AN: Do you want side chapters for the awakening of Daniel in the middle of the camp, the fight through the Deadlands, and all of the action? Comment below and I will see.
It’s been five days since Daniel’s ‘death’, and Fluttershy had gone back to Ponyville with the help of her friends. Celestia had taken it in stride, silently grieving as she walked around the castle, doing her royal duties. Luna had... taken it a bit harder. The first two days, she refused to come out of her bedroom, only allowing the maids to come into the bedroom to clean up and the staff to bring food to her. The last five days , she says she’s been getting strange readings only unique to Daniel’s armor actually moving and taking damage. Celestia was... confused about the development, and told Luna to keep in check with the strange readings. In the middle of dinner on the sixth day, Luna received a call from her magical mirror item thing... and answered it, only to hear Daniel’s voice.
“I have your damn book, now- BAR THAT DOOR AND DON’T LET THEM IN!” He yelled, catching the attention of everypony at the table, especially Celestia, who came running over.
“Daniel... You’re alive?!” Celestia asked.
“Hello. Yes, I’m alive, pissed, but alive.” He said, looking over at the supposed group, when a whistling could be heard in the background.
“SHIT, GET DOWN!” He yelled, jumping behind a pillar. A few seconds later, a loud crash could be heard, and the sounds of the undead could be heard.
“Yeah, they have catapults, ballistas, and other shit to help them. Luckily, outside of range of this book,” He said, raising the dusty tome to the screen, then turning to the group.
“PHALANX FORMATION! DON’T LET THEM GET PAST THAT DOOR!” He yelled, with the swishing of armor moving heard in the background. Clanking could be heard, along with whistling of blades and arrows flying through the air could also be heard. “Anyway, outside of the range of the book, the undead just fall apart and die, and we just got it. The stallion responsible is dead, had to to get the book.” He said shrugging. Another loud whistle could be heard.
“FUCK, MOVE!” He yelled, although it was too late and screams of pain could be heard from the other ponies.
“Verdammt dummkopfs.” He said, shaking his head.
“REGROUP!” He yelled at them.
“Sorry, but I need to help them get back the ground we’ve lost. The numbers are in the millions here, but they’re slow and shambling, so it’s easy to deal with.” He said, before unceremoniously turning the device off. Luna put the device away, before she started to smile. Celestia let a small breath of relief out before turning back to the rest of the ponies.
“I’m sorry for the interruption, please return to dinner.” She said, before summoning a quill and piece of parchment and writing something down really quick, and sending it to her student. She waited for ten minutes until she received a letter from her student.
Dear Princess Celestia,
It’s great news to hear that Daniel had survived the teleportation! I will gather my friends and we will make our way to Canterlot as soon as possible. Fluttershy will be so happy that Daniel hadn’t actually perished, and would want to see him also.
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle
Celestia smiled and returned to her dinner. She finished quickly, dismissing the staff and guards, before walking to the throne room with Luna and her guards, taking a seat on the throne as she patiently waited for the Elements. A few hours later, the six mares burst through the doors, Fluttershy wearing a wide grin as she and the rest trotted up to the throne, before bowing, and all looking up to Celestia.
“We had received news from Daniel that not only he had survived the teleportation, but that he and the group of ponies had acquired the Delomelonicon and is now returning to Equestria with it.” Celestia said. The six mares cheered, especially Fluttershy, but fell silent as the magic mirror rang once more. Luna picked up the device and answered it, seeing Daniel’s face, although a bit bloody.
“Shit’s really hit the fan here. We’ve lost over half of the ponies here, due to the catapults and ballistae, and the rest are either injured or are quickly tiring from constantly fighting. Is there anyway you can teleport us here now?” He asked.
“CATAPULTS?! BALLISTAE?!” Twilight yelled.
“Hey Twilight. Yes, they have catapults and ballistae. The stallion responsible somehow taught the undead to use them.” He said, before turning and swinging his blade, decapitating three zombie ponies with the one swing.
“We can try to teleport all of you to the castle, but there is a chance we might bring some of the undead here with you.” Celestia said.
