//------------------------------//
// The Dark King Rises. Part 1 
// Story: Guilt of a Phantom 
// by Powerdrainer 
//------------------------------//


Edits done by Vates Despero, Clayton the Hunter, and Halusm.


 
The Dark King Rises.



Part 1



<<>><<>><<>>


With a low, drawn out groan, Danny rolled over to his other side, and the ground fell out from beneath him. With a yell, followed a split second later by a thud, Danny suddenly found himself wide awake, laying face first on a cold, shining floor.

Muttering to himself, he pushed himself to his feet only to have his eyes assaulted by what felt like countless shining lights, forcing him to sit back down. Rubbing his head, he tried to figure out what had just happened. Something the glare assaulting his eyes wasn't helping in the least, and he squinted his eyes to shield himself from the worst of it while scanning his surroundings.

"Danny," a voice piped up, relieved, "are you alright?" Twilight continued as she stepped into his field of view. "We've all been worried about you, ever since you collapsed," she told him, watching him with some concern. "What happened? We thought you and Shining had made it through the shield unharmed… Well, mostly unharmed anyway," she added somberly.

Groaning, Danny held up a hand, holding his forehead with the other. "Please, could you not talk so loud?" He winced, head throbbing. "Because I have a killer headache."

"Oh, goodness," a new, worried voice piped up, and Fluttershy rushed into action, quickly giving Danny's head a once over. "Is everything alright? Where does it hurt?" The yellow mare asked, her normal shyness suppressed as she tended to Danny.

"Pretty much around the area where I hit my head on the floor," Danny muttered sarcastically, pulling his head out of Fluttershy's hooves.

"Meh, you'll live," Rainbow Dash's brazen voice cut in as she shot him a cocky grin. "A hard head like yours? Hay, we should probably be checking the floor for cracks."

"Funny," Danny deadpanned, before slowly standing back up with a sigh. Back on his feet once more, he took his first good look at his surroundings. "Where are we?" He asked as he gazed at the high polished, highly reflective, gleaming walls all around him.

"We're in the Crystal Palace," Twilight explained. "We've only just gotten here."

"Yes, darling," Rarity spoke up. "You had us quite worried-" 

"Speak for yourself," Rainbow interrupted.

"-but we weren't expecting you to wake up this soon," she continued, ignoring the brash pegasus.

"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie said. "You were all like, 'Guaahhh'." She mimicked fainting, dropping to the ground in an overly dramatic fashion. "And then we were all, 'Ahhh, Danny!' " She continued, jumping back up. "And Shining was all-" Twilight's magic promptly sealed her mouth.

"I think we get the idea, Pinkie."

"Fmhph hmmph."

Releasing her hold over Pinkie's mouth, Twilight turned her attention back to Danny, who was looking around with a studious gaze, and a glint of something Twilight couldn't quite place, shining in his eyes.

"So, now what?" He asked.

Just then the doors to the throne room opened, as if to answer his question. A guard came out of the room, ready to usher in their guests.

"Ladies, the Princess will see you now," he told them, and Twilight gave a short gasp.

"How is Cadance doing?" She asked, turning to the guard. "And Shining?"

"They're fine, miss. As far as these circumstances allow, at least," he answered while taking notice of Danny being awake. "She has asked for you and your friends. Please follow me." Looking at Danny for a moment longer, taking this brief opportunity to size him up, he turned around and exited the room; followed closely by Twilight, and her friends a moment later. Danny, however, stared at the open door for a while, the gleam of the walls and floor still assaulting his eyes.

"...Wait, did I miss something?" He asked, receiving no answer, before hurrying to catch up with the group.


<<>><<>><<>>


"Cadance!" Twilight cried the second the doors to the throne room had opened, the mare immediately rushed in; followed a moment later by the rather calmer entrance of her friends.

There on the throne with bags under her eyes, mane unkempt and horn aglow, sat Cadance. A tired smile graced her lips as she saw her beloved little sister-in-law rush towards her and she, tiredly, rose up from the throne. Her throne, she had to remind herself.

"Twilight," she said happily, though the exhaustion was heavy in her voice.

She slowly made her way towards the younger mare, who was herself rushing towards the pink alicorn; grabbing her in a tight hug the moment she could.

"Are you alright? How's Shining doing?" Twilight asked, worried after not having heard from her brother since they'd entered the city. The guards having rushed Shining Armor to the palace for medical treatment as soon as they had met up.

"He's alright," the stallion in question answered as he entered the throne room; obviously tired, but still managing to give his younger sister a confident grin.

"BBBFF!!" Twilight gasped, before tackling her older brother in a hug. "Is everything alright? What did that... thing do to you?" She asked as she pulled away a bit to look at the black, jagged crystals growing on his horn.

"I… We don't know," Shining Armor admitted bitterly, glaring at the dark formations himself. "The medic ran some tests and performed several magical scans, but they couldn't find anything."

"What!? But that can't be right."

"I know. We all know," he told her. "This, coming from him... We know this isn't good. Far from it. But these things don't really seem to do anything, besides blocking my magic anyway."

"What!?" Twilight shouted, staring at her brother in shock, before her gaze shifted to the dark crystals and hardening into a scowl. "But that's horrible!" she seethed. "Oh, when I get my hooves-" she began as Danny turned his attention to the mares and dragon near him.

"Is it just me, or does anyone else feel left out?"

"Ehh… kinda," Rainbow Dash admitted.

"Oh, hush dear," Rarity chimed in. "This is a family matter, and we have no right to interfere."

"Naw, reckon we just stand 'round on tha sideline, watchin' this whole thang unfold," Applejack deadpanned.

"Why, of course," Rarity replied. "Who doesn't love a bit of drama every now and then?"

"Yeah… Wrong place, wrong time," Rainbow Dash shot back.

"I suppose you're right," Rarity agreed with a sigh, watching Twilight pace around while listing the numerous things she would do to Sombra should she get the chance.

"Oh, but some of those things sound fun!" Pinkie Pie piped up, earning her several strange looks. "What? If Rarity's in it for the drama then why can't I do it for the action?"

"Uhh…" Spike tried to reply, only for the pink mare to continue.

"I mean, it could be just like in all those spy movies. The good guys fighting off this evildoer, who threatens the entire world with his evil scheme of evilness."

"I'm not sure it works like that, dear," Rarity replied, giving her pink friend an awkward smile.

"Aaawww, why not?" Pinkie sulked. "There could be explosions, and gadgets, and super secret costumes. Oh, oh! Then we could all have super secret spy names," she giddily continued, before turning dead serious. "The name's Pie. Party Pie."

Silence.

"Did we miss something?" Twilight asked, breaking the silence that dominated the room as everyone stared at Pinkie 'Party' Pie.

"I… 'm not, sure?" Danny answered, turning his attention to Twilight, as well as Cadance and the stallion he hadn't been introduced to, but nonetheless knew as Twilight's brother, who was standing next to her.

"We were just coming up with super awesomerific spy names for the top secret mission we have, to stop the evildoer from carrying out his dastardly plan of maximum evilness," Pinkie Pie replied, sounding both overly excited and yet conspirative at the same time.

Twilight could only stare in confusion, her mouth agape. Pinkie took that silence as her cue to continue. "I'm Party Pie. Oh, and Rarity could be White Gem, AKA, Tom," she proposed with a somewhat sly grin.

"I beg your pardon!" Rarity exclaimed, scandalized.

"Fluttershy is The Eye, because she has that awesome stare."

"Actually, I... Uhm… I don't... Maybe it could… Uhm... Okay," Fluttershy tried to protest.

"Rainbow Dash could be Silent Wind, ‘cause she once passed gas and 'filled' an entire windowless room without a sound!"

"OH, COME ON! That was just one time! One! Time!" Rainbow Dash shouted, both irritated and ashamed.

"Applejack can be Mighty Buck, if you know what I mean," she stated, while giving the aforementioned pony a heavy-lidded glance along with an eyebrow waggle.

"..." Applejack stood with a hoof raised and mouth open. "... And what tha hay do ya mean by that!?"

"Twilight, yours could be, The Bookworm," Pinkie suggested, receiving a flat look from Twilight and a snort and giggle from Cadance. Which soon stopped when Pinkie Pie turned her attention to her.

"Oh, and you could be, The Empress."

"But, I kinda already am," Cadance replied, confused.

"Ooh, nice going, princess! Getting into your role this quickly," Pinkie praised, only managing to confuse Cadance even more. Then she turned to Shining Armor, "And you could be Horn Job-"

"WHAT!?" Shining bellowed.

