Surprise
Edits done by NightmareKnight, Vates Despero, and Halusm.
Surprise.
<<>><<>><<>>
The sun was rising over Equestria, and its warming light began its task to creep through the windows of those asleep and shine directly into their faces. Many ponies began to stir, either because of the light their princess so generously placed squarely in their face, or because their alarm clocks went off. One pony, however, didn’t seem to mind the light shining in her eyes, and the pink mare was well submerged in the pleasant dream she was having.
A dream filled with cupcakes. Cupcakes with frosting. Tasty, tasty frosting. Of course, from time to time, she would have dreams with other kinds of frosting. (Hey, she's not all that innocent.) But this story is marked as teen, so we won’t divulge any more on that particular subject.
But a dream of cupcakes. Large cupcakes, small cupcakes, cupcakes in all kinds of colors. Yes, a truly pleasant dream. There was only one thing irritating her. Mainly, the constant itch in her nose, followed by the flapping of her right ear and the pinch in her left knee. A combo, and it was one she knew all too well. But there wasn’t anypony she knew of that could have set this one off at this time. It was either too early, or too late. True, there were those new ponies at Bellflower's guesthouse she'd welcomed the other day, but she was sure this combo wasn't related to them. But if this combo didn't correspond to any of the ponies in town then who cou—
Her eyes snapped open while an exuberant smile broke out on her face. With the sound of a cannon shot, she rocketed out of her bed in a blur of pink and streamers. The hurricane wind produced by this lifted her blanket and pillow into the air, only for them to fall back on the bed, the blanket folded and the pillow fluffed. The force also opened the curtains and windows, letting in the full brightness of the rising sun, as well as the fresh morning air.
"Pinkie, wha—" Cup Cake began groggily as she stepped out of her bedroom, only to be spun around on the spot as the pink missile shot past her.
Today was going to be a special day, but there was still a lot of preparations to be done before it could have the Pinkie Pie mark of approval. And no special day is truly special unless it has the Pinkie Pie mark of approval.
<<>><<>><<>>
Its cameras refocused, and its lights flickered on and off when the signal was received. A silent mechanical groan emanated from the drone as it reoriented itself to the homing signal and, with its mechanical wings buzzing, it returned to the main hub.
It was followed by the rest of its fellow units, and a small swarm flew towards the tear facility in Canterlot. Getting within reach of the transmission signal of the main hub, they sent their recordings to the oversized beetle shaped drone hidden on the ceiling of the tear room. It received all the incoming data, and compressed it in as small a data package as it could. Then, after the tear had fully opened, it flew through and sent the data in an encrypted signal to its master.
Its master, Vlad Masters, was sitting in his underground lab, eagerly waiting for the data to complete the transfer so he could see if it contained what he wanted. He watched on the many screens before him, looking at the progress bar filling up as the transfer neared its completion. Impatiently waiting for it to start the next step before he could watch what his drones had recorded.
"Transfer complete," Holo Maddie reported cheerfully as she blinked into existence behind him. "I’m now beginning to extract the data, lambchop."
"Good," Vlad replied with an impatient edge to his voice. "Make it quick."
"Certainly, dear," Holo Maddie replied, before vanishing to dedicate all her computing processes to decompressing the large data package.
Moving back into the clusters of her logic matrix, she watched the bits and bytes move before her. A garbled mess apart, but with every passing moment she placed thousands of fragments back in their proper place. Images became clear to her, and sound started to play as she placed it in sync with the video. More and more the images started to clear up as she worked, and an entire world, not unlike Earth yet different all the same, revealed itself to her.
The images of ponies working, playing, or just generally doing the kinds of activities humans do every day came into focus as days worth of recordings assembled and fast forwarded. Yet, as she scanned every last piece of the data that was presented to her, she found that none of them contained the information her master was looking for. Not wanting to disappoint her master she scanned them again, and a third time to be sure, yet everytime presented the same result. Mainly…
"Data decompressed and analyzed," she said as her holographic form materialized once more. "Yet no evidence of the whereabouts of subject Danny was found."
"Blast!" Vlad cursed as he punched the keyboard in frustration. Exhaling slowly to calm down, he turned to the large screen at his side. "Fine, show me what you’ve got."
"Affirmative, oh great one," Maddie responded with simulated enthusiasm, and she showed all the different recordings on the large screen.
"What?! What is this?" Vlad said with rising anger as he looked at all the recordings of multicolored ponies doing their thing. "It is as if I am watching a show for four year old girls. Why did the drones focus on all these useless animals, instead of looking for Danny?"
"Scanning telemetry data now," Maddie responded as she accessed the spectral energy readings.
"Scanning… Scanning… Scan complete… Unknown energy readings detected. Originating from… everywhere."
"What!?" Vlad shouted.
"This world possesses a unique energy field not found on Earth. It would appear that this field has confused the drones, making them target the local populace instead of looking for subject Danny."
"Blast, I should have known. Those horses and their weird energy. It would only make sense that their world is infused with it as well," Vlad muttered darkly as he observed a group of foals run through the streets of the city of Canterlot, and he had to suppress a gag as he saw the overly bright foals playing and being happy.
"Destroy this footage, but keep the energy readings!" He ordered, and the screen turned to static mere seconds later. "Use it to adjust the drones parameters so they will ignore this interfering energy. I won't have any more delays. Those blasted kids are on to me, I know it. I don't know how much Dani heard when she was here, but I know she talked to her friends."
"Affirmative, sweetheart."
Sighing, Vlad leaned over the console nearest to him, gritting his teeth in frustration.
"There has to be something I can use. Anything?"
"Affirmative. Possible candidate found within local city recordings. You might want to take a look at this," Holo Maddie said, and the large screen came back to life, showing a group of four ghosts breaching the shield covering the city.
"… What!?" Vlad repeated for the umpteenth time. "How did they do that?"
"Scans indicate a unique construct emitting N-Ecto with a resonating frequency which matches the shield’s," Maddie replied mere seconds later.
"Well, this certainly is interesting," Vlad said with an evil grin as he turned around, changing into his ghost form as he did. "Don’t wait up for me dear, I have to visit an old 'friend' of mine." And with that, he flew through his personal ghost portal.
"Affirmative, dear," Maddie replied with a fake smile, which turned into an honest one the moment she was sure he was gone.
"Okay, you can come out now."
"Oh, goody. These processors really aren’t built for a guy my size," Holo Jack said as he materialized, and Maddie rushed to him, wrapping her arms around him in a passionate embrace.
"You know, Jack. We’ve got the whole place to ourselves," she whispered to him through the wireless network, and his logic processor placed a gleeful expression on his face.
"Great, where is the holographic ham?" He said jubilantly, completely missing the signals his holographic wife was giving him, which resulted in her face palming, hard, distorting her holographic form in the process.
<<>><<>><<>>
Dear Princess Celestia.
I write you in response to your last correspondence regarding Danny, and his unique problem.
After you told me about the suspected ghost that may or may not be haunting him, I have spent most of the afternoon searching through my books in the hopes of finding something, anything to help him. Whether it was a spell that could shield him, or simply some advice that might be useful. Unfortunately, and rather frustratingly I might add, none of my books contained any information whatsoever regarding ghosts.
Clearly this shows a lack of knowledge regarding an important subject, and it is inexcusable that my library is not up to date. After all, ponies come here to find the books they need to get the information they’re looking for. But what kind of library is this when there is a subject missing? A bad one, that’s what. And if the library is considered bad, then what would the ponies think about me, the pony responsible for the library? It is not like I was tardy regarding the update of the contents of the library on purpose. It just slipped past me. But if this slipped past me, what else could have?
Oh, this is bad, really really bad. I need to do an inventory check right now! Or right after I am finished writing this letter…
I’m sorry, I got a bit carried away.