“Hell, I can take the undead if they do get there, but we need to get out of here before we all end up among them.” He said, before turning around and punching a zombie in the chest, ripping out it’s heart and throwing it away and kicking the zombie to the ground.
“Do we have any archers left?” He asked off screen.
“Yes sir, but only thirty left.” A stallion’s voice said.
“Damn... ALRIGHT! ARCHERS, AIM FOR THE HEADS!” He said, before a loud whistling was heard.
“Oh shit...” He said, before ducking down and a ballista flying over his head and cutting through the undead behind him, before the gap was slowly filled back up by the skeletons and zombies. A few screams could be heard, and Daniel groaned in frustration. He strapped the thing to his thigh, although he hadn’t ended the call like he thought he did, and ran into the darkness.
“GET THE HELL OFF OF THEM!” He yelled, the zombies groaning in response and the telltale whistling of a blade. The bodies crumpled to the ground and he picked a mare up.
“You okay?” He asked. She nodded, before running back to the lit area, revealing a large group of bloody and tired ponies, all wielding spears, swords, and shields. He ran further into the darkness, and they heard his grunts as he swung his blade.
“Shit...” He said, before running back to the group.
“Only the mare survived.” He said, before turning around quickly and cleaving a skeleton in two.
“Another lost...” An old stallion’s voice said.
“How many is that, two hundred and fifty three?” He asked. The stallion nodded, before swinging a large mace at a zombie and knocking off its head. He picked the device up again, seeing Luna’s and Celestia’s face looking at the carnage.
“Huh... I thought I turned you off... Anyway, can you start the teleportation now, before we lose more ponies?” He asked quickly.
“Of course.” Luna and Celestia said, before both of their horns lit up and all of the ponies were enveloped in both auras. The quick teleportation worked, as all of the ponies appeared in the throne room, with Daniel at the head of them, holding the book in his hands. He walked up to the throne, handed the book to the princess, before collapsing, revealing five arrows embedded into his back. The ponies gasped, seeing the arrows. Celestia picked him up in her magic and teleported him and her to the medical wing.
“We have an injured stallion here!” She yelled, and a few doctors and nurses came out with a stretcher. They took him to one of the surgery rooms, and she teleported herself back to the throne room.
“He’s going to be okay.” She said, although she wasn’t sure at all. The ponies sighed in relief. Celestia turned to Luna and whispered something, before Luna nodded.
“We have enough guest rooms for you all to stay until you are rested enough to return to your homes.” She said, the ponies bowing to the princess.
“Guards, please escort our guests to their rooms.” She said.
“Yes, your majesties.” The guards said in unison. All of the guests, save for one, followed the guards to the guest rooms.
“Your majesty, if you would be so kind, I wish to speak.” The old stallion said.
“Of course my little pony.” Celestia said.
“Daniel is the toughest stallion I know. I saw him take blows from the undead that would knock a normal pony down and he would just shrug and keep going. Hell, he got hit by one of the catapult boulders and just got right back up. He had taken hits for the ponies that stood before you, as well as ones that didn’t make it here, and he just took them all in stride. But, I worry for him... The stallion is a machine, but even he has limits to what he can do. It’s hard to see him take all of the abuse he has, and just keep going.” He said, huffing loudly. Celestia smiled.
“I see what you mean. Don’t worry, Daniel is in care of the most successful doctors in Equestria. He’ll make a quick recovery and return to Ponyville.” She said. directing the last sentence to the six mares present. They all smiled, and the old stallion walked to the guest room, where the guards were awaiting him. The six mares turned back to Celestia and Luna. Twilight remained silent for a few minutes, until she looked up at Celestia with an inquisitive look.
“No normal stallion should be able to take a hit from a catapult and just brush it off like it was nothing.” She said.
“We added a few enchantments to ensure that he was to return here.” Celestia said with a smile.
“What type of enchantments?” Twilight asked.
“There were over fifty enchantments added to that armor, all to aid him in further predicaments.” Luna said.
“Wouldn’t the armor get more unstable as time passed because of the enchantments?” Twilight asked.
“Normally it would, but we added an enchantment to stop the armor from becoming unstable.” Celestia said.
