//------------------------------// // Shadow of the Night. Part 6 // Story: Guilt of a Phantom // by Powerdrainer //------------------------------// Edits done by Halusm, and King of Kings. Shadow of the Night.  Part 6. <<>><<>><<>> Screams filled the eerily quiet forest as Pinkie Pie jumped towards Danny, a large knife held tightly in her hoof.  Danny, on reflex, projected a shield in front of him, intending to stop the crazy pony from bringing any harm to him.  Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Danny looked at Pinkie Pie through the green translucent, shimmering shield. And he shuddered involuntarily as he looked into her eyes, obscured mostly by the shadows they found themselves in. Suddenly, where everything first seemed to move slower than normal, now everything moved at a faster pace, and he closed his eyes as Pinkie Pie was about to make contact with his shield. But the blow never came. No shimmer or ripple in the energy projection indicating it was hit. No drain on his energy, telling him no energy was used to deflect any attack. Nothing,. Nothing at all.  This, of course, left only one horrifying conclusion, and Danny dreadfully opened his eyes and looked down at his body. Nothing. Just nothing. No crazy pony standing directly before him. No knife sticking in his chest, causing his green ectoplasmic blood to flow out. There wasn't even a knife to begin with. "What the?" He murmured, and everyone else looked up at his words. A surprised gasp sounded all around as they saw what had happened, and Danny brought his gaze up just a bit to see what was happening on the other side of his shield. "What the?" He repeated, but in an entirely different context. Standing before his shield, balancing on her hind legs, was Pinkie Pie. Holding a plate with a slice of cake in her hooves as she gave Danny a kind, somewhat sad, smile; the shadow over her completely gone as she was standing in the silvery light of the moon shining through the trees. There was also a table standing on her side. A table filled with various pastries, and one large cake. A cake with a knife sticking in it, and a slice missing. A slice now being offered to Danny, who could only stare at the bizarre, unexpected sight. "Don't worry, silly. I'm not going to hurt you. We're just here for your get well party. "Ehh… What?!" Danny said, dumbfounded. "Eh, Pinkie Pie." Applejack said hesitantly, looking warily at the pink mare's flat mane. "Are ya okay?" "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" Applejack and Twilight shared a quick look before she answered. "Well, last time yer mane was down like that, ya were a bit... 'difficult' ta deal with." "Oh, don't worry about that." Pinkie Pie said with a wave of her hoof, holding the plate balanced on a single hoof. "If ya say so." Applejack replied, sounding a bit unsure as she eyed the pink party pony's deflated mane. "So, Danny. Are you just going to stand there?" Pinkie Pie asked the confused ghost, shaking him out of his stupor.  Slowly Danny dropped his hands to his side, the glow around them fading away, and the shield disappeared. The forest they were in became just a bit darker when the green glow vanished, and it put everyone there on edge as Pinkie Pie's smile seemed to grow just a bit bigger. "Here, Danny. Try this. I made it myself." Pinkie Pie said happily as she hooved him the slice of cake, an eager glint showing in her eyes. Danny looked down at the plate she was holding, and debated if he should accept it or not. Experience had taught him that everything in this messed up dream was out to kill him, and he didn't know for sure if this was just some strange new tactic to do so. Still, the cake looked harmless enough, and he was technically already dead to some extent, so there shouldn't really be much danger from eating the offered cake. After a moment longer debating with himself, Danny accepted the cake, just hoping it wasn't some sort of lie.  "... Are you sure about this?" Sam asked, worried. Not trusting this one bit. "I guess. It looks harmless enough." Danny answered, and he took a bit of his cake. His eyes shot open when the flavor assaulted his tongue, and a small amount of drool seeped out of the corner of his mouth. The rest of the cake didn't take long to vanish, much to the delight of Pinkie Pie, who was still standing on her hind legs. "YAY, you like it." She said happily while clapping her front hooves together. "Now, come." She said as she grabbed Danny by the arm, dragging him with her. "The others are waiting." "Others? What others?" Danny asked, and Pinkie Pie stopped to turn to him.  "Why, the others. Isn't that right, Shady?" Pinkie Pie said, looking up in the air.  The shadows shifted and turned around them, and the darkness seemed to lift as all the shadows converged in a single spot. Two bright orbs of orange formed in the center of the mass, and everyone, except Pinkie Pie, looked in both fear and amazement as the mass took shape.  "Oh, don't look at me like that. She made me do it." Shadow said while pointing a finger at Pinkie Pie, who gave him a guilty grin. "WHAT IS THAT THING?" Twilight screamed in fear as she scrambled away. "Don't worry, Twily. It's just Shady." Pinkie  Piesaid joyfully, wrapping a leg around Shadow's neck, even though he was an intangible being. "Shadow?" Sam said questionly. "I thought Nightmare Moon destroyed you." "Wait, what?" Twilight said, her head snapping to Sam so fast something popped. "More or less. But I managed to pull myself back." He answered vaguely. "Thanks for that, by the way." He mentioned, nodding to Applejack. "Ehh.. What did Ah do?" "More than you think." He answered, and a flash of orange showed in his glowing eyes. "Hold on… Is that..?" Shadow only answered with a smile, then turned to Danny. "But we should go. Like Pinkie said, the others are waiting." And with that, Shadow turned himself in a shapeless cloud of darkness, drifting away in the forest. A faint light could be seen in the distance he went to. "Come on, come on, come on." Pinkie Pie said eagerly, jumping on the spot. "Let's go already." Everyone looked at one another, seemingly making a decision through eye contact alone. Still, if Shadow was with Pinkie Pie, they were most likely not going to be killed, hunted down, or put through any form of torture any time soon. So, after a short moment, they all followed after Shadow. All, except Twilight. "NO! I will not go anywhere until I know what is going on!" She shouted as she stomped a hoof in the leaf covered ground. "Oh, don't be such a party pooper." Pinkie Pie chirped up from behind her, making the purple mare scream out in surprise.  "PINKIE!" She yelled at the mare, "Don't do that." She added after having calmed down a bit. "Do what?"  "That.. what you jus-... Never mind. But I am not going anywhere until I know what is going on, right now." "Okay, have it your way." Pinkie Pie answered sweetly as she slowly bounced away, urging the others on to start moving as well. "Just know this forest can be a bit SPOOOOKKYYY." She told Twilight as she jumped up, and landed on her hind legs, flailing her front legs in the air as she said the last word. Twilight didn't know how to respond to that, and she found herself sitting in the small clearing, watching the others walking away. It took a moment for her to realize that she was being left alone in a dark, scary forest, and her decision to not follow them until she got answers was overwritten by the basic instinctual urge to seek a safe place. In this case, the group of unlikely creatures that was slowly walking away from her. "WAIT FOR ME!" She yelled at the top of her lungs as she hurried to catch up. It didn't take long for her to reach the rest, and she slowed down to a walking speed as she joined the group, albeit a bit reluctant. Pinkie Pie, however, didn't seem to mind, and was happily humming a song Twilight knew all too well. Giggle at the ghostly.  What Twilight, and the others didn't seem to notice, though, was that with each step she took with her gauntlet covered hoof, the ground she hit changed. The dead leaves covering the ground were replaced with young green grass. And more light seemed to come from those spots than anywhere else.  Danny and the rest followed Pinkie further into the forest, following the path Shadow had taken, and it was leading them directly to the source of light Danny noticed earlier. Before long, they reached the cliff Danny crossed to escape from Nightmare Moon, and the ruined store where his life was changed forever could be seen on the other side. "Back where we started," he muttered as he looked dreadfully at the old convenience store.  Pinkie Pie continued her bounce towards the drop off terrain, moving towards the bridge that had collapsed back when Danny fled over it trying to get to safety. It was, however, completely intact, and looking stronger than ever. Without stopping Pinkie Pie bounced onto the bridge, and everyone else needed to stop as they saw what was happening, or the lack there of. The bridge didn't seem to respond to her at all, and every time she jumped up, or landed on the wooden surface it didn't even twitch. She made it to the other side without incident, but noticed the others weren't following. "Hey, come on slowpokes. This way." "Is that normal?" Tucker asked, scratching his head in confusion. "Normal, no. Pinkie Pie, yes." Danny answered, before stepping on the bridge.  