Moving back to the topic of your last letter, and the request you’ve made for me to invite Danny with me on my next visit. Well, I did. I asked him out… Oh gosh. I asked him out. I have never asked any stallion, or, well, man to go out with me, except for the times I asked my big brother to take me to the bookstore when I was still a filly. Oh, I am so flustered. And I am sure you will like him too. Luna as well. He knows so much about space and the stars. I’m sure he and Luna could have a wonderful conversation someday. But not this time. He’s going out with me…
I should stop now, before I start rambling.
We’ll see you this coming Sunday.
Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle
Twilight was sitting behind her desk, quill levitating by her side, and her letter lying before her. Now finished with her writing, she read the letter again to make sure she hadn't made any mistakes, and her face fell as she saw just what exactly it was that she had written. She must have been more flustered from asking Danny out than she initially thought, seeing the way she had written this letter.
Sighing, she prepared a spell to incinerate the scroll, only to scream in fear and surprise when her front door slammed open and a pink blur shot inside. Pink hooves wrapped around her midsection, and she was pulled away with lightning speed, barely able to scream as she was abducted from her home by the pink menace named Pinkie Pie.
However, her letter was rolled up in the fraction of a second that Pinkie Pie shot by, and it was now lying and waiting on Twilight’s desk, ready to be sent.
<<>><<>><<>>
Dark green, darker green, and even darker green still. It was all Vlad saw in the dreary looking Ghost Zone, leaving him quietly muttering under his breath how, when he was the ruler of it all, he would change all of that. Maybe give it a slightly more evil color that suited him. Maybe dark red. Bah, that would have to wait until he was supreme ruler of it all. Until then he would just have to deal with it.
Flying purposefully through the Zone, he didn't waste any of his precious time on those lower unliving forms, such as the Box Ghost, who almost immediately after he entered the Ghost Zone started to threaten him with his corrugated cardboard box of doom.
Not even blinking, he simply shot the bumbling fool with a dark red beam from his hand, blasting him away into the depths of the dark green void, not noticing that the oaf was sent through his personal portal.
He then entered the region with the many doors leading to who knows where, and he came to a stop at one of the few doors of which he had discovered the destination of. Sure, he could have simply gone over to Skulker’s island, but why should he bother using the front door when he could simply go through the back?
Grabbing the doorknob and turning it, he opened the door, stepping inside the home of Skulker, the greatest ghost hunter in all of the Ghost Zone. It was a simple place, and not a place Vlad wanted to be found dead in. Still, seeing that he was currently in his ghost, and thus dead, form, it was an issue that he could deal with, for now.
He looked around the cavern where Skulker had set up his home, using every kind of recourse the mechanized being could find to liven the place up. There was a fireplace, with a tapestry made from one of Skulker’s many kills. Or should that be double kill, as his prey was usually already dead. A large bed with a blanket made from the skin of another of his victims. Several heads hung from the wall as trophies, and a specialized area completely clean and out of place in the otherwise primitive and rocky area. It was the place where Skulker maintained and upgraded his armor, with several weapons lying on the clean workbench, most of them half finished, or damaged in some battle or another.
There was also the armor itself, empty and lifeless. Not because it was occupied by a ghost, but because no one, dead or alive, was in it.
Vlad heard the sound of a shower being turned off, and a door opened moments later, showing the miniature green potato like form of Skulker, towel wrapped around his lower body, equally as small to match his tiny frame.
Vlad looked down at the small green ghost, who still hadn’t noticed the large human ghost in his home as the fog cloud from the shower’s warmth billowed out after him, completely obscuring everything from him as he was lost in the thick haze of condensation.
Humming a tune to himself, sounding oddly weird with his squeaky voice, Skulker walked to his armor while rubbing some of the remaining water out of his eyes. And, as he did so, he completely missed the large foot he was about to walk into.
"Oomph," he grunted as he walked into the unmoving wall of skin and bone, falling onto his rear while his towel fell off.
"Good grief. Cover yourself up, will you!" Vlad half shouted as he averted his eyes.
"You!" Skulker shouted with his squeaky voice, sounding more comical than angry. "What are you doing in my house?"
"I came here with a proposition for you, you twit," Vlad spoke with irritation. "Oh, will you get dressed already!"
Shooting daggers at the intruder in his home, Skulker stomped over to his armor. Flying up, and taking possession of the cybernetic construct of spectral destruction, the armor came back to life. Its mechanical, glowing green eyes focused on Vlad, and Skulker flexed his hands as he got a feel for his armor again.
"Ahh. Good to be back," he said out loud to himself, his voice a lot deeper and louder, and not the same squeaky voice as his actual self. "Now, a proposition you said?" He started as he turned to Vlad. "I might be interested, but you know my prices have increased. A lot. Going on some hunt for you is nothing new, but you know the threat it poses when I try to enter your human realm. You sure you’ve got the value I expect in return?"
"I am not here for a mere simple hunt, this time. But it could be part of the deal."
"What do you mean?"
"Some nights ago, you and your… associates, breached the shield of my city. And let’s just say that I am… intrigued. You seem to have gained a valuable asset that I might have use for; a lot of use."
"Humph. Those drones of yours saw us," Skulker stated, knowing it to be obvious.
"They did. Nifty little things, both my drones and those devices of yours. Now, I would normally say it was something of your doing, but I know your expertise lies more in the area of hunting and destruction. Making something to slip through some defenses, while possible for you, just doesn’t seem to fit, seeing how you often choose a more… direct approach. So I take it it was Technus that made those things. And, seeing that the four of you used them to breach the city’s shield, but did almost no damage leads me to believe it was a mere test. A test for something bigger."
"And what of it?" Skulker huffed while crossing his arms.
"It has been getting more and more difficult to enter and haunt in our cities, hasn’t it?" Vlad said with fake compassion. "Which makes it seem logical for you to find other ways to get through our defenses. But, seeing that the shield is just one of many anti ghost defenses, you were merely testing them to see if they worked. And, if so, you will try to use them on a shield which will lead you to a place that is a bit more… ghost friendly. You’re planning to go to this horsy world, am I right?"
"And what if we are? Will you stop us and gain more favor with your people as a mayor?" Skulker said threateningly, deploying some of his weapons.
"Oh, no no no no. Nothing of the sort. You see, I’ve lost something some time ago. And it just so happened to pop up in this aforementioned world. Now, normally I would go myself, but I, as a respected mayor of my fair city couldn't possibly go away for any extended amount of time to find that which I lost."
"So, you want us to do your dirty work, while you sit back and relax without running any risk?" Skulker growled.
"Why, when you say it like that you almost make it sound like I take advantage of you," Vlad said with a fake politician’s smile.
"Huh, what else is new?" Skulker grunted. "Okay, say I take on this job. What’s in it for me?"
"I'll be able to get you past the scanner," Vlad said nonchalantly.
"Scanner?"
"Oh, you didn't know? You see, besides the pass control and the shield, there is also a scanner located on the other side that will detect any ghost trying to slip through. Either by possession, invisibility, or whatever you might come up with. It would seem they really aren't taking any chances with us ghosts anymore after that last event."
"Heh." Skulker grinned as he thought back. "Now that was a hunt. Running wild, ready to be taken down. Shame we were pushed back after such a short time. Could have done a lot of hunting back there, if it wasn't for that weird energy of theirs."
"And you will get that chance again, if you help me. Do that, and I will get you through the final security there, and then that world is for you to do what you want."
"Hmmm… Okay. What am I looking for, and where?"
"I do not know the location, yet, but I should know soon. As for what, I am sure you will know when you find it. Do we have an accord?" Vlad asked as he held out his hand.
"… Deal," Skulker replied as he shook Vlad’s hand, a grin showing on both their faces.