“I didn’t believe there was such a spell.” Twilight said.
“It took awhile to research, but we found enough spells and enhancements for his armor that he’ll be able to power through most of the damage inflicted on him.” Celestia said with a smirk.
“So, the arrows didn’t affect him?” Twilight asked.
“The arrows affected him of course, but with the armor, he doesn’t feel as much pain as he should. With his natural resistance, plus the aid of the armor and the enchantments, that’s the reason he was able to keep going. They were the reason he bled out and was hospitalized.” Celestia explained.
“That armor looked pretty cool. Not as cool as me, but it was up there.” Rainbow interjected.
“We need to throw him a ‘Thanks for Saving Equestria!’ party! What type of cupcakes does he like? What type of cake does he like? What type of icing does he like? What type of games does he like to play? What ty-” Pinkie said, before being interrupted by Applejack shoving her fist into her mouth.
“You know how Daniel feels about his parties Pinkie.” Applejack said sternly. She removed her hand from Pinkie’s mouth.
“Of course I do, but this is a big thing! He saved Equestria and fought millions of undead, and even saved all of those ponies!” Pinkie yelled.
“On a side note, the Grand Galloping Gala is a month away. I need to start working on everypony’s dresses.” Rarity said.
“All we need to do is fix up his armor and Daniel can wear his armor to the Grand Galloping Gala.” Luna said.
“I thought that it was a formal event?” Applejack said confusedly.
“Yes, but knights wear their armor to formal events as a sign to show their loyalty to the kingdom they represent. Right now, the doctors and nurses are attempting to remove the arrows from him before taking off the armor, and that’s our opportunity to get his armor cleaned up.” Celestia said.
“The problem is, is that the stallions have already left Canterlot for the oncoming heat cycle that is only two days away.” Luna said to her sister. Celestia frowned and sighed.
“That is true. I guess we will have to wait until they get back to repair the armor. I feel bad for Daniel...” Luna said. The rest of the mares giggled.
“He already offered money for us to get the herb so that it’s easier on us next week.” Rainbow said. The five other mares nodded in agreement.
“Yes, but the herb has no effect on alicorns and other immortal beings.” Celestia said. Before the conversation could continue, the doors burst open and a doctor came rushing over.
“Your majesty, the subject has already been healed with the help of that armor. We attempted to remove it, but the armor somehow kept us from doing so, as well as healed the wound. Right now, he’s resting from his recent skirmish.” He said, catching his breath. The mares beamed at the news and started for the medical wing, the doctor in tow. When they reached the medical wing, they made their way to his room, with directions from the doctor, and walked into the room. Daniel was laying on the medical bed, his bloody and battle worn armor on his body.
The hood was pulled down, revealing his uninjured face, and his greatsword leaning against the wall. The equally bloody and beaten cape was folded nicely on the nightstand next to him. The ponies looked at him and watched as he twitched, and slowly stirred. They all smiled at his quick recovery, although he was injured gravelly, and watched as his unfocused red eyes quickly shrank in size before slowly focusing and finally looking at the ponies before him.
“Jesus... And here, I thought I actually died. Oh well. Guess I have to deal with this heavenly place instead.” He said playfully, earning a punch in the arm by Rainbow Dash before everypony piled onto him. He somehow managed to free his arms and wrap them around all of the ponies. They all got up after the group hug, although Pinkie stayed in his lap and continued to hug him. He pushed himself up into a sitting position, then wrapped his arms around Pinkie again and placing his chin on top of her head, although her hair was getting in the way, getting a sigh of content from her, before looking at all of the ponies.
“I guess this means that I get recognized as a hero of Equestria and get some sort of large party to celebrate?” He stated.
“Of course.” Celestia said.
“Although I dislike going to large parties, I’ll attend.” He said. Pinkie, although she was slightly offended that he disliked large parties, smiled into his chest.
“What I do need right now is a shower and a hot meal.” He said, unwrapping Pinkie so that she could get up. She got up, albeit reluctantly, and he got up from the bed.
“Where is the bathroom?” He asked. The doctor, who had been silent this entire time, pointed at a door. Daniel thanked him and pushed through the door, before facepalming and walking back out.