As if it was hit by a tornado, the bridge began to swing wildly, and Danny had to hold on to the ropes so he wouldn't fall off. "Whoaaa." He shouted as he quickly backed away, not trusting the bridge at all. "Yeah, no way we're going over that. Sam, AJ, help Twilight and Tucker to the other side." He instructed the other two ghosts as he flew up in the air, and headed towards Pinkie. Sam and Applejack gave a nod of confirmation, and hovered up in the air as well. "Coming?" Sam asked Tucker as she held out a hand, which he quickly accepted. And together they made it to the other side without any problems. Twilight, however, was a different story altogether. She was less than thrilled with the idea to be carried over to the other side, especially by a ghost, even if said ghost was her friend. She wanted to teleport, but Applejack acted before she could. Wrapping her hind legs around her lower body, and her front legs around her barel, Applejack lifted Twilight up from the ground, which did prove to be an entertaining sight for all the others.  Kicking, screaming, and flailing legs were all Twilight was at that exact moment, as she was lifted over the ravine. Not wanting to look down, but unable to help herself, she only screamed harder, never stopping, even after she was put on her own hooves again, safe and sound on the other side. "Twilight, darling, behave yourself. Such rude behaviour is unfitting for a lady." Rarity said as she, Rainbow Dash and a large, pink maned manticore came to look what was happening.  "Rarity? Rainbow? You're here too?" Twilight asked in disbelief. "Of course we are." Rainbow Dash said, acting as if it was only obvious. "Fluttershy is here as well."  "What, where?"  "Well, here, of course." Rainbow Dash answered, pointing a hoof at the manticore. "WHAT?" "rawr." Fluttercore answered with a timid voice, and gave Twilight a large, razor sharp tooth filled smile. Twilight hind legs gave out as her mind shut down, and she sat frozen on the spot, eyes wide, and completely unresponsive. A blue hoof waved in front of her eyes, but she didn't even blink.  "Oh, great. I think we broke her." Rainbow Dash said, barely able to contain her laughter. "Aah, she'll be fine." Pinkie Pie said with a carefree wave of her hoof, "Now, are we having a party here, or what?" Danny blinked, and the moment he opened his eyes he found himself sitting before a large campfire, holding a stick with a marshmallow on its tip. The others were there as well.  Rarity, who was holding her fluffy white treat with a silver fork in the fire, suspended in her magic. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Sam and Tucker were, just like Danny, holding a stick with a marshmallow on it in the fire. Fluttercore had several of the white treats sticking on the tip of her scorpion tail. While Pinkie was somehow able to hold two sticks in each hoof, one in her mouth, and another tied to her head.  Twilight was there as well, still unresponsive, and, presumably because of Pinkie Pie, had a stick attached to her horn with rubber bands.  But the thing that surprised Danny the most was that Shadow was there as well. The light of the fire not having any effect on his form, while he sat there with the rest of the group, roasting his own marshmallow. And, sitting next to him was Jazz.  His sister gave him a kind smile and friendly nod, before taking a bite from the slightly burnt mellow she had. "Ooohh." Pinkie Pie suddenly piped up, "We should tell scary ghost stories." This earned her several flat looks. "What!?"  Twilight suddenly shouted, her mind finally having processed what Rainbow Dash had said to her. But now it was struggling to catch up. "WHAT IS GOING ON? WHERE AM I? WHO ARE YOU? WHY IS THERE A STICK ATTACHED TO MY HORN?" "My, she's a bit slow, isn't she?" Jazz said, giving Twilight a studious gaze. "She's just overthinking things, again." Rarity replied. "Just give her a moment."  Blinking several times, Twilight looked around. "What is going on?" She asked in a more calm, collective manner. "See." Rarity said to Jazz, before turning her attention to the studious unicorn. Using her magic, Rarity removed the stick of Twilight's horn and offered it to her to hold herself. Which she did, after a moment of hesitation.  "Now, darling. I know you have a lot of questions, and I am sure we all want to fill you in a bit. But you need to promise me not to freak out like that again, okay?" Shaking her head weakly, Rarity beamed her a kind smile.  "Well, first off. Danny, maybe you should slip in something more comfortable." She said with a teasing tone, giving him a knowing wink. Catching on, Danny gave her a nod, and turned back to his human self. Twilight breathed in sharply, intending to empty her lungs with another loud scream, when a sky blue glow surrounded her muzzle, cutting her off before any sound could escape her. "Now, Twilight. What had we just agreed on?" Rarity said as she looked at her friend. Looking at Rarity, then at Danny, then back again, Twilight slowly deflated, and Rarity let her magical hold go.  "WHAT.. HE… YOU… This is a dream. This is all just a really, really weird dream." Twilight said to herself, strands of her mane beginning to stick out in several directions as she began to rock back and forth, holding her tail in her front hooves. "Wow. She's a bit high strung, isn't she?" Jazz said as she looked at the unicorn with pity. "She just doesn't know how to deal with this." Applejack said, walking over to Twilight. "Now, come on sugarcube. Snap out of it." She said in a soothing manner, giving Twilight a comforting pat on the back.  "But this can't be real. It's just not scientifically possible." "Well, ya're right 'bout most of that. This here's a dream. An' a ugly one, too." Applejack answered truthful, and Twilight's head shot up to look at her, waiting for an explanation.  "Ya see. Nightmare Moon decided ta mess with Danny's head, an' we're all here ta help him. Some in more ways than others." "What? Nightmare Moon? But we harmonized her years ago." "We sure did. But that didn't stop her, an' Danny was tha poor fella she got in her sights." "But how?" Shadow cleared his throat, which was a curious thing, as he didn't have one. "That would be my fault. Back when I was a mere drone, nothing more than a mindless shadow of Danny, I absorbed the residual energy of Nightmare Moon from your princess Luna. I believed her to be a threat to my master, as I sensed this energy coming from her. I didn't know better, and absorbed this energy to defend Danny better against Luna. Everything fell apart after that. Although, I did gain sentience because of it." Twilight sat there with her mouth opening and closing as if he was a fish on dry land. She wanted to respond to this, but her mind decided that now would be a good time to go on a vacation. "Maybe we should start from the beginning." Danny offered, earning several murmurs of approval. Taking a deep breath, Danny started explaining how all of this started. The others jumping in to give their side of the story from time to time, and Twilight could only listen with wide eyes and a open mouth.  <<>><<>><<>> It took close to two hours, and all the while Twilight was sitting speechless, absorbing everything told to her. Everything that had happened to Danny during the time he was still a teenager, and the ordeal he was forced to go through during his time in here. She could feel the all too familiar urge to write this down, but, somehow, she couldn't bring herself to do so. "And that's how we ended up here." Danny finished, poking the fire with his stick.  "... Bu.. But, shouldn't there be more? What are you going to do to get out of here?" Twilight asked concerned, her fear for Danny gone, replaced with sorrow. "That's why we're here." Pinkie Pie said with a sad voice, her smile almost gone. Everyone looked at her for an answer, and she stood up, turning to the convenience store. "Pinkie?" Applejack said, concerned. "She's right." Shadow spoke up, startling Twilight. "You are here for another reason." "Raawrr?" Fluttercore roared questionly. "Most of you have been brought here by Nightmare Moon, your very being corrupted in some way, or the other. All to fight and drain Danny. Even Jazz was not spared. I brought Applejack here in an attempt to help him see the truth. It almost failed. Almost. Pinkie Pie was already here, somehow managing to stay out of Nightmare Moon's control. But you, Twilight, are something different." "Me? How do you mean?" "The gauntlet you're wearing. Its power comes from the elements that connects you and your friends. It is, however, not complete." Shadow explained as he pointed at the four of six crystals locked in place, "But that is something for another time. You are here as a catalyst of sorts. We are in the mind of Danny. And, despite him having