Friendship is...a Contract?

by ShinigamiOkami

Chapter 1

Red spots blurred his vision, dripping down with a mix of water. It pounded on his forhead, and for a moment he suspected capture and Chinese water torture. Sitting up, he found nothing of the sort. However, there was a loud pop beside him, followed by some high voice. He couldn't make it out, but he heard the sound of hooves. His first thought was a carriage, perhaprs Sebastian coming to pick him up from whatever he'd gotten into.

He looked around him, seeing only leaves stained by raindrops and some blood. Standing, he found a sharp pain his shoulder, the source of the crimson that puddled around him. He held the wound so as to keep it from bleeding any more and stood, the shrubbery rustling around him.

He was in a ruins of some sort, like a castle or dungeon. He had no idea where that could be, but decided to ask whoever it was he'd heard earlier. He started to call out, but found his voice was lost. There was the girly voice again, and he turned to face it. As soon as he did, he felt like he'd just gotten a punch to the face by Finny. The scarlet blots overcame him once more, fading to pitch black.

~//////~

Opening his eyes once more, he saw a seiling above him, no more ruins or bushes. With much effort, he sat up in the bed. At that moment, the young earl realized three things. One, he was in a girl's room, much like he'd expect Lizzy's to look like; two, he could see out of both his eyes, meaning there was nothing to hide his seal; and three, he was in just his underwear.

He quickly wrapped the sheet around himself, making sure to conceal the branded scar on his back, then covered his right eye with the other hand. Carefully, he placed his feet onto the bedroom floor, finding they ached as well, along with most of his body. He went over to the window to get his bearings further. He couldn't distinguish where he was based on the room; and assortment of items lay around it, from books to a frilly dress to a plate of apples to a ox of prankster's toys to a small green animal.

From what he inferred to be the second or third story up, he could see ihe was in a town out of a children's book, complete with personified ponies and an overall vibrant color to it. Immediately he knew he must've been drugged and was now hallucinating. Whoever had captured him was a clever foe, but the earl was craftier.

A set of footfalls was heard behind him, and he turned to face them. Once again, he'd have to go up against some vile filth of the underworld. Be it demon or angel or wanted criminal, this viscious opponet would meet their match.

Bouncing in was a bright, pink pony, her poofy mane and wide smile making her look like something Funtom toys would sell to little girls. He sighed, but he was not relieved, seeing as he was most likely onyl dreaming while his captor was most likely on the phone in reality, demanding ransom money. He hoped Sebastian was on his way to get him out of this mess soon.

"So, are you feeling any better? I just wanna apologixe first for buckng you in the face. I just didn't know what you were. I mean, you were out in the Everfree forest after all." The pony greeted rather cheerily. The earl decided to humor the illusion, but was reminded of his current mute state when all he could get out was a squeak and a small cough. "Aww, you poor thing! Don't worry, Pinkie Pie is on the case! I'll get you back to health in no time!" She saluted him, then grinned. "For the meantime, I thought I'd welcome you to Ponyville with...a part-ay! Sound good?"

Growing frustrated with the high-pitched pony, he shook his head. "Oh, c'mon, don't be such a fuddy-duddy. Parties are th only way to go." He tried to object once more, but something else made them both stop. He had no clue how long he'd been out, but he hadn't eaten since. His stomach growled once more, and the pony gasped and darted off. He did't know what good it would do getting him something to eat; after all, this was all nothing but a drug-induced nightmare.

She returned at a speed that actually rivalved Sebastian's, holding a plate of pastries in her teeth. " 'Ere ya 'o. Ea' up!" He grabbed one, despite his knowlegdge that it would be pointlesss, and took a bite. It was surprisingly good, nice and sweet like strawberries. "Ya like it? Those are straw-diddliumptious berry biscottis. I made 'em earlier, in case you got hungry. I don't know what you eat, but everypony loves sweets!"

He took another mouthful, finding they were actually filling. Whatever he'd been injected with, it simulated reality quite well. The pain, the voice ringing in his ears, the taste, even the room temperature were all so real, not to mention the fact he was aware it was an illusion. Normally that didn't happen, and if he had figured it out, he should've awoken by now.

"You okay now?" Pinkie asked, genuine concern on her. "Again, I'm extra-super-duper-sooooo-rry for knocking you out. You were hurt all over and your clothes wer all wet, so I washed 'em. Oh, and do you like streamers or confetti at parties, by the way?" The mystery of his clothing figured out, he was glad she ahdn't taken his boxers off as well. He then took back that gratefulness, reasoning that it was just a dream and that he'd be better off just ignoring her.

Once more, the pony interrupted his thoughts, her face getting uncofortably close to his. "Hmmm...I think you need a name." He sighed, hoping the mythical creature wouldn't give him something ridiculous. "I'll call you...mmm...hrmm..." She eyd him all over, invading his personal space. "Phantomhive," she concluded with a nod, "Yep, you're Phantomhive."