"-because Sombrero certainly did a number on yours."

"EXCUSE ME!?" Shining bellowed once more. But Pinkie ignored him, and turned to Spike.

"And you, are The Claw."

"Huh… You know, that's not half bad," Spike replied, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he considered his assigned name.

"And Danny, uhh, Danny could be…" Pinkie faltered. "Huh, this one’s a toughy," she said as she looked him up and down. "Hmm, tall, no fur, human… Oh, I know! You're Fluffy."

Silence.

"... WHAT!?" Danny shouted. "How… Wha… How did you even come up with that?!"

"Simple. I like fluff," came Pinkie's simple, but confusing answer.

"Wha—" Danny tried to protest, only to be stopped by Applejack.

"Jus' let her be, pardner. Ya know how she is."

"B—"

"Don't. Ah mean it," Applejack stated, while both of them looked at the persistently perky pink party pony pronking in place.

"Well, that was certainly... interesting," Cadance spoke up after a moment of silence, smiling tiredly. Turning her attention to Danny, she continued, "And I'm glad to see you're doing better, Danny."

"Thank you... Cadance, was it?" Danny asked, nodding in appreciation. "And I assume you're Shining Armor, right? Twilight's brother?" He asked the stallion standing next to Cadance, and Twilight gasped before Shining Armor even had the chance to reply.

"Oh my gosh, I've never introduced you to him!"

"Now why does that sound familiar?" Rainbow Dash whispered to Applejack, who chuckled in response.

With a tug of her magic, Twilight pulled Danny towards Shining Armor, making Danny stumble in the process.

"Danny, meet my brother, Shining Armor. Shiny, meet Danny Manson."

"Manson!?" Shining repeated, looking at Danny.

Sighing, Danny explained once more, "No, there is no relation to the Manson family. Just a similar name."

"Right, right. Sorry," Shining said with an awkward smile. "As my little sis said, I'm Shining Armor. And, I'm told, you're the one who managed to chase Sombra off and get me out of there," he continued as he offered his hoof.

"Umm… I guess," Danny answered, a hint of nervousness present as he accepted the outstretched hoof and shook it.

"Then I should be thanking you as well," Cadance spoke up, "for saving my husband."

"To be honest, I didn't do much, really," Danny said with a half lie. "It was more luck than anything else."

"Nonsense," Cadance countered. "You went back for Shining, despite that horrible... creature out there. Such an act takes courage."

"I suppose so," Danny muttered with a frown. "Still, I'm surprised to find a shadow-type ghost here."

A deafening silence settled over everyone present in the room after he said those words; all eyes on Danny, who suddenly felt very, very uncomfortable.

"What?!" Cadance exclaimed, shocked. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, you know..." Danny said. "The shadowy, smokey ghost that attacked us? Kinda hard to miss."

Silence. 

"Bu- But that can't be right," Twilight protested in shock. "Ghosts don't exist on our world."

'If only you knew,' Danny thought bitterly.

"And Sombra was known to be a pony like us. Although his mastery of dark magic was powerful enough that only both my aunts together could hope to defeat him," Cadance added.

"That's what we’re up against," Shining stated. "Even with his knowledge of dark magic, I don’t think that he could become a ghost."

"You know so little," Danny muttered under his breath.

"What?" Twilight asked, worried.

Looking away, out one of the windows, Danny saw the glow of the light blue dome covering the city. Walking towards the window, he looked out over the city below. "Let me tell you something," he answered. "I may not understand this magic of yours, but there is one thing I do know. This was no magic. This thing, this... dark king. He is a ghost… A type of ghost I've encountered before."

A collective gasp resonated through the crystal chamber at his words, and Danny closed his eyes as his mind flashed back through the years, recollecting those events.

"This Sombra," he spoke up. "He's a rather rare kind of ghost. We call them shadow types, also known as a shade. And he's the worst kind there is, an independent shade."

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Rainbow Dash cut in, flying over to Danny. "And how do you know all of this?" She demanded, glaring suspiciously at him.

Sighing loudly, one of his hands flexing, he turned to look at the ponies and dragon behind him; seeing their expressions of rising anxiety as they awaited his answer.

"My school counselor," he finally blurted out, which was hardly the answer the others were expecting.

"Huh?" The ponies chorused, clearly taken off guard by Danny’s confession.

With a sigh, he explained. "Years back, in high school, we had this counselor who had a rather strange effect on those who visited her. Any time someone would go see her, they would leave... drained, I guess you could say."

"Drained?" Cadance asked, worried.

"No energy, walking around lifelessly, practically zombiefied." A gasp escaped from both Cadance and Shining at this description, the couple having recognized it from their arrival. "As it turned out, this counselor was a shade, similar to Sombra, who sucked the life energy out of her victims. She was stopped, eventually. Not sure how, though," he finished with a lie.

Looking back outside, eyes narrowing, he could almost feeling Sombra staring back at him. "There were others as well, different types of shades, but all sharing a similar feature." The ponies and dragon all exchanged worried looks, while the faintest of green shone in Danny's eyes; missed by the others in the light of the sun. "He's a ghost. Of that I am certain."


<<>><<>><<>>


Clouds of snow billowed over the desolate plain, carried by howling winds only to be stopped by the glowing barrier covering the city. The snow sizzled as it melted in the warm glow emitted by the magical dome; a barrier stopping not only the flakes of frozen water, but also the darkness that was slowly circling around it as well. 

A shield which stood between him and the Empire which was rightfully his. An Empire he would soon regain, through the actions of others, influenced by his might. Yet there was something unexpected; someone unexpected. This unknown creature, something he had never seen before. Not even within the toxic green void where he and his Empire had resided for the last millennium, with only one recent exception.

Now, although this unfamiliar being who was intruding on his Empire had proved to be a nuisance, Sombra was sure he would be unable to interfere with his plan. Yet the fact this individual was able to use the power of death had him worried.

During the time he spent imprisoned within that wretched green void, Sombra had never once strayed away from his possessions, never allowing his hold over those living in the city to slip. But even if he never ventured across the Empire's borders, other entities did. Creatures unlike anything he had ever seen tried to set hoof (or other bizarre body parts) on his land. They never lasted long, he made sure of that, but some lasted long enough for him to extract information. 

He learned many different things. First of which was the name of the void he had found himself in; The Dark Zone. Others gave him more insight into his own powers, making him even stronger. And then, much later, shortly before his return to his world, there were those who spoke of a creature sharing their powers, but not of their kind. One still alive. One whose name carried a great deal of weight; inspiring equal measures of fear, and respect. A name most spoke of in anger. A name he didn't care to remember. But now, this name lingered in the forefront of his thoughts as he stared at the glowing dome, eyes narrowing as he stared at the castle in the heart of the city, sensing the unknown entity staring back.

"Are you the one that box fool spoke of?"


<<>><<>><<>>


Sitting in his office, Amity Park's mayor looked at the three individuals on his payroll standing before him; a scowl on his face while the three young adults shifted around nervously after having brought their boss, Vlad Masters, the bad news.

Of course had they known that the ghost they had hunted the night before, resulting in massive amounts of property damage, was the very person now sitting before them; elbows on desk and fingers interlaced, they would not even have dared enter this room in fear for their lives.

But they didn't know, and thus had reported their failure to the very one they failed to capture. It was a bitter irony that only Vlad was aware of, and it took all of his willpower to keep up his charade as the affable mayor everyone knew. But oh how he wished he could just blast those bumbling fools, if only to vent some frustration after last night's fiasco.

"So…" Vlad began with forced calm. "Let me see if I understand this correctly. Not only did a ghost manage to enter my city, but you failed to stop and capture this destructive entity. Then, in your less than professional pursuit of said entity, you managed to cause more property damage in a single night than you would normally do in a full month." The Blasters gulped audibly. "Leaving me, as the one ultimately responsible for your actions, with the task of paying off all the damage you've caused. With my own money, I might add, since you're working for me, instead of the city. But also making it necessary for me to make a public apology for your mistakes. Does that sum it up?"

The Blasters shared a nervous glance, sweat trickling down their foreheads.

Pushing his chair back and standing up, his form seeming to tower over the trio, Vlad slowly walked around his desk, hands behind his back. 

"Now, tell me. Is there any reason why I shouldn't throw you back out on the street where I found you? Any reason for me to forget how your incompetence severely damaged MY ghost attack platform, and how you recklessly fired the VERY expensive ecto neutralizing missile? A reason why I might think it was a good idea to let you keep those outfits, while ignoring the protests of MY citizens?" He finally came to a stop behind the Blasters, who stood frozen on the spot, knees trembling.