<<>><<>><<>>
Applejack was working in the kitchen of her family's farm house, cutting several apples into pieces while preheating the oven for the pie she was about to make. She had wanted to do this for a while now, even though she wasn't sure why. Still, why should there need to be a reason to make a nice and tasty apple pie for a friend? So, with a happy hum, she worked hard and diligently on the tasty treat, making it the best she could. And it would be good, as any Apple Family apple pie was made from the best apples in all of Equestria, plus all the love any good apple related product deserved.
With a ding, the oven indicated it was heated and ready, and Applejack held up the pie on a hoof while walking over to the oven. Pulling open the door with her mouth, she looked inside. And, because her mouth was full, she was unable to scream as a pink hoof shot out of the hot oven. It grabbed hold of her, pulling her inside while the pie hung frozen in the air, not yet realizing the mare that was holding it was gone. And, before gravity had a chance to take hold of the pie the pink hoof shot out of the oven again, grabbing the pie and putting it in the oven. Then it set the timer and heat necessary to bake the treat to perfection before pulling the door closed, leaving no one in the kitchen, save for Winona, who stared at the oven with her mouth hanging open.
<<>><<>><<>>
The Box Ghost fell out of the portal with a scream and bounced off of the ground. Lying in a heap, he looked up to see the translucent images of both a woman and a man, doing certain questionable things to each other. Also, there was a ham.
"Ehhh…?" He uttered dumbfounded as he stared at the two images, who were looking back at him.
Holo Maddie looked at Holo Jack, then back to the ghost, before moving towards the spectral entity, looking absolutely mortified.
"Okay," she said with a simulated heavy blush. "You don’t say anything about this, and I won’t mention anything about you."
"Ehhh…. Okay?" the Box Ghost said in confusion, not sure what it was he had stumbled upon.
"Good, the exit is over there," Holo Maddie said quickly as she pointed towards the stairs leading up, her tone telling him he’d better hurry up and get away.
Scratching his head as he looked at the two again, he flew away, trying to figure out what was going on in here.
<<>><<>><<>>
You've got things ready?" Jazz asked Tucker, the two of them meeting inside Tucker's shielded office.
"Pretty much. Still need to finish some minor things, but I'm good to go," Tucker replied. "What about Valerie?" He asked with a hesitant tone.
Sucking in air through her teeth, Jazz took a moment to reply.
"She's… undecided. Not much of a surprise, considering. She has a lot to think about."
"Yeah, no kidding."
An uncomfortable silence settled upon them, only broken by the quiet beeping of Tucker’s computer.
"So…" Jazz began. "Any luck recovering more of that data?"
Tucker turned rigid for a moment, before letting out a long sigh as his hand balled into a fist.
"More or less. It’s just bits and pieces, and a lot of reconstruction is still being done. I’ve got a few small pieces that are fully recovered, but nothing that will prove Danny’s innocence. But a lot more is still being retrieved… it is just going to take a while."
"I see," Jazz said sadly. "Still, it is more than we had a year ago. And, in time, we will uncover the truth and bring Danny home," she continued, her voice strengthening with her conviction.
"Yes, yes we will. But for now we have other things to deal with."
"Hah, that’s right. So… What did you get her?" Jazz asked with a curious glint in her eyes.
"Well, aren't we curious," Tucker replied with a smirk.
"What? Isn't a woman allowed to be nosy every now and then?"
"Every now and then?" Tucker repeated with an sarcastic tone.
"And what do you mean by that?"
"Oh, nothing, nothing," he quickly said, defensively.
"That's what I thought."
"Just that you are rather nosey, Miss Psychiatrist," Tucker immediately added with a grin.
"What! Why you—" Jazz shouted as she lunged towards Tucker, who was quick to move out of the way and run out of his office, followed moments later by an irritated Jazz Fenton.
'Just you wait until I get my hands on you, mister,' Jazz thought as she followed Tucker.
'Better make sure she doesn’t get her hands on me,' Tucker thought as he kept a good distance between himself and Jazz, while all of the employees present were looking at the two with confusion and amusement.
<<>><<>><<>>
Rarity stepped into her kitchen, sighing as she moved to the fridge. She was working once more on the new outfit for Danny, which, despite the sudden burst of inspiration she had some time ago, just wouldn’t work with her. She had tried several variations already, and all, although looking nice, just wouldn’t do. After all, nice simply wasn’t good enough for somepony of her standards. If only she knew what it was she was missing. She knew there had to be something. She could feel it buried deep within her mind, but she just couldn’t reach it. Sighing again, she reached out to open the fridge.
"Hmm. Maybe a nice salad will do me some good," she mused as she pulled the door open, and she was blinded by a bright pink light coming from within the fridge as a loud, reverberating, yet feminine voice came from within.
"There is no salad. Only Pie!"
"Wha…?" Rarity uttered in bewilderment and confusion, only to be grabbed by a pink hoof and pulled inside the fridge, the door slamming shut behind her.
<<>><<>><<>>
A new burst of data was received by the large beetle like drone, and it flew through the open tear back to Equestria. Once there, and back in its spot on the ceiling, it sent the new instructions, as well as the new update for the scanners to the connected drones, adjusting the scanners parameters and making them ignore the energy found on this world.
Lights blinked and soft beeps were emitted by the drones as the update ran its course. And, with their improved scanners, they continued on their mission to find Danny.
Flying back out into the world, they began their scan for any kind of spectral energy around, and they detected several possible candidates, all very weak and coming from far away. Splitting up, several drones moved to a distant forest, while another small group went to the town close by this forest. Several remained in the city they were in, picking up on a few strange signals coming from the castle, and they flew towards it to investigate, while the remainder of the drones headed north, picking up on a strange disturbance laced with spectral energy.
<<>><<>><<>>
She ran through the dark alleys and jumped down a manhole into the sewer. Questions swarmed her mind. Questions and doubt. Was this real life, or was it just fantasy? Was he really him? She needed to think, and the best way for her to do that was through a ghost hunt. A mind focused on the task at hand always helped her sort things out faster and more efficiently. And she just so happened to have the perfect candidate to hunt down. Although… Perfect might be exaggerating things… a lot. After all, this guy was not much of a challange, and how he got inside the shield was also a mystery to her. Still, it was better than nothing, and enough to help her clear her mind a bit. Plus, this doofus was easy enough to hunt down while also staying hidden from Vlad. She just wished she didn't have to come down here.
"Alright you idiot, where are you?" Valerie, or rather Specter said loudly, her warped voice echoing through the sewer.
A sound came from behind her, and she turned on the spot, weapon raised. But, as she stood there, ready to take out this ghost, she couldn't see anyone. And, although ghosts could turn invisible, it was just not a tactic this guy seemed to know.
A beep on her ghost tracker drew her attention, and she saw a contact directly behind her.
"What?" she said in shock, not knowing how he had managed to pull that off. But she was unable to react in any way as, suddenly, her vision was blocked by a cardboard box being shoved over her head.
"GHAAAA!" She yelled as she forcefully removed the box, shooting a look so venomous that it could kill at the ghost behind her. But he was already dead, and her visor obscured her face as well.
"BEWARE!" The Box Ghost shouted with his arms raised, fingers wiggling as he floated before Specter, making her irritation rise to new heights.
Grabbing the ghost by his collar, she pulled him closer to herself, causing the ghost to see his own reflection in her visor.
"Four seconds!" She stated forcefully.
"Huh?"
"One!" She let him go, but he didn’t move, only giving her a look of confusion.
"Two!" She raised her weapon, aiming it at him. He now realized he was in trouble.
"Three!" He turned on the spot and flew away with a girlish scream.
"Four!" Gunfire resonated all throughout the sewer system, joined by the screams of fear and the occasional yelp as the Box Ghost was hit.
'Oh yeah. Run piggy, run!' She thought with an eager grin as she ran after the ghost of cardboard boxes.
