//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: The Tantabus // Story: Equestria Wars Episode XI: Attack of the Vines // by sonicdash123 //------------------------------// The next day after the wedding, Charming Thunder was talking to some bounty hunters that are in a line. An officer approached one of his comrades and whispered, "Bounty hunters? We don't need their scum?" "Yes, sir," the other officer said. "But it is the only way to find Danny." The officers then left the room as Charming Thunder talked with the mercenaries. One was a Ponylorian with green armor holding an A280 blaster rifle, a griffin with a scar on her eye holding a Valken-38 blaster rifle, and a diamond dog with a Z-6 rotary blaster cannon on his back. "There will be a substantial reward for the one who finds my brother; Danny Eclipse," Charming Thunder explained as he walked up to the Ponylorian. "You are free to use any means necessary. But I want him alive. No disintegrations." "As you wish," the Ponylorian replied. "Now find him and you will then be rewarded." The bounty hunters then walked out of the room as Charming Thunder walked up to his throne. Twilight, Nyx, and Rainbow Dash then entered after the bounty hunters left. "How goes the search?" "He's not in the Everfree forest," Twilight reported. "Not in Cloudsdale," Rainbow reported. "And defiantly not at the griffin teritory," Nyx reported. Charming Thunder only sighed in disappointment as his response. "Are bounty hunters necessary?" Rainbow asked. "Because if they hurt him--" "I informed them that I want him alive," Charming Thunder said. His medallion then began to glow and his eyes narrowed. "What’s wrong, Charming?" Twilight asked worried. "I sense Danny’s anger…he’s upset, very angry at somepony. He feels…betrayed. He is radiating with Unicron’s power, giving off a death-like presence of pure evil." "Wait!" Nyx said. "If you can detect Unicron, can you point where he is at?!" Charming was getting the idea and went to the holomap. After a few seconds, he pointed to the far side at the planet, where Nal Hutta Swamps were located at. Twilight’s eyes narrowed. "Danny HAD to flee to Hutta Swamps, a place where Equestria Empire CAN’T go!" Twilight shouted. "What do you mean?" "If we went there, Nem’ro and Fa’athra would call the Hutt Family and we will be in serious trouble. We can’t risk a war with the Gangsters, the Horde would support the Hutt Gangsters. They are the most resourceful force on the planet." "How about we send a spy instead?" Charming Thunder suggested. "Who?" "How about Vanguard?" Nyx asked. "I'll contact him and make that request to him," Twilight replied. --------------------- The sun began to set as Charming Thunder gazed out of his chamber window when a beeping sound was heard from his terminal. He walked up to it and pressed a button to reveal the holo figure of Vanguard wearing a disguise. "I have a report, your highness," he said. "He is not here. He might have left sometime ago. He's really hard to find with all these scum and villainy around. I'm sorry, your highness." "You did your best," Charming Thunder replied. "Return to Equestria and rest up. Your job there is done." "Yes, your highness." The hologram faded as Charming Thunder yawned and went to bed. And when he tucked himself into his bed sheets, he closed his eyes and went to sleep. --------------------- Charming Thunder woke up in a dreamy throne room and looked around. He walked up to a window and sees the peaceful town of Ponyville. A celebration was happening outside as began to feel confused. "What is all the commotion?" he asked. "The war is over," a familiar voice replied. "And its all thanks to you, my son." Charming Thunder turned around to see Sombra along with Twilight, his mother, Danny. "How are you here, father? You died. You too, mother." Charming Thunder was surprised at first but confused at the same time. "I've changed my ways from the dark side and defeated the Lunar Republic that was lead by Chrysallis." "Then we signed a peace treaty with the Changelings a couple of years later," Amidala said. "And you became king, my love," Twilight added. "Then restored my memory," Danny said. "And now we are together as a family." Danny approached him and wrapped a hoof around Charming Thunder. "Just look around you. You're a hero." "Not any more," a demonic voice said. Suddenly out of nowhere, a sword pierced through Sombra's chest then got pulled out and killed everyone else until Charming Thunder was the only one left. He recognized the figure because of the arm that is revealed. "YOU FIEND!!!" Charming Thunder shouted. He fired a blast of magic at the figure which caused the figure to get hit and pushed back. He then kneels down to the ground and looks up to see the unicorn approaching him with anger and his lightsaber activated. He then levitated his demonic self in the air and slammed him to a wall and another then finally the ceiling which forced him to drop his sword. Charming Thunder released him back to the ground and grabbed the sword. He slashed at him and stabbed him with the sword leaving it in his chest and finished him off with his lightsaber. The figure collapsed and purple smoke flew out of the body. Luna appeared and tried to catch it, but it escaped to another world. "Aunt Luna, what is going on?" "You are in a nightmare created by the Tantabus," Luna explained. "The others are at another dream world where everpony is gathered. Everything will be explained then." Luna's horn began to glow and teleports Charming Thunder and her to another dream world. --------------------- Charming Thunder woke up inside the dreamy Ponyville where he was greeted by his wife. "Oh, thank goodness you're here, love," Twilight said worryingly. "It was terrible for what I dreamed!! Well more like a vision at the same time." "You can explain later," Charming Thunder said as he comforted Twilight. "But we have a Tantabus to take care of." They then met up with the Mane 6, Demented 6, and Nyx. "Ponies!!" Luna's voice shouted as she appeared. The citizens bowed to her presence. "There is no time for bowing, my friends! There is something coming, something terrible! No, it is already here!" A