her mind, she still had a duty to fulfill. Sitting in her office, she returned the papers to her desk and half mindedly approved or denied them. This time she did it in silence, for this was no time for merriment.



      


Where...where am I?

                   Tony found himself drifting in a black void. He had no body, only his consciousness. He remembered fully knocking out from the lack of iron and protein in his system. So where was he?

Heh heh ha ha ha

                    He knew that laugh anywhere. Still not used to being bodyless, he tried to take a defensive stance. The malicious laughing made him spin around, trying to locate the source. 

Where are you?! Show yourself! Stop fucking laughing you bastard!

                    A flash of light showed Eishla and him in her garden. Another glimpse depicted Eishla being held by a Signa. The third drilled the image of Eishla in his arms, bloodied and limp. 

FIGHT ME YOU FUCKING COWARD!

                    The laughing ceased as the picture of him and Eishla remained. He wished he could close his eyes but there weren't any eyelids to shut. He looked closer when he saw the blood on Eishla disappear, but that wasn't all. Her minimally wrinkled skin began to turn flawless, and her face became younger. He continued to stare as her hair began to change as well, seemingly into one massive blob. Her skin changed colors, as well as her shape. 

                  Instead of a Loki'irian woman, her face changed into a deep indigo along with the rest of her body. Her fingers shrunk into her fists as it balled up flat. From her back sprouted wings, her head grew a horn, and her skin had a patch of fur cover her. It wasn't Eishla anymore, not with the equine shape and the moon on her flank. A tail dropped from above her flank as he held her.

No

                   The last thing was her face and hair changing. Her mane was as starry as the night sky.

No

                   Her cutie mark depicted the moon in its glorious crescent.

NO

                   And her face, beautiful, emotionless, blank...dead.

NOOOOOOOOO!

                    " Hey now!". Tony leaped out of his bed and looked around frantickly. " Calm down, I'm just here to talk".

                    The voice was male, that much was certain. But it seemed to come from everywhere yet nowhere at all. He shook his head, headeache and all, to try and rid the voice from his head.

                   " That was some dream you had", the voice snickered. Whoever it was saw what he did, and it was teasing him.

                   " Who are you? Show yourself", Tony called. He started sneezing violently for a few minutes. When he opened his eyes he saw a large pony headed, one antler, one fang, lion pawed, taloned, dragon hybrid. 

                    " I don't think we've met", he chuckled. " I'm Discord god of Chaos!". Tony took a defensive stance, still weary from the lack of vital nutrition. " Oh relax, you can't do anything now. Not like I'm trying to". 

                   " What do you want? Why are you here?", Tony demanded to know. Discord snapped his paw and he was floating on a folding chair.

                   " Nothing really", Discord groaned as his arms seperated from his body and made a cracking sound. " I just wanted to get a look at you myself".

                   Tony got out of his stance but kept his guard up. " Why?", he asked.

                   " Because everything about you screams chaos!", he laughed. " And from what I've seen you have a knack for bringing chaos wherever you go".

                    Tony let out a snarl that wasn't his. " Watch your mouth", he growled.

                     Discord reared his head and let out a hard laugh. " That's what I'm saying! Not only are you bleeding chaos, you have a piece of you inside". The chair disappeared and Discord stood up. " The human wasn't nearly as interesting, but you. You've been raised by chaos, survived through chaos, and spread chaos wherever you go. I'd be jealous if I weren't god of chaos myself!".

                    " What's your point?", Tony spat. 

                    " What I'm trying to say is maybe you should just pack up and leave", Discord yawned as he placed his hands behind his head. " I mean, after all that I don't think you'd want it to repeat am I right?".

                    Tony was ready to lash out before Discord spoke again.

                    " I mean, you wouldn't want Luna to get hurt would you?". Tony's fist unclenched as he remembered the image of Luna in his arms. Gone. " Lulu's tough there's no doubt about it, but even you can't save her from your past".

                    Tony had an itch that Discord knew something. " Not yet", Tony retorted. Discord smiled deviously.

                    " Unless you plan on making a gateway twice to get to and fro from your world I suggest you start learning magic", Discord smiled. " Your love for Luna is...ugh, too peaceful. Maybe if you left she would be safe".

                     Tony glared at the chaotic creation. " And why would you care about Luna?", he shot back. Discord raised his paw and claw defensively.

                     " Hey, I already had my turn with Luna", he snickered. " She's all yours, but leaving would be the best option".

                     Tony was ready to smash him into pieces. However, even with the energy he accumulated he was still too weak to fight. To make matters worse he was suffering from malnutrition. With a sigh he released his fist, doing his best to keep It tamed.

                    " Just get out of here", Tony hissed. Discord shrugged and turned into a bird.

                    " A word of advice", he tweeted. " Keeping in that anger isn't healthy".

                    The bird Discord flew off into the morning sky. Tony collapsed back onto his bed, still confused and angry with Discord's visit. 

" Hey, I already had my turn with Luna"

                     Tony felt his fist clench. That could mean one of two things. He just hoped it was the one he was in now. But what Discord said dug into him. Why would he want him to leave? Was he jealous? Probably not, but why would he care what happened to Luna? And how did he see Eishla and the image of Luna? What bothered him above all was Discord's reason for seeing him. 

" Because everything about you screams chaos!"

                     That couldn't be true. No, it couldn't be. He was the Doshu'um, son of the Makti, the right hand of the Mother. He was the light in the darkest of nights, Her sword and Her shield. He was the enforcer of peace, and the bringer of justice. 

That's what Herod said