Dan Vs. The Magic of Friendship(Season 1)

by Barrobroadcaster

Broke: Darkness Abides

The biggest factor of what makes someone who they are, is what they do... and what they put an effort into doing. Effort has the biggest impact in life. So, to be a good person, being a hero, being anything positive in this world, one must first make a positive effort in their lives to be positive. What you do makes a difference and it starts with what you try to do. It all starts with the first try.

Negativity, however, is not simply a matter of not trying. The beginning of evil is not caring.

---

While Dan was busy with the De Gauss, the others had their own tasks. Applejack sold her baked goods, Rarity sold souvenirs, and other members of Gust's crew had other ways of keeping the griffons' minds occupied and off their money. Trixie would've provided live entertainment, but the showmare refused to perform in a disguise and so was broadcasting a televised magic show courtesy of the PANTS.

Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Chrysalis waited near the griffons' airships for Dan's signal. They would be ready when he launched Phase 2.

Meanwhile, Phoenix kept on eye things as best he could. He had faith in his friends and their plan. He felt relaxed at that moment, and just leisurely walked about the casinos. Then, he bumped into Fluttershy and found something else to do.

"Okay, I know-"

"This is just... this is so-"

"Please, just, try not to cry so much. You're gonna-"

*sniffle* Fluttershy may have been trying to stifle her sobs, but it was an unnoticeable effort to Phoenix. Unfortunately, one of the base jumping spiders had an accident and their bungie cord broke. The night was not entirely without tragedy.

"It was so young, Phoenix! They had so much-"

"I know, Fluttershy but really, you need to calm down." He looked around. (Is there a pet store on this thing?!) "Why didn't Rainbow Dash catch it?"

*sniffle* "We-well, she tried but..."

As Phoenix tried to lead Fluttershy away from the crowds, they bumped into Rainbow Dash.

"Rainbow?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Rainbow Dash said. She had greenish goop on her forelegs and chest. She held the other end of the broken bungie cord in her hoof and handed it to Fluttershy.

"Okay, that's... wow, well, we really need to get you both away from the griffons."

"Hehehey, looks like somebody had too much party, man!"
"Oh gawd, man I'm so wasted."
"You had like, ten ciders, man that'd waste anybody."
"Duuuuuuuuuuuude!"

A pair of griffons noticed them, but kept walking by thankfully.

"How the heck could they get drunk?" Rainbow Dash asked. "AJ's serving non-alcoholic cider."

Phoenix waited until they were out of earshot and said, "They're not drunk, they're just idiots. And don't tell them that."

"That they're idiots or about the cider?"

"Either," Phoenix answered.

Eventually, the lawyer was able to get his two friends to a mare's room and get them cleaned up. Finally, with that done, he was able to stop caring for them every moment. Fluttershy was still sobbing but, Rainbow was there to comfort her and they were in the bathroom now where they wouldn't draw attention.

He stepped outside into the night air of New Pegas and exhaled deeply. He looked up at the moon, high in the sky.

(Getting pretty late. I hope Dan doesn't expect us to stay up all night.)

Most of the griffons were in the casinos or stores, not too many went between them so the streets were empty. Between the Ultra-Luxe and the Lucky 38 replicas, Dan found Kent. Well, technically, he found Kent on top of the Lucky 38, and Kent found him before he spotted him.

"Kent?"

The armored human jumped down, all the way down to the ground, what must've been at least fifty feet. And he landed right in front of Phoenix, on his toes.

"Gyaah!"

"Good evening, Mr. Wright."

"Uhhh... good evening," Phoenix said, stepping back a bit. "So, uh... how's the night treating you?"

"Fair," Kent said. "Dan's plan seems to be working thus far. At this rate, all of Equestria's wealth should be replenished within just a few years."

"Few... years?" Phoenix asked.

Kent nodded. "At the present rate of return. It's quite impressive."

"But but but, hang on, you said YEARS," Phoenix said. Kent said nothing, letting the lawyer continue. It was clear the armored figure would not speak if he didn't have to. "How exactly do you figure it's going to take years?"