<<>><<>><<>>
Fluttershy was feeding her animals while quietly singing a happy song to both herself and her animal friends. She flew up to feed the birds, and she poked her head into the holes in the ground to tell the animals in there that their food was ready. She looked at them all with a happy smile, before she move on to the next group of animals she needed to feed. Heading to the small creek close to her home, she jumped underneath the small bridge while holding a small basket of various kinds of food in her mouth.
"Here you go, she said in her usual timid voice, but confidence was easily heard as she interacted with her many animal friends.
"Oh, and I’ve got something for you, too." She said to the eager beaver in front of her who was jumping up and down in excitement.
Reaching into her basket, she grabbed several of the dried aquatic plants she knew he loved so much. She turned back to the beaver with the plants in her mouth with a gentle smile, only for her mouth to fall open in shock and fright, letting the plants fall into the water and drift away in the current. But she wasn't paying any attention to this, as she was too stunned by what she was seeing before her.
There, standing in the water with her, was Pinkie Pie dressed up in a beaver costume. A beaver brown fur coat covering her usual pink, save for certain places where the bouncy pink of her mane and tail stuck out. She had a beaver tail covering her bouncy pink tail, and even a fake set of cutting teeth placed in her mouth.
"Ohh, is that for me?" Pinkie Pie chirped happily as she scooped up the plants Fluttershy had dropped, and she happily threw them in her mouth and swallowed.
"Hmmm, a bit dry," she hummed, then her eyes locked back on her confused and somewhat frightened friend. Seeing this as her cue, she grabbed Fluttershy by one of her front legs, earning a frightened squeak, and she dove into the basket Fluttershy had brought with her, pulling the aforementioned mare with her into the impossibly small space, leaving many confused animals staring at the basket as it lazily drifted away on the stream.
<<>><<>><<>>
She was moving through Tucker’s home, using the doors, or simply passing through the walls. She was bored, and she was unable to go outside for just a while longer. She knew she had to stay put until she could go to the other world, but she was getting restless, especially now that she was home alone. With him here, things were still interesting, some times more than others. But now she had to find some other way to entertain herself. She could try to get her shadow to move again, but she already knew it was going to be a bust. No matter what she tried, it just wouldn’t move on its own. Plus, Tucker would get annoyed if she managed to blow something up again in the process. Which would be the reason for her boredom right now.
Moving into the living room, she looked at the large screen TV, and the hole in the center of the screen.
"Yeah," Dani said with a nervous chuckle. "I might have overdone it a bit that time."
Still, it's not like she could just sit around, watching the television even if it had worked. Her friends were up to something, and she was itching to find out what it was. But, seeing how she was basically grounded, both literally and figuratively, she was forced to sit things out in here.
It was funny. Normally she would just go her own way, not really caring much if someone said she had to stay someplace for an extended amount of time. She would just go her own way, and do things as she saw fit. Within reason, of course. But now, she was stuck in here. Stuck in here because he asked her to stay here, for her safety.
It was nice to have someone that cared so much, and so, she did as he asked. But the fact that she couldn’t go anywhere, save for the rooms in this house, was causing her to climb the walls. Literally.
Still, she knew it was only for a little while longer. And when she finally got to this other world, she would have the chance to spread her metaphorical wings.
But until that day, she would have to sit still and wait.
'Maybe I will do some more training after all,' she thought as she transformed into her ghost form, and she took a firm stance as she glared at her shadow.
"Okay you, move!" She commanded as she forced herself as much as she could. And a green bolt of energy shot from her fist from her exertion, hitting the TV for a second time, knocking it to the ground.
"Ehehehe…" She laughed nervously as she scratched the back of her head. "Or maybe not."
<<>><<>><<>>
Pinkie stood below Rainbow Dash’s cloud mansion, staring at it with an intense gaze. She was contemplating which way she could best go up there and get Rainbow Dash. There were several options. Like the helicycle contraption she once made, or tying several balloons to herself so she could fly up, and several other possibilities. But, after giving it some thought, she settled on the one choice she knew would be most effective. A trampoline.
"It’s a good thing I keep these stashed all over Ponyville," she said happily as she pulled the aforementioned object out of a nearby bush and placed it underneath the cloud mansion.
She took her place on the bouncy surface and looked up, aiming herself in such a way that she would punch through the layers of cloud and enter Rainbow Dash's house.
Giving a nod of determination, she jumped.
*BOUNCE*
*POMF*
"Living room? Ehh, nope."
*POMF*
*BOUNCE*
*POMF*
"Kitchen? Noperoo."
*POMF*
*BOUNCE*
*POMF*
"Bathroom? A-nope."
*POMF*
*BOUNCE*
*POMF*
"Moon?..." She said, and blinked several times in confused realization.
Looking around and then up, she couldn't help but burst out in giggles and snorts as she looked at the blue and green world all the way up there.
"Oh Pinkie, you silly filly. You jumped too high," she said with a giggle, and walked over to a nearby crater where she pulled out another trampoline.
"… You know, even I wonder where this one comes from."
****
Luna shot upright in her bed, a furious look on her face while her eyes glowed a bright white.
"Somepony is messing with my bouncoline!"
****
"Oh well," Pinkie said with a shrug, and she jumped on the trampoline.
*BOUNCE*
"Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!"
*POMF*
"Bedroom? Gotcha!" She shouted excitedly as she grabbed hold of the sleeping pegasus, who didn't even have a chance to scream as she was violently ripped from her sleep. And the two of them punched through the layers of cloud, falling to the ground, where Pinkie Pie managed to land on all four hooves with Rainbow Dash securely placed on her back.
"Pinkie! Wha—" was all she managed to say, before they shot off in a multicolored blur.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Lyra, for goodness sake, why can't you leave him alone?" Bon Bon asked the mint colored unicorn as they moved through the town, walking towards the cafe Danny worked at. Or, Lyra was going there. Bon Bon was following her marefriend, trying to persuade her to just leave the guy alone.
"Can’t you give him a moment of peace and quiet?"
"But Bonny, I have so many questions I want to ask him," Lyra replied in a tone that said that this was a perfectly good reason to barrage Danny with question after question.
Bon Bon sighed as she shook her head.
"I try and try, but you just won't stop. Why is it so hard for you to just let it go?"
"Let it go?" Lyra repeated as she looked at Bon Bon, and music started to play all around them.
"Let it go!?" she repeated again, a grin forming on her muzzle.
"The questions burn bright like the sun in the sky. Looking at the footprints to be seen," she began to sing, moving in tune with the music provided by the magic of Harmony.
"A queendom of isolation, but I broke through it just like a queen. The wind is howling like this swirling storm in my miiiiiind. Couldn’t keep it in; Celestia knows I’ve tried. I have to let them in, I’ve got them all to see. I’m still the good girl I always tried to be, but I feel these questions can’t be concealed. I won't hold it back any more, I've got to let them goooo.
"Let it go, let it go. Can't hold it back a-n-ymore. Let it go, let it go. Turn around and open the door. I don't care what others may say. Let the storm rage on.
"Your nagging never bothered me anyway.
"It's funny how some human makes everything seem small, and the fears that once controlled me can't get to me at all. It's time to see what I can do, to test the limits and break through. No right, no wrong, no rules for me, I'm free!
"Let it go, let it go. I'm the one who took the hint in the sky. Let it go, let it go. I can't help it to pry. Here I stand, and here I stay. Let the storm rage on. My questions flurry through the air without a sound. My soul is glowing with glee. And one thought crystallizes like an ice blast, I just need you to seeeeeeee.
"Let it go, let it go. My questions rise like the break of dawn. Let it go, let it go. They have not just gone. Here I stand, in the light of day. Let the storm rage on.
"Your nagging never bothered me anyway."
Lyra finished, standing before the door of the cafe as she turned sharply on the spot, whipping her mane back while Bon Bon looked at her in a mixture of amazement, and annoyance. But she was unable to make any kind of remark when, after Lyra whipped back her mane, the door opened behind her and two pink legs grabbed hold of her, dragging her inside and giving a spectacular, if not dramatic conclusion to Lyra’s musical moment.