It was obviously that, as the earl knew, and of course she'd gotten it right, seeing as this was his own delusion. "I know because it said so on your clothes, on this little crest thingy." She added, although the noble didn't buy that excuse. His mind had made up something to make him think it was more real, rather than let him regain consciousness after gaining proof that it was most certainly not. "So, Phantom, what were you doing out in the forest?"

He didn't answer, not only because he didn't want to but also because he still could not speak. "Oh right," she agreed, "You can't talk! Well, that's okie-dokie, 'cuase I can do most o f the talking. How about just yes or no questions?" The boy didn't respond, to which she groaned. "Well, we gotta communicate somehow!" She perked back up, jumping with glee. "Of course! Why didn't I think of this sooner? I'll take you somepony who's an expert with animals! I can invite everypony to the welcome party on the way there, too." She squealed with delight.

With no other choice, he decided to follow. At least maybe he could look around this made-up world for some clues about the captor that had created it.

~//////~

"Is something wrong, sister?" The princess strode over to her celestial sibling, a worried look on her face. The moon princess had been out of sorts for the past day, pacing and muttering, even raising the moon half an hour late the previous night.

With a sigh, Luna replied, "No, it is all well..." She paused, gazing out at the midday sun. "We disregard that statement. It is not well, not well at all. We sense a disturbance..." she trailed off, looking at her elder sister. "There is something...off...out in the forest. It was a strange surge of power that came during the storm. We...er, I...wish to go investigate."

Celestia sat next to her sister by the window, wrapping her wing around the troubled one. "I thought I felt something amiss too, Luna. Perhaps we can go together to check it out?" Her younger sister nodded, thanking the sun princess for her understanding. "Good. I'm sure it isn't something we can handle, right, sis?" With another nod from Luna, the two went back to the royal chambers.

~//////~

Carefully setting the bowl of salad down, she called over to her pet. The little bunny sprang over, stuffing his face with the lettuce. It stopped suddenly, spitting out a spinach leaf and glaring at its owner. "Oh, I-Im sorry, Angel..." She started apologizing, but the rabbit simply harumphed and scooted the bowl aside. "O-Okay...I'll get another one for you." She trotted into the kitchen to make one more.

"HEEEY FLUTTERSHYYYY!! ARE YOU HOOOOME?!" The shouting and banging at her door made her drop the head of cabbage and carrots. She quickly picked up the mess as the visitor pounded on her door again. "It's me, Pinkie! Quick, this is an EMERGENCY! Like, an em-URGENT-cy emergency! Open up!"

As she approached the door, it busted down right in front of her. Pinkie simply ignored it and tackled the little pegasus. "Oh, thank Celestia you're here! I just didn't know who to go to otherwise for an animal problem like this." Fluttershy's eyes went wide, searching for the injured creature.

What she saw had her backpeddaling and cowering under her own couch. "Wh-what is...th-th-that...? I've never seen anything l-like it..." She stuttered, shaking with fear. Pinkie smiled and dragged her out.

"I found it in the Everfree forest," the party pony replied, "I think I hurt him some, but he was already hurt, and I can't talk to him, so I figured the bestest-est thing to do would to take him to you! After all, you're a smarty with animals, riiight?"

Fluttershy squeaked, scrambling back to her hiding spot. "No...I-I'm sorry, Pinkie, but...animals from the everfree forest are dangerous and scary! I-I-I don't even know wh-what in Equestria it is..." She felt a very negative vibe from this thing, something that told her to keep as far away from it as possible. "I...I c-can't...B-besides, I'm very busy today. A-Angel still needs me to make some more lunch, so...I gotta get back to that, kthnxbai!" She darted into the kitchen, out of sight.

~//////~

"Here it is, sister..." The alicorn folded her wings in upon landing, scanning the area. "We are certain that this spot is where the odd energy came from." Her nerves were shaken, being back in the very spot where she had been rid of her curse by the Elements of Harmony.

Celestia landed beside her, trotting over to the place where she and her sibling had been reunited. "But why here? It couldn't be...no, the curse is gone. It's something else, something more powerful. I can sense a different presence." She looked over and noticed a lump of leaves in the very spot where the Elements had freed her sister. "What's this?" She called to Luna, who was busy inspecting some red, rubbery substance.

She studied what was left of a bush, notiscing some dark stains on the foilage. "We see a struggle must have taken place. Somepony was injured here." She showed the sun princess, who grimaced. "What could have happened...?"

"Excuse me," a voice called from the shadows, rising. The two alicorns faced the odd form, seeing it stand at about their height on its back legs. It was clothed rather oddly, like something one of the aristocratic ponies of Canterlot would wear. It stepped forward, grinning. "You haven't seen a young boy around here, have you?"

~//////~

Ciel stood in the living room, wondering what he had done to spook the pony. He did get some odd stares as he followed Pinkie to this home, but at least the pony had given him his clothes, including his patch, before they'd left. The only one who had asked what he was on the way here was a mint green unicorn.