"Vid," he addressed the nervous woman, then turned to the two males of the group, "Thrash, Download. I know you've grown attached to your role as 'protectors' of the city, as well as the new names you've created for yourselves." Vlad then circled back. Leaning forwards, hands placed on his desk, and eyes burning with anger. "One chance. That’s all you have left. One chance to change my mind, and for you to keep the lives you care so much about, Emily, Chris, Franky."

Emily, releasing a choked sob as her past resurfaced, gave a shaky response, "Mister Vlad. We're all truly sorry for what happened last night. There are no excuses. We take full responsibility, and-"

Vlad slammed a fist on his desk, shutting her up. "I DON'T WANT EXCUSES!" he yelled. "... And if that is the best you can come up with, then-"

"The ghost!" Franky 'Download' said with a hint of desperation. "It went through the shield without even slowing down."

'So, this pawn saw me,' Vlad thought. "Which is impossible," he countered with a sneer.

"No, Sir. I saw it with my own eyes," he replied nervously. "This ghost, it went straight through the shield."

"... Even if this were true. What of it?"

"It might mean the shield is weakening. Or, maybe the ghosts have found a way to render the shield useless. Either way, should we be… fired, then who will keep the city safe if more ghosts come through the shield?"

"There are more where you came from," Vlad replied coldly, leaning back in his chair.

"Yes, Sir. But none with our... experience."

Seconds ticked by, feeling more like hours, as a tense silence pressed down on Emily, Chris, and Franky; while Vlad stared at Franky with an angry scowl.

"... Experience?" He finally spoke up, glaring daggers at Franky. "Is this the point where I'm supposed to laugh?"

"No, Sir. All I meant was that we're already trained in the use of our- Your equipment. Should anyone new have to use this equipment, and potentially face a ghost attack before they are fully familiar with it, the potential damage could be even worse, resulting in a higher damage cost for you."

Vlad leaned back in his chair, fingers interlaced as he studied the young man before him. 

"Hmmm. Using my wallet in your favor," Vlad hummed. "Perhaps there is hope for you after all." He slammed a flat hand on his desk; the Blasters jumping in nervous fright. "Very well. I'll give you three one last chance. No more. Do I make myself clear?!"

"Sir, Yes Sir!" All three Blasters confirmed, standing at rigid attention.

"Good. Now get out of my sight. I still have your mess to clean up," Vlad added with a snarl, sending Vid, Thrash, and Download hurrying out of the room. All three of them were relieved they weren't ditched by their boss, yet still afraid all the same. The last several years have been kind to them, but today Vlad had shown them that their livelihood could easily be taken away from them. This was a frightening prospect, and none of them felt like they had gained a victory by keeping their jobs. All it would take is one more mistake. One more mistake for them to end up back in that nightmare.

Before, they never knew anything different. But now? They could never go back.

Never.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      


<<>><<>><<>>


Tucker, Jazz, Valerie, and Soarin were back in Amity Park after Wulf had dropped them back off near the city. Wulf himself returned to the Ghost Zone to try and find out more about the vanished land, while Tucker and Jazz took care of some other pressing issues back at Tucker’s home. Issues like Valerie’s irritation over having to give up her chance to take down Vlad in favor of saving Soarin for a second time that day, or addressing Soarin’s emotional state; still stuck between shock and fear over everything that had happened, and what was revealed to him. 

"So," Valerie began, tense, "now what!?"

"Now," Tucker replied as he led the four of them to his personal workroom, "we settle some things between us all." He entered a code in the keypad next to the door, which promptly unlocked with a click. Pushing the door open, Tucker allowed the others entry. "Sorry about the mess," he apologized as everyone took notice of the clutter of paper and half empty coffee mugs. "I haven't had a chance to clean in here recently; I've been rather busy."

"It's fine," Jazz commented. "A bit cramped though."

"Yeah, it wasn't really designed for a party this large," Tucker replied. "Anyway, back to why we're here."

"Which is?" Valerie demanded.

"This," Tucker answered, pulling the moss he collected from the rock in the Ghost Zone out of his pocket. Opening the lid of a cylindrical container, he inserted the growth. Closing the lid, he then activated his computer, starting a scanning program. "Let's see what we can find," he muttered, before turning back to the others. "And while we wait for the computer to find anything interesting, I guess we should continue our… talk from last night."

"Yes, let's," Valerie shot back, arms crossed. "There are still some things I want answers to."

"As do I!" Soarin spoke up. "For starters, why doesn't anyone else know about your mayor being a ghost? And, better yet, why hasn't he been stopped? Why do you allow him to continue with… whatever it is he does?"

"Because if it was that easy, Valerie would have done it by now," Tucker replied, and Valerie gave a huff in agreement.

"Soarin, you need to understand how tricky the situation with Vlad is, and the position we find ourselves in," Jazz told the stallion. "Vlad is the mayor of this city. That alone makes it almost impossible to fight him head on. Sure, Tucker could cripple his computers, and Valerie could fight him when he attacks. But should we try anything directly, he would just play the part of an innocent politician-"

"Like those exist," Valerie muttered sarcastically.

"-and label us terrorists. If we were to try to take him down from the shadows, then he could simply turn ghost and attack us back. And while we have Tucker's tech know-how and Valerie's experience, he has more going for him. He has the money, technology and experience, not to mention the amount of political influence he has going for him. And that’s not even considering his various ghostly abilities! Unless we have something to directly incriminate him, or to bring him down in one blow, he will undoubtedly turn it against us. Making us look like the criminals, while he uses his influence to cover up anything that would be harmful to him."

"You know. Your standard politician, but with ghost powers and the delusional dream to rule the entire world," Tucker added. 

"What! So you can't stop him at all!?"

"Not directly, no," Jazz said with a tired sigh.

"Not yet, at least," Tucker clarified, staring at the old, burnt out laptop on his desk; several cables from his main computer running to the damaged inner workings of the blackened husk. "But maybe one day, when all the pieces come together… maybe."

"But there has to be some way to stop him, without having to resort to all these kind of things?"

"Trust them on this one," Valerie told him. "You may not like it. Hell, none of us like it. But this is the only way. I know. I used to work for Vlad, wholeheartedly believing he was the good guy." She slammed a fist into the wall. "Tsk, how wrong I was. And the true irony of this was that Danny Phantom told me not to trust Vlad to begin with." She gave a humorless laugh. "Man, what a cluster fuck this all is."

"Speaking of my brother," Jazz cut in, turning to Soarin. "I take it you still have a lot of questions about him?"

Soarin, first looking at Valerie in disbelief after her revelation, turned his attention to Jazz. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts and sitting down to rub a hoof over his aching cranium. "More than you know, but explain this to me first. If… your brother truly is Danny Phantom, and if he was friends with Samantha Manson, then why did he-"

"Don't go there again!" Tucker warned.

"He didn't," Jazz quickly answered, holding a hand up to silence Tucker. "What really happened is still unclear because both Danny and Tucker suffered a great deal of memory loss as a result of the explosion. At least, Tucker has. Danny, I can't be sure about. He closed up after what had happened, but, with Tucker's help, we managed to piece some things together. Enough to know that Danny didn't do the things everyone accuses him of."

"But, if he didn't do it... Then who is responsible for her death?" Soarin asked with dread.

"A monster," Tucker almost growled. "There's no other way to describe that… thing." Moving to his computer, he opened one of the recovered files. "Just one question," Tucker asked. "Are you going to freak out again?"

"Why?" Soarin replied, worried.

"No, he won't," Valerie answered for him, standing behind the pony, cracking her knuckles.

"Good enough for me," Tucker muttered, while Jazz shot Valerie another unimpressive glare.

Moving the image to one of the larger screens in the room, the faceless image of a nightmarish entity materialized. Jazz, having seen this horror before, still felt herself tense up in fright. Valerie, new to this development, gave a horrified gasp at the sight. And Soarin let out a squeal of pure terror, rearing up and scampering to flee, only for Valerie's fist to connect with his skull. He slumped to the ground once more.

"VALERIE!" Jazz shouted.

"What?" Valerie shrugged. "I said he wouldn't freak out. And look, he isn't freaking out."

"What is wrong with you!?" Jazz seethed. "Why do things always need to end in violence with you!?"

"Who said this ended in violence? All I did was knock your little friend on the head so he wouldn't force us to chase after him for a third time."

"That is exactly what I meant by violence. Why do you always need to go by this stupid 'shoot first, ask questions later' rule?"