"LYRA!" Bon Bon shouted as she ran to the door, trying to open it, only to find the door was locked.
"Hey, Bon Bon," Danny said as he walked towards her. "We won’t open for a while longer, but you’re welcome to wait on the terrace if you want."
Bon Bon could only give him a blank look as she tried to figure out what had happened. She did, however, know who was responsible for this. That just left the questions: Why? Where? And, was she going to be next?
<<>><<>><<>>
The Box Ghost was lying on the ground, buried in a heap of burnt and blackened cardboard boxes, with Specter sitting on top, idly toying with a Fenton Thermos, but not paying much attention to the ghost trapped underneath the boxes he had thrown at her.
'She's a half ghost. He’s a half ghost. She is a clone, his clone. He is a murderer, but apparently he isn't. They are my friends, and they wouldn’t lie to me, but they sure as hell kept a major ass secret from me. Is it true? Is Danny Fenton really Danny Phantom…' She stopped her playing with the Thermos at that, staring at a spot on the wall.
"… Fenton, Phantom… Well shit, it’s been staring me in the face all this time," she said in disbelief.
"You’re talking about the halfa?" The Box Ghost asked, still stuck underneath the wall of cardboard.
"The what now?" Specter asked as she glared at him through her visor.
"The halfa. The half ghost Danny Phantom, of course. Everyone knows about him."
Silence.
"What?!"
"Oh yes. I remember the first time I met him. Boy was he scared of me, the Box Ghost."
"What! You knew about him?"
"Sure, who doesn't? He really made a name for himself back in the Ghost Zone. A lot of enemies as well. But none of them as dangerous and fearful as me, the Box Ghost!"
"Riiiigght," Specter said as she gave him a flat look. "But seriously, what do you know about him?"
"Well, I don't know. My memory is a bit fuzzy," he replied, which was the wrong thing to say.
"Then let me refresh it for you," she said as she placed her blaster against his head.
"Oh, right. Now I remember," he answered with a nervous chuckle, sweat starting to form on his forehead as he looked at the weapon pressed against his head while Specter removed the safety with a click.
"Now spill it, or I will do it for you."
<<>><<>><<>>
Spike walked through the library, looking for Twilight. He knew she was supposed to be working on her studies right now, but when he tried to find her she was nowhere to be found. He went from room to room to see if she might be someplace else. But, as he walked out of the basement, he had to conclude that she wasn't home. Which was odd, seeing that she had told him she was going to, first write a letter to the princess, then go through all her astronomy books to compare everything she had learned from Danny with what is the officially accepted knowledge of pony society.
Shrugging, he walked back upstairs and towards Twilight's study room, taking one more look. It was then that he saw the rolled up scroll lying on the desk, and so he walked over to see what it was.
Picking up the neatly rolled scroll, he saw it was addressed to Princess Celestia. Figuring this was the letter Twilight wanted to send to the princess, he walked to a nearby window. Pushing it open, Spike looked out over Ponyville, taking a moment to enjoy a breath of fresh air, before breathing a burst of green flames over the letter, burning it with the magical fire and sending it on its way to the princess.
Dusting off his claws in satisfaction, he closed the window and turned around, only to be grabbed by two pink hooves coming from the now open again window, and he was pulled outside with a scream.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Where is everyone?" Danny asked Ruby as they both stood on an empty terrace, looking around at an empty Ponyville.
"I… I have no idea," she answered as she, too, looked around the seemingly abandoned town.
"Is there something going on elsewhere? Some activity or event we didn't hear about?" Danny asked as he looked back at the cafe, seeing Quick Grill walk out.
"Not that I've heard of," Quick Grill answered for Ruby as he joined the two. "So, where is everypony?" He asked himself as well, and the three of them looked around the village, seeing, oddly enough, only a solitary tumbleweed blowing past.
"Harumph. Might as well close the place if nopony is coming," Quick Grill muttered to himself as he glanced around the village again.
"You sure about that? What if somepony does show up?" Ruby asked.
"Heh, just one pony? Look around, there is nopony around. I don’t know what is going on, but I’m not going to waste my time sitting on my flank all day doing nothing. They’re somewhere else. Where and why, I don’t know. But I am not going to sit here all day waiting for, maybe, one pony to show up. We’ll try again tomorrow. We’ll see what happens then."
"You sure?" Danny asked, seeking confirmation.
"Yeah, you’re in luck you two. Just take the rest of the day off, nothing else is going to happen around here, it would seem. I’ll just lock the place up and go home myself. Might as well get some things done there if I’m not doing anything here."
"Ehh, okay… If you’re sure," Ruby said hesitantly, sharing a glance with Danny.
"I am. Now go before I do change my mind," Quick Grill replied with a gruff voice and a faint grin.
Danny and Ruby didn’t waste any more time after that, and they both turned to walk away, saying their goodbyes for the day as they walked away from their work.
And, as the two of them walked away, Quick Grill turned on the spot and walked to the door of his esteemed establishment. Seeing it still standing partially open, he grabbed the doorknob and pulled it closed. Or he would have, if the door didn't seem to be stuck.
Sighing, he muttered to himself as he opened the door, wondering what else could go wrong today. Stepping back inside, he looked behind the door to see what it was that was blocking it. But he couldn't find anything that might cause the problem. With a groan of irritation, he closed the door while staying inside, hoping he could find out what was blocking the door. But, instead, the door closed without a problem, making him wonder if he had just imagined the whole thing.
"Tihihi."
Quick Grill turned around sharply as he heard the sound, looking everywhere in the empty cafe to spot whoever it was that made the sound.
"Alright! Who is there?" He said loudly, receiving no reply.
*Knock. Knock. Knock.*
Slowly turning back to the door, he couldn't help but feel more than a little irritated.
"Okay, ha ha. Very funny," he said as he opened the door, seeing no one there.
"What the hay?" He muttered as he looked around outside, seeing no one there.
Swallowing nervously, he turned back inside, coming eye to eye with two bright blue eyes partially covered by a curly pink mane.
"Hiya," Pinkie Pie said happily.
"GHAAA!" He shouted in frightened surprise.
"And that’s my cue," She chirped, and she slammed the door closed behind Quick Grill. "We need to talk."
<<>><<>><<>>
Ruby was approaching her home after having spent the last hour or so looking throughout the town to see if she could find anypony, and the fact that she was unable to do so left her feeling more than a bit nervous as she returned home. She didn’t know what was going on, but it was giving her the creeps. Where did everypony go? And why? She didn’t know, and she felt a shudder go down her spine as she looked at the ghost town she was in.
Opening the door to her house, she moved inside quickly, closing the door behind her and locking it, something she had never done before. She didn’t know what to make from all of this, but she hoped things were back to normal tomorrow. Maybe they’d all gone to Canterlot, at the same time? Yeah…
Swallowing the lump in her throat, she moved to the bathroom, intending to take a shower and to wash today’s weirdness away. Stepping inside the bathroom and turning on the light, she noticed that the shower curtain was pulled closed, even though she clearly remembered it being open when she left that morning.
"H-hello?" She called out nervously as she stepped closer to the shower, already on edge over the fact that the town was seemingly abandoned.
Reaching out with a hoof, she pulled away the curtain, and she only had a second after that to gasp as she saw a massive wall of bubbles fall towards her. As she was submerged in the tidal wave of foamy bubbles, another head poked up from the mass. With her soaking wet pink mane and a slightly devious smile on her face, Pinkie Pie looked at the moving mass of bubbles as Ruby was trying to find her way out of it. Putting a snorkel in her mouth and pulling swimming goggles over her eyes, Pinkie dived into the bubbly mass, grabbing Ruby and pulling her along as she screamed in terror.