seen many things in his life, he does not know the power of the elements. And, as such, he won't be able to use them. I brought the gauntlet in existence, because he knew it, and the power it wields. It was the closest equivalent I could manage. But, for it to use the full power of your elements, it has to be used by the elements. But two are still locked away. And they will have to be released before Danny's mind can be freed from the hold Nightmare Moon has over it." "But didn't you say she was destroyed?" Twilight said almost frantically. "Yes, and no. Her form was destroyed, but not her energy. Her energy is linked to Danny now. Energy that she gained through me. Her form is destroyed, but she can rebuild herself. Just like she did the first time. The elements won't be able to stop her, as they won't be able to destroy her energy. If they did, Danny, too, would perish. All they will be able to do is slow her down." All present stared at Shadow, and then at Danny. All of them knowing what to do, but not how to do it. "Then, how do we get the other two elements?" Rainbow Dash asked, breaking the silence that had settled over them. "That's where I come in." Pinkie Pie said, her voice unusually flat. "Follow me, everypony." She told them, and she vanished inside the destroyed store. Sharing a brief glance with each other, they, one by one, stood up and followed Pinkie Pie inside the destroyed building. Except Shadow, who stayed behind, knowing he could not follow. But before they all stepped inside, he gave them a fair warning. "Do know that when this is over, and you return to the waking world, none of you will remember anything of this. Nightmare Moon created all of this, and her rules still apply." They all stopped for a moment in hesitation, before nodding in understanding, and stepping inside the store. There she stood, waiting for the rest of them, before Pinkie Pie started leading them through the many rows of objects for sale. Toasters, TVs, refrigerators, DVD players, and many other forms of electronics could be seen. All of them outdated and covered in a layer of dust, as if no one had been here for many years.  I looked through this place before." Pinkie Pie told them with a low voice. "I was just looking around, trying to find anything funny." She stepped over the various large items that littered the floor. "Instead, I found this. It wasn't a really nice surprise." She told them, her voice sounding even sadder. Her mane, already flat, seemed to deflate even more as she pushed aside one of the many cases, dropping some of the items in it on the ground. But none of them paid it any attention, as their focus was drawn to the person in the center of the room.  Sitting on his knees, at the edge of a pitch black scorch spot on the ground, was Danny Phantom. Tears streamed down the teenager's face, and silent sobs rocked his body as he had just lost one of the most important persons in his life. He lost her more than six years ago. He lost her mere seconds ago. A gaping wound that had never healed. A wound that was still bleeding, still hurting.  Everyone was looking at the broken teenager, tears staining their faces. Danny, the adult standing among the rest of them, tried to look away, but was unable to do so. His eyes were glued to his other self, feeling the same pain, the same loss.  Slowly he stepped forwards, acting without thought. The others didn't say anything, nor did they try to stop him. All they did was watch; watch as Danny slowly moved closer to his younger counterpart. Placing a hand on his younger self's shoulder, Danny gained his attention. A look of surprise and confusion could be seen in his eyes, and he quickly stood up. Glowing green eyes met regular blue as the teenager looked at his older self. Nothing was said, and they just stared for what seemed like minutes. Then, acting on nothing more than impulse, adult Danny pulled his younger self in a comforting embrace. Holding himself tightly as he finally accepted the wound of his heart, and both of them cried on their shoulders.  