growling sound was heard and the Tantabus appeared in the town. Panic came in the streets of Ponyville. "I am so sorry! I brought this upon you! But I will end it now!" Luna then used her magic and tried to block the Tantabus' escape from the dream world. She struggled no matter how hard she tries. "Princess, what's wrong?" Twilight asked. "It... is taking all my strength just to hold this massive dream together! You will have to stop it! I truly wish I did not have to ask this of you!" "Then you're in luck." "Yeah! We're already on it!" Rainbow said. "You're not alone," Charming Thunder said as he activated his lightsaber. The Tantabus then summons a familiar figure from the past. It was Darth Vader himself. "The princesses have deceived you," Vader said. "Into believing you can rule this kingdom." He activated his lightsaber as the confrontation began. "Come on!" Rainbow shouted. "If that Tantabus thing turns any more of this dream against us, we'll be too busy saving ponies to catch it! And it'll grow powerful enough to escape into the real world! If only Danny was here to help us!" "You and me both," Charming Thunder growled as he clashed with Darth Vader. "How are we even gonna know when it's able to escape?" Applejack asked. Her question was answered when the smoke cloud ripped open a torn of pure light and began to go into it. Charming Thunder acted quickly and shot lightning at it and it returned into the dream. Luna fixed the hole and the Tantabus was going to open another. Suddenly, white lights appeared from the north, south, east, and west of the town. "What’s going on Luna?" Charming Thunder asked as he repelled against the Sith Lord. "Somehow, four separate ponies are helping me keep the dream up for longer period of time," Luna answered. Charming Thunder then got hit in the face by Darth Vader and he was preparing to strike. Brutalight tried to save him, but she was Force Pushed by him. Suddenly, he was tackled and somehow defeated by a familiar face. "If you were a living pony, you would have made a wonderful addiction to the Rainbow Factory!" a voice shouted with glee. "I’m not crazy, right?" Rainbow asked. "Impossible!" Charming Thunder shouted. "You are a nightmare, Rainbow Dash from the Rainbow Factory!" "Nice to see you too, Charming. I’m not alone, you know!" Charming Thunder gulped as he already knows who it is. Suddenly, Pinkamena passed Charming and the Mane 6 and she jumped with a knife in hand. The nightmare version of Rainbow Dash gave Pinkemena a boost up and she tried to cut it but the Tantabus dodged it. Pinkamena landed and looked at Charming Thunder and gave a creepy smile. "Greetings again, Charming." Pinkemena said. "I missed you." Charming Thunder shivered a bit but never minded. Sombra came to his side and created a black crystal to allow some ponies to get closer to the Tantabus. Creepybloom and Zalgo went up it, Zalgo holding her knife. "Another Pinkie!?" Twilight shouted. "Is that Applebloom!?" Applejack demanded. "No, sis." the real Applebloom said. "I’m right next to ya." Applejack looked at her and the Cutie Mark Crusaders and looked at the other two. Zalgo jumped first and slash at it but the Tantabus moved away. Creepybloom jumped from on top of Zalgo and jumped at the Tantabus, only to miss. Zalgo landed first, then Creepybloom. "Come back here, you’ll like what I have planned!" Zalgo shouted with glee. Suddenly, Danny wearing what appears to be an Element of Insanity hovered towards the Tantabus. "Danny!" the Mane 6 shouted. "Brother!" Charming Thunder shouted. "Son!" Luna shouted. "This is my domain Tantabus!" Danny said. "I’M YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE FOR I AM THE ELEMENT OF NIGHTMARES, ONE OF THE MEMBERS OF THE ELEMENTS OF INSANTIY!!" His necklace began to glow and the other Elements of Insanity appeared around him. They spun around him as he smiled evilly. They then entered his body and he radiated with a bright white light then when it faded down, he was different. His mane and tail was floating upward with power, his coat was dark blue and the whiteness in his eyes were now black. His pupils were purple. On his chest was his element, the jewel was literally attached to his chest. "I am now in my Super Form: Super Danny! Now I’m going to take what YOU stole!" His element began to glow and shot a rainbow inverted to the Harmony Rainbow at the Tantabus. It got hit and began to shrink. Suddenly, at the same time, a lot of creatures began to appear around him. "For messing with MY nightmares, you have lost your power of nightmares!" The Tantabus shrunk until it looked like a Nightmare Moon figure and it returned to Luna, who stop holding the dream. However, it remained for some reason. Danny landed in front of them and the creatures disappeared into thin air. "It’s time that I confessed. I knew of the ending of the battle against Harkon, I knew I would get amnesia." They gasped in shock. "You knew and never told us!?" Charming Thunder shouted. "I wanted to but I saw that if I did, the outcome would have changed. Charming, you would have died, if I did." Charming Thunder understood why he didn't tell him in the first place. "I checked and double checked every outcome, if I had not got in the way, Harkon would have killed you, Charming. The only way was for me to get away to protect you. I tried pushing, but the outcome said that I would still get hit. So, I knew this needed to happen." "But how are you here!?" Twilight asked. "Well, somepony had used a wide spread shared dream and I ended up being part of it. You see, I’m nothing but a soul, a being that can allow me restore my mind’s memories. I exist within the purple gemstone on Nyx’s necklace. That is why I made you promise to keep it safe at all times, Nyx. You hold the key of restoring my memories within my mind. Memory spells had no effect on me, trust me, Clockwork tried it one time and it failed. The only reason my memories were restore because I had to defeat the Genie Ghost to restore my memories. Anyway, besides that, I have nothing left to say." "Wait, do you know where your body is at?" "No." The dream began to end and Danny disappeared into the necklace’s gemstone once more.