"Mathematics," Kent replied. "Factoring in all known variables with known economic trends and expectations of trade, consumption of supplies and overall industry demand, the kingdom's GDP should stabilize fairly soon with expected growth and return to follow as other countries resume international relations."

"Uh... huh," Phoenix said, rubbing his chin. "So, you calculated all that, is what you're saying."

Kent nodded one time. "Yes. Given what I know of the kingdom at present." He turned and began walking away, nearly vanishing in the darkness.

And for whatever reason, Phoenix decided to follow him. Perhaps it was his nature just to be inquisitive or maybe he was curious. He picked up the pace to catch him.

"So, you uh, you did this all in your head?"

"Well, a lot of it is just rough predictions. I studied the problem and came to a reasonable conclusion. When I made the projections, it became clear it wouldn't be necessary for me to intervene, so I let Dan and the rest of you handle the problem as you saw fit."

"Right, right," Phoenix nodded. "And what would've happened if it had been necessary for you to intervene?"

Kent stopped and turned. "I would have intervened."

Phoenix nearly took a step back again, but didn't.

"Is there a reason that you're following me, Mr. Wright?"

"Umm, well, yes. I wanted to get to know you."

Kent mad a noise that sounded somewhere between a scoff and a chuckle, then turned his back to the lawyer again. "You and the rest of this planet. I've been to a lot of planets, lawyer, and this one is particularly dangerous. Emotions are already dangerous things and this world turns them into raw, physical power. It makes anyone who sets foot on this planet a major potential threat."

Again, Phoenix trotted to keep up with him, and they began walking around the Lucky 38.

"So, you clearly care about the planet. If you're willing to help us figure out our problems, and all."

"That is the present task, yes. If you're wanting to know why, it's because I owe Barro and Michael a few favors. And no, I'm not going to discuss them," Kent said.

Kent was right that emotions were powerful and especially dangerous on Equestria. Magic was a part of everything, and the bonds beings made on the planet became powerful sources of magic. They were not always benevolent in nature, and that made making such bonds a very tricky thing for those who were trying to minimize their impact on the world, even when it came to making friends.

One of the reasons ponies were just nicer to each other is because they were encouraged to be. Negative and positive emotions all had much more of an impact here on Equestria than any other world. It affected the environment, society, everything much more strongly, even small things from the nervousness of a lie to the agitation at suffering an inconvenience. Feelings just didn't stay in one place in Equestria, they moved and flowed through everything else.

Phoenix rubbed his chin. Kent said Barro and Michael together. If Kent wouldn't tell him, maybe one of them would.

"I'm just trying to get an idea of when you'll be helpful." The night seemed to grow darker around them, as if it was just two men talking in a void of darkness.

"You'll know when."

"Yeah, but you know how much we like to plan things out. Literally standing on one of those plans right now, so could you give me an idea of when and where you will intervene?" Phoenix asked.

Kent sighed. "When our enemies arrive, I will be there to defeat them. You can plan on that."

"What if they threaten us? Or take hostages?" Phoenix continued.

"They don't take hostages unless they plan on killing or using them."

Phoenix had him now. "You're speaking from experience. You've fought them before. Wait," Phoenix rubbed his chin. "You're not talking about OUR enemies."

Kent slowly turned and folded his arms.

"...you're talking about your enemies," Phoenix said, hoping he hadn't just made himself one of them.

"Considering they want your world and presumably you and the rest of the ponies off of it, I believe that would make them your enemies as well," Kent stated.

"And they took your world already. So you're wanting to prevent that from happening here. But you're not intervening at every opportunity, no..." Phoenix rubbed his chin. "You're waiting."

"Stop."

"Waiting for the right moment... or waiting for the right target?" Phoenix asked. And then, Phoenix found the answer. "You want revenge."

Kent stopped and turned abruptly. Something shattered like glass. "Stop. This discussion is over. Good night, Mr. Wright."