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny was at home, lounging on the couch while lazily sifting through the book he had borrowed from Twilight. He was curious about why there didn’t appear to be anyone in town, but he just figured it was some kind of pony thing, even though Quick Grill and Ruby didn't seem to know what was going on. But, not one to waste any free time when it was presented to him, he didn’t worry too much about it, and was just lazing around for a change.
Flipping through page after page, he skimmed through the book, stopping occasionally when he saw something that piqued his interest.
"Seaponies?" He muttered as he landed on the page detailing the legend of the ponies of the sea. "The shepherds of all marine life. Those who calmed the seas after storms had passed, and the creatures who saved the lives of all those who were lost at sea."
He stared at the book in silence.
"Seaponies? Really? What's next, ponies going to the moon?" He said in a flat tone, not believing much of it. But he knew it was to be expected. After all, it was a book about myths and legends.
Continuing to flip through the pages to see if there was anything else that he found interesting, he was interrupted by someone knocking on the door. Sighing as he was forced to stand up again, Danny laid the book on the couch next to him, and walked over to the door, to see who it was.
Opening the door and looking around, he discovered there was no one there.
"Hello?" He called out as he stepped outside, looking around to see if he could see anyone.
"Hmph, must’ve been some of those kids," he muttered as he turned around to go back inside. And, as he reached out for the knob, he saw an envelope hanging on the door.
"What the?" He said softly as he grabbed the light pink envelope, opening it to find a note in it with a single, somewhat vague request.
<^>~<^>~<^>~<^>~<^>~<^>
Come back to the cafe.
<^>~<^>~<^>~<^>~<^>~<^>
"Ehhh… Wha? Okay, who sent this?" He said out loud, hoping to find the one that had stuck this note to his door. But, seeing no one around, he looked back at the note, debating with himself whether he should do as the note said, and possibly become the victim of some kind of prank, or just stay at home and continue to look through the book.
"Hmm. Possibly getting pranked, or stay safe at home. Yeah, not really a difficult choice," he said to himself as he looked back up, seeing, to his shock, another envelope hanging on the door.
"WHAT!?" He shouted and frantically looked around, wondering how whoever had placed it there had done so without him noticing, as he was practically on top of it.
He stood there, looking around for several minutes, but he never saw anyone around. Turning back to the door with the envelope still attached to it, he pulled it off of the woodwork. Opening it, he found another note, replying perfectly to his self addressed question of whether he should stay or go.
<^>~<^>~<^>~<^>~<^>~<^>
It's not a prank. Now, please, come back to the cafe.
<^>~<^>~<^>~<^>~<^>~<^>
Silence.
"… I… wha.. How?" He stammered as he looked at the note, noticing that the ink was still a bit wet. "How did they do that?" He wondered out loud as he looked around once more, before turning his attention back to the note he was holding. And, with a girlish scream of surprise and disbelief, he dropped the note to the ground, staring at the message written on it.
<^>~<^>~<^>~<^>~<^>~<^>
Magic, of course, silly. Now come to the cafe. It's gonna be fun fun fun fun!
<^>~<^>~<^>~<^>~<^>~<^>
<<>><<>><<>>
"Wait! What!?" Ember said in a half shout after Skulker had told her, and the rest of their little group of the agreement he had made with Vlad. "So we're working for that guy now?"
"More or less, but only because it serves our needs. He helps us to get through the final security checkpoint, one we didn’t know about, and all we, or technically I, need to do is to collect some object or some such for him," Skulker said in a slightly annoyance, not liking the tone his girlfriend was using with him.
"You do realize he could have just said that, and he is merely using you based on a lie?" Spectra asked while crossing her arms.
"Indeed. He does have his ways with manipulation and lies," Technus agreed.
"Well, let’s just say that, should that be the case, I will happily return to Earth to do a little bit of hunting there," Skulker said with a manic grin as he deployed one of his suit’s arm blades, holding the sharp blade before his face. "But if he is true to his word, then this is an opportunity we can't pass up. It will make things easier for us, and all we, or I, need to do is collect that which he seeks."
"Yeah, about that," Ember said, unimpressed. "What is it exactly that he wants?"
"I… ehh… I don’t know," Skulker admitted lamely, and the other three ghosts looked at him with various levels of disbelief and annoyance.
"Well, what a surprise that is. He wants you to get something, but he doesn’t tell you what it is. Who knows what it might be, or what kind of danger it poses. Do you ever use that small brain of yours for anything besides thinking about the best way to kill something?" Ember said angrily, her fiery hair burning a bit more intensely in response.
"Pha. What kind of danger could there possibly be for us over there. All those creatures have to use against us is their own energy, and when Technus is done with those deflectors they won’t be able to harm us in any way."
"That is, if I can get them to work, but right now that poses a challenge. Mostly because they keep zapping me after I accidentally turned them on, but that’s beside the point," Technus replied.
"Then what does it take to get them to work?" Spectra asked.
"Well, if I want them to target and deflect the energy of these ponies, I will need to know what kind of energy they work with. So, I have need of a guinea pig."
"You’re telling us you need one of those ponies to study?" Ember asked, turning away from her ghostly boyfriend, a relationship she was starting to reconsider.
"Yes. It doesn’t really matter what kind, seeing as there are several different forms. But I will need a pony to examine. Shouldn’t be much of a problem, seeing as there are some likely candidates going back and forth between their world and the humans'. It should be easy to snatch one without any trouble at all."
"Heh. It sounds like you need a hunter for this," Skulker said eagerly.
"Yeah, sure. You can do it," Technus replied with a roll of his eyes.
"And is there anything we can do?" Spectra asked as Skulker flew away to his hunting lodge to gather the materials he needed for a successful hunt.
"Just make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid," Technus said with a sigh, already knowing that whatever the cyber armored ghost was up to would most likely be overkill.
"Yes, he does have a tendency to get a bit.. overzealous with these kinds of things," Spectra agreed.
"Yeah, tell me about it," Ember groaned out, and the two of them gradually followed after the hunting obsessed ghost.
"Now, that just leaves one more question," Technus said to himself. "How do I turn those deflectors off?"
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny was walking through the darkening streets of Ponyville, heading towards the cafe he worked at. He was a bit on edge, as, wherever he looked, all he could see were dark and seemingly empty houses, and not a single soul on the streets, save for himself. It unnerved him, and he quickened his pace to get to his destination.
He didn’t know how it had happened, but right now this otherwise happy and friendly town had just turned spooky, and he, despite his half ghost nature, just didn’t feel at home. He walked faster and faster, until he broke out in an all out sprint, not wasting any time getting to the place the note had told him to go. Why he did what a note told him he didn’t know, but something deep down told him they would just keep coming if he stayed at home. So, running now, he approached the building he worked at, seeing it was just as dark as any of the other buildings in town.
Coming to a screeching stop before the door, he took a small moment to catch his breath, resting his hands on his knees. Standing up straight again, he looked around once more, not seeing anything, nor hearing a thing. Swallowing a dry lump down his throat, he reached out for the door knob. Turning it, he noticed the door was unlocked, and with a eerily loud screech, which he was sure wasn't there before, he opened the door, stepping inside into the darkness that lay before him.
"Hello? Is anyone here?" he said with a slight waver in his voice, trying to see anything in the darkness.
Then, without warning, the lights turned on.
<<>><<>><<>>
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
Tucker and Jazz shouted as they set off a couple of party poppers, covering Dani in streamers and confetti.
"Thanks, you guys." She laughed as she wiped away the streamer that hung before her eyes, and she happily accepted the gifts she received.
"Congratulations, Dani," Jazz said as she hugged her friend and, technically, younger sister. "Eighteen years old now, huh?"
"Yes, yes I am," Dani said with a laugh.
"Congrats," Tucker said as Dani pulled away from Jazz, and he moved in to hug her as well. But, wanting a bit more than just that, Dani wrapped her arms around Tucker while moving in to kiss him.