Minutes passed by in silence, and only the sound of their shared pain, grief and acceptance filled the air. But, eventually, they calmed down as this wound finally found a place within Danny. A orange light flashed into the dim room, and Applejack was startled to see her cutie mark vanish as her element appeared before her, moving towards both Danny's, shining its light over them. Shining brighter and brighter, until they had too look away. Then, just as suddenly, the light vanished, and only one Danny remained. Danny Phantom, the adult, standing in his ghost form. Tears still stained his cheeks, but a look of relief and happiness showed on his face. The element of honesty blinked at him, before moving to Twilight. One more flash of light later, and it was placed within the hold of the gauntlet, reacting with the other five placed in there. Pinkie Pie slowly walked towards Danny, a sad smile on her face. "You finally accepted yourself." She said as she reared up, and gave him a comforting hug. "You accepted the truth for what it is." The rest of the group also moved closer, and, before long, Danny was at the center of a group hug. A large, happy smile on his face. Another flash of light showed, and, looking up, Danny could see a blue balloon tied with a string to his wrist.  "Laughter is more than just parties and jokes, even if most ponies don't really seem to know. Laughter means to share happiness with others. And, if they need it, help them find their happiness." Pinkie said without looking up, she already knew what it was that had appeared. Instead, she held Danny even tighter.  Danny watched the balloon sink down, shrinking in size, while the rubber transformed into a crystal. It moved down to the gauntlet covered leg of Twilight, where it moved into its place among the rest of the elements. The full set of them blinked, and a steady light shone off of them. The full power now coursing through them, ready to start their work.  "Are you ready, Danny?" Pinkie Pie asked. "As ready as I will ever be." Danny answered, and everyone moved away from him. "So, this is really happening?" Jazz said sadly, but the smile on her face showed she was glad for him. "Looks like." Her younger brother responded. "I'll miss you, little brother."  "I'll miss you, too. But, who knows. Maybe this will help me get back in touch?" "I hope so." Jazz said hopefully. "Good luck, man." Tucker told him. "I hope you find your place." "I think I already have." Danny replied with a smile. "Then, I guess it's time." Twilight said. "And Danny, for what it's worth. Sorry I freaked out over you back there. I'd wish I could get to know the real you back in Ponyville." "Who knows? It might just happen. Stranger things have happened to me." He answered, smiling. "I would like that," Twilight said with a smile just as large. "Well, here goes." The elements all shone brightly, and a rainbow of colors surrounded the gauntlet. A beam of light shot out from her outstretched hoof, and into Danny's chest. A sphere of light surrounded him, and expanded outwards as it began to consume everything in its path. <<>><<>><<>> Outside of the store, Shadow was long gone. He knew he would have trouble if he was anywhere near the blast, as he shared the same energy as Nightmare Moon. He went away as far as he could, hoping the distance would be sufficient to soften the blow he knew was coming. A bright light drew his attention, and, turning around, he could see beams of light shooting out of every door, window and hole in the store. Everything the light touched was cleansed from the corruption made by Nightmare Moon, and the forest slowly dissolved as more and more light came from the building, now lost in a sphere of rainbow colored light.  Lush green grass sprouted from the ground that was touched, and a gentle breeze made the young leaves sway around.  Shadow grinned happily. No matter what would happen to him, he did the best he could do. His master was free from the burden he placed onto himself, and Nightmare Moon would receive the smack against her flank she definitely needed.  Closing his eyes, and spreading his arms to the side, Shadow let himself be swept away on the wave of harmonizing light. <<>><<>><<>> Out in the waking world, a glow surrounded Danny's body, and a lone figure moved out of his head. Shadow said they wouldn't remember when they woke up, but she was never asleep to begin with. Looking down at his sleeping form, Sam felt both glad that she was able to help him, and afraid what would happen with Nightmare Moon. She was not yet defeated, and she might have learned a thing or two from their fight. Still, she would take what she could get. But it would most likely be wise to talk about this with Clockwork.  