"Because it works. But if you don't like it, I have another one," Valerie countered with a smirk. "When in doubt, C4."

Jazz shouted another heated reply back at the clearly crazy woman, while Tucker dragged a hand down his face; sighing tiredly. Looking down at the unconscious pony, there was only one thing that came to mind.

"I hear you, man. Mares." 


<<>><<>><<>>


Back in Canterlot, Dani was pacing in her room, deep in thought. She and 'her' team had retired for the night, and were brought to a hotel near the edge of the city. It was fully rented out by the Princesses so they wouldn't run into any civilians and accidentally give away their presence, so there were plenty of spare rooms for the team to use as improvised conference rooms to discuss all the latest findings, or to just get away from the noise if they needed to think.

Which was what Dani was doing at the moment, trying to figure out a way to head over to this 'Ponyville' place and look for any clues on Danny's whereabouts. She couldn't just leave, unfortunately. She still had her cover to maintain, and it would raise a lot of difficult questions should she just up and leave like that. And, sure, she could have flown over to the village during the night, if it wasn't for the late night debrief about what the scientists had found during their scans of the crystals found in the cave.

'The scans are still incomplete, but what we have found is surprising, to say the least. These crystals, they emit an energy signature not unlike that detected from the anti-ghost element, Ectoranium.' That was cause for concern for the half ghost, and she was glad she decided to avoid those glowing rocks when she left the cavern the other day to follow Shining Armor. 'We still need to analyze the full extent of the scans we've made, but it might be possible for us to harness the energy these crystals emit to power some of the equipment,' she remembered another scientist saying, shuddering at the thought of having been in such close proximity to an anti-ghost element.

"Ugh," she groaned, moving a hand through her hair. "This isn't helping. I need to find a way to get out of this place without anyone noticing, and to get to this village." Groaning, she continued to pace around. Her mind going over everything that was said during the last debrief as well what was said in the throne room when she spied on Shining Armor and the princesses, and the need to get started on her real mission. Ultimately, she fell short of coming up with a plan, coming to stop near the room's bathroom. 

With nothing better to do, she decided that a quick shower would do her some good. She entered the tiled room and saw her frazzled reflection in the large mirror hanging above the sink. 

"Wow, talk about a bad hair day," she droned as she stepped closer. Inspecting herself from various angles, she couldn't help but snort over her own appearance. "Glad there’s no one else here to see me. Just me and my refleeec...tion." She stared at herself for a moment, before her hand met her face with a loud slap. 

"How in the world did I forget?" She muttered, rubbing the red mark on her face.

Taking a step back from the mirror, she secured her stance before transforming in flash of light. "I'm a ghost. And as a ghost, I can duplicate myself!" She reminded herself, only for a strong feeling of hesitation to grab hold of her. 'But even then, I've never been able to pull this one off.'

Shaking off those thoughts, she closed her eyes, inhaled deeply, and slowly exhaled. "Alright, let's do this!"

Clenching her fist and furrowing her brow in concentration, a vertical band of energy formed around her. Splitting in half, the wavering bands moved to each side of the half ghost. Her fists tightened even further, teeth grinding together as she forced herself to do something she had never been able to do before. Something which had always blown up in her face before. Something Tucker explained was a result of her cloned existence. Something she refused to allow to hold her back any longer.

Grunting in exertion, the bands of light continued to separate and, where Dani once stood, only empty air remained. Spreading out even further, far beyond where Dani once stood, two beings materialized. Two beings who, if one didn't know any better, could've been mistaken for twins.

A burst of white light filled the room as the bands of energy dispersed, leaving two panting women standing in the bathroom.

A minute passed and the only thing the two had managed to accomplish so far was to fill the air with their ragged gasps, both clearly exhausted from the successful effort. Eventually, they relaxed their stance, and blinked in confusion as they first inspected their own bodies, and then looked in surprise and wonder at their other self.

"I DID IT!" both of them proclaimed in victory. "No, I did," they then said to each other. "No, me!"

Standing silent for a moment, they both came to an agreement.

"This is going to take some getting used to."

A knock on the door drew their attention. "Ma'am. Are you alright?" The vile voice of the dreaded Pete resonated through the door, making Dani and Dani shudder. 

Looking at one another and nodding to themselves, Dani transformed back to her mortal self, while Dani turned invisible. Moving to the door, Dani opened it enough to look out through the crack, while Dani phased through the wall to see what was going on on the other side of the door.

"What is it?" Dani asked, not even trying to hide her annoyance. "I'm rather busy at the moment."

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I thought I saw a flash, and I was worried something had happened."

"What did I say about the whole ma'am thing?" Dani asked with an irritated sigh. "And don't worry, nothing strange is going on. Nothing at all. Now, if you'll excuse me, I was about to take a shower," she said, and a large blush suddenly spread over Pete's face; the irritating technician having come to the conclusion that his 'boss' was keeping the door closed like that because he caught her at a rather bad time.

"Right, sorry ma- miss." Thoroughly embarrassed, he quickly rushed away.

"What a dingus," Dani said after a moment, fading back into view behind Dani as she closed the door.

"Tell me about it," Dani replied, crossing her arms over her chest. Then she remembered who she was talking to, and a winning grin spread over her face; copied shortly afterwards by her mirror image.

"This is so cool," they both said, inspecting each other. "But how did we... I manage to do this now, when I never could before?" Dani asked.

Shrugging, "Luck, I guess," Dani replied.

"This will make things so much easier," Dani commented. "Now I can be in two places at once."

"You mean I can be in two places at once," Dani corrected.

"Let's not start this again," Dani replied. "And I meant what I said."

Dani was about to give her a piece of her mind over the matter, when Dani cut her off. "Look, let's just forget about this for now, and focus on what's really important." Dani nodded in agreement.

"Well, seeing how I'm already in my ghost form, I guess I'll head over to Ponyville," Dani replied, and Dani gave an annoyed groan in return.

"Which means I get to continue with the charade, and keep an eye on the whole construction... thing," Dani stated with hollow enthusiasm. "Yay."

"Well, look at the bright side," Dani said with a smirk. "It could've been me."

"But, I am you," Dani replied, before seeing what Dani was getting at. Droning with a monotone. "Funny, haha."

"Hey, better you than me," Dani continued, much to Dani's annoyance.

"Just go," Dani droned, and Dani flew away with a laugh, phasing through the wall while turning invisible.

"... This is gonna take some getting used to," Dani sighed, before perking up. "But still, I finally managed to duplicate myself," then a playful grin spread over her face. "I wonder what Tucker will think of this?"

Many different scenarios played out in her mind, and she decided that, maybe, it would be a good idea to take that shower after all.


<<>><<>><<>>


"You can’t seriously believe that?!," exclaimed a disbelieving Shining Armor. "Sombra can't be a ghost!" Danny, who was staring out the window, gave no reply.

"But what if he is?" Cadance queried, before she suddenly flinched in pain; the glow around her horn faded for a moment, and the magical dome covering the Empire flickered in response.

"What was that? What happened?" Twilight asked, while troubled frowns found their way onto her friends' faces.

"It's nothing. Really. Don't worry," Cadance replied quickly, giving a pained smile.

"It's not nothing," Shining Armor countered. "Cadance has been using her magic to spread love and light in order to protect the Empire. But it's straining, and she can't afford to stop the spell." Shining sighed. "Not only that, she hasn't slept since all of this started and refuses to take a break, not even to eat. I want to help with this burden, but my magic is now useless after what Sombra did to my horn."

"It's alright, Shining Armor. I'm fine," Cadance told her husband, trying to put up a brave front.

"No, she’s not," Shining directed to Twilight. "She can't go on like this forever. And if her magic were to fade... Well, you all saw what's out there, just waiting for that to happen."

"That's why we’re here," Twilight declared firmly.

"Why we're all here," Applejack added, and the rest of the group gave a hum of acknowledgement; except Danny, who was still staring outside at the flickering shield, lost in his thoughts.
  
"Well, with Cadance putting all her strength into keeping her spell going, and me trying to keep an eye out for any signs of trouble in the arctic, we haven't been able to gather much information from the locals," Shining Armor told the group. "The guards who accompanied my wife and I have made an effort to find anything useful, but it's almost as if something is clouding the minds of the ponies who live here," he explained, sighing tiredly. "So far all we have been able to accomplish is drain our energy keeping a failing shield up, without any progress in finding a way to stop, or even slow, Sombra. If something doesn't change soon, we won't be able to protect ourselves, let alone the crystal ponies."