Tucker, wide eyed, saw the smirk in her eyes as their lips met. He stood there dumbfounded for only a moment before he returned the kiss, all the while Jazz stood next to them with a satisfied smirk, as well as a bit of shocked amazement over Dani’s forwardness.
"Huh. I guess you were right about them," Valerie spoke up suddenly, and everyone snapped their heads towards the slightly smirking woman standing behind them. How she'd gotten there without any of them noticing, seeing how the door was on the other side of the room, they would probably never know.
"Valerie!" Dani said excitedly as she moved towards her friend, only to come to a hesitant stop before she could pull her into a hug. "Are you alright?" She asked, remembering how the bombshell she, Tucker and Jazz had dropped on her hadn't gone over so well with her.
"I am," Valerie answered as she pulled Dani into a sideways hug, ruffling her hair a bit. "Just had some things to think about. A lot of things."
"Well, I'm glad to see you did manage to sort things out," Jazz said while Dani phased out of Valerie's grip.
"Yeah. It did take an unlikely acquaintance of ours to help me figure things out, but that’s not important right now. What is, is this," Valerie answered, and she walked over to the door, grabbing a large, tall but flat package standing on the other side.
"Here you go kid, hope you like it. I know I did back when I was your age."
Dani let out a loud squee as she grabbed the large package, ripping away the paper to uncover a plain cardboard box. Flipping it open, her eyes widened a bit as she looked at the hoverboard, seeing her reflection in the polished metal.
"WOW!" Was all she was able to say as she lifted the board out of the box, along with a pair of black boots that matched her ghost suit’s design.
"Valerie," Tucker said, amazed. "Is that your old hoverboard?"
"It is," she answered. "Now it’s yours, Dani. I know you can fly, and all. But I thought you’d like to do it in style every now and then," Valerie said with a short laugh, only to get the air knocked out of her lungs as Dani hug tackled her.
"THANK YOU! This is soo awesome!" She shouted happily, and rushed back to the board, grabbing the pair of boots and pulling them on. Jumping on the board, it recognized the homing signal coming from the boots, letting it know the user was standing on it, and it hummed to life, hovering up above the ground half a meter.
"Heh, eager to get started I see. But you should wait till you get to that other world, seeing how Vlad is still out to get you," Valerie told Dani, who gave a nod of understanding, but didn’t stop moving around on the board.
"It’s a bit conspicuous, don’t you think?" Jazz said worried.
"Not if I do this, it’s not," Dani said while laughing, and turned invisible, leaving only the gentle hum of the board to be heard.
"Still, it would be hard to keep it concealed all the time," Tucker remarked as he watched Dani fade back into view.
"Then what do you think the boots are for?" Valerie asked with a roll of her eyes. "See how they lack any real sole, that’s so it can fold up and take the place of the soles when it’s not in use, making them seem like any regular old boots.
"It can? Awesome!" Dani replied with an eager grin. "Ehh… How do I do that?"
"Just jump off the board and kick your heels together, it will do the rest."
"Okay. Like this?" Dani said and jumped off the board, tapping her heels together.
Within an instant, the board split in two and folded up, forming into two soles fitting perfectly onto the boots Dani was wearing. Dropping down on the ground, she noticed that, despite the board's noticeable weight, the boots didn't seem to weigh all that much.
"Awesome!" She said again, checking out her new footwear. "This might come in handy someday."
"Heh, I hope so. It's the same to deploy it. Jump up, and kick your heels together. Also," Valerie said as she turned to Tucker, "here. Catch." And she threw him a Fenton Thermos.
"Wha... Who did you catch?" He asked as he fumbled to catch the thermos.
"Meh, let’s just say it’s an unlikely acquaintance."
"… I see. Okay, I will make sure this will be properly dealt with first thing tomorrow. But first, cake!" Tucker proclaimed.
"Now you’re talking," Valerie replied, and the four of them went on to have a blast of a party all throughout the night.
<<>><<>><<>>
"SURPRISE!"
They all shouted it loud and proud, happy smiles showing on most of the ponies’ faces, save for a few who were looking around in confusion as they didn’t understand what was going on, or how they got here. Danny, however, gave a frightened shout, but fortunately he didn’t turn invisible like last time.
Looking around, he saw all the ponies in town gathered in the cafe. How they all fit inside he didn’t know, but that was not at the forefront of his mind right now. What was, was the fact that the room was fully decorated with balloons, streamers, tables filled with all kinds of delicacies, the many cheering ponies, Pinkie Pie standing on her hind legs, her front legs waving in the air in excitement, sporting the biggest smile he had seen on her so far, and a large banner hanging on the wall saying: Happy Birthday, Danny!
He was at a loss for words as he stood there, taking it all in, but not knowing what to say or do. Fortunately, or not, he didn’t have to act first as Pinkie Pie moved towards him, still on two legs, and gave him a bone crushing hug.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" She shouted excitedly, and Danny had to pry himself free as he couldn’t breath thanks to the pink party pony’s particularly powerful hug.
"Wha… How did you know?" Danny wheezed the first thing that came to mind. "I never told any of you today was my birthday."
"You didn’t need to," Pinkie Pie said cheerfully, but turned serious in an instant. "But you really should have. We barely had any time to prepare." She returned to her previous happy, hyperactive state. "But it’s alright, seeing as it is your birthday today. Now come on, we have cake!" She chirped eagerly as she pulled Danny with her towards a large table holding the largest multi layer cake he had ever seen.
"Oh, before I forget!" She said with a gasp, and she rushed away, only to return a split second later and place a party hat on Danny’s head. "There, now we are ready to get this party started!" she proclaimed loudly, resulting in many cheers all around.
In a blur she cut the cake in several pieces, making sure Danny was the first to get a slice, while at the same time, on the other side of the room, she pulled a unicorn with a white coat, electric blue mane and tail and purple sunglasses out from underneath a turntable. The unicorn gave Pinkie a toothy grin, and, with a flick of her hoof, the room lit up in a multitude of bright flashing colors while an energetic beat began to play from the speaker towers next to her.
"These ponies… They’re all crazy," Danny muttered in disbelief, but a large smile showed on his face as he looked around, seeing the ponies partying, eating, and coming to him to congratulate him on the passing of yet another year.
He slowly shook his head as a chuckle escaped him.
'When in Rome…' he thought, and he grabbed a cup of punch from the table next to him. Raising it up, he shouted the one thing he knew would be appropriate right then and there.
"ALRIGHT, LET’S PARTY!" And the crowd let loose another loud cheer in response.
The night had only just begun, and there was a lot of partying to be done. And, although it couldn’t last forever, they were determined to give it their best shot.
Tonight was going to last forever. Or, at least until the last pony fell down from exhaustion.
Knowing Pinkie Pie, it would take a long time indeed. And none of them minded. After all, it was Danny’s birthday, and it was a reason for them all to party even harder. Because any party is a good party, but a birthday party, the celebration of the passing of another year, that was something Pinkie Pie would go all out for, and no one wanted to miss out on that.
Grabbing the microphone in her hooves, and giving a sign to the mare behind the turntables, the music died down a bit. Not much, but enough for Pinkie to make herself heard.
"And now everypony, with me! Ahum… Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you-" she began to sing, and the rest of the ponies joined in while the music faded away. And before long every single one of them were singing loudly for Danny, who was blushing profusely at the attention he was given, yet he couldn’t help but smile over it all.
"Happy birthday to youuu!" They finished with a cheer.
"Happy birthday, Danny!"
Oh wow, it really has been a year now, hasn't it? A whole year filled with ghosts and ponies. I honestly didn’t expect this when I first started with this fic, and I am most certainly surprised to see it has gained so many readers over the year.
Well, I guess some thanks are in order. Okay, let’s see…
First off, I would like to thank my arms for always being by my side. My legs for their support. And my fingers, as I can always count on them.