"I..." And as Phoenix was talking, Kent disappeared. Vanished from thin air, as if by magic. One moment, the orange-armored figure was walking right by him, the next his image faded and within a second, it was gone.

Phoenix was mostly a warrior with words, not his fists. And he was good at what he did. He knew that any information could be useful, and if someone was unwilling to answer certain things, they might divulge important details in other ways. How someone answered could be just as informative, if not more than the answer they gave. Kent had told Phoenix quite a bit.

(Remind me to thank Detective Gumshoe for questioning tips.)

Kent's psyche-locks had been shattered without him even noticing. Phoenix barely noticed he'd been doing it himself, but there had only been the one psyche-lock on Kent in the first place. What did this mean, though? Revenge... but not direct like Dan usually preferred. He had to find out more.

"If what happened to your planet could happen again, you should tell us. We won't be able to prepare otherwise," Phoenix said. He looked around, wasn't sure if Kent was still there. But sure enough, he appeared behind Phoenix.

"I..." And now it was Kent's turn. Phoenix turned to see the swordsman behind him, but didn't recoil this time. Kent, arms folded, seemed to consider something before finally, his arms lowered and he relented. "I'll tell you this, lawyer. Being a video game hero, being a hero of any story or being 'destined' to do something... it only goes so far."

"I know what it's like to lose. That's why they call me Phoenix." (Boy, I don't know if that was awesome or cheesy, probably both but I don't care. I feel so cool right now.) "I can help you if you let me."

Kent looked up at him. For a few very long moments, the two men simply looked at one another, considering what to say. Phoenix couldn't tell what he was thinking or even what he looked like under the armor but that was clearly the point. He knew something else about him, however from talking to him: he was young. Early to mid-twenties at the latest, younger than Phoenix, who was twenty-nine at time of writing.

"...It wouldn't have helped Taris."

"But-"

"There is a war coming, lawyer. And the biggest deciding factor that will determine the victor is will."

"Will?"

"Will," Kent repeated. "Insurmountable, undeniable, unmistakable and unrelenting will. The will to go farther, to hit harder, to strike deeper, to last longer, to do what your opponent will not. Will, Phoenix Wright. Will is power. Dan has quite a lot of it, which is why I tolerate your group's... unorthodox tactics and general... nonsense."

Phoenix shrugged, grinned and said, "I like to think of it as just shenanigans with plans. Plananigans." (I no longer feel cool.) He cleared his throat. "Umm, so you think that will is going to make the biggest difference in the upcoming battle?"

Kent nodded. "They're coming, Mr. Wright. From all corners. They want what you have, what Equestria has because it's special. And they'll climb and crawl and scramble over each other to get it. Kill each other, cut each others' throats to get it. Because they want it. If they want it bad enough, they'll get it. If they can't get it, they'll destroy it and watch it burn with a smile just to make sure that nobody else can have it. They have the advantage because they're trying to take it and you're trying to keep it. So you know what you have to do?"

"What?" Phoenix asked.

"You have to want it more than them." He disappeared again. Vanished into thin air. Phoenix thought he had to be on top of one of the buildings. And honestly, he was getting pretty annoyed with the guy.

"So you're just fine with being a shell, then?!"

"A shell has a purpose. It can still protect things," Kent said. As suspected, Phoenix spotted him atop the Lucky 38 again, right where he was. At least he'd learned a few important things. Fine, moody ninja dude wants to be that way, he can be that way for a bit longer. He walked in the direction of the main gates to check on Applejack and Rarity next.

---

New Libertalia griffon sky fortress
Presently docked with New Pegas

Chrys had her own little assignment, one specifically given to her by Dan given her skillset. Skillset being her ability to change into a griffon. She found one of De Gauss's lieutenants that had one too many ciders, escorted him to the makeshift infirmary where he could sleep it off and pickpocketed what little credentials he had, which wasn't much. Then, she made her way to the airship.

She snuck her way to the New Libertalia, casually made her way up the gangplank and onto the docked airship. There was still a lot of traffic; griffons were offloading lots of cash, gold, jewels and stolen items in exchange for casino chips. All according to Dan's plan.