"CRYSTAL PONIES!?" Rarity shouted, rearing up to pull on her mane with both hooves, her excitement overflowing. "There are crystal ponies?" She continued, then noticed the strange looks she was getting from her friends and quickly dropped back to all fours. "Ahem. Please, continue."

"But we have to believe that one of them knows how to protect the Empire without having to rely on Cadance's magic," Shining Armor finished.

"Hmmm…" Danny hummed pensively. 'If she's using her magic against a ghost… Does that mean...' He pondered, before noticing that all eyes were on him.

"What is it, Danny?" Applejack asked.

"O-oh..." he stuttered for a moment. "Nothing. Just…"

" 'Just' nothin'! Ya look like yer thinkin' harder than Mac on tax day!" The honest mare pressed on.

"... Light," he muttered.

"Light?" Rarity repeated, sharing a confused look with her friends.

"You said Cadance was using her magic to spread light," he aimed at Shining.

"And love. What of it?"

"Well, Sombra is a shadow type ghost."

"According to you," Shining replied. "And even so, what are you getting at?"

Danny raised a single eyebrow, looking at Shining Armor as if the stallion was asking him what one plus one equals. "Shadow!" he shouted the obvious, complete with hand gestures for the extra thick. "Light! The two don't mix!"

"... That actually makes sense," Shining Armor said with a look of surprised realization.

"Although a shadow type ghost like this is usually capable of sustaining its form, even in the light of day…" Danny muttered as he turned back to the window. "I'm guessing the magical nature of the light Cadance spreads is allowing it to diffuse his shade form."

Cadance and Shining Armor shared a look of dawning understanding, although a lot of questions still remained. One of which was voiced by brashest of the group.

"And how do you know all of this?" Rainbow Dash faced Danny once more. "It almost seems like you know more than you're telling us."

"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight shot back at her pegasus friend, but Applejack shushed her down.

"Let her talk, Twilight. She's got a good point, an' Ah wanna know tha answer myself."

"As do I," Cadance replied. "Danny, please. If you know anything that might be of use in keeping Sombra at bay, or even stopping him, then tell us."

"Ehh..." Danny stuttered, all eyes on him, and he took a few nervous steps back.

"Well, come on!" Rainbow Dash demanded; hovering at eye height, glaring at him. "Spill it."

Danny gulped as he took another step back, eyes shifting around as he tried to come up with a way to escape from this situation, knowing he had done one of the worst things he could've ever done; talk too much. Now he had to find a way to fix this without stripping away the cover he had built around himself.

"Actually… um... I… I... uhh, don't really know much more than that," he lied, which nopony bought.

"Yer not bein' honest there, Danny," Applejack told him.

"I... uhh," Danny stumbled, a haunted look on his face.

Seeing this, Twilight gasped, eyes widening in realization. "Danny... Does this have to do with the death of your friend?"

Silence.

"I... you... How do you know about…  her?" He asked, his voice small and halting while his eyes were wide and focused solely on Twilight.

All eyes were now on Twilight, and only a shallow gasp from Cadance broke the silence that reasserted itself after Danny’s question.

"I... ehh… Well," she fumbled her words, ears folded flat as she looked away.

"... We told 'er," Applejack confessed. "Me and Rainbow Dash. Not long after you… Well, ya know." 

"Yeah… We did," Rainbow Dash admitted, dropping to the ground.

"You mean a ghost killed one of your friends?" Cadance asked, horrified upon connecting the pieces.

Closing his eyes and sighing deeply, hands clenching and unclenching, Danny faced away from the ponies, and dragon. "There was a... ghost, yes," Danny answered, remembering the abomination he faced many years ago. "... And…"

"And, what?" Twilight asked in a voice that barely qualified as a whisper.

"And it's something I would rather not talk about," Danny muttered, staring out of the window with unfocused eyes. "But let's just say that I know a thing or two from… personal experience," he added, before adding under his breath: "And I lost even more…"

Looking back at the group behind him, seeing tears in most of their eyes, his gaze hardened as he straightened where he stood. "But that isn't important right now," he continued, surprising the group with his sudden turn of demeanor. "What is important, is that there is a powerful shade waiting to enslave this place, and that the shield isn't going to hold forever."

Turning to Shining Armor, Danny continued. "You said one of these crystal ponies might know a way to stop Sombra?"

"Well… yes. Maybe. I think?" Shining Armor answered.

"Then that seems like the best place to start. Let’s try asking some of the locals, and see what they know."

An excited gasp escaped Twilight. "A research paper!" She proclaimed.

"Huh?" Shining and Danny uttered, looking at each other, then at Twilight.

"It must be part of my test," Twilight continued, talking mostly to herself as she started to pace around. "To gather information from the crystal ponies, and deliver it to you!" She surmised, coming to a stop before her brother with the excited, knowledge hungry, gleam in her eyes he knew all too well.

"This is going to be great. I love research papers!" She finished, happily trotting away.

"... Wait, what just happened?" Danny asked, confused.

"That would be Twilight being Twilight," Pinkie Pie answered completely serious, earning a few disconcerted stares from her friends, before they voiced their agreement.

"She does remember the whole, 'there's a shadow ghost' thing we were just talking about, right?"

"Yup!" Pinkie Pie answered excitedly, bouncing on the spot. "That's why she's studying."

"... I'm not sure that will work," Danny replied, unsure.

"Weeelll," Pinkie Pie began jovially, "you won't know unless you try~" And she bounced away, following after Twilight.

"... Is it just me, or did that actually make sense?" Applejack said, lifting her stetson and scratching her head.

"Indeed," Rarity agreed.

"Man, that's weird," said Rainbow Dash. "Twilight is the oddball by being herself. And Pinkie Pie is the serious one, while still being Pinkie Pie."

All eyes met, a shiver going through all of them.

"It probably ain't nothin' ta worry 'bout. Right?" Applejack asked.

"Absolutely," Rarity confirmed with an edge of nervousness.

"Or maybe this means everything that can go wrong will go wrong?" Spike voiced his thoughts, rubbing his chin, before looking up and seeing everypony looking at him. "Or maybe it’s nothing," he quickly added, smiling sheepishly.

"Well," Danny said with a tired sigh, "only one way to find out, I guess. Shaking his head he followed after Twilight and Pinkie Pie; joined mere moments later by the rest, sans Shining Armor and Cadance.

The two of them watched the group leave, waiting for the doors to close behind them, before giving voice to their worries.

"A ghost killed a friend of his," Shining Armor said bitterly, his mind flashing back through the years to Baltimare.

"No, not just a friend," Cadance said softly. "A love. His love. A ghost killed the one he loved."

"... No wonder he doesn't want to talk about it," Shining muttered. "... And do you think he’s right about Sombra?"

"... I hope he isn't," Cadance replied, biting her lip, "but the look in his eyes… I fear he might be right. Sombra has become a ghost."

Shining Armor sucked in a large breath, muscles tensing. "Then may Celestia protect us all." His gaze shifting to the window Danny had stared out, seeing the shield holding back the darkness. "We're going to need it."

"Indeed," Cadance agreed.

"There's still one more thing I’m curious about."

"Which is?"

"Why is Danny here?"

Cadance didn't reply but, unnoticed by Shining Armor, a small smile found its way onto her lips.


<<>><<>><<>>


Buildings flashed by underneath her. The streets full of colorful ponies were just a blur as she sped past them. The white of the city's marble quickly changed to the greens and browns of the plants and earth as Dani flew over the edge of Canterlot, and dived down into the valley below.

She could already see the village she was seeking, and knew it would be a short flight. But after having been cooped up for so long, she gratefully accepted the opportunity to just let her hair down; which meant, in this case, that it was whipping around wildly in the wind.

A happy and relieved shout of joy escaped her as she did a quick somersault, before flying alongside the waterfall cascading down the mountainside; tiny droplets of water spraying onto her invisible form, shimmering in the light of the sun, revealing her form with thousands of golden sparkles.

Steering towards Ponyville, the water soon dried as she picked up speed. She weaved around as she flew with spread arms, smiling broadly as she felt truly free again.

'Man, I missed this,' she thought as she made a corkscrew. 'The wind in my hair, the ground far below, invisible to all. This is the life!' She closed her eyes to just enjoy the feeling.

This, however, proved to be a mistake.

Just ahead of her, sitting on a low hanging cloud, was a large, heavily muscled pegasus with surprisingly small wings. Unfortunately for her, the first indication Dani got that he was there was when she flew face first into his back.

"Ouch!" Dani shouted, fading back into view as she rubbed her face. "What idiot built a wall way up… here?" She complained, before noticing the company she had.