He sighed and headed for the kitchen where the winged horse had gone into. Illusion or not, he needed answers. The yellow pony shrunk down at his approach, dropping the celery stalk she'd been chopping for a salad. Sighing, he kneeled and petted its head, feeling the silky fur. He'd rode a horse or two in his time, and knew how to handle one that was spooked. She flinched at first, then let him get behind her ear.

'Oh...w-well, you don't seem so bad, I suppose. What's your name, little one?" The earl ignored the fact he'd been belittled by a pony and started to answer. Unfortunately, all he got out was another chirp, then cleared his throat. "Oh, poor dear...You sound sick, or hurt. I think I have something to help."

Pinkie leapt in to the conversation, literally. "His name's Phantom! Cool, huh?" Ciel shot the pony a look, preffering to have his full family name used. She must've caught that, because she added on. "Well, it's really Phantomhive, but I think Phantom is cooler. It sound all mysterious~!" She waved her arms like they were noddles, a feat that almost puzzled the earl until he reminded himself that it was just part of a dream anyways. "So, can ya do anything for him?"

The timid pegasus got out a glass and started up on some tea, using a type of leaf the nobleman had never seen before. He surmised that it didn't matter the leaf, though; it was just part of some delusion. He cursed his captors for this, forcing him to be in this undignified female land of ponies. He would've taken some nightmare about firey hells or a bloody asylum over this any day. At least he would be familiar with those.

"So, what's that eyepatch on him for? Is it another injury?" The pegasus examined him, but not as annoyingly as Pinke had before. He instinctivly backed up as she got closer to his seal. "Oh, I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. If it's too personal, then...well, I won't ask." The pony did have a way with other species, at least. Of course it did, the earl reasoned once more, as it was just a sedated dream.

Pinkie, however, understood nothing about personal things. "I had to take it off of him earler when I was pathcing him up and cleaning his clothes. There wasn't any kind of scar or anything, so I have NO IDEA what it could be..." She switched her gaze to him, a detective's smile coming over her. "Maybe we could just find out..."

Delusion or not, he didnt want anyone--or anypony--finding out his secrets. "Um, Pinkie, I don't think that's a good idea...He doesn't like it." Ciel nodded in agreement with the pegasus, keeping one hand over his patch while the other was raised in defense. The pink pony ignored both their efforts, reaching to grab the patch. "Pinkie...please, you don't wanna upset him..." She suddenly felt some odd snesation shiver down her spine as her friedn touched a hoof to the patch. Ciel reached to swat the pony down.

The tea whistle wnet off, silencing them all. "Pinkie, why don't you help me with that?" Fluttershy sggested. The earl sighed, glad he was able to keep that under control. Even if it was his own set of delusions, he still had no way to keep everything intact. The puppeteer behind this was his criminal holders, the ones who had tied him, drugged him, and were going to get what was coming to htem when Sebastian got there. He mentally called to his butler, wondering what the devil was taking him so long.

The pegasus reentered with a tray of tea on some cups, the pink one bouncing behind with a plate of cupcakes. Somehow, the sunshine yellow pony managed to pour him a cup of tea. He didn;t knwo how this would help, but then he thought it over.

Whoever it was that had him, they must've gathered intel on him. Even if they hadn't, it was well known that he liked a specific tea. In order to keep it realistic, that's what they would flaovr it in his hallucination. He smirked, having outsmarted the one pulling the strings. This would prove it, and he would wake up. Taking the cup in hand, he brought it to his lips and took a sip.

It wasn't Earl Grey. He stared at the cup, a tingling ripple traveling down his throat. The burn from before when he'd tried to speak was washd over by a peppermint honey flavor. He took another drink, just to make sure. It felt so real, so unexpected. "This tea..." he muttered, "It...tastes different..."

Comments

[Grell Sutclif]

Moar plz

[ShinigamiOkami]

1078328
haha~ I'm workin' on it!
thanks!

[Rai]

1079104 overall it was a good story and I am looking forward to other chapters.

The only thing I could really criticize is the odd spelling mistake every now and then. Just go over your chapters and correct those and you sir have a solid story

[flutterfanshygal]

woot! I been wonderin' how long 'til somepony on this site made one!

[ShinigamiOkami]

1079593
Oh, thanks~ I usually skim over when I'm done, but I guess I missed a few ^^' I type kinda fast...
Thank you so much! Any criticism is always appreciated.
And thanks for faving, too!

1083064
Me too ^^ Thanks!

[Waterwings]

YEA!!!! I was searching and searching for a good crossover story, and yours is the first!!!! Oh, and of you're having a difficult time thinking of stuff to write, start thinking of something random and just let your train of thought wander....... Eventually, you end up with a great idea!!! ( it works, that's how I always get unstuck when I'm writing. Once I thought of guavas and ended up with a character in out world finding the reference guide to the elements of harmony and being transported to ponyville when they opened it.)

[spider8itch]

You portrayed me very well.

[akiraa]

Only problem I have with it is that I believe that anyone that crossed over into Equestria would be ponified... which did not happen...