“I have no spare change of clothes.” He said. Twilight thought for a moment, before snapping her fingers. Her horn lit up and in a small flash of light, a pair of pants and a black t-shirt appeared in the air. He caught them before they hit the ground, then walked back into the room. There was a small towel rack with a couple of towels on it, a large shower in the corner of the room, with a sink and toilet next to each other. He took off his armor quickly, stretched for a bit, hearing satisfying pops and cracks.
He sighed, placing his spare clothes on the sink and undressing, the sweat matted and dirt covered clothing hitting the ground. He stepped into the shower, seeing bars of soap that had a neutral scent on it. He washed up quickly, dried off, dressed, then relieved himself before grabbing his dirty clothes and armor and walking out. The ponies were idly chatting when he opened the door, and turned to look at the fresh Daniel.
“Much better.” He said, before placing his armor neatly on the floor and folding the dirty clothes and placing them next to his bloody blade. He took one look at it and sighed.
“I’ll need to wash that.” He commented. He turned to the ponies and raised an eyebrow.
“So, what now?” He asked. The ponies looked at eachother, then turned to him with a shrug.
“Dinner starts in an hour, so we can do something before then.” Luna said.
“If only they had video games here...” He said. The ponies looked to him, before Luna started snickering. He took one look at her and said.
“They have video games here... WHY,” He yelled, startling everypony. “didn’t you say anything before now?” He asked.
“We didn’t know if you knew what they were.” Twilight said. Daniel looked at her and deadpanned, and she just shook her head.
“Right... I forget about that...” She said. They all filed out of the room, leaving Daniel to pick up my armor, sword, cape, and clothes. He caught up with them, and they talked idly as they made their way through the winding hallways. They came upon a rather large door and Luna opened the door with a large grin, revealing a large TV that took up an entire wall, with game systems that look like Xbox 360s, Playstation 3s, and Nintendo Wiis, except on the sides it said Xpony 360, Ponystation 3, but the Wii was the same, just oddly proportioned.
“Holy shit... These things look exactly like gaming systems from my world. And that TV...” He said in awe, nearly dropping all of the things in his arms. There were three couches, along with various recliners and other comfortable seats around the room, along with a large wooden cabinet in one of the corners of the room, filled to the brim with video games that were exactly like games from Earth, except with different names and had the ponies in them.
“I have a theory on why things are so alike in our worlds.” Daniel said, setting his stuff down next to one of the couches and sitting down.
“Have any of you heard of the String Theory, where it explains about different dimensions that are similar to each other, but also have key differences?” He asked, taking a sudden scientific turn that stunned everypony. They all shook their heads, and he continued.
“The theory itself explains about how there are endless amounts of universes and dimensions, all with similarities and differences from out own. There is no original universe from where the other universes and dimensions were copied from, and that’s how they were flawed, they all started out on its own account. This dimension has this world, where most of its inhabitants are only myths and legends in my dimension and world.
"The sun and moon are controlled by two beings, where my world revolved around the sun itself with it’s larger mass and gravity pull. Earth was a larger mass, so the moon revolved around Earth, where the planet revolved around the sun since it was a larger mass itself. In the solar system I came from, there was nine planets that revolved around our sun, and only one that supported life with an atmosphere that was fit on supporting life.” He said, leaving everypony interested, or in Rainbow Dash’s case, bored.
Rainbow Dash walked over to the TV, turning it on and starting up the Xpony 360, which had a beam of light that shot out and touched Daniel’s chest. He was about to start again when it touched him, and the familiar feeling of teleportation enveloped his chest. He had time to look at Rainbow Dash before a flash of light erupted and he was gone. The ponies looked away at the sudden flash, then back at the spot where he was sitting, finding it empty, his equipment gone also. They all gasped and started searching the room. Luna did a scrying spell on him and didn’t find him. She cast a stronger scrying spell, searching the entire planet, only to fail.
“He’s no longer on this planet...” Luna said, her eyes widening.
AN: Where did he go? Hint. What game deals with two teams of nine mercenaries?