Silence. 

'Oh, crap!' Dani thought as she stared at the pegasus stallion, who was staring back at her with very wide eyes. "... Ehh.. Hi," she said lamely, giving a small wave of the hand.

"AAIIEEEE!!!" the stallion shrieked in a high pitch; racing away with speed that took Dani by surprise, tail between his legs.

".... Oh, this'll come back to bite me in the ass," Dani muttered, hand placed firmly on her face, slowly dragging it down.

"EEEEEEEEEEE"EEEEEEEEE"

"... Shi—"


<<>><<>><<>>


Twilight, her friends, and Danny were out in the city, taking a moment to orientate themselves, and to discuss their plan to find out anything useful from the crystal ponies. Twilight, obviously, had taken the time during her walk from the throne room to where they were now to come up with a multiple choice spreadsheet, as well as several key questions they could ask to gain the most useful data in the least time.

This plan, however, was ruined almost immediately when, to Twilight's horror, she realized that all her belongings were still standing on the train's platform. All her scrolls, ink wells, quills, and even her books. All of them stored securely in her saddlebags, which she forgot to pick up when Sombra attacked.

It took the rest of them nearly half an hour to calm her down.

But now, without the supplies to make the required spreadsheet, or even write down a simple checklist, Twilight begrudgingly conceded to Rainbow Dash's plan; which meant simply knocking on ponies' doors and asking them if they knew anything.

As expected, this approach didn't give the results they had hoped.

"Are you sure? Absolutely sure?" Twilight asked for the umpteenth time to yet another pony.

"I'm sorry," a light grey mare answered in a somber tone. "I wish I could help you, but I can't seem to remember anything from before King Sombra came to power-" She suddenly flinched back, eyes closed in a pained grimace. Then her eyes shot open in horror. "And I don't want to remember anything about the time he ruled over us," she said with a visible shudder.

"Sombra's spell must be why their coats aren't... crystally," Twilight told Spike in a stage whisper.

"Have we really been gone a thousand years?" The somber mare asked, which Twilight confirmed. "It feels like it was just yesterday."

"If you think of anything, even the smallest thing…" Twilight suggested.

"Of course," the mare answered, before retreating back into her home.

"Well, that was a total bust," Spike complained as he and Twilight walked away from the mare's house.

"Maybe the others are having better luck?" Twilight hoped, and the pair went on to the next house.

Meanwhile, invisible to them, Danny watched as they turned a corner, before turning his gaze back to the house Twilight and Spike had just left.

'I've seen this before,' he thought, remembering how everyone in his high school acted after they visited Spectra; even knowing it from personal experience. Then, looking down at his shadow, another question made occured to him. 'And if this magical light is harmful to shades, then why doesn't Shadow react to it? He's retreated into my mind, but he's still there… Is that why I passed out before?' he mused, looking back up. '… I'll worry about that later, let's focus on this first. Hopefully they won't notice my absence for a little while longer,' he added, glancing back, before moving for the house with a look of determination and phasing through the door.

Once inside, Danny had to blink his eyes to help them adjust. Whereas the city outside was bright and warm, courtesy of Cadance's magic, this home was dark and cold. With little to no furniture, only a filthy worn out mattress lying in a corner, the house was as gloomy as it was dark. Sitting on the dilapidated mattress was the mare he saw Twilight talking to. Her eyes were unfocused, staring into forever, and a look of loss and hopelessness was etched on her face.

'I’ve seen what Spectra can do, but this... ' Danny thought, disgusted at the sorry sight. Slowly taking everything in, from the dirt smearing the walls, to the piles of trash littering the floor. '… Over a thousand years… Good God.'

The mare's left ear twitched, her eyes slowly focusing before she looked around the room; seemingly in a trance.

'It's almost like she's still under Sombra's control,' Danny realized, hands balling into fists; body trembling in rising anger. 'No one deserves this. No one!'

With anger burning in his eyes and his mind made up, he rushed out of the mare's home, flying with unchecked speed towards the edge of the city. The buildings passed by in a blur, the streets mostly empty, save for the occasional pony slowly, and aimlessly wandering through the streets.

Eyes burning green, Danny's eyes narrowed as he neared the magical dome; only for them to widen in surprise when he saw something he recognized. Although he wasn't sure where he recognized it from.

Dropping to the ground, he found himself looking up at a large, deep red crystal, almost pulsating from the dark energy swirling inside.

"What the…" He muttered as he stepped closer, fading back into view and placing his hand on the cold, reflective surface. "Where do I recognize... this… from?" he slurred, his hand slowly slipping from the crystal, while its red glow was mirrored in Danny's eyes.


****


With a snap, Sombra's spectral, smoke like head turned to the place he felt a disturbance from. A presence, unlike any other. A presence with a cold heart. A dark grin formed within the shapeless mass, his red irises flashing brightly.


****


Danny stood on the spot, unmoving, eyes lost in the red glow of the crystal, hands hanging limply by his sides. All thought had left his mind. All sense of self pushed aside. All that he was, what made him him, was suppressed by the will of the crystal's master.


'You will obey!'


Danny nodded in a stiff, soulless manner; slowly turning around until he faced the palace at the heart of the city.


'Now, do my bidding!'


Danny nodded once more, transforming into his ghostly form, and flew towards the crystal castle.


'NO!'


Danny stopped cold mid-flight, hands trembling and eyes shifting between red and orange.


'There is already too much darkness within this poor soul. You shall not have him too!'


A voice of truth bellowed back, breaking the crystal's link.

"Wh~oa," Danny slurred, holding a hand against his face as he regained his senses. "What the..." He said aloud as he noticed the white glove covering his hand, moving his gaze across his transformed form. "What... How did this happen?"

Looking around, and noticing the crystal behind him, Danny hesitantly walked back to it.

"Did… did this thing... control my mind?" he asked with a hint of fear; then his eyes widened in realization. "A glowing red crystal capable of mind control! Just like Freakshow had!" Now aware of the danger he immediately shielded his eyes from the glowing crystal spire. "Then… that must be how he controls those ponies," he surmised, when a new realization sent a chill down his spine. "Which also means he doesn't have to be inside the city to exert his control!" He immediately looked back at the city. "Oh no!"

Knowing he didn't have any more time to waste, he quickly flew towards the shield, realizing that they had less time to stop him than they had thought...


<<>><<>><<>>


'Crows were cawing:' "Caw, caw." 'Their voices echoing through the mostly abandoned streets. Only a few ponies could be seen, staying outside their homes. They were either stupid or brave. Or both. What would that be: brupid, or strave?'

'She stood frozen on the spot, pondering over this dilemma,' "Brupid sounds funnier." 'And with that crisis resolved, she continued onwards with her mission.'

'What mission, you ask?' "What mission, I ask." 'Well, to find the dark Sombrero which hangs like a shadow over all of ponykind, and put a stop to its eye covering reign of terror.'

'She snuck through the streets, a shadow unseen. Clad in a black spy suit, complete with night vision goggles to get a clearer image of events. The fact that the sun was still up not deterring her in the slightest.'

'Standing on the edge of a roof, not entirely sure herself how she got up there when she was down on the street just a moment ago, she grabbed her trusty grappling hook.' "Time to gather some intel." 'She jumped over the edge, descending towards a couple of ponies below.'

"It just feels like something is missing," 'subject one, a mare, said to subject two, a stallion.'

"I know. It looks the same, but it doesn't feel the same," 'subject two answered.'

"Because it isn't," 'she answered, hanging upside down above the two unsuspecting ponies.'

"GHAAA! A SPY!" 'Subject one shouted, before running away with a scream causing her to lose her grip on the rope and fall down.'

"A spy. How did they know?" 'She asked, before noticing her reflection in a nearby window.' "Ooh. Must've noticed my night vision goggles," 'she deduced, giving her reflection a smug grin as she slipped on the goggles.'

"Hmmm, looks like this lead has run cold," 'she told herself. But this wouldn't stop her, for she was:' "Double O Donut, Party Pie. The mare who puts the pie in spy."


<<>><<>><<>>


"I've got nothing so far," Rainbow Dash sighed after she swooped in, landing next to her friends.

"... Oh, me neither," Rarity replied, more focused on how her mane would sparkle if she were to become a crystal pony.

Suddenly, Fluttershy approached Twilight; a suspicious look in her eyes. Looking around warily, she then reached a hoof into her mane and pulled down a zipper, much to the shock of those around her.