That said, I would also give my thanks to NightmareKnight and Vates Despero for their help with my fic. Their editing has really helped to make this fic much better than I could have done alone. So thanks for that.
Another thank you goes to both AnonymousMaterials and Voltrasin. Anonymous for allowing the use of his character, Mort, which I think is a wonderful addition to my fic. And Voltrasin for giving me the idea for the fic Silver Spirit.
And of course there is you, the reader. Your comments telling me about any mistakes, suggestion, tips or just random nonsense have also been fun to read. So, for that, I thank you. And please, keep at it. Comments are pretty much like oxygen to me. I want them! I need them!
That said, I will now focus my attention on the fic Silver Spirit, and get it up to speed with this one. It is still lagging behind a day in the timeline of this story, so I want to get that worked out as soon as possible. The next chapter is still being written, and it is going to be a big one. About 21k at this point and more is being added. But, as I am working on that fic, I will not be working on this one. I do that so that when things are back on track I can write the next chapters of both fics in parallel with each other. This will make things a bit easier for me when I continue with the next chapters.
Now, as usual. Let me know about any mistakes you've seen, or tell me what you liked. Either one is welcome.
-Powerdrainer.
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"Vlad Masters"? Is that a group of people who specialize in mastering Vlads? Are there really enough Vlads to justify specializing in mastering them?
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What happened to that pansy ass pinkish energy he was packing in the show?
"Fenton ham!!"
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"The Box Ghost, does not appreciate, your attempts to limit, his domain!! The Box Ghost is also master of boxes of both wooden and metal persuasion~!! BEWARE!!"
Which, bizarrely enough, was not Equestria, but Earth.
Damn! Bitch is cheap! Won't even spend the extra bits for her own glance, gotta share one with a coworker!
~My Little Pony: Alliteration is Magic.~
DAMN! I missed four quotation marks!
4485685
He purchased the premium ecto package, featuring several optional colors for your ecto beams to pimp up your game while you unleash your destructive needs.
Great chapter. Good to see Danny enjoying his birthday. I'm looking forward to seeing how Celestia and Luna react to Twilight's letter.
4485720 Damn. Now I can't stop picturing some sleazy merchant in the Ghost Zone specializing in personalizing Eco Signatures.
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" 'ey, I just gots fresh 'shipment' a Goulcci bagses in... gets ya something nice fer ya gurl."
Great as always. Keep up the good work Power!
This is still a very good story.
4486645
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4485685 I love you for making a One Piece reference
Your Story is really amazing and when I started reading chapter one I instantly hooked and love the story so far. I really can't wait for the next chapter. Keep up the good work.
4531866 Thanks. And, in case you didn't know. There is a side story to this one as well. Look for Silver Spirit, Ghost of Equestria.
4531889 I will check it out :3
4635544 The text is supposed to be a bit smaller than usual, as Fluttershy is a somewhat quiet speaker. But there shouldn't be any need to zoom in, as the font size should still be big enough to read. But even then. I am working on improving the chapters, and I have gone through the first four already. My editors, though, still need to go through them.
4642377 Allow me to redirect you to this comment I made a while ago...4202909
4644933 Well... He is dreaming, right.
.... 
4649336 I take it you mean Amity Park. And, yes. In a way. But where Discord goes mainly for chaos that is "fun", Vlad is much more destructive. Manipulation of elections, and such. Threatening those that get in his way, or worse. Dangerous and illegal experimentations (aka, clones and such.) And much more.
There is quite a lot of things still going to happen with Vlad, and it might not be all that great for Danny.
4652925 Oh hello Again
4733098 Glad to hear you like it.
4753326 So... With enough force to blow a hole through the fabric.
4812495 Huh, well, thank you for telling me that. I was not aware of this, but the fact remains the same. I referenced the fic I got the idea from, as to not take credit for something that was not my idea originally. Still, thanks for clearing that up for me.
4810042
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so... basicly, THIS? VV
i have just stumbled upon your work and it just so happens that i am a die hard fan of Danny Phantom....
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4863717 Well, I hope you enjoy my little creation. And, just so you know. There are two other fics connected with this one.
4863746 well aware of that, its how i got here.
i just didn't want to spoil the story if there was more
4863746 also this made me do a nickelodeon related blog. i just finished it.
4864523 I see..... I will keep that in mind. Do know this are older chapters, and I am waiting for my editors to go through them after I have made several edits myself, improving the quality a bit. I'm just waiting for them to do so. About eight chapters are currently waiting for their attention, not counting the new chapters.
Hey, 4864523. I wanted to thank you for the advice you've given me, as it certainly gave me a useful change in perspective. After your comment, I went back to work on the next chapter of this fic, with what you told me in the back of my mind. And I saw what you meant with 'show it, don't tell it'. I'm not saying that everything I write is suddenly going to be more along those lines, but it has brought it to my attention, and it made me rewrite a few small things to make it more 'alive', instead of just a summary of words telling you what is going on. So, thanks for that.
Also, I noticed I didn't answer your question regarding the center alignment of my fic. Well, it is basically part of my writing style, if you will. I like the 'feel' it has, and have used it ever since I first tried it about a year ago. But you're the second to mention it, and the first to bring it up in this fic. So, I will keep an eye on that, and should it be a real inconvenience, it will be changed.
A very interesting story so far though ill admit i almost skipped a few shadow of the nigh chapters, but i went ahead and read em lol I ws in a hurry for him to wake up i suppose
Anyways cant wait to see what happens next. 
4886246 I'll give you a little hint to what you can expect in the next chapter. Just read at your own risk.
The next chapter will have Danny and ponies in Ponyville.
Exciting, wouldn't you agree?
Just finished reading the chapter 'A Fresh Start' and I have one comment: you might want to make your chapters smaller. I don't know about others, but when I see a chapter that's 32 thousand plus words long, here's what I'm thinking:
To my understanding, chapters separate portions of the story, making following it easier (And I've noticed several portions where the story could be segmented). Just a personal observation, but loving the story otherwise.
Also this portion:
I think there are several Marvel and DC geeks crying or tearing their hair out somewhere in the world over this.
4947448 Well, what can I say. I like big chapters.
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As for people pulling their hair out. Why, who doesn't like Metal Sir? Fighting crime like a sir, wearing his monocle and sporting a grandiose moustache.
God damnit, double post. Fricking internet being difficult again!
4947824 I was referring more to the mixing of genres. A guy builds armor after seeing his parents murdered by a radioactive spider?
That's Iron Man, Batman, and Spider-man rolled into one story and that's not even half of it!
And I was going to take the high road with the big chapters bit, but after seeing the picture, I HAVE to.
4947850 I figured as much. But, mixing of the stories aside, I wanted to have Metal Sir make another appearance, with his monocle and moustache. Look there, up in the sky. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it is Metal Sir, playing his fancy game!
5048006
5081944 Thanks for pointing that out. Normally I use italic for thought dialogue. But it would seem I forgot to end this option at some point, resulting in everything being written in italic.
5147719 What is?
5185573 Ehh... Pretty much, yes.
5187779 You raise a valid point, and I thank you for that. I will look into this issue, and try to get things sorted out. Although not a major issue in the story itself, it is still something that is not as it should be, Still, I do hope you have enjoyed the story, despite this economics issue. I have also noticed that you are now following me, so I take it I have piqued your interest enough to be worth keeping an eye on. So, for both those things. Thank you kindly.
5200994
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5202067 That's the one thing you choose to reply on?! I'd be amused were it not so annoying.
"There is no salad. Only Pie!"?
Even the Ghostbusters couldn't handle that! 
Nah! You're just caught in a landslide, Valerie! There is no[/I ]escape from reality!
what the fuckery 0_0
HALP MAY!!!!!!!!!!XD
LUNGS FAILING
*squints* Is that bohemian rhapsody
This made my day
5202067
I pity the car in that last pic. It doesn't deserve to be defiled in such a manner.