"Coming through, coming through! Hey down there, move it!"

Chrys backed away as a larger cart was pulled through by four griffons. And what was in the cart nearly caused her jaw to drop: ponies. Four of them, trapped in crystal, the same stasis crystal material they were stored in on the moon.

Except these ponies weren't from the moon. Another griffon wheeled a wheelchair behind the cart.

"Hey," Chrys asked the griffon with the chair. "Is that...?"

"Heheh, yeah, finally offloading this guy. Almost gonna miss him. Was nice seein' him above the galley. Seeing him always meant it was time to eat!"

Dr. Verner Veirdluv, aka Dr. Doomsday was the only Daring Do villain missing from the villain's gallery in the Bursavis Prison Complex. A brilliant pony scientist turned diabolical doctor, Dr. Veirdluv studied Equestria's past and seismology, tracking the planet over its history to the present day. He became obsessed with causing volcanic eruptions with the goal of returning Equestria to its primeval state, believing it was the only way for ponies to evolve. Very similar to Vice Grip, so Vice Grip wasn't even really original in his plans.

"Is that Dr. Weird Love?"

"IT'S VEIRDDLUV!!" the doctor shouted. Apparently, the stasis was not so effective on him. The wheelchair was also his, a necessity after a battle with Daring Do left him partially paralyzed. Dr. Weirdlove-

"IT'S VEIRDLUV!!!"

R-right, Dr. VIERDluv would've snagged the slot for Daring Do's number-one villain as voted by fans if not for his family, who were also just as deranged as he was. In typical cartoony comic fashion, Mrs. Dr. Vierdluv(Mrs. Dr. Doomsday), their teenage son Verner Jr.(Doomsday the Second) and daughter Minuetta(Minute from Doomsday) were also super villains that had tried to conquer/destroy Equestria in the past but had been foiled. The griffons were now selling them as a set.

"So... are these guys like, hostages?"

"Pffft, what you on about?" the griffon asked. "We're trading these prizes in, XO! Ten million bits each or thirty-five for the set! Gonna be a lotta chips comin' our way."

"Rrrright. Okay, well, good luck," Chrys said. She left the griffon and made her way onto the sky fortress.

Comments

[Orchid77th]

Damn, this series is still going strong? Bruh this was here when I first joined, amazing

[Booster Spice]

This behaviour is the Griffons Ace up the sleeve? Give Dan all those resources that he doesnt want, but will actually cause problems being allowed behind the defences in the firsst place?

[LadyLeomon]

A new chapter means it's ~Sunday~ now let me see n'ere *dons reading glasses*

Wait, why is Flutters crying?! ... I've officually had enough of Discount Casino Zone already! ... Apologies Dan-tastic Author, had a cat-related problem but (claws crossed) it's finished for the night.

While I hate the Not-Casino Zone I do love Nicky getting to take centre stage for once, our lil' lawyer is all toughened up (I still hate that Kent guy though, he's on my Revenge List now!)

Now for my Favourite Quotes:

Phoenix waited until they were out of earshot and said, "They're not drunk, they're just idiots. And don't tell them that."

"That they're idiots or about the cider?"

"Either," Phoenix answered.

This, this right here is why Phoenix is a perfect wingman for Dan, they have very different styles and ways of doing things but they have the same razor-sharp wit, we'll make a Professional Jerk out of you yet Nicky! ... Dammit now I'm imagining a clothes-swap with Phoenix rocking Dan's Jerk-Chic and Dan looking royally squeeed off at being in Nicky's trademarked suit but knowing he looks awesome anywah

Phew and that's everything I love (most) about this week's chapter and I'll eagerly await the next!

Thanks for helping me chill from my stress and I'll see you ~next time~

Your Eternal Fan ^_^

[Stolas]

ONE MILLION WORDS OML HOW

[Barrobroadcaster]

11033647
WE GET THERE WHEN WE GET THERE- DON'T MAKE ME TURN THIS FIC AROUND!