With a bounce, the curly mane of none other than Pinkie Pie poofed out of the confines of her disguise, before the entire suit was dropped to the ground. The pink mare that emerged from within pressing close to Twilight, looking behind her while stage whispering behind a hoof: "My cover has been blown!" Turning to face Twilight, Pinkie leaned towards her purple friend, standing on the tips of three of her hooves while holding her friend's face with her remaining free hoof. "I repeat, my cover has been blown!" She hissed before rushing off in a cloud of smoke.

"O-kay?" Twilight said, confused, as the real Fluttershy stepped towards her.

"Sorry, Twilight. These crystal ponies seem ta have some kind of collective amnesia er somethin'," Applejack said, while Fluttershy noticed she was standing on the suit Pinkie Pie had dropped on the ground, and she quickly scurried away from it. "Tha only thang Ah was able ta get out of them was somethin' 'bout a library."

"A library!?" Twilight repeated with a gasp, hooves held against her face in amazement; stars sparkling in her eyes.

She rushed over to Applejack, grabbing her head in her hooves; smiling broadly. "Why didn't you say so?" She asked, before galloping away without even asking where the aforementioned library was.

"Uhh…Thought Ah just did?" Applejack answered as she watched her over eager friend rush away, before following behind to steer her in the right direction; the rest swiftly following her with only Fluttershy lagging behind. Firstly, because she was still looking with fright at the skinsuit closely resembling her lying discarded on the ground. Secondly, because she couldn't find the last member of their group.

"Hey girls!" she called out. "Girls, where's Danny?" She asked, but her voice went unheard over the giddy sounds coming from both Twilight and Pinkie Pie, along with the others' usual chatter. "... I guess he'll find us himself," she reassured herself, then quickly followed her friends.


<<>><<>><<>>


It lay amidst the books, splayed open on a pedestal, a single beam of weak light illuminating the shifting words on its pages.



The time for answers is near. But not just yet.



A few pages flipped, momentarily filling the many empty aisles of crowded shelves with gentle rustling.



This chapter is still unfolding, with questions all its own. But preparations should be made.



The words faded away, and the book closed with a snap. Hovering into the air above its pedestal, a green glow shone from within the pages, causing the books lining the shelves around him to start shaking and trembling. In a burst of power, the books were torn from their shelves, grabbed by the glow of its power; spinning around in the air before it, connected by the glowing green as a portal opened.

The skull displayed on the book's cover turned towards the swirling mass of power and paper; its sockets glowing darkly before it vanished into the vortex of energy, leaving the books behind to fall to the ground with a thud.


<<>><<>><<>>


Danny stood before the shield, staring at his translucent reflection in the glowing surface, frowning at the ghost he saw. Sighing and shaking his head, he focused on the snowy landscape beyond the barrier.

"So, this shield is supposed to stop a ghost, right?" He mused. "Like the ghost shield my parents made?" Looking at his gloved hand, and then back at the barrier, he decided to put his question to the test.

Raising his hand, he placed it against the shield; feeling a slight resistance from the glowing wall. Immediately he noticed a strange sensation coursing through his hand; multiple pinpricks as if his hand had gone numb. Not stopping there, he applied some force, and was surprised to see his hand push through the barrier without further hindrance.

"Huh, so it doesn't affect ghosts after a-" he couldn't finish his sentence. With a wavering aura, the gloved hand was stripped away from his mortal self; hovering above his living counterpart in a translucent spectral image, connected to his arm where the shield did not touch him. Joining them, billowing in between, was a cloud of darkness, roughly shaped like his hand, tinged with green and orange.

"GHAAA!" he yelled in pain and fright, pulling his hand free of the barrier, and seeing his ghost hand merge back with his living self. "What the hell!?" He shouted, holding his aching hand with the other. "What the hell!?"

Rubbing his hand, and then holding it out in front of him, he flexed his fingers to make sure everything still worked, unable to shake the feeling of familiarity. "Th- that was almost like what happened when I accidentally flew through the Fenton Ghost Catcher," he said, "... minus the pain. And was that Shadow as well?" He looked back at the shield with a wary gaze. "I take it back. This thing works against ghosts… But how did I get in here without separating?" He wondered, furrowing his brow.

He looked at his hand, then the shield, then back at his hand again. "I didn't split from my ghost self for several seconds… Maybe?" He muttered, then took a leap of faith.

Closing his eyes tightly, he jumped through the shield, feeling the magic wash over him; his entire body growing numb. Then the pain came, deep within his mind.

"GHAAAA!" He roared, falling to his knees while grabbing his head, eyes flashing between dark green and orange; a dark fog steaming off of his body, before seeping back into him.

Several minutes passed, his labored breathing joining the wind, but eventually he gathered enough strength to stand back up again, arms falling to his sides as he glared back at the shield. "That shadowy mist…" He grunted through clenched teeth. "It's almost as if this thing is reacting with Shadow, specifically," he grunted through a deep sigh. "Sombra, Shadow… This thing is reacting to shades," he muttered, stepping away from the glowing wall. "Best to stay away from this thing, unless I have no other choice."

Sighing, his breath turning into a cloud from the cold air he now found himself in, he turned around, clenching a fist.

"Now, where are you?" He muttered in a low voice, hovering up and looking around. Choosing a likely spot, Danny flew away from the city, eyes aglow, burning with anger.

'I will not allow you to control them any longer!'


<<>><<>><<>>


Double doors opened before the mares, and they were greeted by the bright gleam of the building's crystal interior, and the sight of thousands upon thousands of books.

"It's just… I don't even know wh- There are no words," Twilight said, looking at the treasure trove of knowledge with awe and wonder.

"EH-HEM," an elderly mare cleared her throat, drawing the attention of the library's visitors. "May I help you?"

"Yes," Twilight answered, approaching the mare. "We are looking for a book."

"We have plenty of those," she answered in a neutral voice.

"You do," Twilight replied, awed. "You really do." She slowly spun around, taking it all in with large eyes and a goofy smile.

"We're lookin' fer a history book," Applejack took over, seeing that Twilight was unable to focus all that much at the moment. "Somethin' that might tell us how tha Empire mighta protected itself against danger back in tha day."

"Yes, of course," the mare replied. "History, History," she muttered to herself, rubbing her chin. "Ah, yes," she proclaimed, and Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight all looked at her with relieved, expecting smiles, which soon dropped when the mare didn't continue.

"Which is... where, exactly?" Twilight asked after a few awkward seconds.

"I... I can't seem to remember," she answered, looking around, lost. "I'm not sure I actually work here," her answer made Rainbow Dash facehoof, groan, and drag her hoof down over her face in annoyance.

"We'll just take a look around. I'm sure we can find it on our own," Twilight suggested.

"Let me know if you find anything," the mare told the group, before slowly walking away.

Watching the somewhat confused mare wander off, Pinkie Pie came to a sudden realization. "I like her," she said, smiling, before following after her friends.

This sudden statement would forever confuse her friends, so they just chalked it up to Pinkie being Pinkie.


<<>><<>><<>>


In a burst of green light, it arrived in the library, the force of its sudden appearance caused the nearby books to shudder and drop to the ground. On the book's cover, the glowing green orbs in the skull’s sockets seemed to follow the movements of the library’s guests. Deciding that further action was needed in order to observe them better, the tome started to channel its power.

In a small burst of energy, the skull shifted, contorting until it took the shape of those that called this world their home. Something it had done once before, not too long ago. Now he would use this disguise again to keep them from asking too many difficult questions. At least the ones that were not yet meant to be asked.

Looking around with a studious gaze, he observed the group of mares and lone drake search through the books in search of the answer they so desperately needed. He was more interested in one particular unicorn, however. One that was using her magic to move one book after another in a continuous line, before dropping them all on a large pile of rejected works, ones that failed to contain the knowledge she sought.

Knowing what he needed to do, he hovered a short distance above the purple mare, before letting gravity take hold over his form.

With a solid 'THUD' it landed on top of Twilight's head, who immediately vocalized her surprise and pain for all to hear; losing her focus over her magic and dropping every single book she was holding to the ground in a loud ruckus.

"Is everythang alright, Twilight?" Applejack asked as she and her friends hurried over to Twilight.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Twilight answered, rubbing her head with an annoyed scowl, looking around for the source of the rising bump on her head. To her surprise, however, she saw a rather large book lying beside her; its cover black with an ominous looking skull printed in its center.

"What's this?" She wondered, picking up the book in her magic, feeling a strange energy interacting with her aura. Reading the title, her eyes widened. "History Untold. Girls, I think this is it," she shouted as she quickly opened the book and rushed through its pages.