Looking down at Danny once more, Sam found a small smile coming to her face. And, with a pull, she removed the medallion around her neck, returning her to Clockwork's tower. <<>><<>><<>> Luna landed in front of Danny's house, out of breath. It has been a long while since the last time she was forced to push herself as such, and she took a moment to catch her breath. Not wanting to waste too much time, she moved into action the moment she felt like she was up to the task at hoof. Standing in front of the locked door, which was curious in it's own right, as the trusted citizens of Ponyville didn't felt the need to lock their doors for their neighbors. She lit up her horn. Using her magic, she turned her body into an intangible, dark cloud, slipping in through the keyhole and crack under the door. Reforming herself when she was inside, she quickly, but silently, moved to the bedroom, hearing faint moaning and grunting sounds coming from the troubled human.  Standing by the side of his bed, Luna looked down at Danny. Something was off, but she didn't know what. Hopefully, she would know more in a moment.  Her horn glowed blue, illuminating the room, and moved to place it at Danny's forehead. But, before she could move in his mind and see what was happening, she felt a massive surge of energy, and Danny breathed in deeply, before he began to wake.  Sensing the need to hide, Luna changed her spell into the same one she had used to get in his house, and turned back into a dark cloud, pressing herself against the ceiling.  It was no longer possible to find out what troubled young Danny's mind, and Luna swore in her thoughts at the unfortunate timing of his waking. Although, the surge of energy must have something to do with it.  It was strange, and yet familiar to an extent, and she had trouble placing the distinct signature of this energy. It was another piece to this puzzle. A puzzle she was determined to solve. But for now, her chance to do so was gone.  Slowly, she moved away. Leaving Danny alone in his home as she mulled over what had happened, slowly flying back to Canterlot. <<>><<>><<>> Energy coursed through the night, touching those who were connected with it.  Applejack turned around in her bed, a happy smile on her face. Rainbow Dash hugged her cloud pillow with a few tears in her eyes. Rarity lay in her bed with dreams of a valiant knight. Fluttershy slept soundly with a wagging tail. Twilight held her pillow tightly to her chest, her heart beating just a bit faster. And Pinkie Pie, who was slept in a room filled with streamers and balloons. One of which, a blue balloon, was tied to her left hoof with a string. Gently bobbing in the slight breeze coming in through an open window.  The energy moved further, though. Breaking through barriers and into another plane of reality. Touching the young, red haired woman sleeping in her bed, giving her feelings of joy and relief. As did this happen for the dark skinned man, slumped over his desk, sleeping on top his keyboard. Working on a damaged, burnt, old model laptop connected with various wires to another computer running diagnostics on it. And Danny. He slowly woke up, feeling strangely invigorated and happy.  Dragging a hand over his face, he felt he needed a shave.  Looking out of his window, he saw it was still dark. Not feeling tired, though, he decided to just start the day already, and he moved to the bathroom for a shower. Not noticing the small burn marks in his bed where his hands used to be, nor the glowing green eyes looking at him from outside his bedroom window. <<>><<>><<>> Running through the forest as fast as he could, the timberwolf didn't stop for anything.  Something was wrong, an unbalance that had entered this world. An unbalance they knew all too well. They first noticed it earlier that night, when the ponies came for their young. A presence of darkness which moved through the shadows. They followed it, found out where it originated from, but were not ready for what they would find next.  A strange creature, never seen before by their kind, was the source of this strange phenomenon. They were confused, angry, afraid. If this individual was indeed who they thought he was, then darkness certainly would follow. So, in order to make sure this being was indeed who they feared, the most skilled hunter of their pack was sent to investigate.  And now he knew what they needed to know. Kicking up leaves, and jumping over bushes, the timberwolf rushed to his pack, delivering the news to his alpha.  He could hear the others of his pack in the distance, and he knew they could hear him as well. He was not impeded by any of them as he rushed to the cave their alpha called home, and he hurried to get inside.  "Apstāties!" A loud voice boomed. "Stop!" And he did just that. "Šī būtne. Tas ir, kas mēs baidāmies?" "This creature. He is who we fear?" "Viņš ir!" "He is!" The alpha's eyes narrowed as he looked outside. "Tātad, tumšs ir atgriezusies." "So, the dark one has returned." "Gatavs iepakojums, mums ir jābūt gataviem!" "Ready the pack, we need to be prepared!" <<>><<>><<>> A large pendulum swung around, and the ticking of a large clock sounded all around. Out of the many portals, which showed the passing of time in many different speeds and eras, Sam popped into existence.  Stepping out of the vortex, she saw a young child wait for her, and she walked over to him, handing him the medallion. "It is done?" He asked, and turned into a young adult. "It is..." Sam said, but hesitated to finish. "What is it?"  "I did as you said, but I fear Nightmare Moon will use some of the things I told her against Danny. She knows she doesn't have the experience to use his powers, and I fear she will manipulate him to teach her how to gain control of them." Clockwork stroked his long beard, grown with age, and slowly levitated over to the viewing portal Sam came from. With a swing of his staff, the vortex calmed, becoming smooth enough to see through the currents of time.  "Good," he finally said as he observed Danny walking to his bathroom. "Very good." "What?!" Sam said shocked. "Everything is going as planned," he continued, never breaking his gaze from the viewing portal. "You knew?" "I did," he answered in a childlike voice, finally turning to Sam. "Then why didn't you tell me?" "Because we all have our role to play in this, and we can only work with the rules given to us. We can not make our own, but maybe bend them from time to time." He explained, and turned back into an adult. "Had you known, you might have done things differently, and everything would have changed. Now, though, Nightmare Moon will actually help us, and she won't even know it. Danny needs to relearn how to properly use his powers, and if she were to manipulate him into doing so, then who are we to stop her?" "But what if she manages to take over completely? What if-" Sam said almost in a panic, but stopped as she saw the smirk on Clockwork's old face. "You already have a plan." "Oh no, nothing of the kind. But I don't have to. Everything is falling into place, and Danny will find the cleansing he doesn't even know he is looking for." "But… How?" "He will be saved through their history," Clockwork answered vaguely.  "That will be all I get out of you, right?" "Ahh, Sam. You are really start to get to know me," he said with a smirk. "Now, if that's all. I have more things that need my attention." "Actually, there is one more thing," Sam said, hesitantly. "Can… Could you show me what would have happened if... If things were different. If I didn't die. I.. I just need to know." Clockwork hovered in place for a long time, moving between his different forms several times before he answered. "It will not change anything for you, you know that? Those times are past, and can not be changed." "I do. I just need to know." "Very well," he said. And with a wave of his cane one of the portals showed Amity Park over six years ago.  Sam saw herself, Danny, and Tucker walking down the street. Danny was holding the infimap, which they had just retaken from Vlad. "Just make sure not to get lost in the past, and what could have been." Clockwork said as he turned to leave.  "I won't. And thanks," Sam said, and began to watch the events that never happened. Finding it strange that an asteroid was on its way to Earth in this timeline. <<>><<>><<>> The sun was shining over a large green grassland. Rolling hills decorated the landscape, with lush green trees and brushes standing everywhere and nowhere. No life could be found in here, as Danny was currently awake, and there was no need for this dreamscape. All it was now, was a slight feeling of ease in the back of his mind. Nothing more than a blank slate for future dreams to be played out in. But there was trouble brewing, and one of the many trees toppled over as darkness seemed to pour out from under its roots.  It was a thick sludge, not unlike oil in appearance. But it was many times more viscous, and blacker than the darkest of black. It bubbled and gurgled, and a shape began to form in it. But it was too weak, and it collapsed back into itself. All that it was able to manage were its eyes. Her eyes. Nightmare Moon's eyes. Eyes that looked at the calm, peaceful world she found herself in with a burning hatred. She would burn it all down, again. And she would make sure Shadow, Danny or anyone else wouldn't be able to stop her.  "You won this round, Danny Phantom." she said gurgily. "Next time, you won't be so lucky."