Sheesh, calm down will you? You're going to rip my spine off at this rate, it thought, careful not to actually print its thoughts. Instead, it moved the information she sought to the next page before she turned the previous one.

With a gasp, Twilight stopped her frantic search. Calling her friends over, they all read what it had written down.

"We need to get this to Cadance and Shining," Twilight told them. And, with a snap, she closed the book, and they all hurried out of the library.

Pinkie Pie, however, lagged behind a bit when she saw the mare they had talked to before standing in front of a large bookcase. "BYE," she called out, standing on her hind legs, and waving her goodbye. "We'll be back soon to return your book." Then she rushed out of the library with enough speed to leave her outlines behind.

"Whoopsie," she said with a giggle as she rushed back in, backwards. "Lost it again," she explained with a laugh as she grabbed her outlines, before leaving again.

"... What a nice filly," the mare said, smiling. "Reminds me of my granddaughter, Surprise."


<<>><<>><<>>


Danny stood on a snowy hill, the wind howling around him while flakes of snow assaulted his senses. He looked around with bright eyes, and a deep grimace; feeling cold to the very core, but he knew it was not because of the temperature or the weather.

"Come out, I know you're here!" He said aloud, turning around to face the pillar of smoke rising up behind him.

"So, it is you. The one that box fool spoke of," Sombra's voice came from deep within the dark cloud.

"Wait, you know the Box Ghost?" Danny asked, taken by surprise. Then his angry glare returned. "What did you do to him?"

Sombra's smoky form contorted, shifting and turning, before descending down to meet Danny at eye level.

"What I do to all who dare to enter my domain," Sombra answered, voice thick with malice. "Death, destruction, and horrors unknown awaits those who dare to defy me, based on their transgression. He was no exception. But the fool was useful, to an extent, so I didn't kill him."

A vibrant glowing orb burned around each of Danny's fists; his teeth bared. "Useful, for what?" he growled, remembering Earl's past.

Sombra shifted again, his form twisting and coiling around like a snake, surrounding Danny as he studied him. "Information. No good king lets a valuable asset go to waste, no matter what shape or form it might take. He knew things that, until very recently, I believed to be useless. Still, I showed him mercy as he cowered in fear before me. I would have gained nothing by killing him. Besides, I needed to save my strength. As powerful as I am, moving my Empire is no easy task."

Danny snorted in disgust. "Mercy?" He scoffed. "You wouldn't know the meaning of the word even if I slapped you with a dictionary."

Sombra closed in on Danny, his smoky form nearly pressing against Danny's face as his sickly green and baleful red eyes stared deeply into the pure glowing green of Danny's own. "But now I see that what he knew is more useful to me than I originally thought, Danny Phantom."

Danny tensed, eyes widening, before narrowing into a grimace.

"He told me all about you. What you can do, what you have done. Those whose lives were changed through your actions," Sombra summed up, showing the faintest hint of what might well be admiration as he slowly backed away. Then his eyes widened, a massive and dark grin splitting the smoke apart, and he lunged forward, not stopping until his intangible form was pressed directly against Danny's face. "He even told me about your true nature, half mortal."

Backing away once more, Sombra rose up to look down on Danny.

"I am the king of this Empire. My power is absolute. Nothing and no one can stop me, not even you. That is why you're here, isn't it? To be the hero." He chuckled darkly. "Fool. Being a hero will only weaken you. It forces you to look after others who are unable to defend themselves. Weaklings who will hold you back. Those who will only hurt you when they find someone else to admire."

The snow around Danny started to melt from the heat radiating from the glowing orbs around his hands.

"But it doesn't have to be that way. Join me, and together we will rule this world. I as its king. You as my dark knight. There will be no one who can stop us. No one who will defy us. Never again would you experience the pain of losing something dear to you. A pain I know all too well. So, what do you say?"

A blinding burst of green power slammed into Sombra's billowing body; the light intense enough to burn his shade form. Sombra roared in anguish, falling to the snow as his form flickered back to his solid, pony shape.

"You know nothing about pain," Danny seethed, eyes and hands burning toxic green.

"So be it," Sombra growled, rising up in a column of smoke. "I'll destroy you, and all those who dare defy me."

"I'd like to see you try," Danny shot back, and fired another burst of energy at Sombra.


<<>><<>><<>>



A few minutes prior


With a flick of her magic the throne room's doors burst open. Shining Armor and Cadance looked up in shock at the sudden slam of the doors against the wall, to see Twilight rushing in, followed closely by her friends; a book hovering next to her in her magic.

"Cadance, Shining!" Twilight called out. "We've found it!"

"Twily, calm down," Shining Armor told his excited sister. "You've found what, exactly?"

Trotting up to her brother and sister-in-law, Twilight showed them the book she had found. "Look, here," she told them. "This book tells us all about the Empire's history. And this," she pointed out the part that had piqued her interest, "is what is going to help us. A Crystal Fair."

"According to this book, it was established by the Empire's first queen, and had become their most important tradition. The fair was held each year to," she began, then turned back to the page to read the written text aloud, " 'renew the spirit of love and unity in the Empire, so they could protect it from harm.' " She raised her head and looked hopefully at her brother and sister.

"My friends and I can put it together. Everything we need to know is in the book."

"That sounds pretty promising," Shining Armor said, hopefully, glancing at his wife. His hopeful expression fell when he saw Cadance had fallen asleep, exhausted from the continuous exertion of keeping the shield up at all times.

"We'll get started right away!" Twilight told him, voice brimming with determination. "Come on, Spike," she told the dragon, who was acting as an improvised book pedestal, keeping the book high above his head with tired arms. "We've got a crystal fair to put together."

"Uhuh," Spike groaned, slowly following behind Twilight, straining to hold the book's weight.

"Spike, hurry up. We don't have all d—" Twilight called back to him, only to fall silent mid word, along with everyone else when, from outside the shield, a burst of blinding green light washed over the city, assaulting their eyes.

"GHAA!" all present screamed as they averted their gazes, shielding their eyes with their hooves... or claw.

Silence. 

"... You better hurry, Twilight," Shining Armor said, alarmed. "It doesn't seem like there’s much time left."

Twilight, staring out the window in shock, snapped her head back to her brother, and gave him a resolute nod. "You can count on us!" she promised him, and the group soon left the throne room, doors slamming shut behind them.

"Huh... Wha… What happened?" Cadance asked with a sleepy slur, blinking uncoordinatedly, before nodding off again, snoring ever so slightly.


<<>><<>><<>>


"You'll pay for that!" Sombra growled, and multiple tendrils of shadow erupted out of the cloud of darkness that was his spectral form.

"If I had a bit for every time someone told me that…" Danny muttered, evading the tendrils with a backwards somersault, seeing them bore into the snow where he stood a mere moment ago.

"I offered you power beyond your wildest imaginations. Power no mere mortal could ever hope to gain. Yet you chose this path. The path of weakness," Sombra roared, his voice mixing with the howling wind blowing massive clouds of snow in every direction.

"Power!?" Danny shouted back, dodging to his left and firing a beam of ectoplasm at the shadow king. "You know nothing about power, you cheap knock off!" Sombra launched a mass of tendrils towards Danny with a roar. The halfa sunk into the ground, before reappearing behind the dark king and shooting him in the back.

"Attacking the innocent. Imposing your will over them. Abducting them. All of the crimes you've committed. You think that makes you strong; that it shows the power you have?" Danny raised a glowing green dome around himself to deflect Sombra's next attack. "I've seen my fair share of powerful beings. All believing themselves to be the strongest there is, and that none would be able to stop them." His shield collapsed under a particularly vicious attack from Sombra, and Danny was barely able to dodge the incoming mass of darkness.

Pushing himself off of the ground, slowly standing back up, Danny glared up into the burning eyes of the pretentious poltergeist, who leered down at his prey.

"And yet they all have one thing in common. Care to guess what it is?" Danny snarled. Sombra only glared down on Danny, watching him brace his stance, hands aglow.

"All of them fought against me. And all of them fell before me. Not because I'm powerful, or have unimaginable strength. No, they failed because their power was incomplete. All they did was fight for themselves out of greed, jealousy, or just misplaced pride. You are no different."

Danny's eyes glowed a vibrant green as he glared up at the dark king.

"And that's why I'm stronger than you. You fight for yourself. I fight for others, and that is one power you'll never be able to beat!" Danny launched himself at the massive shadow with a battle cry, discharging the energy in a massive burst of power.

Their roars echoed over the frozen landscape; fist met hoof, resulting in a destructive blast of force. And, in a burst of light, the battle had begun in earnest.